Original Word: אָרַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: arab
Pronunciation: ah-rav'
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-rab')
KJV: (lie in) ambush(-ment), lay (lie in) wait
NASB: ambush, lie in wait, lurks, lay in wait, lying in wait, ambushes, set an ambush
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to lurk

lie in ambush, lay lie in wait

A primitive root; to lurk -- (lie in) ambush(-ment), lay (lie in) wait.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to lie in wait
NASB Translation
ambush (15), ambushes (2), lay in wait (3), lie in ambush (1), lie in wait (7), lies in wait (1), lurked (1), lurks (4), lying in ambush (1), lying in wait (3), set an ambush (2), waited in ambush (1).

אָרַב verb lie in wait (Arabic be crafty) —

Qal Perfect וְאָרַב consecutive Deuteronomy 19:11; Judges 21:20; אָרָֽבְתִּי׃ Job 31:9; אָֽרְבוּ Psalm 59:4; Lamentations 4:19; Imperfect יֶאֱרֹב Psalm 10:9 (twice in verse); יֶאֱרֹ֑בוּ Proverbs 1:18; Micah 7:2; וָיֶּ˜ אֶרְבוּ Judges 9:34; Judges 16:2; נֶָֽאֶרְבָה Proverbs 1:11; Imperative אֱרֹב Judges 9:32; Infinitive אֱרָבֿ Proverbs 12:6; Participle אֹרֵב Joshua 8:2 11t.; אוֺרֵב Joshua 8:12 4t.; אֹרְבִים Joshua 8:4 2t; — lie in wait (with hostile purpose), absolute Judges 9:32,43 + Judges 21:20; Job 31:9; Psalm 10:9; Proverbs 7:12; Proverbs 23:28; 1 Samuel 22:8,13; Lamentations 3:10 (of bear, compare Psalm 10:9); with infinitive of purpose Psalm 10:9; with accusative דָּם ׳א Proverbs 12:6; with עַל, and person against whom Deuteronomy 19:11; Judges 9:34; usually with ל Micah 7:2; Judges 16:2; Psalm 59:4; Proverbs 1:11,18; Proverbs 24:15; Lamentations 4:19 compare Joshua 8:2,4,14; Participle as substantive = liers-in-wait (plural) Judges 20:29; usually singular collective ambush Joshua 8:2,12,14,19,21; Judges 16:9,12; Judges 20:33,36,37 (twice in verse); Judges 20:38; Ezra 8:31; plural of this singular = ambuscades Jeremiah 51:12; singular = place of lying-in-wait, ambush (local sense) Joshua 8:7.

Pi`el Participle plural liers-in-wait id quod

Qal Participle מְאָֽרְבִים Judges 9:25 (with ל), 2 Chronicles 20:22 (with עַל). ?

Hiph`il Imperfect זַיָּרֶב בנחל (for וַיַּאֲרֶב) 1 Samuel 15:5 (compare Dr Kö^{i. 390}; Ges-Kau^{§ 68. 2 queries}) but text dubious; compare Ol^{§ 237 b, &} Klo, who proposes ויעבר בנחל.

Conceptual Overview

אָרַב (’ārab) describes the act of lying in wait, setting an ambush, or lurking in concealment with hostile intent. The verb is applied to both sanctioned military tactics and treacherous criminal activity. Usage clusters around warfare narratives in Joshua and Judges, wisdom admonitions in Proverbs, descriptions of the wicked in Psalms, and prophetic indictments in Jeremiah and Micah. The word therefore serves as a lens through which Scripture contrasts righteous vigilance and strategy with unrighteous deceit and violence.

Occurrences in the Historical Books

1. Conquest of Ai – Joshua 8:4-8, 8:9-13. Joshua’s God-directed ambush shows that skillful strategy need not conflict with faith. Victory over Ai illustrates that obedience to divine instruction, even in covert tactics, brings blessing.
2. Shechem’s treachery – Judges 9:25. The men of Shechem “set men in ambush” against Abimelech, revealing the instability that accompanies covenant infidelity.
3. Civil war at Gibeah – Judges 20:29, 20:37-38; 21:20. Israel employs ambush against Benjamin after corporate repentance, contrasting with Benjamin’s earlier ambush of travelers (Judges 19).
4. Philistine threat – 1 Samuel 15:5 (LXX evidence) and 1 Samuel 22:8, 22:13 (David accused of lying in wait). The term frames Saul’s paranoia and highlights David’s innocence.
5. Aramean raids – 2 Chronicles 13:13. Abijah’s forces are suddenly outflanked by an ambush, underscoring Judah’s need for wholehearted reliance on the LORD.

Military Strategy: Commended and Condemned

Scripture neither glorifies violence nor forbids military prudence. Ambush can be righteous when performed under God’s directive (Joshua) or for national defense, yet is condemned when it serves personal vengeance or covenant violation (Judges 9; Proverbs 1:11-18). The ethical line is not the tactic itself but the motive and allegiance to God’s revealed will.

Wisdom Literature

Proverbs repeatedly warns against predatory lurking:
• “If they say, ‘Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood,’ … my son, do not walk in the way with them” (Proverbs 1:11, 15-16).
• “The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them” (Proverbs 12:6).
• “Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous” (Proverbs 24:15).

These passages personify אָרַב as the modus operandi of sinners whose violence ultimately rebounds upon themselves (Proverbs 1:18).

Psalms and Poetic Depiction

The psalmist paints the wicked as highwaymen ambushing the innocent:
• “He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent” (Psalm 10:8).

Contrasted is the LORD’s watchful protection (Psalm 37:12-15), assuring believers that concealed evil cannot escape divine justice.

Prophetic Indictment

Jeremiah 9:8 laments societal decay: “One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he sets an ambush for him.” Micah 7:2 echoes this, portraying a land devoid of the godly where “each hunts the other with a net.” Ambush language intensifies the prophets’ charges of covenant treachery.

Metaphorical Extension

Lamentations 3:10 likens the LORD’s disciplinary dealings with Judah to “a bear lying in wait,” underscoring the severity of judgment. Hosea 6:9 rebukes priests who “murder on the road to Shechem; surely they have committed crimes of ambush,” exposing institutional corruption.

Theological Reflection

1. God’s Omniscience vs. Human Concealment – No ambush escapes His gaze (Hebrews 4:13).
2. Moral Accountability – Hidden sin is ultimately self-destructive; the ambusher “ambushes his own life” (Proverbs 1:18).
3. Legitimate Tactics in Just War – Obedience to God’s word sanctifies strategy; unrighteous motives desecrate it.
4. Foreshadowing Spiritual Warfare – The unseen “schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11) parallel physical ambush; believers combat with truth and vigilance.

Practical Ministry Insights

• Shepherding: Church leaders guard the flock against false teachers who secretly introduce destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1).
• Personal Integrity: The godly reject manipulative or covert harm, choosing transparency and love (Romans 12:17-21).
• Watchfulness: Prayerful alertness counters the adversary who “prowls around like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), echoing ancient ambush imagery.

Key References

Joshua 8:4-13; Judges 9:25; Judges 20:29-38; Judges 21:20; 2 Chronicles 13:13; Psalm 10:8; Proverbs 1:11-18; Proverbs 12:6; Proverbs 24:15; Jeremiah 9:8; Micah 7:2; Lamentations 3:10.

The thread uniting all forty-one occurrences is the tension between hidden hostility and the sovereign, revealing light of God. אָרַב serves as both historical record and moral parable, urging God’s people to shun deceit, trust divine justice, and remain alert in the spiritual battle that underlies every age.

אֱרָב־ אָ֥רְבוּ אָֽרְב֡וּ אָרָֽבְתִּי׃ אֹֽרְבִ֔ים אֹרְבִ֤ים אֹרֵ֗ב אֹרֵ֛ב אֹרֵ֥ב ארב ארב־ ארבו ארבים ארבתי׃ בְּאָרְבָּ֑ם בארבם הָ֣אֹרֵ֔ב הָֽאֹרֵב֙ הָאֹֽרְבִ֑ים הָאֹרֵ֑ב הָאֹרֵ֔ב הארב הארבים וְאָ֤רַב וְאֹרֵ֧ב וְאוֹרֵ֖ב וְהָאֹרֵ֖ב וְהָאֹרֵ֗ב וְהָאֹרֵ֣ב וְהָאוֹרֵ֡ב וֶאֱרֹ֖ב וַאֲרַבְתֶּ֥ם וַיֶּאֱרֹ֖ב וַיֶּאֶרְב֣וּ וַיֶּאֶרְבוּ־ ואורב וארב וארבתם והאורב והארב ויארב ויארבו ויארבו־ יֶ֭אֱרֹב יֶאֱרֹ֑בוּ יֶאֱרֹ֔בוּ יֶאֱרֹ֬ב יארב יארבו לְאֹרֵ֖ב לארב מְ֠אָֽרְבִים מְאָרְבִ֗ים מֵהָ֣אוֹרֵ֔ב מארבים מהאורב נֶאֶרְבָ֥ה נארבה תֶּֽאֱרֹ֑ב תֶּאֱרֹ֣ב תֶאֱרֹֽב׃ תארב תארב׃ ’ā·rā·ḇə·tî ’ā·rə·ḇū ’ārāḇətî ’ārəḇū ’ĕ·rāḇ- ’ĕrāḇ- ’ō·rə·ḇîm ’ō·rêḇ ’ōrêḇ ’ōrəḇîm aRaveti areVu bə’ārəbām bə·’ā·rə·bām beareBam erov hā’ōrêḇ hā’ōrəḇîm hā·’ō·rə·ḇîm hā·’ō·rêḇ haoRev haoreVim lə’ōrêḇ lə·’ō·rêḇ leoRev mə’ārəḇîm mə·’ā·rə·ḇîm mê·hā·’ō·w·rêḇ meareVim mêhā’ōwrêḇ meHaoRev ne’erḇāh ne·’er·ḇāh neerVah oRev oreVim te’ĕrōḇ ṯe’ĕrōḇ te·’ĕ·rōḇ ṯe·’ĕ·rōḇ teeRo vaaravTem vaiyeeRo vaiyeerVu veArav veeRo vehaoRev veoRev wa’ăraḇtem wa·’ă·raḇ·tem way·ye·’ĕ·rōḇ way·ye·’er·ḇū way·ye·’er·ḇū- wayye’erḇū wayye’erḇū- wayye’ĕrōḇ wə’āraḇ we’ĕrōḇ wə’ōrêḇ wə’ōwrêḇ wə·’ā·raḇ we·’ĕ·rōḇ wə·’ō·rêḇ wə·’ō·w·rêḇ wə·hā·’ō·rêḇ wə·hā·’ō·w·rêḇ wəhā’ōrêḇ wəhā’ōwrêḇ ye’ĕrōḇ ye’ĕrōḇū ye·’ĕ·rō·ḇū ye·’ĕ·rōḇ yeeRo yeeRouInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts