H1590 H1590
Thief — one who steals, whether a common burglar, kidnapper, or metaphorical figure of stealth
Refers to a person who steals, covering the full range from a housebreaker to a kidnapper. The Covenant Code distinguishes the thief caught breaking in at night from the one caught by day (Exod 22:1-7). Prophets use the figure powerfully: Isaiah indicts Israel's leaders as companions of thieves (Isa 1:23), Joel likens an invading army to thieves entering through windows (Joel 2:9), and Zechariah envisions a flying scroll cursing every thief (Zech 5:4). Deuteronomy 24:7 extends the term to one who kidnaps and enslaves a fellow Israelite. Cross-linguistically, the renderings are remarkably uniform — English 'thief,' Spanish 'ladrón,' French 'voleur,' German 'Dieb' — reflecting a clear, stable semantic core.
Senses
1. thief, robber — A person who steals property or persons; used of literal burglars, kidnappers, and metaphorical figures of stealth and unlawful seizure. The term encompasses nighttime housebreakers (Exod 22:2), slave-dealers (Deut 24:7), and prophetic imagery of stealthy invasion (Joel 2:9; Obad 5). All major translation traditions use a single core lexeme (eng: thief, spa: ladrón, fra: voleur, deu: Dieb, arb: سارق, hin: चोर), confirming a tight, monosemous profile across all 17 occurrences. 17×
amh["ሌቦች"]·AR["السَّارِقُ", "السَّارِقِ", "السّارِقُ", "اللُّصُوصِ", "بَيْنَ-اللُّصُوصِ", "سارِقًا", "سارِقٍ", "كَ-السَّارِقِ", "كَ-السّارِقِ", "كَ-لِصٍّ", "لصوص", "لُصُوصٌ", "وَالسارِقُ"]·ben["-এর-প্রতি-চোর", "এবং-চোর", "চোর", "চোরকে", "চোরদের", "চোরদের-মধ্যে", "চোরের", "চোরের-মতো", "চোরেরা"]·ces["zloději"]·dan["tyve"]·DE["Dieb", "Diebe", "[בגנבים]", "[גנב]", "[גנבים]", "[כגנב]", "der-Dieb", "der-thief", "ein-thief", "und-Dieb", "zu-Dieb"]·ell["κλέφτες"]·EN["a-thief", "among-thieves", "and-thief", "as-thief", "like-the-thief", "of-a-thief", "the-thief", "thieves"]·FR["[בגנבים]", "[גנב]", "[גנבים]", "[וגנב]", "comme-un-voleur", "le-thief", "le-voleur", "voleur", "voleurs", "גנב", "כגנב", "לגנב"]·guj["ચોરો"]·hat["vòlè"]·hau["ɓarayi"]·heb["ב-גנבים", "גנב", "גנבים", "ה-גנב", "ו-גנב", "כ-גַּנָּב", "כ-גנב", "ל-גנב"]·HI["और-चोर", "चोर", "चोर-का", "चोर-की-तरह", "चोर-के", "चोर-को", "चोरों-के", "जैसे-चोर।", "में-चोरों"]·hun["tolvajok"]·ID["dan-pencuri", "di-antara-pencuri", "pencuri", "pencuri itu", "pencuri-pencuri", "seperti-pencuri", "seperti-pencuri."]·IT["[בגנבים]", "[גנב]", "[גנבים]", "[הגנב]", "[וגנב]", "[כגנב]", "al-il-thief", "come-il-as-thief", "come-il-like-il-thief", "il-thief", "ladri", "un-thief"]·jav["goroh", "ing-antawising-maling", "kados-maling", "kadosdene-maling", "maling", "maling,", "maling-punika"]·JA["盗人たち-が"]·KO["같이-도적", "그-도둑의", "그-도둑이", "그리고-도둑이", "도둑-같이", "도둑-을", "도둑-의", "도둑들-가운데서", "도둑들의", "도둑들이", "도둑을"]·mar["चोर"]·mya["ခိုးများ"]·nld["dieven"]·nor["tyver"]·pnb["چور"]·pol["złodzieje"]·PT["ao-ladrão", "como-ladrão", "como-ladrão.", "como-o-ladrão", "e-ladrão", "entre-ladrões", "ladrão", "ladrões", "o-ladrão"]·ron["hoți"]·RU["-вор", "-вора", "вор", "вора", "вора,", "воров", "вором", "воры", "и-вор", "как-вор", "как-на-вора", "среди-воров"]·ES["al-ladrón", "como-el-ladrón", "como-el-ladrón.", "como-ladrón", "el-ladrón", "entre-ladrones", "ladrones", "ladrón", "y-ladrón"]·SW["kama-mwizi", "kama-wezi", "miongoni-mwa-wezi", "mwizi", "na-mwizi", "wezi"]·swe["tjuvar"]·tam["திருடர்கள்"]·tel["దొంగలు"]·tgl["mga-magnanakaw"]·TH["ขโมย"]·TR["-de-hırsızlar-arasında", "hırsız", "hırsız-gibi", "hırsızlar", "hırsızların", "hırsızı", "hırsızın", "hırsızın-", "ve-hırsız"]·ukr["злодії"]·urd["اور-چور", "جیسے", "وہ-چور", "چور", "چور-کو", "چور-کی", "چور-کی-طرح", "چور-کے", "چوروں-میں", "چوروں-کے"]·VI["kẻ-trộm"]·yor["olè"]·yue["賊"]·ZH["盗贼"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H1892 1. vanity, futility, absurdity (58×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† גַּנָּב n.m. Ex 22:1 thief—גַּנָּב Ex 22:1 + 12 times; גַּנָּבִים Is 1:23 + 3 times—thief that breaks in Ex 22:1, 6, 7 (JE); by window Jo 2:9 (in simile); thief as one who steals Is 1:23 ψ 50:18 Pr 6:30; 29:24 Je 2:26; 48:27 Ho 7:1 (‖ גְּדוּד) Zc 5:4; coming by night Je 49:9 cf. Jb 24:14 (in simile), Ob 5 (‖ שׁוֹדֲדֵי לַיְלָה); Jb 30:5; stealer of men (slave-dealer) Dt 24:7.