Strong's Hebrew · H693

H693 ʼârab

אָרַב

aw-rab'

to ambush

Looking for Greek G693 argýreos? It has the same number in Strong's Greek lexicon but is a different word, not a translation of H693. Strong's numbering starts again for each language.

ʼârab appears 41 times in Scripture, including Deuteronomy 19:11 and Joshua 8:2. In the Doxa app, open any verse that uses it, keep your notes on it, and ask Doxa Engage how it connects to what God has said to you.

Definition

to lurk

In the King James Version

(lie in) ambush(-ment), lay (lie in) wait.

Derivation

a primitive root;

Appears 41 times in Scripture

Joshua 8:4

“with these orders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready.”

Joshua 8:14

“When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city.”

Joshua 8:7

“you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.”

Joshua 8:19

“and as soon as he did so, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They rushed forward, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.”

Judges 16:9

“While the men were hidden in her room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So the source of his strength remained unknown.”

Deuteronomy 19:11

“If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,”

Joshua 8:2

“And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.””

Joshua 8:21

“When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai.”

Judges 9:25

“The leaders of Shechem set up an ambush against Abimelech on the hilltops, and they robbed all who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.”

Joshua 8:12

“Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.”

How to Hear God’s Voice: A Practical Guide for BelieversScripture is the record of a God who speaks. This guide covers how to hear Him today and keep what He says.

Ask Doxa about ʼârab

Study ʼârab in the Doxa app

The Doxa app has Word study for the Hebrew and Greek words of Scripture, ʼârab included. Keep a note on any verse and it shows beside that verse each time you read it again.

Word study: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890, public domain), with glosses and editions from STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org); Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project (CC BY 4.0); Strong's Greek Dictionary in XML by Ulrik Sandborg-Petersen (CC0). Sources and changes Verse mappings: Berean Standard Bible interlinear tables (public domain).

DoxaDoxa

God's encouragement is not only for the moment you first receive it. It's for the whole journey.

Strong's concordance glosses from STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0). Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.

© 2026 The Doxa Way Ltd

DoxaDoxa