Hebrew word · H5765
עָוַל
ye'avel
to act unjustly
To act unjustly, deal wrongly or crookedly. It is related to ʿāwel/ʿawlâ, 'injustice, iniquity', often in the sense of unfair dealing (crooked scales, perverted judgment).
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) to act wrongfully or unjustly, deviate from
1a) (Piel) to act wrongfully
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 Isaiah 26:10
- Range of meaning
To act unjustly, deal wrongly or crookedly. It is related to ʿāwel/ʿawlâ, 'injustice, iniquity', often in the sense of unfair dealing (crooked scales, perverted judgment).
- Against the English
'Deal unjustly' (KJV, NASB), 'deals corruptly' (ESV), 'go on doing evil' (NIV). 'Unjustly' or 'crookedly' best keeps the contrast with 'straight things'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The noun appears in 'You shall do no injustice (ʿāwel) in judgment… in measures' (Leviticus 19:15, 35). The verb in this intensive form also appears in Psalm 71:4 ('the unjust and cruel').
- Range of meaning
From the root ʿwl: to deviate from what is right, to deal crookedly or unjustly. The noun ʿāwel / ʿawlâ means injustice, especially in judgment and in commercial dealings.
- Against the English
KJV/WEB "unrighteous," BSB "unjust," NASB "wrongdoer." "Unrighteous" sounds churchy and general. "Unjust" is closer, because the root is about fairness in dealings and courts, not religious failure in general.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Lev 19:15: "you shall do no ʿāwel in judgment." Lev 19:35: no ʿāwel "in measures of length, weight or quantity." Deut 25:16: everyone who does ʿāwel (using false weights) is an abomination to the LORD. The verb in this intensive form occurs only here and in Isa 26:10, where the rāšāʿ "deals unjustly" even in a land of uprightness.
Where it appears
Psalms · 1
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Psalm 71:4 מְעַוֵּ֣ל [the] wrongdoer
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
Here: An active verb form, "one who keeps doing injustice." The root names crooked dealing: rigged judgments and false weights. Only here and in Isaiah 26:10 does the verb appear in this form.
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 26:10 יְעַוֵּ֑ל he acts unjustly
Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.
Here: 'He acts crookedly / unjustly.' This is the deliberate opposite of the 'straight things' just named. The form is ongoing ('he keeps acting unjustly').
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.