Hebrew word · H182

אוֹדָה

'odot

because

The noun odot (plural, “turns, circumstances, causes”) appears only in this fixed phrase: “on account of, because of, concerning.”

Appears 11 times in 10 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) cause

1a) cause, reason for

1b) the occasion of

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Joshua 14:6

Range of meaning

The noun odot (plural, “turns, circumstances, causes”) appears only in this fixed phrase: “on account of, because of, concerning.”

Against the English

English “concerning me and you” is accurate. Several modern versions turn the order round to “you and me” for politeness, which hides that Caleb names himself first.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 21:11, 25; 26:32; Exod 18:8; Num 12:1; 13:24 (“the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster”, in the same spy story); Judg 6:7; Jer 3:8 (per BDB s.v. אוֹדוֹת).

Where it appears

Genesis · 3

  1. Genesis 21:11 אוֹדֹ֥ת [the] causes of

    Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael.

  2. Genesis 21:25 אֹדוֹת֙ [the] causes of

    But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized,

  3. Genesis 26:32 אֹד֥וֹת [the] causes of

    On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him.

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 18:8 אוֹדֹ֣ת [the] causes of

    Then Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships they had encountered along the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.

Numbers · 2

  1. Numbers 12:1 אֹד֛וֹת [the] causes of

    Then Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married, for he had taken a Cushite wife.

  2. Numbers 13:24 אֹד֣וֹת [the] causes of

    Because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut there, that place was called the Valley of Eshcol.

Joshua · 2

  1. Joshua 14:6 אֹדוֹתַ֛י אֹדוֹתֶ֖יךָ causes my, causes your

    Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.

    Here: “Concerning me”. Caleb names himself first, because the claim he is making is his own.

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 6:7 אֹד֥וֹת [the] causes of

    Now when the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian,

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 13:16 אוֹדֹ֞ת [the] causes of

    “No,” she replied, “sending me away is worse than this great wrong you have already done to me!” But he refused to listen to her.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 3:8 אֹדוֹת֙ causes

    She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well.

    Here: A rare word for "matters, occasions, reasons". KJV's "all the causes whereby" catches it: the divorce had grounds, and they were many.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.