Proverbs 15:17 — Word Study
WLCט֤וֹב אֲרֻחַ֣ת יָ֭רָק וְאַהֲבָה־ שָׁ֑ם מִשּׁ֥וֹר אָ֝ב֗וּס וְשִׂנְאָה־ בֽוֹ׃
BSABetterṭôwb [more desirable, preferable] a dishʼăruchâh of vegetablesyârâq [herbs, green plants] whereshâm there is loveʼahăbâh [present, residing, affection, tender care] than a fattenedʼâbaç [stalled, well-fed] oxshôwr [cattle, beef] with hatredsinʼâh [accompanied by, in the presence of, hostility, ill will]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| ט֤וֹב | [is] good | Adj |
| אֲרֻחַ֣ת | a portion of | Noun common, feminine singular construct |
| יָ֭רָק | vegetables | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| וְאַהֲבָה־ | and love | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| שָׁ֑ם | [is] there | Adverb |
| מִשּׁ֥וֹר | more than an ox | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| אָ֝ב֗וּס | fattened | Verb, Qal, participle (passive) masculine singular |
| וְשִׂנְאָה־ | and hatred | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| בֽוֹ׃ | [is] with it | Preposition, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred. |
| KJV | Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. |
| ASV | Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. |
| YLT | Better [is] an allowance of green herbs and love there, Than a fatted ox, and hatred with it. |
| WEB | Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred. |
| BBE | Better is a simple meal where love is, than a fat ox and hate with it. |
Where they part company is טוֹב — see How Translations Differ.
The verse presents a main clause that establishes the preferred scenario, followed by a contrasting clause that highlights the negative aspect.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectאַהֲבָה
verbאָבַס
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
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 — Proverbs 15:17
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 — The Value of Relationshipsgenerated
Proverbs 15:17 presents a contrast between a simple meal shared in love and a lavish meal that is marred by hatred. This proverb is part of a larger discourse that emphasizes the importance of love and peace in our relationships, suggesting that the quality of our interactions is far more significant than the quantity of our possessions. The surrounding verses further illustrate this theme, showing that a life grounded in love and humility is preferable to one filled with strife and material excess.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proverbs 17:1 | Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. |
| 2 | Proverbs 21:19 | Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife. |
| 3 | Psalm 133:1–3 | Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! |
| 4 | Philippians 2:1 | Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, |
| 5 | 1 John 4:16 | And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — טוֹב, Tovgenerated
The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) means good or pleasant, often referring to what is beneficial or pleasing. It encompasses a range of meanings from ethical goodness to simple enjoyment. The parsing as an adjective indicates it describes the quality of the meal in this proverb.
In this context, טוֹב highlights the desirability of a humble meal shared with love over a sumptuous feast that lacks affection. This word illustrates the biblical principle that true goodness is found in relationships and love rather than material wealth.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations generally agree on the meaning of the verse.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is introduced by the finite verb טוֹב, is good, which establishes the value of the first part of the comparison. The structure follows with a noun phrase that describes what is good, followed by a prepositional phrase indicating the presence of love.
The second part of the comparison introduces a contrasting noun phrase with a prepositional phrase indicating the presence of hatred. This structure emphasizes the contrast between love and hatred, highlighting the proverb's moral lesson.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint uses the Greek word κρείσσων to translate טוֹב, indicating a preference for the good over the bad. This choice suggests a focus on the comparative value of the two scenarios presented in the proverb.
The use of χενισμὸς for אֲרֻחָה indicates a specific emphasis on the meal aspect, aligning with the Hebrew meaning while adapting to a Greek audience.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Proverbs 15:17 teaches that having a simple meal with love is better than a lavish feast filled with hatred. This highlights the importance of love and relationships over material wealth.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It emphasizes that love is more valuable than material possessions, suggesting that relationships and affection bring true happiness.
It aligns with other proverbs that highlight the value of love, peace, and humility over wealth and strife.
A simple meal shared in love fosters connection and joy, while a lavish meal accompanied by hatred creates division and unhappiness.
We can prioritize love and relationships over material wealth, seeking to create environments of affection and care in our homes and communities.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways can I cultivate love in my relationships, even in simple situations?
- How do I view material possessions compared to the love I share with others?
- What are some practical steps I can take to ensure love is present in my home?
- How can I remind myself that relationships are more important than material wealth?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early Church Fathers often referenced this proverb to discuss the value of love and simplicity in contrast to material excess.
“Herbs with love are better than a fatted calf with deceit.” This is reminiscent of what we said before, that herbs are not the Agape, but that meals should be taken with charity.Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 15 →
Better is the hospitality of vegetables served with friendship and grace than a fatted calf served with enmity. Often we accept simpler,Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 15 →
But you should be content with your own possessions and not feed on the losses of others. The good food is the simplicity of innocence.Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 15 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Proverbs 15:17 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBetter [is] a dinner of herbs, where love is,.... What Plautus (i) calls "asperam et terrestrem caenam", "a harsh and earthly supper", made of what grows out of the earth; which is got without much
Read John Gill on Proverbs 15 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBetter is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
Read Robert Jamieson on Proverbs 15 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleLove; true friendship and kindness between those that eat together.
Read Matthew Poole on Proverbs 15 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsProverbs 15:17 Better [is] a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.Ver. 17. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is.] Mensa consecrata est amicitiae, saith one. The table is dedicated to friendship, and an absurd thing it is there to raise quarrels, or to revenge wrongs, as Absalom did when he killed his brother Amnon; as Alexander did when he killed his friend Philotas; and as the great Turk when he intends the death of any of his great Bashaws - he invites them to a feast, in the midst whereof he commandeth the black gown to be cast upon their shoulders, and then they are presently taken from table and strangled. Isaac made a feast for Abimelech and…
Read John Trapp on Proverbs 15 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 17. Better is a dinner of herbs] Great numbers of indigent Hindoos subsist wholly on herbs, fried in oil, and mixed with their rice.
Read AdamClarke on Proverbs 15 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleA dinner of herbs - The meals of the poor and the abstemious. The “stalled ox,” like the “fatted calf” of Luke 15:23, would indicate a stately magnificence.
Read Albert Barnes on Proverbs 15 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible17. A dinner of herbs — A portion or ration of greens. A stalled ox — Stall-fed, highly fattened. A ration of vegetables where love is, is better than roast beef with hatred.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Proverbs 15 →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
Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.
Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred.
Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.
Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox where there is hatred.
Tyndale line
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred with it.
Better is a dinner of greene herbes where loue is, then a stalled oxe and hatred therewith.
Strictly literal
Better is a meal of herbs where love is, than a fatted ox and hatred therewith.
Better [is] an allowance of green herbs and love there, Than a fatted ox, and hatred with it.
Better [is] an allowance of green herbs and love there, || Than a fatted ox, and hatred with it.
Better is an allowance of herbs when love is there, than a stall-fed ox and hatred therewith.
Better is a meal with vegetables where there is love than a fatted calf served with hatred.
From the Latin
It is better to be invited to herbs with love, than to a fatted calf with hatred.
Simplified
Better a dinner of vegetables where there's love than eating meat with hatred.
Better is a simple meal where love is, than a fat ox and hate with it.
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.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text states, "Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred." The Septuagint, while it has some correspondence with the Masoretic Text, does not provide a complete translation of this verse, and thus its specific wording and meaning cannot be fully compared. Therefore, the primary witness for this verse remains the Masoretic Text, as the Septuagint does not offer a clear alternative reading. No significant differences are noted from the Samaritan Pentateuch or the Dead Sea Scrolls for this verse, as they do not provide additional variants that would alter the understanding of the text.
ט֤וֹב אֲרֻחַ֣ת יָ֭רָק וְאַהֲבָה־ שָׁ֑ם מִשּׁ֥וֹר אָ֝ב֗וּס וְשִׂנְאָה־ בֽוֹ׃
5 of the 9 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.
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.
Lexicons — every word in Proverbs 15:17
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.
טוֹב (tov) is a Hebrew word meaning good or pleasant, encompassing a wide range of meanings from agreeable to the senses to ethical goodness. It can function as an adjective, noun, or adverb, referring to things like welfare, happiness, and prosperity. The feminine form, טוֹבָה (tovah), specifically denotes welfare or good things.
טוֹב adj. pleasant, agreeable, good
pleasant, agreeable to the senses
pleasant to the higher nature, giving pleasure, happiness, prosperity, and so agreeable, pleasing, well
good, excellent, of its kind
good, rich, valuable in estimation
good, appropriate, becoming
c. מִן compar. = better
of man's sensuous nature, glad, happy, prosperous
of man's intellectual nature, good understanding
good, kind, benign
good (ethical), right
base
טוֹב n.m. a good thing, benefit, welfare
welfare, prosperity, happiness
good things
good = benefit
moral good
base
טוֹבָה n.f. welfare, benefit, good things, good
welfare, prosperity, happiness
good things
bounty, good
base
H2896a טוֹב pleasant, agreeable, good . pleasant, agreeable to the senses
. pleasant to the higher nature, giving pleasure, happiness, prosperity, and so agreeable, pleasing, well
. good, excellent, of its kind
. good, rich, valuable in estimation
. good, appropriate, becoming
. c. מִן compar. =better
. of man's sensuous nature, glad, happy, prosperous
. of man's intellectual nature, good understanding
. good, kind, benign
. good (ethical), right
H2896b טוֹב a good thing, benefit, welfare H2896c טוֹבָה welfare, benefit, good things, good
2896 towb tobe
from 2895; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used
likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine,
the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a
good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or
women), also as an adverb (well):--beautiful, best, better,
bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favour,
fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s),
graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving,
merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious,
prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well
((-favoured)).
see HEBREW for 02895
טוֹב (tov) — pleasant.
adj
1) good, pleasant, agreeable
1a) pleasant, agreeable (to the senses)
1b) pleasant (to the higher nature)
1c) good, excellent (of its kind)
1d) good, rich, valuable in estimation
1e) good, appropriate, becoming
1f) better (comparative)
1g) glad, happy, prosperous (of man's sensuous nature)
1h) good understanding (of man's intellectual nature)
1i) good, kind, benign
1j) good, right (ethical)
Aramaic equivalent: tav (טָב "fine" H2869)
טוֹב (tov) — good.
1) a good thing, benefit, welfare
1a) welfare, prosperity, happiness
1b) good things (collective)
1c) good, benefit
1d) moral good
טוֹבָה (to.vah) — welfare.
1) welfare, benefit, good things
1a) welfare, prosperity, happiness
1b) good things (collective)
1c) bounty
Adj — AdjHAamsa
good (Tobh, Tubh, yaTabh; agathos, agathon, kalos, kalon): In English "good" is used in various senses, most of which are represented in the Bible.
(1) In the Old Testament the commonest word is Tobh, occurring very frequently and translated in a great variety of ways. Of the different shades of meaning, which frequently run into each other, the following may be distinguished:
(a) Possessing desirable qualities, beneficial, agreeable, e.g. "good for food" (Ge 2:9); "We will do thee good" (Nu 10:29); Who will show us any good?" (Ps 4:6); "good tidings of good" (Isa 52:7).
אֲרֻחָה (aruchah) refers to a meal or ration of food, encompassing terms like allowance and diet. It is a feminine passive participle derived from the root word for appointing. The entries consistently highlight its focus on provisions for sustenance.
אֲרֻחָה n.f. meal, allowance (of food)
base
H737 אֲרֻחָה
737 'aruchah ar-oo-khaw'
feminine passive participle of 732 (in the sense of
appointing); a ration of food:--allowance, diet, dinner,
victuals.
see HEBREW for 0732
אֲרֻחָה (a.ru.chah) — ration.
1) meal, allowance, ration
1a) food
1b) diet
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular constructHNcfsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
יָרָק (yaraq) refers to herbs or green vegetables, encompassing a range of garden greens and herbage. It is derived from a root meaning 'green.' The entries consistently highlight its association with greenery and edible plants.
יָרָק n.[m.] herbs (coll.), herbage (green, greens)
base
H3419 יָרָק herbs (coll.), herbage (green, greens)
3419 yaraq yaw-rawk'
from the same as 3418; properly, green; concretely, a
vegetable:--green, herbs.
see HEBREW for 03418
יָרָק (ya.raq) — herb.
herbs, herbage, vegetables, garden greens
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
The Hebrew word אַהֲבָה (*'ahabah*) means 'love' and is a feminine noun derived from the root meaning the same. It encompasses various forms of love, including human affection between individuals, self-love, romantic love, and God's love for His people.
אַהֲבָה n.f. love
base
H160 אַהֲבָה love
160 'ahabah a-hab-aw
feminine of 158 and meaning the same:--love.
see HEBREW for 0158
אַהֲבָה (a.ha.vah) — love.
1) love
1a) human love for human object
1a1) of man toward man
1a2) of man toward himself
1a3) between man and woman
1a4) sexual desire
2) God's love to His people
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa
luv ('ahebh, 'ahabhah, noun; phileo, agapao, verb; agape, noun): Love to both God and man is fundamental to true religion, whether as expressed in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Jesus Himself declared that all the law and the prophets hang upon love (Mt 22:40; Mr 12:28-34). Paul, in his matchless ode on love (1Co 13), makes it the greatest of the graces of the Christian life--greater than speaking with tongues, or the gift of prophecy, or the possession of a faith of superior excellence; for without love all these gifts and graces, desirable and useful as they are in themselves, are as nothing, certainly of no permanent value in the sight of God. Not that either Jesus or Paul underestimates the faith from which all the graces proceed, for this grace is recognized as…
Love
This word seems to require explanation only in the case of its use by our Lord in his interview with “Simon, the son of Jonas,” after his resurrection (John 21:16, 17). When our Lord says, “Lovest thou me?” he uses the Greek word agapas; and when Simon answers, he uses the Greek word philo, i.e., “I love.” This is the usage in the first and second questions put by our Lord; but in the third our Lord uses Simon’s word. The distinction between these two Greek words is thus fitly described by Trench:, ”Agapan has more of judgment and deliberate choice; philein has more of attachment and peculiar personal affection. Thus the ‘Lovest thou’ (Gr. agapas) on the lips of the Lord seems to Peter at this moment too cold a word, as though his Lord were keeping him at a distance, or at least not inviting him to draw near, as in the…
GOD IS LOVE; AND HE THAT DWELLETH IN LOVE DWELLETH IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM, 1Jo 4:16. Love is a chief attribute of Jehovah, the length and breadth and height and depth of which are beyond comprehension, for they are infinite, Eph 3:18,19. Between the three Persons of the Godhead, love is unutterable full, perfect, and blissful; towards holy angels and Christians, God’s love is an infinite fatherly complacency and affection; towards sinners, it is immeasurable compassion. It is shown in all his works and ways, and dictated his holy law, but is most signally displayed in the gospel, Joh 3:16. "Herein is love."
Holy love in man would make the whole heart and soul supremely delight in and obey God, and cordially and practically love all beings according to their character-the good…
→ OF CHILDREN FOR PARENTS
See CHILDREN
→ OF GOD, LOVE OF
שָׁם (sham) is a Hebrew adverb meaning 'there' or 'thither,' indicating a location or direction. It can also refer to a point in time, translating to 'then.' The word is derived from a relative pronoun and is used in various contexts, including movement and temporal references.
שָׁם adv. there, thither
base
H8033 שָׁם there, thither
8033 sham shawm
a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834);
there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or
thence:--in it, + thence, there (-in, + of, + out), +
thither, + whither.
see HEBREW for 0834
שָׁם (sham) — there.
1) there, thither
1a) there
1b) thither (after verbs of motion)
1c) from there, thence
1d) then (as an adverb of time)
Aramaic equivalent: tam.mah (תַּמָּה "there" H8536)
שָׁם (sham) — (Jerusalem) Is There.
Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
This name means there, thither
Adv — AdverbHD
שׁוֹר (shor) refers to a head of cattle, specifically a bullock or ox, and is associated with agricultural and sacrificial contexts. It is derived from the root meaning to travel, indicating its role in farming and food. The term appears in various forms and usages, including in Aramaic.
שׁוֹר 78 n.m. a head of cattle, bullock, ox, etc.
base
H7794 שׁוֹר a head of cattle, bullock, ox, etc.
7794 showr shore
from 7788; a bullock (as a traveller):--bull(-ock), cow, ox,
wall (by mistake for 7791).
see HEBREW for 07788
see HEBREW for 07791
שׁוֹר (shor) — cattle.
1) ox, bull, a head of cattle
1a) for plowing, for food, as sacrifice
Aramaic equivalent: tor (תּוֹר "bullock" H8450)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
Ox
Heb. bakar, “cattle;” “neat cattle”, (Gen. 12:16; 34:28; Job 1:3, 14; 42:12, etc.); not to be muzzled when treading the corn (Deut. 25:4). Referred to by our Lord in his reproof to the Pharisees (Luke 13:15; 14:5).
There was no animal in the rural economy of the Israelites, or indeed in that of the ancient Orientals generally, that was held in higher esteem than the ox and deservedly so, for the ox was the animal upon whose patient labors depended all the ordinary operations of farming. Oxen were used for ploughing, (22:10; 1 Samuel 14:14) etc.; for treading out corn, (25:4; Hosea 10:11) etc.; for draught purposes, when they were generally yoked in pairs, (Numbers 7:3; 1 Samuel 6:7) etc.; as beasts of burden, (1 Chronicles 12:40) their flesh was eaten, (14:4; 1 Kings 1:9) etc.…
The male of the beeve kind when grown, synonymous in the Bible with BULL; a clean animal, by the Levitical law; much used for food, 1Ki 19:21, and constituting no small part of the wealth of the Hebrews in their pastoral life, Ge 24:35 Job 1:14 42:12. Oxen were used in agriculture for ploughing, 1Ki 19:19; and for treading out the grain, during which they were not to be muzzled, 1Co 9:9, but well fed, Isa 30:24. The testing of a new yoke of oxen is still a business of great importance in the East, as of old, Lu…
→ See BULLOCK
→ See CATTLE
אָבַס (abac) is a primitive root meaning to feed or fatten. The entries indicate that it primarily refers to the act of providing fodder, resulting in something being fatted or stalled. The term is associated with the idea of nourishment and growth.
[אָבַס] vb. feed, fatten
base
H75 אָבַס
75 'abac aw-bas'
a primitive root; to fodder:--fatted, stalled.
אָבַס (a.vas) — to fatten.
1) to feed, fatten
1a) (Qal) fattened (passive participle)
V-Qal-Inf-c — Verb · Qal · participle (passive) masculine singularHVqsmsa
שִׂנְאָה (sin'ah) refers to the concepts of hating and hatred. It encompasses the idea of intense dislike, applicable to both human and divine contexts. The word is derived from a root meaning to hate, and its usage is noted in various instances throughout the Old Testament.
שִׂנְאָה n.f. hating, hatred
base
H8135 שִׂנְאָה hating, hatred
8135 sin'ah sin-aw'
from 8130; hate:--+ exceedingly, hate(-ful, - red).
see HEBREW for 08130
שִׂנְאָה (sin.ah) — hating.
1) hating, hatred, hate
1a) hatred
1a1) of man, God
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa
Hatred
Among the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:20). Altogether different is the meaning of the word in Deut. 21:15; Matt. 6:24; Luke 14:26; Rom. 9:13, where it denotes only a less degree of love.
וֹ (o) — him.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular
HR/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp3ms