אָב S 1, 25 TWOT 4a GK 31191 n.m. father ( Ph. אב , Assyrian abu , Arabic أَبٌ ( ˒abun ), Sab. אב CIS iv, 1. 37 1. 2 al. Ethiopic ˜˜ ( ˒ab ) Aramaic אַבָּא , ܐܰܒܳܐ
(
˒abo
)
)
—
abs.
אָב
Gn 44:19
+
47 times;
cstr.
אַב
Gn 17:
4,
5
(
cf.
in
אַבְרָהָם
ib.
& elsewhere in
n.pr.
On
Hal
’s proposes
אֲבִר
v.
אברהם
);
אֲבִי
(
cf.
Ge
§§ 90, 3
b
, 96
)
Gn 4:20
+;
sf.
אָבִי
Gn 19:34
+
(
MI
אבי
);
אָבִיךָ
Gn 12:1
+;
אָבִיו
Gn 2:24
+;
אָבִ˜יהוּ
Ju 14:10
+
6 times;
pl.
אָבֹות
Ex 12:3
+;
cstr.
אֲבֹות
Ex 6:25
+
7 times;
sf.
אֲבֹותַי
(
אֲבֹתַי
,
אֲבֹותָי
)
Gn 47:9
+
15 times;
אֲבֹותֵיהֶם
1 Ch 4:38
+
32 times (late);
אֲבֹותָם
Ex 4:5
+
106 times etc.;—
1.
father of individual
Gn 2:24
(
+
אֵם
)
11:28
,
29
(×2);
19:31
,
32
,
33
,
+
often (mostly JED); of father as commanding
Gn 50:16
(
J
)
Je 35:6 f Pr 6:20
(
cf.
Gn 18:19
J
28:
1,
6
P
1 S 17:20 1 K 2:
1); instructing
מוסר
Pr 1:
8;
4:1
(
cf.
Dt 8:
5); specif. as begetter,
genitor
Pr 23:22 Zc 13:3
(×2) (
+
אֵם
)
Is 45:10
;
cf.
Gn 49:4
(
J
)
Lv 18:7
,
8
,
11
(
P
); rebuking
Gn 37:10
; loving
Gn 37:4
;
44:20
(JE;
cf.
22:
2;
25:28
;
37:3 2 S 14:
1); pitying
ψ 103:13
(in
sim.
cf.
2 S 18:
5); blessing
Gn 27:41
(JE
cf.
27:4
also
28:1
P +
); as glad
Pr 10:1
;
15:20
cf.
29:
3; grieving
Gn 37:35
(JE;
cf.
2 S 12:22
;
19:1
,
2 f
) etc. Also as
obj.
of honour, obedience, love
Ex 20:12
(
E
)
=
Dt 5:16
;
Ex 21:15
,
17
(
E
)
Dt 21:18
,
19 Gn 28:7
(
P
),
50:1
,
5 1 K 19:20
(all
+
אֵם
) (
J
)
Mal 1:6
etc. Hence
metaph.
of
intimate connection
Jb 17:14
to corruption I cry, My father
art
thou
(
||
אִמִּי וַאֲחֹתי לָֽרִמָּה
).
2.
of God as
father of his people
(
v. RS
Sem 42), who constituted, controls, guides and lovingly watches over it:
Dt 32:6 Je 3:
4,
19
;
31:9 Is 63:16
(×2);
64:7 Mal 1:
6;
2:10
(
cf.
Ex 4:2
2;
19:4
(JE)
Dt 32:11 Ho 11:
1);
cf.
Je 2:27
(of idolatr. Isr.)
אֹמְרִים לָעֵץ אָבִי אַתָּה וְלָאֶבֶן אַתְּ ילדתני׃
; especially God as
father of Davidic line
2 S 7:14
ψ 89:27
;
f.
of needy
(late)
ψ 68:6
(
cf.
103:1
3) (in
n.pr.
,
f.
of individ.
,
cf.
infr
.)
3.
head of household
, family or clan;
בֵּית אָבִי
as abode
Gn 38:11
(×2) Lv 22:13
+;
=
family
Gn 24:40
(
||
מִשְׁפַחְתִּי
)
41:51
;
46:31
+
cf.
Nu 18:
1,
2 Jos 2:1
2,
18
;
6:25
; especially techn. of divisions of Isr.
בֵּית אָב לְמִשְׁפָּחֹות
Nu 3:3
0,
35
=
a father’s house, i.e. a family or clan; more often
pl.
(
אבותם
,
אבותיו
)
בֵית אָבֹות
=
fathers’ houses
=
families, clans (
cf.
Di
on
Ex 6:14
)
Ex 6:14
;
12:3 Nu 1:2
,
18 ff.
(often in Nu)
Jos 22:14
(×2) without
בית
Jos 14:
1;
19:51
;
21:1
(×2) (always
P
in
Hex
); also
1 Ch 5:13
,
15
+
often in Ch;
cf.
רָאשֵׁי אבות הלוים
(
=
ר׳ בית א׳
)
Ex 6:25
cf.
1 K 8:1 1 Ch 6:
4;
7:11
+
often Ch Ezr Ne.
4.
ancestor
(
a
) of
Ph.
Phenician.
Sab.
Sabean.
CIS
Corpus Inscript. Semiticarum.
Hal
J. Halévy.
metaph.
metaphor, metaphorically.
RS
W. Robertson Smith, Religion of Semites.