A raven (from its dusky hue)
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עֹרֵב ('ōrēb) is the Hebrew noun for a raven. Genesis 8:7 sends a raven from the ark, Leviticus 11:15 and Deuteronomy 14:14 include ravens among birds Israel must not eat, and First Kings 17:4 and 17:6 name ravens as the creatures God commands to supply Elijah.
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Full entry for עֹרֵב (H6158) · Open the biblical lexicon
עֹרֵב ('ōrēb) is the Hebrew noun for a raven. Genesis 8:7 sends a raven from the ark, Leviticus 11:15 and Deuteronomy 14:14 include ravens among birds Israel must not eat, and First Kings 17:4 and 17:6 name ravens as the creatures God commands to supply Elijah.
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include of raven (2), the ravens (2), a raven (1), and raven (1), as a raven (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 8:7. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Kings (2), Deuteronomy (1), Genesis (1), Isaiah (1).
עֹרֵב ('ōrēb) is the Hebrew noun for a raven. Genesis 8:7 sends a raven from the ark, Leviticus 11:15 and Deuteronomy 14:14 include ravens among birds Israel must not eat, and First Kings 17:4 and 17:6 name ravens as the creatures God commands to supply Elijah. These uses refer to actual birds in distinct narrative and covenant settings; the noun itself does not assign one fixed symbolic meaning.
Job 38:41 and Psalm 147:9 place young ravens within God's care for creation. Their cries and need are known to God within passages that emphasize divine wisdom, governance, and provision. This supports confidence in God's attentive providence, but it is not a guarantee that every need will be met in the timing, form, or amount a person expects. The texts direct trust toward God rather than providing a formula for controlling outcomes.
Other contexts shift the image. Isaiah 34:11 includes ravens in a judgment landscape, Proverbs 30:17 uses them in severe wisdom imagery, and Song 5:11 compares dark hair to a raven. These occurrences prevent a universal symbolism. The raven can be a creature sent, prohibited as food, providentially used, cared for, or used in poetic comparison according to the passage.
Oreb names the raven across flood narrative, food law, prophetic provision, judgment poetry, wisdom warning, creation theology, praise, and love poetry. The bird remains a creature whose narrative or poetic role is set locally.
Noah sends a raven from the ark as waters recede.
Ravens are included by kind in Israel's list of birds not to be eaten.
God tells Elijah that ravens have been commanded to provide food by the brook.
The ravens bring Elijah bread and meat morning and evening.
God's speech asks who provides prey when young ravens cry and wander for food.
The hymn praises God for giving food to animals and to young ravens that call.
Ravens appear in graphic judgment imagery warning against contempt for parents.
The beloved's dark hair is compared to a raven in poetic description.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. a raven (from its dusky hue)
a raven (from its dusky hue) BDB: raven Usage: raven.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
עֹרֵב is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Oreb supports careful teaching about providence because the same creature appears in several sharply different settings. Ravens are prohibited as food for Israel, commanded to feed Elijah, themselves fed by God, and used in poetry and judgment imagery. That range prevents sentimental symbolism and keeps attention on the acting God. Job and Psalm 147 allow sufferers to confess that need is seen even when provision remains mysterious.
First Kings 17 shows God free to use unexpected means, but it does not promise that every faithful person will receive miraculous delivery. Pastoral application should encourage prayer, ordinary care, shared provision, and trust without blaming people whose needs remain unmet or treating assistance as evidence of superior faith.
Ps.147.9
H6158 consistently denotes the raven. Interpretive variety comes from narrative, legal, prophetic, wisdom, hymnic, and poetic contexts rather than multiple lexical identities.
Luke 12:24 uses ravens in Jesus' argument against anxious self-preoccupation and toward trust in God's care. The saying should be read in its discipleship context and not converted into a promise of a chosen material outcome.
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