The Hebrew root avel (עָוַל) means to act unjustly, to do wrong, or to commit iniquity. The noun form (evel) means injustice, wrongdoing, or unrighteousness. It appears approximately 50 times in the Old Testament, primarily in legal, wisdom, and prophetic literature where justice and covenant faithfulness are at stake.
The word denotes a fundamental deviation from what is right — not merely breaking rules but distorting the moral order that God established. It is the antonym of tzedek (righteousness) and closely related to concepts like deceit and oppression.
The prophets thundered against evel — injustice practiced against the poor, the widow, and the vulnerable. When rulers used their power to pervert justice, they were not merely breaking laws; they were assaulting the image of God in those they oppressed (Amos 5:7; Micah 3:9). God's hatred of injustice is rooted in His own righteousness and His love for those made in His image.
The book of Job wrestles deeply with evel: Job insists there is no injustice in him (Job 27:4), while his friends accuse him of hidden wrongdoing. Ultimately God vindicates Job — not because Job was sinless, but because his suffering was not punishment for injustice. The resolution points forward to the One who was truly without evel yet bore the judgment of the unjust: Jesus Christ.