בָּאַשׁ (ba.ash)
ba.ash
to stink
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 14 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb ba’ash describes a physical stench, but it carries a heavy moral weight in Scripture. In its basic sense, it means to emit a foul odor, yet the texts often use this sensory experience as a metaphor for spiritual corruption. When something is described as ba’ash, it is not just unpleasant; it is repulsive and offensive to God.
This word appears most frequently in the historical books, particularly in Exodus and Samuel. It describes the decay of dead bodies or spoiled offerings, but also the character of wicked leaders. For instance, in 1 Samuel 24:13, David references a proverb about evil going out from evil, implying that sinful behavior spreads its own foul reputation. The sources note that in the Hiphil stem, it can mean to cause something to stink, highlighting how sin actively pollutes its surroundings.
The theological significance lies in this link between physical decay and moral failure. Ba’ash suggests that wickedness is not merely a legal violation but a source of disgust that alienates people from God. Translators often render it as "abhor" or "stink," capturing the visceral rejection that sin provokes in a holy community.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When Scripture uses the word ba’ash to describe something that stinks or becomes foul, it is pointing to a deep spiritual reality. Sin is not just a mistake; it is a corruption that brings decay and repulsion. Just as spoiled food loses its value and becomes harmful, a life turned away from God’s ways loses its beauty and becomes offensive to Him. This word reminds us that holiness matters because God detests what is broken and wicked.
Yet this truth offers comfort too. If God finds sin repulsive, it means He desires purity for our lives. We do not need to carry the shame of our failures alone. By turning back to Him, we allow His grace to cleanse what has become foul. This word invites us to examine our hearts, seeking the freshness and integrity that come from walking closely with the Lord.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 14 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they had made themselves odious2×
- and/ it stank2×
- you have made yourself odious1×
- you have made stink1×
- it will stink1×
- it stank1×
- it has made itself odious1×
- it causes to stink1×
- he has become odious1×
- he acts odiously1×
- certainly <to become odious>1×
- by/ making odious/ me1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יַבְאִ֥ישׁ2×
- תִּבְאַ֤שׁ1×
- נִבְאַשׁ1×
- נִבְאַ֣שְׁתָּ1×
- נִבְאֲשׁ֖וּ1×
- לְ/הַבְאִישֵׁ֙/נִי֙1×
- וּ/בָאַ֣שׁ1×
- וַ/יִּבְאַ֣שׁ1×
- וַ/יִּבְאַ֑שׁ1×
- הַבְאֵ֤שׁ1×
- הִבְאַשְׁתֶּ֣ם1×
- הִבְאִישׁ֙1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 5:21
They said to them, “May Yahweh look at you and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!”
This verse shows how Moses and Aaron’s mission made the Israelites a stench to Pharaoh, illustrating how obedience to God can cause offense to worldly power.
-
I Samuel 27:12
Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he will be my servant forever.”
Here David’s feigned madness makes him an abomination to his own people, showing how the word can describe social rejection or perceived disgrace.
-
Exodus 16:20
Notwithstanding they didn’t listen to Moses, but some of them left of it until the morning, so it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.
The manna breeding worms and becoming foul demonstrates how disobedience turns God’s provision into something repulsive and useless.
-
Ecclesiastes 10:1
Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
This proverb uses the stench of dead flies to show how a little folly can ruin wisdom and honor, linking physical decay to moral failure.