Yâ‛ats (יָעַץ, Strong's #3289), “to advise, counsel, consult.” Used throughout the history of the Hebrew language, this verb occurs in the Hebrew Old Testament approximately 80 times. Yâ‛ats is found first in Exod. 18:19, where Jethro says to his son-in-law Moses: “I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee.” The word is found only one other time in the Hexateuch, and that is in Num. 24:14: “I will advise you” (NASB, RSV, “I will let you know”; JB, “let me warn you”; NEB, “I will warn you”).

While yâ‛ats most often describes the “giving of good advice,” the opposite is sometimes true. A tragic example was the case of King Ahaziah of Judah, whose mother “was his counselor to do wickedly” (2 Chron. 22:3). The idea of “decision” is expressed in Isa. 23:9: “The Lord of hosts hath purposed it” (RSV, NEB, NASB, “planned it”; JB, “decision”).

B. Nouns.

Yâ‛ats (יָעַץ, Strong's #3289), “counselor.” Perhaps the most familiar use of this root is the noun form found in the messianic passage, Isa. 9:6. On the basis of the syntax involved, it is probably better to translate the familiar “Wonderful Counselor” (NASB, TEV) as Wonder- Counsellor (JB, NAB) or “Wonder of a Counsellor.” The NEB renders it “in purpose wonderful.” Another possibility is that of separating the terms: “Wonderful, Counselor” (KJV).

Yâ‛ats (יָעַץ, Strong's #3289), “those who give counsel.” Yâ‛ats is frequently used in its participial form, “those who give counsel,” especially in connection with political and military leaders (2 Sam. 15:12; 1 Chron. 13:1).

Bibliography Information
Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Counsel, to'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/c/counsel-to.html. 1940.

Bible Dictionaries Counsel, to

Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words

Bible Dictionaries
Counsel, to