Original Word: עֶצֶב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `etseb
Pronunciation: EH-tseb
Phonetic Spelling: (eh'-tseb)
Definition: Sorrow, pain, toil, labor
Meaning: an earthen vessel, toil, a pang

earthen vessel, idol, labor, sorrow

From atsab; an earthen vessel; usually (painful) toil; also a pang (whether of body or mind): grievous, idol, labor, sorrow.

see HEBREW atsab

I. עֶ֫צֶב noun [masculine] pain, hurt, toil; —

1 ׳ע pain Genesis 3:16 (of travail), Proverbs 10:22.

2 hurt (of mind), ׳דְּבַרעֿ Proverbs 15:1 a word that hurts (opposed to מַעֲנֶהרַֿךְ).

3 toil Proverbs 14:23; pluralלֶחֶם הָעֲצָבִים Psalm 127:2 bread of (gained by) toils; suffix עֲצָבֶיךָ Proverbs 5:10.

II. עֶ֫צֶב noun masculine vessel (as fashioned); — ׳י ׳נִבְזֶה וגו Jeremiah 22:28 a vessel despised, etc. (figurative of Coniah = Jehoiachin).

Word Origin: Derived from the root verb עָצַב (atsav), which means "to hurt, pain, grieve."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • G3077 (λυπή • lupe): Refers to sorrow or grief, often used in the New Testament to describe emotional pain or distress.
• G3309 (μεριμνάω • merimnao): Means to be anxious or to care, reflecting a state of mental distress or concern.
• G3601 (ὀδύνη • odune): Denotes pain or distress, particularly of a physical or emotional nature.
• G4192 (πονος • ponos): Refers to labor or toil, often with an implication of hardship or suffering.

These Greek terms capture various dimensions of the Hebrew עֶצֶב, illustrating the continuity of themes related to human struggle and divine intervention across the biblical narrative.

Usage: The term עֶצֶב appears in various contexts within the Hebrew Bible, often associated with laborious work or emotional distress. It is used to describe both physical toil and emotional pain, reflecting the burdens and struggles of human life.

Context: • The term עֶצֶב is found in several key passages in the Old Testament, each highlighting different aspects of its meaning. In Genesis 3:16-17, it is used to describe the increased pain and toil that would accompany childbirth and labor as a result of the Fall: "To the woman He said, 'I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.' And to Adam He said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.'"
• In Psalm 127:2, the term is used to describe the futility of labor without divine blessing: "In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for He grants sleep to His beloved."
• The word also appears in Jeremiah 22:28, where it metaphorically describes a person as a "despised broken pot," emphasizing the fragility and worthlessness of a life not aligned with God's purposes: "Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered pot, an object no one wants? Why are he and his descendants hurled out and cast into a land they do not know?"

בְּעֶ֖צֶב בעצב הַעֶ֨צֶב הָעֲצָבִ֑ים העצב העצבים וַ֝עֲצָבֶ֗יךָ ועצביך עֶ֝֗צֶב עֶ֣צֶב עֶ֭צֶב עצב ‘e·ṣeḇ ‘eṣeḇ bə‘eṣeḇ bə·‘e·ṣeḇ beEtzev Etzev hā‘ăṣāḇîm ha‘eṣeḇ hā·‘ă·ṣā·ḇîm ha·‘e·ṣeḇ haatzaVim haEtzev vaatzaVeicha wa‘ăṣāḇeḵā wa·‘ă·ṣā·ḇe·ḵāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts