Hebrew word · H2331

חָוָה

'achaveh

to tell

In the Piel stem (the stem used here): to declare, explain, make known, inform. It is about words, not pictures. It is a rare, poetic word in Hebrew that matches the ordinary Aramaic verb for "tell, declare."

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) (Piel) to tell, declare, show, make known

2) (CLBL) to breath

Aramaic equivalent: cha.vah (חֲוָה "to show" H2324)

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 Job 15:17

Range of meaning

In the Piel stem (the stem used here): to declare, explain, make known, inform. It is about words, not pictures. It is a rare, poetic word in Hebrew that matches the ordinary Aramaic verb for "tell, declare."

Against the English

KJV/WEB "show" ("shew"), BSB "inform," NIV "explain," NASB "tell." "Show" is right in the old sense of "make known," but a modern reader may picture a demonstration. The Hebrew means explaining in speech.

How it drifted

Older English "shew" commonly meant "tell, set forth" (as in "shew forth his praise"). Today "show" has narrowed toward visual display.

Used elsewhere in the period

Six of its handful of uses are in Job: 13:17 (Job's own noun "my declaration," ʾaḥăwātî); 15:17; 32:6, 10, 17 (Elihu, "I will declare my opinion"); 36:2. It also appears in Ps 19:2 ("night to night declares knowledge"). Biblical Aramaic uses the same root often in Daniel (e.g., Dan 2:4, "we will declare the interpretation"). Job's heavy use of words like this is one feature of its distinctive poetic vocabulary.

From the study of Psalm 19:2

Range of meaning

'To declare, make known, inform, show'. It occurs only in the intensive form (piel), only six times: here, and five times in Job (13:17; 15:17; 32:6, 10, 17; 36:2). It is closely related to the common Aramaic verb ḥawwê, 'to show, tell' (Daniel 2:4, 6, 7 and elsewhere).

Against the English

KJV 'sheweth' and WEB 'display' stress the visual side, which suits the night sky. BSB/ESV/NASB 'reveal' sounds more dramatic, but it is defensible, since the verb means passing on knowledge the hearer lacked.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Job, Elihu uses it of declaring his opinion and his knowledge ('let me also declare my knowledge', Job 32:10, 17, with the very noun dēaʿ / daʿat). That is a close parallel to the pairing 'declares knowledge' here. The Septuagint has anangellei, 'announces, reports'.

Where it appears

Job · 5

  1. Job 15:17 אֲחַוְךָ֥ I will tell you

    Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen,

    Here: "I will declare to you." A poetic word for telling or explaining, found mostly in Job. Eliphaz opens by setting himself up as the one who explains things to Job.

  2. Job 32:6 מֵחַוֹּ֖ת from telling

    So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite declared: “I am young in years, while you are old; that is why I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know.

  3. Job 32:10 אֲחַוֶּ֖ה I will tell

    Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; I too will declare what I know.’

  4. Job 32:17 אֲחַוֶּ֖ה I will tell

    I too will answer; yes, I will declare what I know.

  5. Job 36:2 וַאֲחַוֶּ֑ךָּ so I may show you

    “Bear with me a little longer, and I will show you that there is more to be said on God’s behalf.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 19:2 יְחַוֶּה־ it shows forth

    Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

    Here: 'Declares, informs'. This is a rare, elevated verb that occurs mostly in Job and has an Aramaic flavour. It means telling someone what they did not know before. The verb form shows ongoing, repeated action.

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