to.e.vah denotes conduct, practices, or objects treated as detestable, especially in contexts of worship and forbidden behavior.

The term most often marks acts or practices condemned in relation to the LORD, including conduct associated with other nations, violence, dishonesty, and prohibited sexual behavior. It can also identify cultic objects or idols as detestable, while two Genesis passages use it for what Egyptians regard as unacceptable.

1. Condemned acts and practices · dominant

   Plural forms identify multiple condemned practices in contexts of national conduct and wrongdoing: in Deuteronomy 20:18 the APB renders the clause as practices done for other gods, and in Ezekiel 8:17 it speaks of acts done by the house of Judah alongside violence and provocation. Singular forms can designate a particular prohibited act; in Deuteronomy 24:4 the APB renders a former husband's remarriage after defilement as something forbidden before the LORD, and in Ezekiel 22:11 it places the act within a list of sexual violations.

   Deuteronomy 20:18Deuteronomy 24:4Ezekiel 8:17Ezekiel 18:24Ezekiel 22:11Proverbs 11:1
2. Detestable cultic objects and idolatrous conduct · common

   The term can attach to named worship objects or to conduct directed toward them. In 2 Kings 23:13 the singular construct form stands with Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom, while Deuteronomy 7:25 links it to idols that must be burned; in Ezekiel 14:6 the plural construct form occurs in the command to turn away from idols and from all such things.

   2 Kings 23:13Deuteronomy 7:25Deuteronomy 7:26Deuteronomy 27:15Ezekiel 14:6Ezekiel 16:36
3. What a people finds unacceptable · rare

   In Genesis 43:32 the singular absolute form occurs in the explanation that Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, and in Genesis 46:34 the construct form describes every shepherd as detestable to Egyptians. These clauses locate the negative evaluation with the Egyptians rather than explicitly stating it as a prohibition from the LORD.

   Genesis 43:32Genesis 46:34

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly uses “abominations” or “abomination,” but also has “abominable practices,” “abominable idols,” and “detestable.” These renderings confirm the clauses' negative evaluation without assigning each English expression mechanically to the term.