Lexicon

H6213 - asah

Strong's: H6213 · BLB lookup Pronunciation: aw-saw' Part of speech: verb OT occurrences: ~2632 (one of the most-used verbs in the Hebrew Bible) Greek equivalent (LXX): poieō (G4160), overwhelmingly

Semantic range

To make, fashion, produce, the constructive sense
To do, perform, accomplish, the action sense
To work, labor in some contexts
To prepare, arrange in some contexts
To deal / treat (with someone) in idiomatic uses
To execute / carry out (commands, judgments)

The verb's range is vast, it can describe nearly any kind of making or doing, divine or human.

Theological force

Asah and bara, paired creation verbs

Genesis 1 uses two main verbs for creation:

bara (H1254 - bara), "to create", used only of God; emphasizes the initiation of new being / divine-only act
asah, "to make / fashion / produce", used of both God and humans; emphasizes the act of fashioning

Both verbs appear in Genesis 1-2:

Genesis 1:1, God bara the heavens and the earth
Genesis 1:7, 16, 25, 26, 31; 2:2, 3, 4, 18, God asah the firmament, lights, animals, man
Genesis 1:31, "God saw all that He had asah-made"

The pattern: bara signals creation-from-nothing / new-being-initiation; asah signals shaping / forming / producing. Together they describe the comprehensive creative act.

The relationship is:

bara = the new-being aspect (only God)
asah = the fashioning aspect (God or humans)

Asah of God's mighty deeds

YHWH's asah describes His mighty acts in history:

Exodus 15:6, "Your right hand, O LORD, shatters (literally asah-does) the enemy"
Deuteronomy 4:32-39; 11:3-7, "asah-deeds" of God recounted
Psalm 86:10; 98:1, "wonderful things You have asah"
Psalm 105:5; 106:21-22, God's asah in Egypt
Psalm 111:2-7, "great are the ma'asei (works) of the LORD"
Psalm 118:23-24, "this is the LORD's asah-doing; it is marvelous in our eyes"
Psalm 139:14, "niph'la'im ma'aseikha", "wonderful are Your works"

The pattern: God's deeds-in-history are constantly remembered, recounted, celebrated. Asah of God = mighty saving / creating / judging acts.

Asah in human moral context

The verb is heavily used for human moral / ethical action:

"Asah good" / "asah evil", the moral binary
"Asah what is right in the LORD's sight", a recurrent OT-historical formula (Deut 6:18; 1 Kgs 11:33; etc.)
"Asah covenant" / "asah sacrifice", covenantal-cultic actions
"Asah justice", Genesis 18:19, 25; Micah 6:8

The pattern: human action is morally accountable; asah operates within the framework of covenant and ethical evaluation.

Asah and Christology

In NT poieō uses:

John 5:17, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working", Christ's poieō parallels Father's
John 5:19, "the Son… does only what He sees the Father poiounta"
John 14:10-12, Christ's works (erga) are the Father's
Acts 2:22, "Jesus the Nazarene… attested by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God epoiēsen through Him"
Acts 10:38, "He went about poiōn (doing) good and healing all who were oppressed"

Christ's poieō mirrors and extends YHWH's asah. Christ does what God does; the works testify to His divine identity.

Apologetic significance

Asah anchors:

The doctrine of creation, God's intentional fashioning of reality (paired with bara)
God's continuing providence, asah in history continues divine creative-active engagement
Christological proof, Christ does what God does (John 5:17-19); divine identity Christology
Christian ethics / works, asah / poieō ethics; faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26)
Eschatological consummation, God will asah a new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22)

Notable verses

Creation

Genesis 1:1, 7, 16, 25, 26, 31; 2:2-4, 18, paired with bara
Genesis 6:6, God grieved that He had asah humanity
Exodus 20:11, Sabbath rationale: God asah-made heaven and earth

Mighty deeds

Exodus 15:6, "Your right hand shatters the enemy"
Deuteronomy 4:32-39; 11:3-7, recital of God's asah
Psalm 86:10; 105; 106; 111; 118:23-24; 139:14, celebration

Moral action

Genesis 18:19, 25, asah justice
1 Kings 8:46-50, asah prayer for forgiveness
2 Kings 17-25, kings asah-doing right or evil in the sight of the LORD
Micah 6:8, asah justice / hesed

Covenant / cultic

Genesis 9:9-13, God asah-establishes covenant
Exodus 24:5, Israel asah-offers sacrifices
Numbers 28-29, Levitical asah

Christological NT poieō

John 5:17, 19, 36; 14:10-12; 17:4, Christ's works
Acts 2:22; 10:38, God's poieō through Christ

Patristic / scholarly note

Patristic engagement: extensive across creation-doctrine and Christology. Modern conservative engagement: standard works on Genesis 1 (Wenham; Mathews; Walton; Waltke); biblical theology engagement.

Notes

Lexical workspace for asah.