Hebrew word · H340

אָיַב

ve'ayavti

be hostile

The root means to be hostile, to treat someone as an enemy. The participle אֹיֵב ('one being hostile') is the standard word for a personal or national enemy. The finite verb is rare; it occurs elsewhere only in 1 Sam 18:29, where Saul 'was an enemy to' David.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 23, 2026

What it means

1) to be hostile to, to be an enemy to

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be hostile to

1a2) to treat as an enemy

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 Exodus 23:22

Range of meaning: The root means to be hostile, to treat someone as an enemy. The participle אֹיֵב ('one being hostile') is the standard word for a personal or national enemy. The finite verb is rare; it occurs elsewhere only in 1 Sam 18:29, where Saul 'was an enemy to' David.
Against the English: 'I will be an enemy to your enemies' is accurate. But English needs a noun phrase ('be an enemy') where Hebrew has one verb, 'I will enemy'. The sound-play of verb and participle from the same root is lost.
Used elsewhere in the period: Hittite vassal treaties (e.g. Mursili II with Duppi-Teshub of Amurru, ANET 203–205) say 'With my friend you shall be friend, and with my enemy you shall be enemy.' Similar 'friend of my friend, enemy of my enemy' clauses appear in Neo-Assyrian loyalty oaths.

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

Exodus 23:22 וְאָֽיַבְתִּי֙ and I will be an enemy to

But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

Here: An uncommon verb form of the root behind 'enemy'. Literally 'I will enemy (them)'. God commits himself to active hostility. The form marks the result: then I will.

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