Hebrew

Father

אָבStrong’s H0001

Appears in 1,060 verses of the Old Testament

In short

Av is the Hebrew word usually translated “father his”, “father my” and “father your”. It appears in 1,060 verses of the Old Testament.

“Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”

Daniel 9:6 KJV

Meaning

Father of an individual
Of God as father of his people
Head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan
Ancestorgrandfather, forefathers - of person · of people
Originator or patron of a class, profession, or art
Of producer, generator (fig.)
Of benevolence and protection (fig.)
Term of respect and honour
Ruler or chief (spec.)

How it's translated

father his 183
father my 112
father your 105
ancestors their 100
ancestors his 75
ancestors your 73
father of 64
father their 36

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most

Genesis 170
2 Chronicles 110
1 Chronicles 87
1 Kings 80
Numbers 75
Deuteronomy 65

31 books in all.

Related words

Explore in Scripture

All 1,060 verses, by book

Genesis 170: 2:24 4:20 4:21 9:18 9:22 9:23 10:21 11:28 11:29 12:1 15:15 17:4 17:5 19:31 19:32 19:33 19:34 19:35 19:36 19:37 19:38 20:12 20:13 22:7 22:21 24:7 24:23 24:38 24:40 26:3 26:15 26:18 26:24 27:6 27:9 27:10 27:12 27:14 27:18 27:19 27:22 27:26 27:30 27:31 27:32 27:34 27:38 27:39 27:41 28:2 28:7 28:8 28:13 28:21 29:9 29:12 31:1 31:3 31:5 31:6 31:7 31:9 31:14 31:16 31:18 31:19 31:29 31:30 31:35 31:42 31:53 32:9 33:19 34:4 34:6 34:11 34:13 34:19 35:18 35:22 35:27 36:9 36:24 36:43 37:1 37:2 37:4 37:10 37:11 37:12 37:22 37:32 37:35 38:11 41:51 42:13 42:29 42:32 42:35 42:36 42:37 43:2 43:7 43:8 43:11 43:23 43:27 43:28 44:17 44:19 44:20 44:22 44:24 44:25 44:27 44:30 44:31 44:32 44:34 45:3 45:8 45:9 45:13 45:18 45:19 45:23 45:25 45:27 46:1 46:3 46:5 46:29 46:31 46:34 47:1 47:3 47:5 47:6 47:7 47:9 47:11 47:12 47:30 48:1 48:9 48:15 48:16 48:17 48:18 48:19 48:21 49:2 49:4 49:8 49:25 49:26 49:28 49:29 50:1 50:2 50:5 50:6 50:7 50:8 50:10 50:14 50:15 50:16 50:17 50:22
Exodus 22: 2:16 2:18 3:6 3:13 3:15 3:16 4:5 6:14 6:25 10:6 12:3 13:5 13:11 15:2 18:4 20:5 20:12 21:15 21:17 22:17 34:7 40:15
Leviticus 19: 16:32 18:7 18:8 18:9 18:11 18:12 18:14 19:3 20:9 20:11 20:17 20:19 21:2 21:9 21:11 22:13 25:41 26:39 26:40
Numbers 75: 1:2 1:4 1:16 1:18 1:20 1:22 1:24 1:26 1:28 1:30 1:32 1:34 1:36 1:38 1:40 1:42 1:44 1:45 1:47 2:2 2:32 2:34 3:4 3:15 3:20 3:24 3:30 3:35 4:2 4:22 4:29 4:34 4:38 4:40 4:42 4:46 6:7 7:2 11:12 12:14 13:2 14:18 14:23 17:2 17:3 17:6 18:1 18:2 20:15 25:14 25:15 26:2 26:55 27:3 27:4 27:7 27:10 27:11 30:3 30:4 30:5 30:16 31:26 32:8 32:14 32:28 33:54 34:14 36:1 36:3 36:4 36:6 36:7 36:8 36:12
Deuteronomy 65: 1:8 1:11 1:21 1:35 4:1 4:31 4:37 5:3 5:9 5:16 6:3 6:10 6:18 6:23 7:8 7:12 7:13 8:1 8:3 8:16 8:18 9:5 10:11 10:15 10:22 11:9 11:21 12:1 13:6 13:17 18:8 19:8 21:13 21:18 21:19 22:15 22:16 22:19 22:21 22:29 22:30 24:16 26:3 26:5 26:7 26:15 27:3 27:16 27:20 27:22 28:11 28:36 28:64 29:13 29:25 30:5 30:9 30:20 31:7 31:16 31:20 32:6 32:7 32:17 33:9
Joshua 29: 1:6 2:12 2:13 2:18 4:21 5:6 6:23 6:25 14:1 15:13 15:18 17:1 17:4 18:3 19:47 19:51 21:1 21:11 21:43 21:44 22:14 22:28 24:2 24:3 24:6 24:14 24:15 24:17 24:32
Judges 50: 1:14 2:1 2:10 2:12 2:17 2:19 2:20 2:22 3:4 6:13 6:15 6:25 6:27 8:32 9:1 9:5 9:17 9:18 9:28 9:56 11:2 11:7 11:36 11:37 11:39 14:2 14:3 14:4 14:5 14:6 14:9 14:10 14:15 14:16 14:19 15:1 15:2 15:6 16:31 17:10 18:19 18:29 19:2 19:3 19:4 19:5 19:6 19:8 19:9 21:22
Ruth 2: 2:11 4:17
1 Samuel 48: 2:25 2:27 2:28 2:30 2:31 9:3 9:5 9:20 10:2 10:12 12:6 12:7 12:8 12:15 14:1 14:27 14:28 14:29 14:51 17:15 17:25 17:34 18:2 18:18 19:2 19:3 19:4 20:1 20:2 20:3 20:6 20:8 20:9 20:10 20:12 20:13 20:32 20:33 20:34 22:1 22:3 22:11 22:15 22:16 22:22 23:17 24:11 24:21
2 Samuel 24: 2:32 3:7 3:8 3:29 6:21 7:12 7:14 9:7 10:2 10:3 13:5 14:9 15:34 16:3 16:19 16:21 16:22 17:8 17:10 17:23 19:28 19:37 21:14 24:17
1 Kings 80: 1:6 1:21 2:10 2:12 2:24 2:26 2:31 2:32 2:44 3:3 3:6 3:7 3:14 5:1 5:3 5:5 6:12 7:14 7:51 8:1 8:15 8:17 8:18 8:20 8:21 8:24 8:25 8:26 8:34 8:40 8:48 8:53 8:57 8:58 9:4 9:5 9:9 11:4 11:6 11:12 11:17 11:21 11:27 11:33 11:43 12:4 12:6 12:9 12:10 12:11 12:14 13:11 13:12 13:22 14:15 14:20 14:22 14:31 15:3 15:8 15:11 15:12 15:15 15:19 15:24 15:26 16:6 16:28 18:18 19:4 19:20 20:34 21:3 21:4 22:40 22:43 22:46 22:50 22:52 22:53
2 Kings 59: 2:12 3:2 3:13 4:18 4:19 5:13 6:21 8:24 9:25 9:28 10:3 10:35 12:18 12:21 13:9 13:13 13:14 13:25 14:3 14:5 14:6 14:16 14:20 14:21 14:22 14:29 15:3 15:7 15:9 15:22 15:34 15:38 16:2 16:20 17:13 17:14 17:15 17:41 18:3 19:12 20:5 20:17 20:21 21:3 21:8 21:15 21:18 21:20 21:21 21:22 22:2 22:13 22:20 23:30 23:32 23:34 23:37 24:6 24:9
1 Chronicles 87: 2:17 2:21 2:23 2:24 2:42 2:44 2:45 2:49 2:50 2:51 2:52 2:55 4:3 4:4 4:5 4:11 4:12 4:14 4:17 4:18 4:19 4:21 4:38 5:1 5:13 5:15 5:24 5:25 6:19 7:2 7:4 7:7 7:9 7:11 7:14 7:22 7:31 7:40 8:6 8:10 8:13 8:28 8:29 9:9 9:13 9:19 9:33 9:34 9:35 12:17 12:28 12:30 15:12 17:11 17:13 19:2 19:3 21:17 22:10 23:9 23:11 23:24 24:2 24:4 24:6 24:19 24:30 24:31 25:3 25:6 26:6 26:10 26:13 26:21 26:26 26:31 26:32 27:1 28:4 28:6 28:9 29:6 29:10 29:15 29:18 29:20 29:23
2 Chronicles 110: 1:2 1:8 1:9 2:3 2:7 2:13 2:14 2:17 3:1 4:16 5:1 5:2 6:4 6:7 6:8 6:10 6:15 6:16 6:25 6:31 6:38 7:17 7:18 7:22 8:14 9:31 10:4 10:6 10:9 10:10 10:11 10:14 11:16 12:16 13:12 13:18 14:1 14:4 15:12 15:18 16:3 16:13 17:2 17:3 17:4 17:14 19:4 19:8 20:6 20:32 20:33 21:1 21:3 21:4 21:10 21:12 21:13 21:19 22:4 23:2 24:18 24:22 24:24 25:3 25:4 25:5 25:28 26:1 26:2 26:4 26:12 26:23 27:2 27:9 28:1 28:6 28:9 28:25 28:27 29:2 29:5 29:6 29:9 30:7 30:8 30:19 30:22 31:17 32:13 32:14 32:15 32:33 33:3 33:8 33:12 33:20 33:22 33:23 34:2 34:3 34:21 34:28 34:32 34:33 35:4 35:5 35:12 35:24 36:1 36:15
Ezra 13: 1:5 2:59 2:68 3:12 4:2 4:3 7:27 8:1 8:28 8:29 9:7 10:11 10:16
Nehemiah 20: 1:6 2:3 2:5 7:61 7:70 7:71 8:13 9:2 9:9 9:16 9:23 9:32 9:34 9:36 10:34 11:13 12:12 12:22 12:23 13:18
Esther 2: 2:7 4:14
Job 9: 8:8 15:10 15:18 17:14 29:16 30:1 31:18 38:28 42:15
Psalms 19: 22:4 27:10 39:12 44:1 45:10 45:16 49:19 68:5 78:3 78:5 78:8 78:12 78:57 89:26 95:9 103:13 106:6 106:7 109:14
Proverbs 26: 1:8 3:12 4:1 4:3 6:20 10:1 13:1 15:5 15:20 17:6 17:21 17:25 19:13 19:14 19:26 20:20 22:28 23:22 23:24 23:25 27:10 28:7 28:24 29:3 30:11 30:17
Isaiah 20: 3:6 7:17 8:4 9:6 14:21 22:21 22:23 22:24 37:12 38:5 38:19 39:6 43:27 45:10 51:2 58:14 63:16 64:8 64:11 65:7
Jeremiah 62: 2:5 2:27 3:4 3:18 3:19 3:24 3:25 6:21 7:7 7:14 7:18 7:22 7:25 7:26 9:14 9:16 11:4 11:5 11:7 11:10 12:6 13:14 14:20 16:3 16:7 16:11 16:12 16:13 16:15 16:19 17:22 19:4 20:15 22:11 22:15 23:27 23:39 24:10 25:5 30:3 31:9 31:29 31:32 32:18 32:22 34:5 34:13 34:14 35:6 35:8 35:10 35:14 35:15 35:16 35:18 44:3 44:9 44:10 44:17 44:21 47:3 50:7
Lamentations 2: 5:3 5:7
Ezekiel 25: 2:3 5:10 16:3 16:45 18:2 18:4 18:14 18:17 18:18 18:19 18:20 20:4 20:18 20:24 20:27 20:30 20:36 20:42 22:7 22:10 22:11 36:28 37:25 44:25 47:14
Daniel 6: 9:6 9:8 9:16 11:24 11:37 11:38
Hosea 1: 9:10
Joel 1: 1:2
Amos 2: 2:4 2:7
Micah 2: 7:6 7:20
Zechariah 6: 1:2 1:4 1:5 1:6 8:14 13:3
Malachi 4: 1:6 2:10 3:7 4:6

Hebrew dictionary

אָב av · father

1) father of an individual 2) of God as father of his people 3) head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan 4) ancestor 4a) grandfather, forefathers - of person 4b) of people 5) originator or patron of a class, profession, or art 6) of producer, generator (fig.) 7) of benevolence and protection (fig.) 8) term of respect and honour 9) ruler or chief (spec.) Also means: av (אַב "father" H0002)

From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “father” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

F'ATHER, noun

[Latin pater. The primary sense is obvious.]

He who begets a child; in Latin genitor or generator.“The father of a fool hath no joy” Proverbs 17:21
The first ancestor; the progenitor of a race or family.
The appellation of an old man, and a term of respect.“The king of Israel said to Elisha, my father shall I smite them?” 2 Kings 6:21
The grandfather or more remote ancestor. Daniel 5:2

All definitions

One who feeds and supports or exercises paternal care over another.
He who creates, invents, makes or composes any thing; the author, former or contriver; a founder, director or instructor. John 8:16 Genesis 4:20 1 Chronicles 2:51 1 Chronicles 4:14 John 8:16 Romans 4:1
Fathers, in the plural, ancestors.“David slept with his fathers” 1 Kings 2:10
A father in law. Luke 3:8
The appellation of the first person in the adorable Trinity.“Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19
The title given to dignitaries of the church, superiors of convents, and to popish confessors.
The appellation of the ecclesiastical writers of the first centuries, as Polycarp, Jerome, etc.
The title of a senator in ancient Rome; as conscript fathers.

Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Hebrew, not from any one translation.