עַלְוָה (al.vah)
al.vah
iniquity
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun alvah refers to injustice or unrighteousness, functioning as a variant spelling of the more common word avlah (H5766). It describes actions that are morally wrong or unfair, carrying the weight of ethical deviation from what is right.
This term appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Hosea 10:13. There, it highlights the corruption within Israel’s leadership and society, pointing to systemic wrongdoing rather than individual mistakes. The singular usage underscores how pervasive such injustice had become.
Its rarity makes this occurrence particularly striking. By choosing this specific term, the prophet emphasizes the depth of moral failure in a time when trust in God had been replaced by self-reliance and deceit.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word alvah points to deep-seated injustice, a twisting of what is right into something unfair and harmful. It appears only once in Scripture, in Hosea 10:9, where it describes the entrenched corruption in Israel’s history. This rarity reminds us that sin often starts small but can grow into a systemic pattern that distorts justice and community.
When we see this word, we are invited to look at our own lives with honesty. Injustice isn’t always loud or obvious; sometimes it hides in the routines of daily life, in the way we treat others, or in the systems we accept without question. God sees these things, not to condemn us, but to call us back to fairness and love.
This passage offers hope because it names the problem clearly. By acknowledging the presence of alvah, we open the door for God’s healing touch. We don’t have to carry the weight of past wrongs alone. Instead, we can trust in a God who restores what is broken and leads us toward true righteousness.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- injustice1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- עַֽלְוָֽה\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Hosea 10:9
“Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah. There they remained. The battle against the children of iniquity doesn’t overtake them in Gibeah.
This verse uses the rare form alvah to describe the long-standing, systemic injustice in Gibeah, showing how sin can become entrenched over generations.