922. bohu

Lexicon

bohu: Emptiness, void, waste

Original Word: בֹּהוּ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: bohuw
Pronunciation: BOH-hoo
Phonetic Spelling: (bo'-hoo)
Definition: Emptiness, void, waste
Meaning: a vacuity, an undistinguishable ruin

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

emptiness, void

From an unused root (meaning to be empty); a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin -- emptiness, void.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
emptiness
NASB Translation
emptiness (1), void (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בֹּ֫הוּ noun [masculine] emptiness (on form see Ges^{§ 84a}, 1 b Sta^{§ 95, 198 a, on usage} compare Lag^{Or. ii. 60 f.}) always with תֹּהוּ q. v.; — תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ Genesis 1:2 of primeval earth; Jeremiah 4:23 of earth under judgment of ׳י; קַותֿֿהֹוּ וְאַבְנֵי בֹהוּ Isaiah 34:11, the line of wasteness and the stones of emptiness, i.e. plummets, employed, not as usual for building, but for destroying walls; compare Di & see below אבן 6

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from an unused root meaning to be empty.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • While there is no direct Greek equivalent for בֹּהוּ (bohu) in the Strong's Concordance, the concept of emptiness or desolation can be related to Greek terms such as κενός (kenos, Strong's Greek 2756), meaning "empty" or "vain," and ἀκαταστασία (akatastasia, Strong's Greek 181), meaning "disorder" or "confusion." These terms capture similar themes of void and chaos found in the Hebrew usage of בֹּהוּ (bohu).

Usage: The term בֹּהוּ (bohu) is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe a state of emptiness or desolation, often in conjunction with תֹּהוּ (tohu), to depict a formless and void condition.

Context: • בֹּהוּ (bohu) appears in the Hebrew Bible in contexts that describe a primordial or chaotic state of the earth. It is notably used in Genesis 1:2, where the earth is described as "formless and void" (תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ, tohu va-bohu), indicating a lack of order and structure before the creative acts of God. This phrase suggests a condition of chaos and emptiness that precedes divine intervention and creation.
• The term also appears in Jeremiah 4:23, where the prophet uses it to describe the desolation and ruin of the land as a result of divine judgment. Here, the imagery of "formless and void" is employed to convey the complete devastation and absence of life, reflecting the consequences of turning away from God.
• In Isaiah 34:11, בֹּהוּ (bohu) is used in a prophetic context to describe the desolation that will come upon Edom, symbolizing the total destruction and emptiness that will result from divine wrath.
• The use of בֹּהוּ (bohu) in these passages underscores the theme of transformation from chaos to order, or from judgment to restoration, highlighting the power and sovereignty of God in bringing about change and renewal.

Forms and Transliterations

בֹֽהוּ׃ בהו׃ וָבֹ֑הוּ וָבֹ֔הוּ ובהו ḇō·hū ḇōhū vaVohu Vohu wā·ḇō·hū wāḇōhū

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 1:2
HEB: הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־
NAS: was formless and void, and darkness
KJV: without form, and void; and darkness
INT: was was formless and void and darkness was over

Isaiah 34:11
HEB: תֹ֖הוּ וְאַבְנֵי־ בֹֽהוּ׃
NAS: And the plumb line of emptiness.
KJV: and the stones of emptiness.
INT: of desolation and the plumb of emptiness

Jeremiah 4:23
HEB: וְהִנֵּה־ תֹ֖הוּ וָבֹ֑הוּ וְאֶל־ הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם
NAS: [it was] formless and void; And to the heavens,
KJV: and, lo, [it was] without form, and void; and the heavens,
INT: and behold formless and void and to the heavens

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 922
3 Occurrences

wā·ḇō·hū — 2 Occ.
ḇō·hū — 1 Occ.