גַּנָּב
gan.nav
thief
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "gan.nav" (H1590) is a noun that translates to "thief." This term is used seventeen times in the Bible, showcasing its significance in various contexts. In its simplest form, "gan.nav" refers to someone who steals or commits theft, highlighting the act of taking something that doesn't belong to them. The use of "gan.nav" in the Bible underscores the gravity of theft and the consequences it can have on individuals and communities. It appears in both individual and collective contexts, demonstrating the destructive nature of pilfering. Furthermore, this term contributes to the broader discussion of justice, morality, and the responsibilities of individuals within society. As a descriptor of those who commit crimes, "gan.nav" plays a crucial role in biblical narratives, often used to label characters involved in wrongdoing. By examining this word, we can gain insight into the values and norms of ancient societies, where honesty, integrity, and respect for the property of others were considered fundamental virtues.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
17 total occurrences across the text
The murderer rises with the light. He kills the poor and needy. In the night he is like a thief.
Job 30:5They are driven out from among men. They cry after them as after a thief;
Psalms 50:18When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have participated with adulterers.
Proverbs 6:30Men don’t despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry;
Proverbs 29:24Whoever is an accomplice of a thief is an enemy of his own soul. He takes an oath, but dares not testify.
Isaiah 1:23Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. They don’t defend the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come to them.
Jeremiah 2:26As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so the house of Israel is ashamed: they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets,
Jeremiah 48:27For wasn’t Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For as often as you speak of him, you shake your head.
Jeremiah 49:9If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves came by night, wouldn’t they steal until they had enough?
Joel 2:9They rush on the city. They run on the wall. They climb up into the houses. They enter in at the windows like thieves.
Hosea 7:1When I would heal Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered, also the wickedness of Samaria; for they commit falsehood, and the thief enters in, and the gang of robbers ravages outside.
Obadiah 1:5“If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, what disaster awaits you—wouldn’t they only steal until they had enough? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn’t they leave some gleaning grapes?
Zechariah 5:4I will cause it to go out,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and it will enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him who swears falsely by my name; and it will remain in the middle of his house, and will destroy it with its timber and its stones.”
Exodus 22:2If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.
Exodus 22:7“If a man delivers to his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.
Exodus 22:8If the thief isn’t found, then the master of the house shall come near to God, to find out whether or not he has put his hand on his neighbor’s goods.
Deuteronomy 24:7If a man is found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deals with him as a slave, or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall remove the evil from among you.