Original Word: אָיַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ayab
Pronunciation: ah-yav'
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-yab')
KJV: be an enemy
NASB: enemies, enemy, enemies', foes, enemy to your enemies, enemy's
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to hate (as one of an opposite tribe or party)
2. hence to be hostile

be an enemy

A primitive root; to hate (as one of an opposite tribe or party); hence to be hostile -- be an enemy.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be hostile to
NASB Translation
enemies (196), enemies' (2), enemy (79), enemy to your enemies (1), enemy's (1), foes (2).

[אָיַב]²⁸³ verb be hostile to (Assyrian aibu (see Dl^w), enemy = אֹיֵב) —

Qal Perfect וְאָיַבְתִּ֫י Exodus 23:22; Participle אוֺיֵב (אֹיֵב) Exodus 15:6 +; suffix (אוֺיְבִי)אֹיְבִי) 2 Samuel 22:18 = Psalm 18:18 +; feminine suffix אֹיַבְתִּי Micah 7:8,10; אֹיִבְךָ Exodus 23:4 +, etc.; plural אֹויְבִים Psalm 68:24; Psalm 127:5; אֹיְבִים Psalm 139:22, etc.; — be hostile to, treat as enemy Exodus 23:22 (E, Cov't code) וְאָיַבְתִּ֫י אֶתאֹֿיְבֶיךָ וְצַרְתִּ֫י אֶתצֹֿרְרֶיךָ (subject ׳י); elsewhere Participle 1 Samuel 18:29 וַיְהִי שָׁאוּל אֹיֵב אֶתדָּֿוִד; usually as substantive & mostly suffix; enemy, of personal foe Exodus 23:4 (E "" שׂנֵא Exodus 23:5) Numbers 35:23 (P) 1 Samuel 19:17 (compare 1 Samuel 18:29) 1 Samuel 24:5; 1 Samuel 24:20; 2 Samuel 4:8; 1 Kings 21:20; Job 27:7; Psalm 54:9; Psalm 55:13 ("" מְשַׂנֵּא; opposed to אַלּוּף, מְיֻדָּע Psalm 55:14) Micah 2:8; Proverbs 16:7; Proverbs 24:17 +; in simile Jeremiah 30:14 (מַכַּת אוֺיֵב); of public national enemy, singular Judges 16:23,24; collective Exodus 15:6,9; Deuteronomy 33:27; Nahum 3:11; 2Chronicles 6:24 +; personified Micah 7:8,10; more often plural Exodus 23:22 (E) Leviticus 26:7 f (H) Numbers 10:9 (P) Deuteronomy 1:42; Deuteronomy 6:19; Jeremiah 15:9; Jeremiah 34:20,21 +; of enemies of God, as protector of his people Numbers 10:35 (J) Judges 5:31; 1 Samuel 30:26; 2 Samuel 18:19; Psalm 66:3; Psalm 68:1; Psalm 68:22; Nahum 1:2,8; Isaiah 66:6 +; as morally supreme Job 13:24; Job 33:10; Psalm 37:20; Psalm 92:10 (twice in verse) +; of God as enemy of rebellious people Isaiah 63:10, in simile Lamentations 2:4,5.

Biblical Context

The sole appearance of the term occurs in Exodus 23:22, within the covenant stipulations given at Sinai. Israel is assured that obedience to the Angel of the LORD will bring the decisive intervention of God: “I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes” (Berean Standard Bible). The word concentrates all hostility against Israel into a single figure—“enemy”—and then places that figure under God’s direct opposition. This promise closes the gap between divine command and divine protection: loyalty generates divine warfare on behalf of the obedient community.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Identification with His People

The text reveals a covenant principle: God so unites Himself with His people that their adversaries become His own. This anticipates later expressions such as “for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8) and Paul’s affirmation, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
2. Conditional Promise

The hostility of God toward Israel’s enemies is contingent upon Israel’s heedfulness. Obedience is the means by which covenant privileges are realized (cf. Deuteronomy 28:1–2).
3. Revelation of Divine Warrior Motif

Exodus continues the portrait begun at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:3): “The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name.” The single use of this verb intensifies the image—God becomes the active combatant.

Historical Background

At the threshold of the conquest of Canaan, Israel faced entrenched powers. In ancient Near Eastern treaties, a suzerain pledged military defense to vassals. Exodus 23 uses that familiar political form yet elevates it: the Sovereign of all kingdoms binds Himself to fight for a nomadic people because of covenant grace, not because of their military worth.

Intertextual Echoes

While the specific Hebrew word surfaces only once, its theological resonance permeates Scripture:
• Deuteronomy 30:7—God “will put all these curses on your enemies.”
• Psalm 68:1—“May God arise, may His enemies be scattered.”
• Isaiah 63:10—“He turned to be their enemy and He Himself fought against them” when Israel rebelled, demonstrating that the same Warrior can oppose His own if covenant terms are spurned.
• Nahum 1:2—“The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.”

Christological Reflections

At the cross, the divine Warrior meets the ultimate enemy—sin and death—on behalf of His covenant people. Colossians 2:15 portrays Christ as having “disarmed the powers and authorities” and “triumphed over them by the cross,” fulfilling the Exodus pattern on a universal scale. Moreover, believers, once “enemies” (Romans 5:10), are reconciled, displaying the transformative power of divine hostility turned to grace through atonement.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Assurance in Spiritual Conflict

Believers engaged in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12) rest in the promise that God Himself confronts the forces arrayed against His church.
2. Call to Obedience

Just as Israel’s obedience activated the promise, discipleship today requires hearing and doing the word (James 1:22), aligning with the Warrior-King.
3. Posture Toward Human Adversaries

Romans 12:19 instructs, “Leave room for God’s wrath.” The Exodus assurance permits Christians to forgo personal vengeance, trusting God to address true hostility in His perfect justice.

Eschatological Hope

Revelation 19:11–16 culminates the divine Warrior motif: Christ returns as “Faithful and True,” waging righteous war. The solitary Old Testament usage of this term foreshadows the final victory in which every remaining enemy is subdued (1 Corinthians 15:25–26), and the covenant community enters everlasting peace.

אֹ֣יְבֶ֔יךָ איביך ’ō·yə·ḇe·ḵā ’ōyəḇeḵā oyeVeichaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts