Lexical Summary
ason: Harm, mischief, calamity, disaster
Original Word: אָסוֹן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: acown
Pronunciation: ah-sohn
Phonetic Spelling: (aws-sone')
KJV: mischief
NASB: harm, injury
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]
1. hurt
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
mischief
Of uncertain derivation; hurt -- mischief.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionmischief, evil, harm
NASB Translationharm (3), injury (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; always absolute without article
Genesis 42:4,38 (as subject of ),
Genesis 44:29 (),
Exodus 21:22,23 ().
see .
(gather, store, Aramaic 👁 Image
).
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Scope אָסוֹן denotes severe harm, calamity, or fatal mischief. It is not the ordinary word for danger but a term reserved for disastrous loss, especially loss of life. The word therefore carries judicial and moral weight, evoking both fear of tragedy and the demand for accountability when tragedy strikes.
Occurrences in Scripture
Genesis 42:4 – Jacob fears “harm” might befall Benjamin on the journey to Egypt.
Genesis 42:38 – Jacob tells his sons that further “calamity” would send him to Sheol in grief.
Genesis 44:29 – He repeats the concern that Benjamin’s loss would bring “harm” and ruin his old age.
Exodus 21:22 – The case law on striking a pregnant woman specifies penalties if no “harm” follows.
Exodus 21:23 – “But if a serious injury does occur, you must require a life for a life”.
The Joseph Narrative (Genesis 42–44)
Jacob’s repeated use of אָסוֹן frames Benjamin as the last visible sign of Joseph and Rachel. The term intensifies the emotional weight of possible loss: Jacob does not merely fear a setback but an event that would unravel covenant hopes bound up in his family line. The brothers’ agreement to guard Benjamin’s life thus becomes a turning point in their repentance. Providence is at work: what Jacob dreads will become the very means by which the family is preserved and reunited.
Case Law on Personal Injury (Exodus 21:22–23)
Here אָסוֹן functions in legal precision. Two men fighting accidentally strike a pregnant woman. If no אָסוֹן follows, a fine suffices; if אָסוֹן ensues, lex talionis applies: “a life for a life.” The statute affirms the value of unborn life and the equality of persons before the law, upholding the sanctity of life embedded in creation (Genesis 9:6). The word thus bridges private injury and public justice, demonstrating that personal acts have communal and divine accountability.
Theological Significance
1. Sanctity of Life: By linking אָסוֹן to the unborn child, Scripture extends moral protection to the most vulnerable.
2. Divine Providence: Jacob’s dread of אָסוֹן is overturned by God’s hidden purposes, illustrating Romans 8:28 in seed form.
3. Retributive Justice: Exodus 21:23 anchors proportional justice in God’s character; human courts mirror His righteousness when they respond appropriately to אָסוֹן.
4. Covenant Preservation: The avoidance—or redemption—of אָסוֹן safeguards the Messianic line, anticipating the ultimate deliverance in Jesus Christ.
Historical and Cultural Insights
Ancient Near Eastern law codes often distinguished between intentional and accidental harm, yet none match the biblical elevation of fetal life in Exodus 21. Israel’s legislation uniquely grounds its ethic in the imago Dei (Genesis 1:27). In patriarchal settings, loss of a favored son threatened economic survival and covenant continuity; Jacob’s fear reflects both social reality and spiritual significance.
Intercanonical Connections
The Septuagint renders אָסוֹן with Greek terms such as κακον (“evil”) and ζημία (“loss”), which reappear in New Testament warnings about destructive consequences of sin (e.g., Acts 27:10; Philippians 3:8). The principle “life for life” informs Pauline teaching on the magistrate bearing the sword (Romans 13:4) and underscores the gravity of Christ’s substitutionary death, where He bears humanity’s ultimate אָסוֹן.
Practical and Pastoral Implications
• Shepherding Families: Jacob’s account encourages pastoral sensitivity to parental fears and the assurance that God’s providence exceeds human apprehension.
• Pro-Life Ethics: Exodus 21 undergirds contemporary defense of unborn children, guiding church advocacy and counseling.
• Justice Ministry: The balance of mercy and accountability modeled in the law calls believers to equitable practices in legal and social spheres.
• Lament and Hope: The term legitimizes lament over tragedy while directing faith toward the Redeemer who overcomes every calamity.
Summary
Strong’s Hebrew 611, אָסוֹן, encapsulates the concept of disastrous harm, appearing at critical junctures of familial crisis and legal instruction. It reveals God’s concern for life, His governance over human adversity, and His demand for just recompense. Whether in patriarchal narrative or statutory law, the word confronts readers with both the fragility of life and the steadfastness of divine purpose.
Forms and Transliterations
אָס֑וֹן אָס֖וֹן אָסֽוֹן׃ אָסוֹן֙ אסון אסון׃ ’ā·sō·wn ’āsōwn aSon
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
