עׇקְבָה (oq.vah)
oq.vah
cunning
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 oqevah describes a quality of cunning or subtle deceit. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, found in the narrative of King Jehu’s rise to power in 2 Kings 10:19. In this context, it characterizes the insidious nature of Jehu’s strategy to gather the prophets of Baal under false pretenses.
The word carries a negative connotation, pointing to craftiness that conceals true intent. Its usage highlights how political maneuvering can mask malicious goals behind a facade of piety. The term underscores the danger of hidden agendas within religious settings.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word oqevah appears just once in Scripture, describing a strategy built on cunning and hidden deceit. In 2 Kings 10:19, King Jehu uses this crafty approach to gather the prophets of Baal under false pretenses. While his ultimate goal aligned with God’s judgment against idolatry, his methods reveal how political maneuvering can mask malicious intent behind a facade of piety.
This rare term reminds us that God often works through imperfect human agents. Jehu’s cunning was not praised as virtuous, but it served a divine purpose in removing Baal worship from Israel. We see here that God’s sovereignty is not limited by our flawed strategies or hidden agendas.
For your faith life, this passage invites reflection on integrity. While God can use any means to accomplish His will, we are called to walk in transparency and honesty. Trusting in God’s justice removes the need for deceptive shortcuts. Let this word encourage you to rely on God’s timing rather than crafting clever schemes to achieve righteous ends.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- with/ guile1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בְ/עָקְבָּ֔ה1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 10:19
Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all of his worshipers, and all of his priests. Let no one be absent, for I have a great sacrifice to Baal. Whoever is absent, he shall not live.” But Jehu did deceptively, intending to destroy the worshipers of Baal.
This verse explicitly uses oqevah to describe Jehu’s deceptive gathering of Baal’s prophets, highlighting the tension between divine judgment and human cunning.