H5753a H5753a
To bend, twist, or pervert; in Nifal, to be bowed down, distorted, or morally crooked
A verb built on the image of twisting or bending what should be straight. In the Hifil and Piel stems, it describes active moral or physical distortion: Elihu confesses 'what was right I have perverted' (Job 33:27), Jeremiah accuses Israel of having 'twisted their way' (Jer 3:21), and Isaiah warns that God will 'distort the surface' of the earth (Isa 24:1). In the Nifal, it expresses the resultant state of being bent or warped: the psalmist cries 'I am bowed down' (Ps 38:6), and Proverbs warns against the person 'twisted of heart' (Prov 12:8). The Arabic cognate 'awā ('to bend, twist') confirms the core physical image underlying both moral and physical senses.
Senses
1. pervert, make crooked (Hifil/Piel causative) — Causative stems (Hifil and Piel) denoting the active perversion, distortion, or twisting of what is straight, whether paths, surfaces, or moral standards. In Job 33:27 Elihu confesses 'the right I have perverted' (he'evêtî); in Jer 3:21 Israel 'twisted their way' (he'evû); Isa 24:1 uses the Piel to describe God distorting the earth's surface; Lam 3:9 says 'my paths he has made crooked.' Spanish torcieron/torci ('twisted'), Hindi tedha kiya ('made crooked') consistently render the active, causative distortion. 4×
AR["أَعوَجتُ","أَعْوَجَ","أَعْوَجُّوا","وَيُقَلِّبُ"]·ben["ও-বিকৃত-করছেন","বাঁকা-করেছেন","বিকৃত-করেছি","বিকৃত-করেছে"]·DE["[העוו]","[העויתי]","[ועוה]","[עוה]"]·EN["He-made-crooked","I-have-perverted","it","they-perverted"]·FR["[העוו]","[ועוה]","[עוה]","העויתי"]·heb["העוו","העוויתי","ו-עיוות","עיווה"]·HI["और-बिगाड़ता-है","टेढ़ा-कर-दिया","टेढ़ा-किया-उन्होंने","टेढ़ा-मैंने"]·ID["Ia-bengkokkan","aku bengkokkan","dan-membalikkan","mereka-menyesatkan"]·IT["[העוו]","[ועוה]","[עוה]","pervertire"]·jav["Panjenengan-ndadosaken-bengkong","kula-nglipetaken","lan-njeblungaken","sami-nyimpangaken"]·KO["굴혔다","굽혔다","그-가-굽게-했네","그리고-뒤틀시니"]·PT["e-distorcendo","entortou","perverteram","perverti"]·RU["и-изменит","извратил","извратили-они","искривил"]·ES["ha-torcido","torci","torcieron","y-torciendo"]·SW["ameyapotosha","na-ameupindua","nilipotosha","wamepotoa"]·TR["eğdim","eğriltti","saptırdılar","ve-carpitti"]·urd["اور-پلٹ-دے-گا","ٹیڑھا کیا","ٹیڑھی-کر-دیں","ٹیڑھی-کی"]
2. be bent over, twisted (Nifal passive/stative) — Nifal (passive/stative) forms expressing the state of being bent over, bowed down, or morally twisted. In Ps 38:6 the psalmist laments 'I am bent over, utterly bowed down' (na'avêtî, parallel to shaḥ, 'bowed'); Prov 12:8 warns that one 'na'aveh lev' (twisted of heart) will be despised; Isa 21:3 describes being so convulsed with anguish as to be 'bent over.' Spanish estoy encorvado ('I am hunched'), German ich bin gebeugt ('I am bowed'), and French être perverti ('to be perverted') all reflect the passive, resultative state rather than active agency. 3×
AR["انْحَنَيْتُ","اِنْحَنَيْتُ","وَ-مُعْوَجُّ-"]·ben["এবং-বিকৃত-","নত-হয়েছি","মুচড়ে-গেলাম"]·DE["[ונעוה]","[נעויתי]","ich-bin-gebeugt"]·EN["I-am-bent-over","but-he-who-is-twisted-of"]·FR["[נעויתי]","et-ונעוה","être-perverti"]·heb["ו-נעווה־","נעוויתי"]·HI["और-टेढ़ा","टेढ़ा-हो-गया-हूँ","मुड़-गया-मैं"]·ID["aku-bengkok","tetapi-yang-bengkok-"]·IT["[נעויתי]","e-pervertire","peccò"]·jav["Kula-sampun-mbungkuk","kawula-kesakiten","lan-bengkong"]·KO["구부러졌으니","굽었도다","그러나-굽은"]·PT["Estou-encurvado","e-perverso-de","fui-contorcido"]·RU["а-извращённый-","скорчился-я","скручен-я"]·ES["Estoy-encorvado","fui-torcido","y-perverso-de"]·SW["Nimeinama","lakini-mwenye-upotovu-wa","nimepinduka"]·TR["Büküldüm","bukuldim","ve-eğri-"]·urd["اور-ٹیڑھا","جھکا-ہوا-ہوں","مہں-گیا"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [עָוָה] vb. bend, twist (so Arabic عَوَى );— Niph. Pf. 1 s. נַעֲוֵיתִי Is 21:3 ψ 38:7; Pt. cstr. נַעֲוֵה Pr 12:8; f. cstr. נַעֲוַת 1 S 20:30 (but read נַעֲרַת 𝔊 We Dr SS Bu HPS);—be bent, bowed down, twisted, ‖ שׁחה ψ 38:7; ‖ נבהל Is 21:3; נַעֲוִה לֵב Pr 12:8 one perverted of mind. Pi. Pf. 3 ms. עִוָּה, subj. י׳:—La 3:9 my paths hath he twisted; וְע׳ Is 24:1 its surface will be distort (‖…