Lexical Summary havvah: Mischief, calamity, desire, ruin Original Word: הַוָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance calamity, iniquity, mischief, mischievous thing, naughtiness, naughty, perverse thing, From hava' (in the sense of eagerly coveting and rushing upon; by implication, of falling); desire; also ruin -- calamity, iniquity, mischief, mischievous (thing), naughtiness, naughty, noisome, perverse thing, substance, very wickedness. see HEBREW hava' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom havah Definition desire, chasm, destruction NASB Translation calamities (1), calamity (1), craving (1), deadly (1), desire (2), destruction (8), destructive (1), greed (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs הַוָּה noun feminine 1. desire; 2 chasm, figurative destruction (compare Topical Lexicon OverviewThe Hebrew noun הַוָּה (havvah) appears fifteen times across the Old Testament canon as an ominous thread binding together ideas of destructive craving, moral mischief, and tangible calamity. Whether rendered “destruction,” “ruin,” “deadly pestilence,” “craving,” or “mischief,” the word depicts a force that begins in the inner life of the ungodly and invariably flowers into outward devastation. The contexts range from personal lament in Job to national indictment in Micah, underscoring the comprehensive reach of this cancerous principle. Root Imagery and Fundamental Idea At its core havvah conveys a collapse—either of moral integrity or of physical wellbeing. The imagery is twofold: 1. A hidden appetite that consumes from within (Proverbs 10:3; Proverbs 11:6). The inward craving and the outward ruin are not separate meanings but two faces of the same reality. Scripture therefore treats havvah as both the motive and the outcome of evil. Usage in Wisdom Literature Job and Proverbs provide the densest cluster of occurrences, portraying havvah as a diagnostic tool for discerning wickedness. • Job 6:30 declares, “Is there iniquity on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern malice?” Job insists his conscience can identify the flavor of havvah, even as he suffers from it in Job 30:13, “They profit from my destruction.” The righteous may recognize havvah, yet the wicked exploit it. • Proverbs drives the lesson home: “The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the craving of the wicked” (Proverbs 10:3). Again, “The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the faithless are trapped by their own desires” (Proverbs 11:6). Divine justice starves the appetite that breeds ruin while rescuing those who walk uprightly. Association with Speech Several psalms link havvah to the tongue: – “Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor” (Psalm 52:2). – “Their heart is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue” (Psalm 5:9). – “A liar gives ear to a destructive tongue” (Proverbs 17:4). Words become the delivery system for internal havoc. The consistent picture is that unchecked speech weaponizes havvah, spreading corruption through deceit, slander, and political intrigue (Psalm 94:20). Threat versus Refuge The same psalter that exposes havvah also proclaims God’s shelter from it. “Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence” (Psalm 91:3). The believer’s only guaranteed immunity is found “in the shadow of Your wings” (Psalm 57:1). Thus the term becomes a foil to highlight divine protection: havvah is real, but it is not sovereign. Societal Implications Micah 7:3 situates havvah in a corrupt judicial system: “Both hands are skilled at evil… the powerful dictate their desires—together they conspire.” When havvah governs leadership, the covenant community languishes. The prophetic warning implies that spiritual renewal must begin with confronting the covert cravings of the heart, or public structures will inevitably collapse. Intertestamental Echoes and New Testament Fulfillment While the noun itself does not carry over into Greek, its substance resurfaces in terms such as epithymia (lust) and apoleia (destruction). James 1:14-15 captures the same moral trajectory: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then desire, having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” The cross stands as God’s definitive answer, absorbing the havoc of human sin and granting life in its place (Romans 6:23). Ministry Significance 1. Heart Diagnosis: Pastoral counseling must move beyond visible crises to address the underlying havvah—destructive cravings and motives. Practical Questions for Reflection • Where might subtle cravings be preparing the ground for future ruin in my life or ministry? Havvah pulls back the curtain on sin’s life cycle: desire becomes disaster unless redeemed by grace. The biblical witness exposes its workings, declares its judgment, and points to the One who saves “to the uttermost” from both the craving and the collapse. Forms and Transliterations בְּהַוָּתֽוֹ׃ בהותו׃ הַ֫וּ֥וֹת הַ֭וּוֹת הַוַּ֥ת הַוֹּ֣ת הַוֹּֽת׃ הַוּ֑וֹת הַוּ֥וֹת הַוּֽוֹת׃ הוות הוות׃ הות הות׃ וְהַוַּ֖ת וּ֝בְהַוַּ֗ת ובהות והות לְהַוָּתִֽי להותי bə·haw·wā·ṯōw behavvaTo bəhawwāṯōw havVat havVot haw·waṯ haw·wō·wṯ haw·wōṯ hawwaṯ hawwōṯ hawwōwṯ lə·haw·wā·ṯî lehavvaTi ləhawwāṯî ū·ḇə·haw·waṯ ūḇəhawwaṯ uvehavVat vehavVat wə·haw·waṯ wəhawwaṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 6:30 HEB: לֹא־ יָבִ֥ין הַוּֽוֹת׃ NAS: my palate discern calamities? KJV: discern perverse things? INT: not discern calamity Job 30:13 Psalm 5:9 Psalm 38:12 Psalm 52:2 Psalm 52:7 Psalm 55:11 Psalm 57:1 Psalm 91:3 Psalm 94:20 Proverbs 10:3 Proverbs 11:6 Proverbs 17:4 Proverbs 19:13 Micah 7:3 15 Occurrences |
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desire, 
atmosphere, emptiness, 
a deep pit, hell (compare below הָוָה); Aramaic 
gulf, chasm (Luke 16:26 ᵑ6)) construct הַוַּת