אָבַד
to perish
‘to perish’ is one of 9 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘perish’
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘destroy’
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘cause to perish’
Form
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
111 distinct verses where H6 appears in the Qal stem, across 24 books. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Exodus 1 verse
Leviticus 1 verse
Numbers 4 verses
- Numbers 16:33 וַ/יֹּאבְד֖וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly.
- Numbers 17:12 אָבַ֖דְנוּ אָבָֽדְנוּ Qal pf 1cp Qal pf 1cp The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
- Numbers 21:29 אָבַ֖דְתָּ Qal pf 2ms Woe to you, Moab! You are undone, people of Chemosh: He has given his sons as fugitives, His daughters into captivity, To Sihon king of the Amorites.
- Numbers 21:30 אָבַ֥ד Qal pf 3ms We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even to Dibon, We have laid waste even to Nophah, Which [reaches] to Medeba.
Deuteronomy 11 verses
- Deuteronomy 4:26 אָבֹ֣ד תֹּאבֵדוּ/ן֮ Qal inf.abs Qal impf 2mp + sfx n I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto you go over the Jordan to possess it; you shall not prolong your days on it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
- Deuteronomy 7:20 אֲבֹ֗ד Qal inf.cs Moreover Yahweh your God will send the hornet among them, until those who are left, and hide themselves, perish from before you.
- Deuteronomy 8:19 אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵדֽוּ/ן Qal inf.abs Qal impf 2mp + sfx n It shall be, if you shall forget Yahweh your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
- Deuteronomy 8:20 מַאֲבִ֣יד תֹאבֵד֑וּ/ן Hiphil ptcp.act ms Qal impf 2mp + sfx n As the nations that Yahweh makes to perish before you, so shall you perish; because you wouldn't listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.
- Deuteronomy 11:17 וַ/אֲבַדְתֶּ֣ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp and the anger of Yahweh be kindled against you, and he shut up the sky, so that there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield its fruit; and you perish quickly from off the good land which Yahweh gives you.
- Deuteronomy 22:3 תֹּאבַ֥ד Qal impf 3fs So shall you do with his donkey; and so shall you do with his garment; and so shall you do with every lost thing of your brother's, which he has lost, and you have found: you may not hide yourself.
- Deuteronomy 26:5 אֹבֵ֣ד Qal ptcp.act ms You shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
- Deuteronomy 28:20 אֲבָדְ/ךָ֙ Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2ms Yahweh will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke, in all that you put your hand to do, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly; because of the evil of your doings, by which you have forsaken me.
- Deuteronomy 28:22 אָבְדֶֽ/ךָ Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2ms Yahweh will strike you with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation, and with fiery heat, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue you until you perish.
- Deuteronomy 30:18 אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵד֑וּ/ן Qal inf.abs Qal impf 2mp + sfx n I denounce to you this day, that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land, where you pass over the Jordan to go in to possess it.
- Deuteronomy 32:28 אֹבַ֥ד Qal ptcp.act ms cs For they are a nation void of counsel, There is no understanding in them.
Joshua 2 verses
- Joshua 23:13 אֲבָדְ/כֶ֗ם Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2mp know for a certainty that Yahweh your God will no more drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap to you, and a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which Yahweh your God has given you.
- Joshua 23:16 וַ/אֲבַדְתֶּ֣ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp When you disobey the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them; then will the anger of Yahweh be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which he has given to you.
Judges 1 verse
1 Samuel 2 verses
- 1 Samuel 9:3 וַ/תֹּאבַ֨דְנָה֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3fp The donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the donkeys.
- 1 Samuel 9:20 הָ/אֹבְד֣וֹת ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act fp As for your donkeys who were lost three days ago, don't set your mind on them; for they are found. For whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you, and for all your father's house?
2 Samuel 1 verse
2 Kings 1 verse
Esther 2 verses
- Esther 4:14 תֹּאבֵ֑דוּ Qal impf 2mp For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish: and who knows whether you haven't come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
- Esther 4:16 אָבַ֖דְתִּי אָבָֽדְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Qal pf 1cs Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Job 13 verses
- Job 3:3 יֹ֣אבַד Qal impf 3ms "Let the day perish in which I was born, The night which said, 'There is a man-child conceived.'
- Job 4:7 אָבָ֑ד Qal pf 3ms "Remember, now, whoever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?
- Job 4:9 יֹאבֵ֑דוּ Qal impf 3mp By the breath of God they perish, By the blast of his anger are they consumed.
- Job 4:11 אֹבֵ֣ד Qal ptcp.act ms The old lion perishes for lack of prey, The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad.
- Job 4:20 יֹאבֵֽדוּ Qal impf 3mp Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it.
- Job 6:18 וְ/יֹאבֵֽדוּ conj + Qal impf 3mp The caravans that travel beside them turn aside; They go up into the waste, and perish.
- Job 8:13 תֹּאבֵֽד Qal impf 3fs So are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man shall perish,
- Job 11:20 אָבַ֣ד Qal pf 3ms But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, They shall have no way to flee; Their hope shall be the giving up of the spirit."
- Job 18:17 אָ֭בַד Qal pf 3ms His memory shall perish from the earth. He shall have no name in the street.
- Job 20:7 יֹאבֵ֑ד Qal impf 3ms Yet he shall perish forever like his own dung, Those who have seen him shall say, 'Where is he?'
- Job 29:13 אֹ֭בֵד Qal ptcp.act ms The blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
- Job 30:2 אָ֣בַד Qal pf 3ms Of what use is the strength of their hands to me, Men in whom ripe age has perished?
- Job 31:19 א֭וֹבֵד Qal ptcp.act ms If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering;
Psalms 21 verses
- Psalms 1:6 תֹּאבֵֽד Qal impf 3fs For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked shall perish.
- Psalms 2:12 וְ/תֹ֬אבְדוּ conj + Qal impf 2mp Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, For his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
- Psalms 9:3 וְ֝/יֹאבְד֗וּ conj + Qal impf 3mp When my enemies turn back, They stumble and perish in your presence.
- Psalms 9:6 אָבַ֖ד Qal pf 3ms The enemy is overtaken by endless ruin. The very memory of the cities which you have overthrown has perished.
- Psalms 9:18 תֹּאבַ֥ד Qal impf 3fs For the needy shall not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
- Psalms 10:16 אָבְד֥וּ Qal pf 3cp Yahweh is King forever and ever! The nations will perish out of his land.
- Psalms 31:12 אֹבֵֽד Qal ptcp.act ms I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man. I am like broken pottery.
- Psalms 37:20 יֹאבֵ֗דוּ Qal impf 3mp But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish-- Vanish like smoke.
- Psalms 41:5 וְ/אָבַ֥ד conj + Qal wpf 3ms My enemies speak evil against me: "When will he die, and his name perish?"
- Psalms 49:10 יֹאבֵ֑דוּ Qal impf 3mp For he sees that wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless perish, And leave their wealth to others.
- Psalms 68:2 יֹאבְד֥וּ Qal impf 3mp As smoke is driven away, So drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
- Psalms 73:27 יֹאבֵ֑דוּ Qal impf 3mp For, behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to you.
- Psalms 80:16 יֹאבֵֽדוּ Qal impf 3mp It's burned with fire. It's cut down. They perish at your rebuke.
- Psalms 83:17 וְ/יֹאבֵֽדוּ conj + Qal impf 3mp Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish;
- Psalms 92:9 יֹאבֵ֑דוּ Qal impf 3mp For, behold, your enemies, Yahweh, For, behold, your enemies shall perish. All the evil-doers will be scattered.
- Psalms 102:26 יֹאבֵדוּ֮ Qal impf 3mp They will perish, but you will endure. Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment. You will change them like a cloak, and they will be changed.
- Psalms 112:10 תֹּאבֵֽד Qal impf 3fs The wicked will see it, and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.
- Psalms 119:92 אָבַ֥דְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Unless your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
- Psalms 119:176 אֹ֭בֵד Qal ptcp.act ms I have gone astray like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I don't forget your commandments.
- Psalms 142:4 אָבַ֣ד Qal pf 3ms Look on my right, and see; For there is no one who is concerned for me. Refuge has fled from me. No one cares for my soul.
- Psalms 146:4 אָבְד֥וּ Qal pf 3cp His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish.
Proverbs 7 verses
- Proverbs 10:28 תֹּאבֵֽד Qal impf 3fs The prospect of the righteous is joy, But the hope of the wicked will perish.
- Proverbs 11:7 תֹּאבַ֣ד אָבָֽדָה Qal impf 3fs Qal pf 3fs When a wicked man dies, hope perishes, And expectation of power comes to nothing.
- Proverbs 11:10 וּ/בַ/אֲבֹ֖ד conj + prep + Qal inf.cs When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. When the wicked perish, there is shouting.
- Proverbs 19:9 יֹאבֵֽד Qal impf 3ms A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish.
- Proverbs 21:28 יֹאבֵ֑ד Qal impf 3ms A false witness will perish, And a man who listens speaks to eternity.
- Proverbs 28:28 וּ֝/בְ/אָבְדָ֗/ם conj + prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3mp When the wicked rise, men hide themselves; But when they perish, the righteous thrive.
- Proverbs 31:6 לְ/אוֹבֵ֑ד prep + Qal ptcp.act ms Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish; And wine to the bitter in soul:
Ecclesiastes 3 verses
- Ecclesiastes 5:14 וְ/אָבַ֛ד conj + Qal pf 3ms Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.
- Ecclesiastes 7:15 אֹבֵ֣ד Qal ptcp.act ms All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evil-doing.
- Ecclesiastes 9:6 אָבָ֑דָה Qal pf 3fs Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.
Isaiah 5 verses
- Isaiah 27:13 הָ/אֹֽבְדִים֙ ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp It shall happen in that day, that a great trumpet shall be blown; and they shall come who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and those who were outcasts in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship Yahweh in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 29:14 וְ/אָֽבְדָה֙ conj + Qal wpf 3fs therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
- Isaiah 41:11 וְ/יֹאבְד֖וּ conj + Qal impf 3mp Behold, all those who are incensed against you shall be disappointed and confounded: those who strive with you shall be as nothing, and shall perish.
- Isaiah 57:1 אָבָ֔ד Qal pf 3ms The righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil [to come].
- Isaiah 60:12 יֹאבֵ֑דוּ Qal impf 3mp For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
Jeremiah 16 verses
- Jeremiah 4:9 יֹאבַ֥ד Qal impf 3ms It shall happen at that day, says Yahweh, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
- Jeremiah 6:21 יאבדו וְ/אָבָֽדוּ Qal impf 3mp conj + Qal wpf 3cp Therefore thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people; and the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them; the neighbor and his friend shall perish.
- Jeremiah 7:28 אָֽבְדָה֙ Qal pf 3fs You shall tell them, This is the nation that has not listened to the voice of Yahweh their God, nor received instruction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
- Jeremiah 9:12 אָבְדָ֣ה Qal pf 3fs Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and [who is] he to whom the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that he may declare it? why is the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, so that none passes through?
- Jeremiah 10:15 יֹאבֵֽדוּ Qal impf 3mp They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
- Jeremiah 18:18 תֹאבַ֨ד Qal impf 3fs Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
- Jeremiah 25:35 וְ/אָבַ֥ד conj + Qal wpf 3ms The shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.
- Jeremiah 27:10 וַ/אֲבַדְתֶּֽם conj + Qal wpf 2mp for they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and you should perish.
- Jeremiah 27:15 וַ/אֲבַדְתֶּ֔ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp For I have not sent them, says Yahweh, but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you, and the prophets who prophesy to you.
- Jeremiah 40:15 וְ/אָבְדָ֖ה conj + Qal wpf 3fs Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Please let me go, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: why should he take your life, that all the Jews who are gathered to you should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?
- Jeremiah 48:8 וְ/אָבַ֥ד conj + Qal wpf 3ms The destroyer shall come on every city, and no city shall escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed; as Yahweh has spoken.
- Jeremiah 48:36 אָבָֽדוּ Qal pf 3cp Therefore my heart sounds for Moab like pipes, and my heart sounds like pipes for the men of Kir Heres: therefore the abundance that he has gotten is perished.
- Jeremiah 48:46 אָבַ֖ד Qal pf 3ms Woe to you, O Moab! the people of Chemosh is undone; for your sons are taken away captive, and your daughters into captivity.
- Jeremiah 49:7 אָבְדָ֤ה Qal pf 3fs Of Edom. Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?
- Jeremiah 50:6 אֹֽבְדוֹת֙ Qal ptcp.act fp My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray; they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting-place.
- Jeremiah 51:18 יֹאבֵֽדוּ Qal impf 3mp They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
Lamentations 1 verse
Ezekiel 7 verses
- Ezekiel 7:26 תֹּאבַ֣ד Qal impf 3fs Mischief shall come on mischief, and rumor shall be on rumor; and they shall seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.
- Ezekiel 12:22 וְ/אָבַ֖ד conj + Qal wpf 3ms Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision fails?
- Ezekiel 19:5 אָבְדָ֖ה Qal pf 3fs Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her cubs, and made him a young lion.
- Ezekiel 26:17 אָבַ֔דְתְּ Qal pf 2fs They shall take up a lamentation over you, and tell you, How are you destroyed, who were inhabited by seafaring men, the renowned city, who was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who caused their terror to be on all who lived there!
- Ezekiel 34:4 הָ/אֹבֶ֖דֶת ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act fs You haven't strengthened the diseased, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought back that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor have you ruled over them.
- Ezekiel 34:16 הָ/אֹבֶ֤דֶת ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act fs I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice.
- Ezekiel 37:11 וְ/אָבְדָ֥ה conj + Qal pf 3fs Then he said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.
Joel 1 verse
Amos 3 verses
- Amos 1:8 וְ/אָֽבְדוּ֙ conj + Qal wpf 3cp I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; And I will turn my hand against Ekron; And the remnant of the Philistines will perish," says the Lord Yahweh.
- Amos 2:14 וְ/אָבַ֤ד conj + Qal wpf 3ms Flight will perish from the swift; And the strong won't strengthen his force; Neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
- Amos 3:15 וְ/אָבְד֞וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp I will strike the winter house with the summer house; And the houses of ivory will perish, And the great houses will have an end," says Yahweh.
Obadiah 1 verse
Jonah 4 verses
- Jonah 1:6 נֹאבֵֽד Qal impf 1cp So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your gods! Maybe the gods will notice us, so that we won't perish."
- Jonah 1:14 נֹאבְדָ֗ה Qal coh 1cp Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, "We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, let us not perish for this man's life, and don't lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh, have done as it pleased you."
- Jonah 3:9 נֹאבֵֽד Qal impf 1cp Who knows whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish?"
- Jonah 4:10 אָבָֽד Qal pf 3ms Yahweh said, "You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night.
Micah 2 verses
- Micah 4:9 אָבָ֔ד Qal pf 3ms Now why do you cry out aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, That pains have taken hold of you as of a woman in travail?
- Micah 7:2 אָבַ֤ד Qal pf 3ms The godly man has perished out of the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; Every man hunts his brother with a net.
Zechariah 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“to perish” is the headline sense of the Hebrew verb אבד (ʼâbad). Where the King James Version says “destroy,” newer translations reach for “will perish” (Berean Standard Bible); the renderings breakdown has the detail. It appears 174 verses across 25 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its common vocabulary. First canonically at Exodus 10:7, it enters the text early. The verb spans 3 stems, from Qal to Piel. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H6 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 174
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 174 distinct verses.
- 25 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 25 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #252
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 252 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 174 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Psalms 26 verses 15%
- Jeremiah 26 verses 15%
- Deuteronomy 19 verses 11%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 174 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 77 verses · 44%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 69 verses · 40%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 28 verses · 16%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Destroy 22×, Shall perish 19×, Perish 17×
- American Standard Version: Perish 17×, Shall perish 17×, Destroy 14×
- Berean Standard Bible: Will perish 17×, Destroy 15×, Perish 14×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Will perish 21×, Perish 20×, Destroy 11×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H6 across 184 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 66 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H6 across 183 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 87 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H6 across 178 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 74 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 6 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H6 across 199 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 61 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
11 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each.
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 11 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. א׳ Nu 21:30 +; אָֽבְדוּ ψ 10:16 + (+ Ez 6:3 𝔊 Co) etc.; Impf. יֹאבַד Jb 3:3 Je 4:9; יֹאבֵ֑ד Jb 20:7 + 2 times; 3 fs. תֹּאבַד Dt 22:3 + 4 times; תֹּאבֵ֑ד Jb 8:13 + 3 times; יֹאבְדוּ Ju 5:31 + 3 times; יֹאבֵ֑דוּ Jb 4:9 +; 3 fpl. וַתֹּאבַדְנָה 1 S 9:3; תֹּאבֵדוּן Dt 4:26 +; נֹאבֵ֑ד Jn 1:6; 3:9; נֹאבְדָה Jon 1:14 etc.; Inf. abs. אָבֹד Dt 4:26 + 2 times; cstr. אֲבֹד Dt 7:20 Pr 11:10; אֲבָדְךָ Dt 28:20; אָבְדֶ֑ךָ Dt 28:22; אֲבָדְכֶם Jos 23:13; אָבְדָם Ob 12 Pr 28:28; Pt. אֹבֵד אוֹבֵד Dt 26:5 + 7 times; cstr. אֹבַד Dt 32:28 (v. Di Bö§ 378); etc. e.g. Numbers 21:30
- 1. perish, die, of individuals (mostly late) Nu 17:27 (‖ גוע & (v 28 מות), (also Dt 26:5? cf. infr.) Jon 1:6, 14 Jb 31:19 cf. 29:13 Pr 31:6 Est 4:14, 16(×2) Mi 4:9 Je 40:15 cf. Is 57:1 Pr 11:10; 28:28 Ec 7:15 ψ 119:92; emphasis on mortality Jb 4:20 ψ 146:4 Ec 9:6; Saul & Jonath., under fig. of weapons 2 S 1:27; lion Jb 4:11; caravan Jb 6:18 (cf. Di); cf. מִן־הָאָרֶץ א׳ הָסִיד Mi 7:2, וא׳ מֶלֶךְ מֵעַזָּה Zc 9:5; perish, be exterminated (judgment for sin), of Israel Lv 26:38 Dt 8:19(×2), 20; 28:20, 22; 30:18(×2) Je 27:10, 15 cf. 6:21, Ob 12 cf. ψ 80:17 Is 27:13; other nations Dt 7:20 Je 10:15; 51:18 ψ 2:12; 10:16; 83:18 cf. 9:4 Am 1:8 Is 41:11; 60:12 cf. Jon 3:9 v. also Ex 10:7 Nu 21:29, 30 (JE) Je 48:46; house of Ahab 2 K 9:8; wicked in general Ju 5:31 Jb 4:9 cf. v 7, ψ 37:20; 49:11; 68:3 (‖ sim. of melting wax), 73:27; 92:10; also Pr 19:9; 21:28; לָנֶצַח א׳ Jb 20:7; cf. דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים א׳ ψ 1:6; sq. מֵעַל הָאָ֑רֶץ (of annihilation of Isr.) Dt 4:26(×2), 11:17 Jos 23:13, 16 (D); sq. מִתּוֹךְ הַקָּהָל (of Korah’s company) Nu 16:33 (JE); perish, be ruined, destroyed, of inanimate things, e.g. land Je 9:11 (‖ נִצְּתָה כַמִּדְבָּר) cf. 48:8; harvest Jo 1:11; Jonah’s gourd Jon 4:10; riches Je 48:36 Ec 5:13; vessel ψ 31:13; houses Am 3:15 (so often Assyrian DlW); city Ez 26:17 (but del. 𝔊 Co); cf. bamôth Ez 6:3 𝔊 Co; heavens & earth ψ 102:27. e.g. Numbers 17:27
- 2. fig. perish, vanish, subj. memory Jb 18:17 ψ 9:7; name ψ 41:6 (i.e. be forgotten); vigour Jb 30:2; wisdom Is 29:14; cf. אֹבַד עֵצוֹת Dt 32:28; אֱמוּנָה Je 7:28 (‖ נִכְרְתָה); חָזוֹן Ez 12:22; יוֹם Jb 3:3 (i.e. be blotted out); לֵב Je 4:9 (i.e. courage fail); תִּקְוָה ψ 9:19 Pr 10:28; 11:7 Ez 19:5; 37:11 Jb 8:13; so תַּאֲוָה ψ 112:10 (i.e. comes to naught); תּוֹחֶלֶת Pr 11:7, sq. מִן + agent La 3:18; תורה + עצה + דבר sq. מן + persons negligent Je 18:18 (cf. 49:7 Ez 7:26), especially א׳ מָנוֹס מִן־ (i.e. they could not escape) Am 2:14 Je 25:35 Jb 11:20 ψ 142:5. e.g. Job 18:17
- 3. be lost, property Dt 22:3; strayed, beasts 1 S 9:3, 20 Je 50:6 Ez 34:4, 16 ψ 119:176 (fig. of erring men); perhaps Dt 26:5. e.g. Deuteronomy 22:3
Piel
- caus. of Qal.—Pf. אִבַּד 2 K 21:3 + 2 times; sf. וְאִבַּדְךָ Co Ez 28:16 cf. infr.; אִבַּדְתִּי Je 15:7; וְאִבַּדְתִּ֫י Ez 6:3 (𝔊 Co וְאָֽבְדוּ) etc.; Impf. יְאַבֵּד Ec 9:18; וִיאַבֵּד Ec 7:7 Zp 2:13; 1 s. sf. וָאַבֶּדְךָ Ez 28:16 (for וָאֲאַבּ׳ Ew§ 72 c Ol§ 79 a KöI 338 Ges§ 68 fin; but Co 3 ms.; v. also Co 38:14); תְּאַבְּדוּן Dt 12:2 etc.; Inf. abs. אַבֵּד Dt 12:2 + 3 times; cstr. id. Ez 22:27 + etc.; Pt. מְאַבְּדִים Je 23:1. e.g. 2 Kings 21:3
- 1. cause to perish, destroy, kill, obj. pers. (mostly late) 2 K 11:1 Est 3:9; 4:7; 8:5; 9:24; ‖ הרג 9:6, 12; ‖ הרג + השׁמיד 3:13; 7:4; 8:11; ‖ המם 9:24; cf. ψ 119:95; obj. נְפָשׁוֹת Ez 22:27 (del. 𝔊 Co); in judgment, subj. י׳ ψ 5:7; cf. Pr 1:32; sq. מִתּוֹךְ Ez 28:16; obj. a people 2 K 13:7 2 K 19:18 = Is 37:19; Jb 12:23; in judgment Dt 11:4 Je 12:17; 15:7 Zp 2:13 ψ 9:6 cf. 21:11; obj. inanimate things especially idols, bamôth etc., Nu. 33:52(×2) (J) Dt 12:2(×2) 2 K 21:3 Ez 6:3 (but cf. 𝔊 Co supr.); bars of Zion La 2:9 (‖ שִׁבַּר). e.g. 2 Kings 11:1
- 2. fig. cause to vanish, blot out, do away with names of idols Dt 12:3; voice of Babylon Je 51:55; memory of dead Is 26:14; substance Pr 29:3; understanding Ec 7:7; good (טוֹבָה q.v.) Ec 9:18. e.g. Deuteronomy 12:3
- 3. cause to stray, lose; obj. Isr. under fig. of flock Je 23:1 (‖ הֵפִיץ); abs. Ec 3:6 (‖ בִּקֵּשׁ). e.g. Jeremiah 23:1
Hiphil
- Pf. וְהֶאֱבִיד Nu 24:19; הֶאֱבַ֑דְתָּ Jb 14:19 etc.; Impf. אֹבִידָה Je 46:8 (Ges§ 68, 2 R. 1). Inf. cstr. הַאֲבִיד 2 K 10:19 + etc.; Pt. מַאֲבִיד Dt 8:20. e.g. Numbers 24:19
- 1. destroy, put to death, in judgment, (subj. י׳) obj. pers. Lv 23:30 (sq. מִקֶּרֶב עַמָּהּ; ‖ כָּרַת v 29); Je 49:38 (sq. מִשָּׁם); Ob 8 (sq. מֵאֱדוֹם); obj. nation, Ammon Ez 25:7 (sq. מן־הארצות; ‖ כָּרַת), cf. v 16; Canaanites Dt 8:20 (sq. מִפְּנֵיכֶם); Canaan = Philistines Zp 2:5 (‖ כָּרַת); especially Isr. Dt 28:51, 63 (‖ הִשְׁמִיד), cf. Js 7:7; also abs. Je 18:7 (‖ לִנְתוֹשׁ וְלִנְתוֹץ); = 1:10 (+ וְלַהֲרוֹס) = 31:28 (+ וּלְהָרֵעַ); animals Ez 32:13 (sq. מֵעַל מַיִם רַבִּים); cf. Dt 7:10; ψ 143:12 (‖ הִצְמִית); (human subj.), obj. servants of Baal 2 K 10:19, obj. nation Dt 9:3, cf. Nu 24:19 (E; sq. מֵעִיר); 2 K 24:2; cf. Je 46:8; obj. inanimate, chariots Mi 5:9; idols Ez 30:13 (del. BCo). e.g. Leviticus 23:30
- 2. fig., obj. name of kings Dt 7:24 (sq. מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם); hope Jb 14:19; voice of mirth etc. Je 25:10 (cf. 51:55 Pi. supr.) e.g. Deuteronomy 7:24
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. perish (MI אבד, Assyrian abâtu DlW184 Aramaic אֲבַד, ܐܶܒܰܕ.—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
אָבַד
- , v. אבב) to be pressed, go around in despair (v. Prov. XXXI, 6; Deut. XXVI, 6) to be given up, whence e.g. Proverbs 31:6
- 1. to be lost, perish; to be beyond recognition. Sifré Deut. 301 (ref. to Deut. XXVI, 5) לא ירד … אלא לאובד (read לוֹבֵד or לֶאֱבוֹד; Yalk. Deut. a. l. לאבדם prob. לאַבְרָּן; Ms. Zer. Abr. 3 לֵיאָבֵר) Jacob went to Aram with no hope but to perish (be a slave &c.). Ohol. XVII, 3 a field שא׳ בו קבר in which there is a grave that cannot be located. Keth. XIII, 7 אָבְדָה דרך וכ׳ the path to his field cannot be traced. Gen. R. s. 91 אבידה א׳ לנו we have lost something; a. fr. e.g. Deuteronomy 26:5
- 2. to lose. Ib. ואנו שאָבַדְנוּ ר׳ ס׳ and we who have lost (mourn for) R. S.; a. fr.—Part. pass. אָבוּד lost, irretrievable, perishing, decayed. Keth. 108ᵃ על הא׳ on a contribution to the Temple which has been lost on the road. Y. Shebi. IX, 38ᵈ top מאיליהן הן אֲבוּדִין they perish of themselves (they decay naturally); a. fr.
- to be lost, perish. Keth. 104ᵃ; a. fr. Sifré Deut. 301 לֵיאָבֵד, v. supra.
- 1. to waste, lose, forfeit, destroy. Ned. 33ᵇ אי׳ את מעותיו he wasted his money, (cannot reclaim it). Keth. XIII, 6 אי׳ את זכותו he forfeited his claim. Ab. Zar. 55ᵃ אנו נְאַבֵּד וכ׳ shall we give up our honest dealing? Ib. IV, 7 יְאַבֵּד עולמו shall He destroy His world? Ḥag. 3ᵃ ובקשתם לאַבְּדָהּ ממני and you wanted to deprive me of it? Ib. 4ᵃ זה המְאַבֵּד וכ׳ one who destroys what is given to him.—א׳ עצמו לדעת to commit suicide wilfully. Gen. R. s. 82; a. fr.
- 2. to drop from memory, to forget. Aboth V, 12; a. e.
אֲבַּד
- to be lost. Targ. I Sam. IX, 3; a. fr.—Snh. 111ᵃ; a. fr.—Y. Pes. IX, 37ᵃ כאָבִיד הוא it is to be looked upon as lost.
- to destroy. Targ. II Kings, XIX, 18; a. fr.
- 1. = Pa. Targ. Deut. XXVI, 5; a. fr.—Y. Kidd. III, 64ᶜ bot. אובדתא חיין וכ׳ thou hast ruined this man’s (my) life. Gen. R. s. 56 אובדת ליבך thou hast lost thy wits; a. fr.
- 2. to be lost, to go to ruin. Targ. Ps. XLI, 6; a. e.—Y. Ḥag. II, 77ᵇ ווי דמובדין alas for the lost (deceased)! Y. M. Kat. I, beg. 80ᵃ ויובדן and decay.
- to be lost. Lev. R. s. 34 מִתְאַבְּדִין if they should be lost.—מִתְּבִיד = מִתְאֲבִיד Pes. 5ᵇ; a. e. [Lam. R., to IV, 21 לאיבדא, read לאיעבדא, v. עֲבַד.]
אָבֵד
- perishable, irretrievable. דבר הא׳ a business which cannot be postponed without irretrievable loss. M. Kat. 11ᵃ; a. fr.
יְבַד
- Y. Shebi. IX, 38ᵈ אפי׳ צפור … לא יָבְדָּא even a bird perishes not without the will of God; [Gen. R. s. 79, a. e. מתצדא, מצדיא, v. צדי; Midr. Till. to Ps. XVII אתיא (ed. Bub. אתאי); read: אתציד;] Esth. R. to I, 9; Koh. R. to X, 8 יברח (corr. יָבְדָּה).
- to ruin. Targ. Prov. XII, 4 מְיַבְּדָא (ed. Wil. מֵיבְדָא).
- , v. אֲבַד
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 151 distinct written forms H6 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 91 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H6, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- אבד ʼăbad H7 to perish
- אבד ʼôbêd H8 destruction
- אבדה ʼăbêdâh H9 lost thing
- אבדן ʼabdân H12 destruction
- אבדן ʼobdan H13 destruction
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 158 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 174 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Exodus 10:7
- Leviticus 23:30
- Numbers 16:33
- Deuteronomy 4:26
- Joshua 7:7
- Judges 5:31
- 1 Samuel 9:3
- 2 Samuel 1:27
- 2 Kings 9:8
- Esther 3:9
- Job 3:3
- Psalms 1:6
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
