Lexical Summary
itstsabon: Sorrow, pain, toil, labor
Original Word: עִצָּבוֹן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `itstsabown
Pronunciation: its-tsaw-bone'
Phonetic Spelling: (its-tsaw-bone')
KJV: sorrow, toil
NASB: toil, pain
Word Origin: [from H6087 (עָצַב - To grieve)]
1. worrisomeness, i.e. labor or pain
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
sorrow, toil
From atsab; worrisomeness, i.e. Labor or pain -- sorrow, toil.
see HEBREW atsab
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
atsabDefinitiona pain, toil
NASB Translationpain (1), toil (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — absolute
Genesis 3:17 toil; construct
Genesis 5:29 (both of agriculture); suffix
Genesis 3:16 (of travail; all J).
Topical Lexicon
Term Overview The Hebrew noun עִצָּבוֹן highlights the inward and outward misery that follows human rebellion against God. It speaks of labor burdened by anguish, of sorrow that clings to body and soul, and of the painful cost of life east of Eden.
Biblical Occurrences and Context
1. Genesis 3:16—To the woman the Lord says, “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children.” Here the word is joined to the joy of motherhood, revealing that even life-giving moments bear the scar of the Fall.
2. Genesis 3:17—To the man the Lord says, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” The same term describes grinding, wearying labor—work warped from worship into drudgery.
3. Genesis 5:29—Lamech names his son Noah, declaring, “He will comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the Lord has cursed.” The word again refers to the bitter hardship that marks every generation from Adam onward.
Historical and Cultural Background
In the Ancient Near Eastern world, childbirth and agriculture stood at the heart of daily existence. By attaching sorrow to both, Scripture identifies universal aspects of human life where the Fall is most keenly felt: the cradle and the field. Unlike pagan myths that view pain as random or the whim of capricious deities, Genesis roots sorrow in a moral universe—painful consequence tethered to transgression. This framing both dignifies labor and exposes its futility apart from divine grace.
Theological Significance
1. Consequence of Sin: עִצָּבוֹן is not intrinsic to God’s good creation; it enters history only after disobedience.
2. Comprehensive Reach: Both sexes and every vocation suffer. Sorrow pierces intimacy (marriage and birth) and productivity (work and provision).
3. Hope within Judgment: The word never stands alone. In each passage, God simultaneously speaks judgment and embeds promise—offspring who will crush the serpent, provision that still springs from cursed ground, and a child named Rest (Noah) who prefigures greater comfort.
Christological and Redemptive Foreshadowing
Noah’s naming anticipates the ultimate Man of Rest, Jesus Christ, who bears “our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). Christ enters a world of עִצָּבוֹן, embracing its agony in Gethsemane and on Golgotha. By resurrection He inaugurates the new creation where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4), reversing the ancient decree for all who trust Him.
Pastoral and Practical Implications
• Childbirth classes and farming manuals cannot erase the deeper sorrow only grace can heal. The gospel addresses both physical and existential pain.
• Believers experience toil as discipline rather than condemnation (Hebrews 12:6-11). Hard labor becomes a venue for worship, endurance, and witness.
• Naming children, vocations, and ministries can echo Lamech’s hopeful act—confessing present brokenness while proclaiming future comfort.
Worship and Liturgy
Psalms of lament give voice to עִצָּבוֹן in every age: “My sorrow is continually before me” (Psalm 38:17). Yet lament is pregnant with praise, anticipating the day when “those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5). Corporate worship thus holds space for both suffering and celebration, mirroring the biblical tension.
Related Passages and Themes
• Physical pain: Job 3:1-26.
• Toil of the ground: Ecclesiastes 1:3; Romans 8:20-22.
• Maternal sorrow turned to joy: John 16:21.
• Christ bearing sorrow: Matthew 26:37-38; 2 Corinthians 1:5-7.
Admitting the reality of עִצָּבוֹן keeps the church honest about the depth of the Fall yet confident in the breadth of redemption.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּעִצָּבוֹן֙ בעצבון וּמֵעִצְּב֣וֹן ומעצבון עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ עצבונך ‘iṣ·ṣə·ḇō·w·nêḵ ‘iṣṣəḇōwnêḵ bə‘iṣṣāḇōwn bə·‘iṣ·ṣā·ḇō·wn beitztzaVon itztzevoNech ū·mê·‘iṣ·ṣə·ḇō·wn ūmê‘iṣṣəḇōwn umeitztzeVon
Links
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Englishman's Greek Concordance •
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