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Job 33:10 — Word Study

Depth

WLCהֵ֣ן תְּ֭נוּאוֹת עָלַ֣י יִמְצָ֑א יַחְשְׁבֵ֖נִי לְאוֹיֵ֣ב לֽוֹ׃

BSAYethên [God] findsmâtsâʼ [the Almighty, our Creator, discovers, comes upon] occasionstᵉnûwʼâh [reasons for complaint, opposition] against meʻal He counts mechâshab [considers, regards] enemyʼôyêb [adversary, one who opposes]

Word
Listen & take awayJob 33
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 10 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (lo) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Job 33:10quick helps
In a sentenceJob laments that God finds reasons to oppose him and considers him an enemy.
Who is speakingJob, expressing his feelings about his relationship with God.
Where we areIn a dialogue about suffering and divine justice, Job is responding to his friends.
The hard wordתְּנוּאוֹת
Take awayJob feels unjustly treated and misunderstood by God.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbמָצָא The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Job 33:10

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Job's Plea to Godgenerated

9‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, with no iniquity in me.
10Yet God finds occasions against me; He counts me as His enemy.
11He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches over all my paths.’
12Behold, you are not right in this matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.

Job 33:10 reflects Job's anguish as he perceives God as finding reasons to accuse him. This verse is part of a larger discourse where Job asserts his innocence while grappling with the suffering he endures. The surrounding verses reveal Job's struggle with his friends' accusations and his desire for a fair hearing from God, as he states in Job 33:9 that he is pure and without transgression.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Job 9:30–31If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,
2Job 10:15–17If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction.
3Job 13:25Would You frighten a windblown leaf? Would You chase after dry chaff?
4Job 14:16For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin.
5Job 34:5For Job has declared, ‘I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word תְּנוּאוֹת, Te.nu.'otgenerated

The noun תְּנוּאוֹת (Te.nu.'ot) is a feminine plural form derived from the root associated with opposition and conflict. It signifies occasions or reasons for complaint, indicating a state of enmity or alienation.

In this verse, it highlights Job's perception of God as finding fault with him, suggesting a breach in their relationship. The use of this term underscores the emotional weight of Job's claim that he is being treated as an adversary.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses finds occasions and aligns with the KJV and ASV.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse contains a main clause governed by the verb יִמְצָא, he finds, with two objects: תְּנוּאוֹת, occasions, and נִי, me. The structure indicates that God actively finds reasons against Job, which is central to the verse's meaning.

The prepositional phrase עָלַי, against me, adds a layer of personal conflict, indicating that the occasions are directed specifically at Job.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, תְּנוּאוֹת is rendered as μέμψιν, which implies a sense of blame or accusation. This choice suggests a more accusatory tone than the Hebrew, highlighting Job's feeling of being unjustly targeted.

The Greek translation emphasizes the adversarial nature of Job's relationship with God, aligning with his lament of being treated as an enemy.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Job 33:10 shows Job expressing his feelings that God has found reasons to oppose him and considers him an enemy. This reflects Job's deep sense of injustice and his struggle to understand his suffering in light of his perceived innocence.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Job mean when he says God finds occasions against him?

Job is expressing his feeling that God has discovered reasons to accuse him, suggesting a sense of being unjustly treated.

How does Job view his relationship with God in this verse?

Job feels alienated and treated as an adversary by God, which adds to his anguish.

What is the significance of the word 'enemy' in this context?

The term 'enemy' indicates a severe breakdown in Job's relationship with God, highlighting his feelings of betrayal and conflict.

How do the surrounding verses contribute to the understanding of this verse?

The surrounding verses show Job's insistence on his innocence and his desire for a fair hearing, providing context for his lament.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How do I respond when I feel unjustly accused or treated by others?
  2. What can I learn from Job's honesty in expressing his feelings to God?
  3. In what ways do I see conflict in my own relationships, and how can I address it?
  4. How might I approach God with my own feelings of alienation or misunderstanding?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Job 33:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Behold, he findeth occasions against me,.... That is, sought in order to find them; so Job in some places suggests, that God inquired after his sins, and sought diligently after them, that he might

Read John Gill on Job 33 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy, Occasions - for hostility: literally, enmities (Job 13:24; Job 16:9; Job 19:11; Job 30:21). [ tªnuw'owt (H8569)]

Read Robert Jamieson on Job 33 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

He picketh quarrels with me, and watcheth over and searcheth after all my errors and frailties, as Job said, 14:16,17; severely marking what is amiss in me, that thence he may take occasion to punish me worse than mine iniquities deserve. Though I have endeavoured to be his friend and faithful servant all my days, yet he treats me like an enemy. This Job said 19:11.

Read Matthew Poole on Job 33 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 33:10 Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,Ver. 10. Behold, he findeth occasions against me] Or, breaches; he picks quarrels with me, and would fain find out somewhat in my carriage wherefore to break friendship with me, and to break me in pieces. But did Job ever say in this sort? Not expressly so; but by consequence, and to the same purpose, Job 9:17; Job 13:24; Job 14:17; Job 16:9; Job 19:11. He counteth me for his enemy] This indeed he had said, and somewhat more, Job 13:24; Job 16:9; Job 30:21, as if God, of his mere pleasure, had made cruel wars upon him, and exercised all kind of hostility against him, as a vanquished enemy.

Read John Trapp on Job 33 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) Behold, he findeth occasions against me.—See Job 13:24; Job 13:26-27; Job 19:11.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 33 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10. See ch. Job 10:13 seq., Job 13:24, Job 19:11, Job 30:21. he findeth occasions] lit. enmities, i. e. grounds of enmity or hostility; he “findeth” is almost equivalent to He “invents.” Coverdale quaintly, “he hath pyked a quarell agaynst me.”

Read Cambridge on Job 33 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Behold, he findeth occasions against me - That is, God. This is not exactly the language of Job, though much that he had said had seemed to imply this.

Read Albert Barnes on Job 33 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

10. Occasions — Rather, enmities, hostilities.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 33 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Yet God finds occasions against me; He counts me as His enemy.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Behold, he finds occasions against me. He counts me for his enemy.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Yet God finds occasions against me; He counts me as His enemy.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Yet God finds occasions with me; he regards me as his enemy!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Behold, he findeth occasions against me, He counteth me for his enemy;

RVARevised Version, American1894

Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy;

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Lo, he hath found occasions against me, and counted me for his enemie.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Lo, he findeth occasions of hostility against me, he counteth me for his enemy;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Lo, occasions against me He doth find, He doth reckon me for an enemy to Him,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Behold, He develops hindrances against me, || He reckons me for an enemy to Him,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Yet, behold, he findeth hateful backsliding on me, he regardeth me as an enemy unto him;

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

See, God finds opportunities to attack me; he regards me as his enemy.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Because he hath found complaints against me, therefore he hath counted me for his enemy.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

See how God finds fault with me and treats me as his enemy.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

See, he is looking for something against me; in his eyes I am as one of his haters;

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseclauseהֵ֣ןhere!clauseobjectתְּ֭נוּאוֹתoccasionsprepositional phrase · prepositionalעָלַ֣onיmeverbיִמְצָ֑אhe.findsclauseverbיַחְשְׁבֵ֖heobjectנִיconsiders.meprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְtoאוֹיֵ֣בan.enemyprepositional phrase · prepositionalלֽtoוֹhim

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text reads הֵ֣ן תְּ֭נוּאוֹת עָלַ֣י יִמְצָ֑א יַחְשְׁבֵ֖נִי לְאוֹיֵ֣ב לֽוֹ׃. The Septuagint matches six of the seven words, but its structure differs from the Hebrew. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain partial restorations that align with the Masoretic Text.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

הֵ֣ן תְּ֭נוּאוֹת עָלַ֣י יִמְצָ֑א יַחְשְׁבֵ֖נִי לְאוֹיֵ֣ב לֽוֹ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
הֵ֣ןδὲתְּ֭נוּאוֹתμέμψινעָלַ֣יἐμοῦיִמְצָ֑אεὗρενיַחְשְׁבֵ֖נִיμεלְאוֹיֵ֣בὑπεναντίον

6 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q99a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[הן] [תנואות] [על׳י] ימצא יחשב׳ני [לאויב] [ל׳ו]

nothing on the leather here — 2 partly restored, 5 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Job 33:10הֵןhere!here!הֵןתְּנוּאָהoccasionsoccasionsתְּנוּאָהעַלon meon meעַלמָצָאhe findshe findsמָצָאחָשַׁבhe considerhe considers meחָשַׁבאָיַבto an enemyto an enemyאָיַבוֹof himof himוֹנואto forbidto forbidנואעַלheightheightעַלאָיַבbe hostilebe hostileאָיַביָפֶהbeautifulbeautifulיָפֶהיהוהYHWH/GodYHWH/Godיהוהכִּפֶּרto atoneto atoneכִּפֶּרכִּסֵּאthronethroneכִּסֵּאחֵןfavorfavorחֵןבָּקַשׁto seekto seekבָּקַשׁמַחֲשָׁבָהplotplotמַחֲשָׁבָהכַּרְמֶלplantationplantationכַּרְמֶלצַרnarrownarrowצַרשָׂנֵאto hateto hateשָׂנֵא
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Job 33:10

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

here! occasions on me he finds he considers me to an enemy of him
הֵ֣ןhen here! H2005 Particle
316× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
An expression meaning look or behold, used to get someone's attention, like in the prophet Isaiah's writings. It can also express surprise or introduce a hypothetical situation.
Tyndale gloss
look!
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הֵן (hen) is a demonstrative adverb or interjection meaning 'lo!' or 'behold!'. It is primarily used to draw attention to a fact that prompts action or leads to a conclusion. The word can also express surprise and is less common than its counterpart הִנֵּה (hinneh). Additionally, it can function hypothetically as 'if'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הֵן 100 demonstr.adv. or interj. lo!, behold (on etym. v. הִנֵּה), less widely used than הִנֵּה, and in prose mostly confined to calling attention to some fact upon which action is to be taken, or a conclusion based

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2005 הֵן demonstr. adv. or interj. lo!, behold (on etym. v. הִנֵּה), less widely used than הִנֵּה, and in prose mostly confined to calling attention to some fact upon which action is to be taken, or a conclusion based

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2005 hen hane

a primitive particle; lo!; also (as expressing surprise)

if:--behold, if, lo, though.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הֵן (hen) — look!.

interj

1) behold, lo, though hypothetical part

2) if

Aramaic equivalent: hen (הֵן "look!" H2006A)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part — Particle
HTj
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

her, in composition:

here! occasions on me he finds he considers me to an enemy of him
תְּ֭נוּאוֹתTe.nu.'ot occasions H8569 Noun common · feminine plural absolute
2× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Opposition or being an enemy, it implies a state of conflict or disagreement. It is used to describe broken relationships.
Amplified meaning
reasons for complaint, opposition
Tyndale gloss
opposition
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תְּנוּאָה (tnuw'ah) refers to concepts of opposition, alienation, and enmity. It is derived from the root word associated with alienation and can imply a breach of promise or occasion for conflict. The entries consistently emphasize its meanings related to opposition.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[תְּנוּאָה] n.f. opposition

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8569 תְּנוּאָה

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8569 tnuw'ah ten-oo-aw'

from 5106; alienation; by implication, enmity:--breach of

promise, occasion.

see HEBREW for 05106

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תְּנוּאָה (te.nu.ah) — opposition.

opposition, alienation, enmity

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fp — Noun common · feminine plural absolute
HNcfpa
here! occasions on me he finds he considers me to an enemy of him
עָלַ֣י'a.Lai on me H5921 Preposition · suffix
5,774× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means on or above something, like a physical object or a situation. It can also imply a sense of responsibility or accountability, as in being on behalf of someone.
Tyndale gloss
upon
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עַל (*al*) is a preposition meaning 'upon' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including 'on account of,' 'beside,' 'above,' and 'against.' It can indicate physical placement, emotional burdens, or duties imposed on a person. The entries also note its use in idiomatic expressions and with verbs of motion. There is a mention of its function as a conjunction in certain contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

base

עַל, עָ֑ל

subst. height

As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

of clothing, etc., which any one wears

With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5921a עַל, עָ֑ל . As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against . Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed . — . of clothing, etc., which any one wears

. With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5921 `al al

properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the

singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a

particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always

in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great

variety of applications (as follow):--above, according

to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because

of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both

and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in

(that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than,

through(-out), to, touching, X with.

see HEBREW for 05920

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַל (al) — upon.

prep

1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards

1b) above, beyond, over (of excess)

1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence)

1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition)

1e) over (of suspension or extension)

1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity)

1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion)

1h) to (as a dative)

[כִּי] עַל [כֵּן] ([ki] al [ken]) — as.

conj

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | Suff — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp1bs
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
here! occasions on me he finds he considers me to an enemy of him
יִמְצָ֑אyim.Tza' he finds H4672 Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singular
455× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Matsa means to find or attain something, whether it is a physical object, a person, or a condition, as seen in various KJV translations.
Amplified meaning
the Almighty, our Creator, discovers, comes upon
Tyndale gloss
to find
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָצָא (matsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to find or attain. It encompasses a range of actions, including discovering something lost, encountering someone, or coming upon a situation. The word can also imply being present or sufficient. Lexicons note various forms and uses, including Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, which indicate different nuances of finding and encountering.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָצָא 452 vb. attain to, find

Qal

find

find out

= come upon, light upon

noteworthy phrases

Niph. pass. of Qal, be found

Hiph.

cause to find, attain

cause to light upon, come upon, come

cause to encounter

present unto

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4672 מָצָא attain to, find

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4672 matsa' maw-tsaw'

a primitive root; properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or

exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire;

figuratively, to occur, meet or be present:--+ be able,

befall, being, catch, X certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to

hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion,

out), get (hold upon), X have (here), be here, hit, be left,

light (up-)on, meet (with), X occasion serve, (be) present,

ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָצָא (ma.tsa) — to find.

1) to find, attain to

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to find

1a1a) to find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought)

1a1b) to find (what is lost)

1a1c) to meet, encounter

1a1d) to find (a condition)

1a1e) to learn, devise

1a2) to find out

1a2a) to find out

1a2b) to detect

1a2c) to guess

1a3) to come upon, light upon

1a3a) to happen upon, meet, fall in with

1a3b) to hit

1a3c) to befall

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be found

1b1a) to be encountered, be lighted upon, be discovered

1b1b) to appear, be recognised

1b1c) to be discovered, be detected

1b1d) to be gained, be secured

1b2) to be, be found

1b2a) to be found in

1b2b) to be in the possession of

1b2c) to be found in (a place), happen to be

1b2d) to be left (after war)

1b2e) to be present

1b2f) to prove to be

1b2g) to be found sufficient, be enough

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to find, attain

1c2) to cause to light upon, come upon, come

1c3) to cause to encounter

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singular
HVqi3ms
here! occasions on me he finds he considers me to an enemy of him
יַחְשְׁבֵ֖נִיyach.she.Ve.ni he considers me H2803 Verb qal imperfect third person masculine singular · suffix
124× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To devise means to think or plan something, often in a clever way. In the Bible, it can mean to plot or contrive, as seen in the story of David and Goliath.
Amplified meaning
considers, regards
Tyndale gloss
to devise: count
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word חָשַׁב (chashab) is a primitive root meaning to think, account, or devise. It encompasses a range of actions including planning, valuing, and inventing, both for humans and in relation to God. The entries indicate various grammatical forms, such as Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hithpael, each reflecting different nuances of thought and consideration.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חָשַׁב vb. think, account

Qal

of man:

think, account

devise, plan, mean

charge, impute

esteem, value, regard

invent ingenious and artistic things

of God:

think

devise, plan, mean

inpute, reckon

esteem, value, regard

invent ingenious and artistic things

Niph.

be accounted, thought, esteemed

be computed, reckoned

be imputed to any one

Pi.

think upon, consider, be mindful of

think to do, devise, plan

count, reckon, the years since a sale of land

Hithp. among the nations it shall not reckon itself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2803 חָשַׁב think, account .. of man: . think, account

. devise, plan, mean

. charge, impute

. esteem, value, regard

. invent ingenious and artistic things

. of God: . think

. devise, plan, mean

. inpute, reckon

. esteem, value, regard

. invent ingenious and artistic things

. . be accounted, thought, esteemed

. be computed, reckoned

. be imputed to any one

. . think upon, consider, be mindful of

. think to do, devise, plan

. count, reckon, the years since a sale of land

. among the nations it shall not reckon itself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2803 chashab khaw-shab'

a primitive root; properly, to plait or interpenetrate, i.e.

(literally) to weave or (gen.) to fabricate; figuratively, to

plot or contrive (usually in a malicious sense); hence (from

the mental effort) to think, regard, value, compute:--(make)

account (of), conceive, consider, count, cunning (man, work,

workman), devise, esteem, find out, forecast, hold, imagine,

impute, invent, be like, mean, purpose, reckon(-ing be made),

regard, think.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חָשַׁב (cha.shav) — to devise: design.

: design/skillful

1) to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to think, account

1a2) to plan, devise, mean

1a3) to charge, impute, reckon

1a4) to esteem, value, regard

1a5) to invent

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be accounted, be thought, be esteemed

1b2) to be computed, be reckoned

1b3) to be imputed

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to think upon, consider, be mindful of

1c2) to think to do, devise, plan

1c3) to count, reckon

1d) (Hithpael) to be considered

חָשַׁב (cha.shav) — to devise: count.

: count/regard_as

1) to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to think, account

1a2) to plan, devise, mean

1a3) to charge, impute, reckon

1a4) to esteem, value, regard

1a5) to invent

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be accounted, be thought, be esteemed

1b2) to be computed, be reckoned

1b3) to be imputed

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms | Suff — Verb qal imperfect third person masculine singular · suffix
HVqi3ms/Sp1bs
here! occasions on me he finds he considers me to an enemy of him
לְאוֹיֵ֣בle.'o.Yev to an enemy H341 Preposition · verb qal participle (active) masculine singular
283× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means enemy or adversary, referring to someone who hates or opposes another person or nation. It is used to describe personal or national enemies in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
adversary, one who opposes
Tyndale gloss
enemy
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֹיֵב (oyeb) means 'enemy' or 'foe,' indicating hostility. It can refer to personal or national adversaries. The word is derived from the active participle of another root, אָיַב (ayab), which also conveys the sense of being hostile.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[אָיַב] 283 vb. be hostile to (enemy = אֹיֵב)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H341 אָיַב be hostile to (enemy = אֹיֵב)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

341 'oyeb o-yabe'

or (fully) owyeb {o-yabe'}; active participle of 340;

hating; an adversary:--enemy, foe.

see HEBREW for 0340

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֹיֵב (o.yev) — enemy.

1) (Qal) enemy

1a) personal

1b) national

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | V-Qal — Preposition · verb qal participle (active) masculine singular
HR/Vqrmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

en'-e-mi ('oyebh, tsar, tsar; echthros):

"Enemy," "enemies," are frequent words in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word most often so translated is 'oyebh, meaning perhaps literally, "one who hates"; very frequent in the Psalms, eg. 3:7; 6:10; 7:5; 8:2; 9:3,1; 13:2, where the cry is often for deliverance from enemies. Another word for "enemy," found chiefly in the poetical books, is tsar, or tsar, "distresser," "straitener" (Nu 10:9; Job 16:9; Ps 27:2,12, the Revised Version (British and American) "adversary," etc.); also tsarar (Es 3:10; Ps 8:2; 10:5 the King James Version, etc.). Other words are `ar, "one awake" (

Nave's Topical Bible

→ General scriptures concerning Ex 23:5; Job 31:29,30; Ps 35:1-28; Pr 24:17,18; 25:21,22; Mt 5:43-48; Lu 6:27-36; Ro 12:14,20

→ The wickedness of David's Ps 56:5; 57:4,6; 62:4; 69:4,9; 71:10; 102:8; 109:2-5; 129:1-3

→ His imprecations against

See PRAYER, IMPRECATORY

→ Instances of forgiveness of

David, of Absalom, and co-conspirators 2Sa 19:6,12,13

here! occasions on me he finds he considers me to an enemy of him
לֽוֹ׃lo of him H9033 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

וֹ (o) — him.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp3ms
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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