עִצָּבוֹן

# H6093 (עִצָּבוֹן) — Toil The Hebrew word *itstsabon* carries the fundamental meaning of "toil"—laborious, exhausting work. With only three occurrences in the biblical text, this term appears rarely but strategically in the scriptural record. The word designates not merely work itself but work characterized by hardship and difficulty, suggesting both physical exertion and the weariness accompanying it. The limited attestation of *itstsabon* in the Bible indicates its use was reserved for specific theological or narrative moments rather than serving as a common everyday term for labor. Despite its scarcity, the word's presence in three different contexts suggests the biblical writers found it semantically distinct enough to warrant repeated use when emphasizing the arduous nature of human effort. This selectivity points to the term's particular semantic force—it captures a specific quality of work rather than work in general. Understanding *itstsabon* requires recognizing that ancient Hebrew distinguished between different types of human labor. By choosing this particular word across its three appearances, the biblical authors communicated something more specific than generic work: they conveyed work as burdensome and wearing. This nuance matters for accurately interpreting passages where the writers deliberately opted for this term rather than more neutral vocabulary for labor.