עָוָה (a.vah)
a.vah
to twist; to pervert
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 14 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb avah carries the physical sense of bending or twisting something out of its natural shape. In Scripture, this imagery extends to moral and legal contexts, describing actions that distort justice or pervert what is right. It appears in texts like Psalm 7:14, where a womb is described as conceiving mischief, and in Isaiah 59:14, which depicts justice being driven back and righteousness standing at a distance because truth has stumbled in the streets.
While often translated simply as "iniquity" or "wrong," the word’s root suggests an active twisting rather than a passive state. The sources note a distinction between the Qal stem, used for committing wrong, and the Hiphil, which can imply causing others to err or perverting standards. This nuance highlights that avah is not merely breaking a rule but warping the integrity of a situation, much like bending a straight rod until it no longer serves its purpose.
Translators frequently render this word as "iniquity" in noun forms, capturing the idea of twistedness. By keeping the visual of distortion in mind, readers can better grasp why biblical authors associate it with corrupted justice and deceit. The term reminds us that sin is not just an isolated act but a deformation of the order God intended.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word עָוָה (avah) paints a vivid picture of sin as a twisting of what is straight. It suggests that wrongdoing is not just a simple mistake, but an active distortion of God’s good design. When we twist justice or pervert truth, we bend the integrity of our relationships and our community out of shape.
Yet this word also carries a profound hope for restoration. In passages like Lamentations 3:9, the pain of having one’s paths made crooked leads to a cry for God’s intervention. The biblical narrative shows that while we may twist our ways, God can straighten them again. This offers comfort to anyone who feels their life has been warped by error or hardship.
Recognizing this imagery helps us see sin not merely as breaking a rule, but as damaging the structure of goodness around us. It invites us to rely on God’s power to restore what we have broken, turning our crooked paths back toward His light and truth.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 14 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- we have done wrong2×
- when/ does wrong/ he1×
- they have perverted1×
- she did wrong1×
- he has made crooked1×
- and/ we have done wrong1×
- and/ we have committed iniquity1×
- and/ he will twist1×
- and/ a [person] perverted of1×
- I have perverted1×
- I have done wrong1×
- I am bent over1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- עָוְתָ֖ה1×
- עִוָּֽה\׃\ \ס1×
- נַעֲוַ֖ת1×
- נַעֲוֵ֣יתִי1×
- וְ/עָוִ֖ינוּ1×
- וְ/עִוָּ֣ה1×
- וְ/נַעֲוֵה\־1×
- וְ/הֶעֱוִ֖ינוּ1×
- הֶעֱוּוּ֙1×
- הֶעֱוֵ֗יתִי1×
- הֶעֱוֵ֔יתִי1×
- הֶעֱוִ֥ינוּ1×
Key Verses
-
Lamentations 3:9
He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
This verse uses the imagery of walled-up ways and crooked paths to describe how God’s discipline can feel like a twisting of one’s direction, highlighting the emotional weight of perceived divine correction.
-
Job 33:27
He sings before men, and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it didn’t profit me.
Here the speaker admits to perverting what was right, illustrating the internal realization that twisting moral truth brings no benefit, only regret.
-
Daniel 9:5
we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from your precepts and from your ordinances.
In this corporate confession, 'dealt perversely' acknowledges a collective twisting of God’s ordinances, showing how sin distorts community obedience.
-
Jeremiah 3:21
A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping and the petitions of the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Yahweh their God.
The phrase 'perverted their way' links the act of twisting one’s path directly to forgetting God, suggesting that moral distortion leads to spiritual amnesia.