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Bible Dictionaries
Be
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or Hâyâh (הָיָה, Strong's #1961), “to become, occur, come to pass, be.” This verb occurs only in Hebrew and Aramaic. The Old Testament attests hayah about 3,560 times, in both Hebrew and Aramaic.
Often this verb indicates more than simple existence or identity (this may be indicated by omitting the verb altogether). Rather, the verb makes a strong statement about the being or presence of a person or thing. Yet the simple meaning “become” or “come to pass” appears often in the English versions.
The verb can be used to emphasize the presence of a person (e.g., God’s Spirit—Judg. 3:10), an emotion (e.g., fear—Gen. 9:2), or a state of being (e.g., evil—Amos 3:6). In such cases, the verb indicates that their presence (or absence) is noticeable—it makes a real difference to what is happening.
On the other hand, in some instances hâyâh does simply mean “happen, occur.” Here the focus is on the simple occurrence of the events—as seen, for example, in the statement following the first day of creation: “And so it happened” (Gen. 1:7). In this sense, hâyâh is frequently translated “it came to pass.”
The use of this verb with various particles colors its emphasis accordingly. In passages setting forth blessing or cursing, for example, this verb not only is used to specify the object of the action but also the dynamic forces behind and within the action. Gen. 12:2, for example, records that God told Abram: “… I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be [hâyâh] a blessing.” Abram was already blessed, so God’s pronouncement conferred upon him a future blessedness. The use of hâyâh in such passages declares the actual release of power, so that the accomplishment is assured— Abram will be blessed because God has ordained it.
In another set of passages, hâyâh constitutes intent rather than accomplishment. Hence, the blessing becomes a promise and the curse a threat (cf. Gen. 15:5).
Finally, in a still weaker use of hâyâh, the blessing or curse constitutes a wish or desire (cf. Ps. 129:6). Even here the verb is somewhat dynamic, since the statement recognizes God’s presence, man’s faithfulness (or rebellion), and God’s intent to accomplish the result pronounced.
In miracle accounts, hâyâh often appears at the climax of the story to confirm the occurrence of the event itself. Lot’s wife looked back and “became” a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26); the use of hâyâh emphasizes that the event really occurred. This is also the force of the verb in Gen. 1:3, in which God said, “Let there be light.” He accomplished His word so that there was light.
The prophets use hâyâh to project God’s intervention in the future. By using this verb, they emphasize not so much the occurrence of predicted events and circumstances as the underlying divine force that will effect them (cf. Isa. 2:2). Legal passages use hâyâh in describing God’s relationship to His covenant people, to set forth what is desired and intended (cf. Exod. 12:16). When covenants were made between two partners, the formulas usually included hâyâh (Deut. 26:17-18; Jer. 7:23).
One of the most debated uses of hâyâh occurs in Exod. 3:14, where God tells Moses His name. He says: “I am [hâyâh] that I am [hâyâh].” Since the divine name Jehovah or Yahweh was well-known long before (cf. Gen. 4:1), this revelation seems to emphasize that the God who made the covenant was the God who kept the covenant. So Exod. 3:14 is more than a simple statement of identity: “I am that I am”; it is a declaration of divine control of all things (cf. Hos. 1:9).
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Be'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/b/be.html. 1940.
