5773. ivim
Lexical Summary
ivim: Avvites

Original Word: עַוְעֶה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `av`eh
Pronunciation: ee-veem
Phonetic Spelling: (av-eh')
KJV: X perverse
NASB: distortion
Word Origin: [from H5753 (עָוָה - To bend)]

1. perversity

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
perverse

From avah; perversity -- X perverse.

see HEBREW avah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from avah
Definition
distorting, warping
NASB Translation
distortion (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
עִוְעִים noun plural abstract distorting, warping (for *עַוְעֲוִים); — רוּחַ עִוְעִים Isaiah 19:14 temper of distorting, i.e. warped judgment.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Occurrence

The word denotes a state of moral and mental distortion that God sovereignly releases as judgment. It is found once, in Isaiah 19:14, where the prophet declares, “The LORD has poured into her a spirit of confusion; Egypt has made Egypt stagger in all she does, as a drunkard staggers in his vomit” (Berean Standard Bible).

Historical Setting in Isaiah 19

Isaiah prophesies against Egypt, the regional superpower that had often enticed Judah to trust in political alliances rather than in the LORD (Isaiah 30:1–5; 31:1). The “spirit of distortion” assures that Egypt’s famed wisdom will fail; military, religious, and civil leaders will misread events, issue conflicting counsel, and guide the nation into self-destructive policies. History records successive internal revolts and external invasions (Assyrian, then later Persian) that fulfilled the oracle. The single occurrence of the term thus stands as a chilling reminder that when a people persist in idolatry, God may pass sentence not by instant annihilation but by removing clear thought and sound judgment.

Theological Themes

• Divine Sovereignty in Judgment

Scripture repeatedly testifies that God can employ spiritual agents to accomplish His purposes of retribution or restraint. Just as “the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets” (1 Kings 22:23) and “will send them a powerful delusion” (2 Thessalonians 2:11), so He may grant or withdraw clarity of mind.

• Moral Cause and Effect

Perversity is both the cause and the result of rejecting God. Egypt’s distortion mirrors the pattern in Romans 1:28: “God gave them over to a depraved mind.” Sin darkens understanding; judicial darkening intensifies sin.

• Contrast with the Spirit of Truth

Isaiah later promises that God’s Servant will possess “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding” (Isaiah 11:2). Jesus fulfils that promise and sends “the Spirit of truth” (John 16:13). The term therefore highlights the antithesis between the Spirit given to believers and the spirit of distortion poured out upon rebels.

Canonical Parallels

Genesis 11:7 – confusion of language at Babel

Deuteronomy 28:28 – “madness, blindness, and confusion of mind” as covenant curse

Psalm 107:27 – sailors “reeled and staggered like drunkards” under divine tempest

Romans 1:21–22 – futile thinking and darkened hearts

2 Thessalonians 2:11 – delusion on those who refuse the love of the truth

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

1. Discernment: Leaders must heed James 1:5, seeking God’s wisdom lest strategic decisions be warped by hidden sin.
2. Preaching: The verse warns congregations to resist cultural idolatry; persistent compromise invites intellectual and spiritual confusion.
3. Intercession: Prayer for governing authorities (1 Timothy 2:1–2) should include petitions that God restrain the spirit of distortion and grant righteous counsel.
4. Evangelism: Presenting Christ as the Light of the World (John 8:12) provides the only lasting antidote to societal and personal bewilderment.

Christological and Eschatological Outlook

Where Isaiah exposes the futility of Egypt’s wisdom, the New Testament reveals Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). At His return, every false spirit will be silenced, and “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD” (Habakkuk 2:14). Until that day, believers walk by the Spirit, test the spirits (1 John 4:1), and proclaim the gospel that rescues people from pervasive deception to everlasting truth.

Forms and Transliterations
עִוְעִ֑ים עועים ‘iw‘îm ‘iw·‘îm ivIm
Links
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Englishman's Concordance
Isaiah 19:14
HEB: בְּקִרְבָּ֖הּ ר֣וּחַ עִוְעִ֑ים וְהִתְע֤וּ אֶת־
NAS: her a spirit of distortion; They have led
KJV: hath mingled a perverse spirit
INT: within her a spirit of distortion have led Egypt

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5773
1 Occurrence


‘iw·‘îm — 1 Occ.

5772b
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