Original Word: עַלְוָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: `alvah
Pronunciation: al-vah
Phonetic Spelling: (al-vaw')
KJV: iniquity
Word Origin: [for H5766 (עֶוֶל עָוֶל עַולָה עוֹלָה עוֹלָה - iniquity)]

1. moral perverseness

iniquity

For evel; moral perverseness -- iniquity.

see HEBREW evel

Word Origin
the same as avlah, q.v.

Overview

The Hebrew word עַלְוָה appears only once in Scripture, in Hosea 10:9, where it depicts a settled, generational pattern of moral corruption. The Berean Standard Bible renders the expression “בְּנֵי עַלְוָה” as “sons of wickedness,” portraying those whose identity is shaped by persistent rebellion against the covenant God of Israel.

Occurrence in Scripture

Hosea 10:9: “Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Will not war again overtake the sons of wickedness?”

Historical Context of Hosea 10:9

1. Northern Kingdom Decline: Hosea prophesied during the final decades of Israel’s national life (eighth century B.C.), as Assyrian pressure mounted and idolatry eroded covenant loyalty.
2. Echo of Gibeah (Judges 19–21): By invoking the atrocity at Gibeah, the prophet likens contemporary Israel to one of the darkest episodes in the tribal period. This rhetorical link underscores that the moral cancer exposed in Benjamin had metastasized throughout the nation.
3. Imminent Judgment: The warning that “war” will overtake the “sons of wickedness” anticipates the Assyrian invasion that would shatter the kingdom in 722 B.C.

Theological Significance

1. Inherited Perversion: עַלְוָה highlights sin not merely as an act but as an entrenched condition transmitted across generations (“you have remained”).
2. Corporate Accountability: Israel’s collective identity is bound to their fathers’ sin, emphasizing communal responsibility before God (compare Exodus 34:6–7; Daniel 9:5–11).
3. Covenant Lawsuit Motif: Hosea frames his prophecy as a courtroom indictment, and the term strengthens the charge that Israel has violated Torah intentionally and consistently.

Relationship to the Sin at Gibeah

1. Parallels of Violence and Sexual Perversion: Judges 19 and Hosea 10 expose societies spiraling out of control when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
2. Failure of Leadership: Just as tribal elders failed in Judges, the kings and priests of Hosea’s day fostered national apostasy (Hosea 4:4–9; 5:1).
3. Inevitable Retribution: Both narratives resolve with divine or divinely-ordained judgment, reinforcing the principle that unchecked עַלְוָה invites decisive action from the Lord.

Contrast with Covenant Fidelity

עַלְוָה stands in sharp relief to ḥesed (“steadfast love,” Hosea 6:6). The prophet’s plea that Israel “sow with a view to righteousness” (Hosea 10:12) underscores that genuine covenant faith produces fruit antithetical to wickedness.

Intertextual Links

• Psalm 84:10 (“no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly”) presents the opposite ethical ideal.
• Isaiah 57:20 depicts the wicked as a storm-tossed sea, echoing the unrest that Hosea predicts will “overtake” the sons of עַלְוָה.
• Ephesians 2:2–3 applies similar imagery to humanity outside Christ—“sons of disobedience”—illustrating the continuity of Scripture’s doctrine of depravity and need for redemption.

Christological Fulfillment

By identifying Himself with sinners (2 Corinthians 5:21), Jesus Christ bears the curse hanging over the “sons of wickedness.” In Him the promise of Hosea 1:10 is realized: “in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” The cross answers Hosea 10:9’s pending judgment, transforming condemned children into adopted heirs (Romans 8:15–17).

Implications for Contemporary Ministry

1. Confronting Cultural Sins: Modern communities may normalize practices Scripture labels wicked; Hosea urges pastors to expose rather than accommodate entrenched evil.
2. Corporate Repentance: Congregations benefit from lament and confession that acknowledge historical sins within church or nation (Nehemiah 9; Acts 19:18–20).
3. Gospel Hope: While Hosea 10:9 pronounces doom, the broader book offers restoration (Hosea 14:4). Preaching must move from conviction to the mercy secured in Christ.
4. Discipleship Across Generations: The pattern “since the days of Gibeah” warns that unless addressed, sin weaves itself into familial and cultural habits. Intentional, multigenerational discipleship counters this inertia.

Key Points for Preaching and Teaching

• עַלְוָה personifies sin as an inherited identity requiring divine intervention.
• The memory of Gibeah teaches that unrepented wickedness escalates until judgment falls.
• God’s holiness demands justice, yet His steadfast love provides redemption through the Messiah.
• The church must heed Hosea’s warning: identify, renounce, and replace wicked patterns with righteousness empowered by the Spirit.

עַֽלְוָֽה׃ עלוה׃ ‘al·wāh ‘alwāh AlVahInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts