What does אָבָה (toʾvē’ (from אָבָה, ʾāvāh)) mean in the Bible?
This Hebrew verb concerns willingness or consent to an action. Frequently, a passage tells us that someone was not willing.
Hebrew · H14
אָבָה
To breathe after, i.e. (figuratively) to be acquiescent
Reading a lexicon entry
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אָבָהH14
Pronunciationtoʾvē’ (from אָבָה, ʾāvāh)
What does אָבָה (toʾvē’ (from אָבָה, ʾāvāh)) mean in the Bible?
This Hebrew verb concerns willingness or consent to an action. Frequently, a passage tells us that someone was not willing.
Reader summary
Full entry for אָבָה (H14) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H14?
The BSB source-word alignment has 54 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (19), would (5), willing (3), consent (2), They were unwilling (2).
Where does אָבָה (toʾvē’ (from אָבָה, ʾāvāh)) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 24:5. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Samuel (10), Deuteronomy (7), Isaiah (5), 1 Chronicles (4).
What This Word Actually Means
This Hebrew verb concerns willingness or consent to an action. Frequently, a passage tells us that someone was not willing. That refusal is not automatically disobedience: the proposed action and the surrounding account show whether consent would be right. Proverbs tells a son not to consent to violent sinners, while Isaiah calls God's people to willing obedience. Both passages take willingness seriously without treating agreement itself as virtue.
Genesis 24:8 anticipates that the woman approached by Abraham's servant may be unwilling to follow him. In that case, the servant is released from his oath. Abraham's confidence in God's promise does not become permission to compel her response. First Samuel 22:17 presents another refusal: Saul's guards will not strike the priests of the Lord at his command. Doeg then carries out the killing. The contrast requires readers to distinguish a ruler's demand from a morally trustworthy command.
Isaiah 1:19 speaks of willingness and obedience within an address that confronts injustice, offers cleansing, and warns of covenant judgment. The promise concerning the land is not a universal formula that makes willing people wealthy. Deuteronomy 23:5 uses refusal with God as subject: He would not listen to Balaam and turned the curse into blessing because of His love for Israel. Here the refusal protects rather than withholds good.
Teaching this word can sharpen attention to what a person is being asked to accept. A willing response to God cannot be manufactured by pressure from a leader, partner, or group. Equally, declining a corrupt request need not be defended as mere personal preference; the request itself may be wrong. Let the passage identify the authority, action, and people affected before praising compliance or condemning resistance. The verb does not establish a complete account of human freedom by itself.
source_lexiconPassage contextBook contextPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
Willingness appears in a proposed marriage journey, temptation to violence, refusal of a king's murderous order, covenant obedience, and God's rejection of Balaam's curse. The requested action determines the significance of consent.
- Gen.24.8
And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”
The woman's unwillingness would release the servant from his oath. The condition allows a refusal within the mission and supplies no permission to force her to accompany him.
- Prov.1.10
My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.
The parental instruction rejects consent to people plotting violence against the innocent. Their invitation to belonging is evaluated by the harm they propose.
- 1Sam.22.17
Then the king ordered the guards at his side, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
Saul's guards refuse to strike the priests even though the king commands it. Doeg's subsequent action reveals the murderous consequence of complying with this particular order.
- Isa.1.19
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land.
Willingness is joined to obedience after the call to justice and invitation to cleansing. The land blessing belongs to this covenant address rather than a general promise of personal wealth.
- Deut.23.5
Yet the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, and the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.
The Lord's refusal to listen to Balaam is explained by His love for Israel and His turning the curse into blessing. Divine unwillingness here expresses protective faithfulness.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It. . .19×Genesis 24:5, Genesis 24:8, Exodus 10:27, Leviticus 26:21
would5×Deuteronomy 2:30, Deuteronomy 23:5, Judges 19:25, 1 Samuel 22:17
willing3×Deuteronomy 25:7, 2 Samuel 13:25, Isaiah 30:15
consent2×Judges 11:17, Job 39:9
They were unwilling2×1 Samuel 15:9, Isaiah 42:24
to do it2×1 Samuel 31:4, 1 Chronicles 10:4
was unwilling2×2 Samuel 6:10, 2 Kings 24:4
[David] refused1×1 Chronicles 11:19
[the LORD] has been unwilling1×2 Kings 13:23
agreed1×Deuteronomy 10:10
and wanted1×Proverbs 1:25
be willing1×Deuteronomy 29:20
but I would1×Joshua 24:10
But they would1×Isaiah 28:12
consent to his terms1×1 Kings 20:8
I would not1×1 Samuel 26:23
obey1×Psalms 81:11
persuaded1×Proverbs 6:35
refused1×Judges 20:13
They accepted1×Proverbs 1:30
they are unwilling1×Ezekiel 3:7
unwilling1×Isaiah 30:9
will be unwilling1×Ezekiel 3:7
yield1×Deuteronomy 13:8
yield [to them]1×Proverbs 1:10
you are willing1×Isaiah 1:19
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 24:5תֹאבֶ֣הto. . .Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singularGenesis 24:8תֹאבֶ֤הto. . .Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singularExodus 10:27אָבָ֖הto. . .Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularLeviticus 26:21תֹאב֖וּto. . .Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine pluralDeuteronomy 1:26אֲבִיתֶ֖םto. . .Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine pluralDeuteronomy 2:30אָבָ֗הtowouldVerb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularDeuteronomy 10:10אָבָ֥הtoagreedVerb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularDeuteronomy 13:8תֹאבֶ֣הtoyieldVerb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singularDeuteronomy 23:5אָבָ֞הtowouldVerb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularDeuteronomy 25:7אָבָ֖הtowillingVerb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowGenesis 24:5
Aligned rows54
Books represented17
Genesis2Exodus1Leviticus1Deuteronomy7Joshua1Judges41 Samuel42 Samuel101 Kings22 Kings31 Chronicles42 Chronicles1Job1Psalms1Proverbs4Isaiah5Ezekiel3
Source forms
אָבָ֖ה9x’ā·ḇāhExodus 10:27, Deuteronomy 25:7, 2 Samuel 13:14, 2 Samuel 13:16
אָבָה֙4x’ā·ḇāh1 Samuel 31:4, 2 Samuel 23:16, 2 Kings 13:23, 1 Chronicles 10:4
אָבָ֣ה4x’ā·ḇāh2 Samuel 2:21, 2 Samuel 6:10, 1 Chronicles 19:19, 2 Chronicles 21:7
אָבָ֥ה3x’ā·ḇāhDeuteronomy 10:10, 2 Samuel 13:25, 2 Kings 24:4
אָבָ֤ה3x’ā·ḇāhJudges 19:10, 2 Kings 8:19, 1 Chronicles 11:18
אָב֤וּ2x’ā·ḇūJudges 19:25, Isaiah 42:24
אָב֥וּ2x’ā·ḇūProverbs 1:30, Isaiah 30:9
אֲבִיתֶֽם׃2x’ă·ḇî·ṯemProverbs 1:25, Isaiah 30:15
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular28xExodus 10:27, Deuteronomy 2:30, Deuteronomy 10:10, Deuteronomy 23:5
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural9xJudges 19:25, Judges 20:13, 1 Samuel 15:9, 1 Samuel 22:17
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular3xDeuteronomy 29:20, Job 39:9, Proverbs 6:35
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural3xDeuteronomy 1:26, Proverbs 1:25, Isaiah 30:15
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural2xLeviticus 26:21, Isaiah 1:19
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular2xDeuteronomy 13:8, 1 Kings 20:8
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular2xGenesis 24:5, Genesis 24:8
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular2xJoshua 24:10, 1 Samuel 26:23
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Permit people to decline a proposal without treating a leader's confidence as proof of their obligation.
- Distinguish resisting harmful demands from avoiding responsibilities that the relevant passage actually places upon a person.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that agreement is always godly; Proverbs explicitly forbids consent to a violent invitation.
- Do not claim that Abraham's commission authorizes forced marriage; the stated condition releases the servant if the woman is unwilling.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Willing consent that moves from literal breathing/panting toward figurative acceptance or agreement.
Strong'sH14
Lexical occurrences54 versesWord forms1 form53 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkProverbs 1:8-19Source Gloss
to breathe after, i.e. (figuratively) to be acquiescent
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Willing consent that moves from literal breathing/panting toward figurative acceptance or agreement.
to breathe after, i.e. (figuratively) to be acquiescent BDB: be willing Usage: consent, rest content will, be willing.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups1Aligned forms53
Qalbasic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense53×
Perfect1Chr 10:4 · 1Chr 11:18 · 1Chr 11:19 · 1Chr 19:19 · 1Kgs 22:50 · 1Sam 31:4 · 2Chr 21:7 · 2Kgs 8:19 · 2Kgs 13:23 · 2Kgs 24:4 · 2Sam 2:21 · 2Sam 6:10 · 2Sam 12:17 · 2Sam 13:14 · 2Sam 13:16 · 2Sam 13:2542×
Imperfect1Kgs 20:8 · Deut 13:9 · Deut 29:19 · Prov 6:35 · Gen 24:5 · Gen 24:8 · Isa 1:19 · Lev 26:21 · Ezek 3:79×
Participle activeEzek 3:71×
JussiveProv 1:101×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
to be willing, to agree, to desire
Showing 1 selected witness from 54 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
אָבָה is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Why This Word Matters
The decisive moment is early. Wisdom refuses at the level of consent, before the feet begin walking and the hands begin acting.Proverbs 1:8-19
Canonical Themes
For the Preacher and Teacher
Abraham gives his servant a serious commission, yet Genesis 24:8 includes a real condition: the woman may be unwilling to follow. If so, the servant is released from this oath. The preceding confidence that God will guide the journey does not cancel that condition. The narrative lets a trusted mission and an unforced response stand together.
This distinction matters when religious language is used to press someone into a relationship or decision. A person's certainty about God's purpose is not evidence that another person must consent to that person's plan. The verse does not supply an entire modern account of marriage procedure, but it does prevent this commission from being presented as a warrant for compulsion. Proverbs 1:10 and the guards' refusal in First Samuel 22:17 also show that declining a request can protect against participation in evil. Teach willingness with attention to truth and responsibility, not as a demand for automatic agreement.
Anchor passage
Gen.24.8
Doctrinal connections
- Genesis 24:7-8 places confidence in God's promise alongside the explicit possibility that the woman will not follow.
- Proverbs 1:10-12 exposes an invitation to group belonging as an invitation to harm innocent people.
- First Samuel 22:17-19 distinguishes royal command from moral permission through the guards' refusal and Doeg's killing.
- Isaiah 1:16-20 connects willing obedience with justice, cleansing, and covenant consequences in the land.
- Deuteronomy 23:5 grounds God's refusal of Balaam in His love, identifying protective purpose in this divine action.
- Acts 5:29 places obedience to God above human command, offering an apostolic witness without making every personal refusal divinely authorized.
Willingness and consent describe a response to some proposed action, often expressed negatively in the selected passages. The dictionary form is distinct from an inflected occurrence. Neither an old derivation about breathing after something nor the verb alone supplies a doctrine of autonomous choice.
From Old to New Testament
In Acts 5:29, the apostles say they must obey God rather than men in response to a command to stop their witness. This is a thematic connection with morally necessary refusal, not a claim that the Greek wording is identical or that every disagreement with authority repeats the apostles' situation.
Passage contextCanonical parallelPastoral application