H6141 H6141
Crooked, perverse, twisted — morally deviant or deceitful in speech, conduct, or character
The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (iqqesh) describes moral crookedness, perversity, or twistedness — the opposite of the straight, upright path. Proverbs employs it most frequently, contrasting the 'crooked' person with the upright (יָשָׁר): 'the perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD' (Prov 11:20), and 'better is a poor man who walks in integrity than one who is crooked in his ways' (Prov 19:1; 28:6). Deuteronomy 32:5 calls rebellious Israel a 'crooked and twisted generation.' In 2 Samuel 22:27 (= Ps 18:27), God matches the crooked with cunning — 'with the crooked you show yourself shrewd.' Proverbs 8:8 insists that wisdom's words contain nothing crooked. Spanish 'perverso/torcido' and English 'perverse/crooked' both capture the moral distortion.
Senses
1. crooked, perverse (adjective) — Morally twisted, perverse, or devious — describing persons whose hearts, speech, or conduct deviate from uprightness. Proverbs pairs it antithetically with תָּם and יָשָׁר (upright, blameless): the crooked-hearted are an abomination (Prov 11:20), and poverty with integrity surpasses wealth with crookedness (Prov 19:1; 28:6). Applied to Israel's rebellious generation in Moses' song (Deut 32:5), and to those whom God meets with shrewdness (2 Sam 22:27; Ps 18:27). Wisdom explicitly excludes anything crooked from her lips (Prov 8:8). Psalm 101:4 banishes the crooked heart from the royal court. Spanish 'perverso' and German 'verkehrt' both carry the sense of moral distortion from the straight path. 11×
AR["أَعوَج", "الأَعْوَجِ", "الْمُلْتَوِي", "مُعْوَجٌّ", "مُعْوَجَّةٌ", "مُعْوَجُّ-", "مُعْوَجّو-", "مِن-مُعْوَجِّ", "مِنْ-مُعْوَجِ", "وَ-مُعْوَجٌ"]·ben["-বাঁকার-চেয়ে", "এবং-বাঁকা", "কুটিল", "বক্র", "বক্রের", "বক্রের-চেয়ে", "বাঁকা", "বাঁকা-", "বিকৃত"]·DE["[ועקש]", "[מעקש]", "[עקש]", "[עקשי]", "[עקשים]", "crooked", "der-crooked", "krumm", "perverse"]·EN["are-crooked", "are-the-crooked-of", "crooked", "crooked-of", "or-crooked", "perverse", "than-crooked-of", "than-one-crooked-of", "the-crooked"]·FR["crooked", "de-pervers", "et-pervers", "pervers"]·heb["ו-עיקש", "מ-עיקש", "עיקש", "עיקש־", "עיקשי־", "עקומים"]·HI["और-कुटिल", "टेढ़ा", "टेढ़ी", "टेढ़े", "टेढ़े-के", "टेढ़े-से"]·ID["Yang-bengkok", "atau-sesat", "bengkok", "daripada-yang-bengkok", "daripada-yang-sesat", "orang-orang-yang-bengkok-", "yang-bengkok", "yang-berliku"]·IT["crooked", "crooked-di", "da-than-crooked-di", "da-than-one-crooked-di", "e-o-crooked", "il-crooked", "perverso", "sono-crooked", "sono-il-crooked-di", "storto"]·jav["bengkong", "ingkang-bengkong", "lan-mlèncèng", "tinimbang-tiyang-bengkong", "tiyang-bengkong", "tiyang-ingkang-culika"]·KO["굴어지고", "굼은-자-와", "굽은", "굽은-자-보다", "그리고-비뜻어지는-것-이", "보다-비뚤어진", "비뚤어진-", "비뚤어진-자-의", "비뚱어진-자"]·PT["Perverso-de-", "do-que-perverso-de", "e-perverso", "o-perverso", "perversa", "perverso", "perversos-de", "são-tortuosas"]·RU["и-извращённости.", "извращённое", "извращённые-", "извращённый-", "кривые,", "лукавым", "развращённого", "развращённое", "чем-извращённый", "чем-развращённый"]·ES["Torcido-de", "perversa", "perverso", "perversos-de", "que-perverso-de", "que-un-perverso", "son-torcidos", "y-perverso"]·SW["au-upotovu", "kilichopotoka", "kuliko-mpotovu", "kuliko-mwenye-kupotoka", "mpotovu", "mpotovu-wa", "wenye-upotovu-wa", "ya-mpotovu", "zimepotoka"]·TR["eğri", "eğri-", "eğriden-", "eğrileri-", "eğrinin", "sapkın", "sapık", "ve-sapık", "çarpık"]·urd["اور-کجرو", "سے-ٹیڑھے-چلنے-والے", "ٹیڑھا", "ٹیڑھا-", "ٹیڑھی", "ٹیڑھے", "ٹیڑھے-سے", "ٹیڑھے-کے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. עִקֵּשׁ adj. twisted, perverted;—abs. דּוֹד ע׳ וּפְתַלְתֹּל Dt 32:5 a generation twisted and crooked, לֵבָב ע׳ ψ 101:4; as n.m. (of one devious in life) the perverted 2 S 22:27 = ψ 18:27, Pr 22:5, of things 8:8; cstr. ע׳ דְּרָכַיִם 28:6, ע׳ שְׂפָתָיו 19:1, עִקֶּשׁ־לֵב 17:20; pl. אָרְחֹתֵיהֶם עִקְּשִׁים 2:15 whose ways are twisted; cstr. עִקְּשֵׁי־לֵב 11:20.