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Bible Lexicons
Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary Hebrew Lexicon
Strong's #3426 - יֵשׁ
- Brown-Driver-Briggs
- Strong
- being, existence, substance, there is or are
- substance
- existence
- there is or are
- Book
- Word
did not use
this Strong's Number
1228) si (יסה YSh) AC: Exist CO: ? AB: ?: (eng: yes; is)
A) si (יסה YSh) AC: Exist CO: ? AB: ?
Nm ) si (יסה YSh) - There is: Something that exists. [df: sa] KJV (135): is, be, have, can, there - Strongs: H786 (אִשׁ), H3426 (יֵשׁ)
nfm ) isia (איסהי AYShY) - There is: Something that exists. [Aramaic only] KJV (17): be - Strongs: H383 (אִיתַי)
Jeff Benner, Ancient Hebrew Research Center Used by permission of the author.
1 substance, only Proverbs 8:21 לְהַנְחִיל אֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ to cause them that love me to inherit substance (so Sirach 42:3).
2 elsewhere (properly as a substantive in the stative construct), it asserts existence, and so corresponds to the verb substantive, is (are, was, were, will be), literally the being, presence of... (so Biblical Aramaic אִתַי; Aramaic איתא, אית, [whence (self-) existent, essence, substance], with לָא contracted לַיִת, לֵית, ; Mandean עת, עית, לאיית; Arabic [with irregular ] (inflected as a verb, , , etc.; W AG i. § 182, ii. § 42) is not ( is known only in two proverbial sayings, as a secondary form Fl Kl. Schr. i. 146f.); Assyrian išû, be, have Dl HWB 310; with affix 1 singular Lamentations -a i-ša-a-ku, I have not, TP i. 57f.. On this word, see especially Nö M. § 213, who exemplifies its different constructions in Semitic, and shews how it tends to pass into a verb; — (1) in Biblical Aramaic, Syriac, Babylonian ᵑ7, with possessive suffix; (2) in later Palestinian dialects, Jerusalem ᵑ7, Jerusalem Talmud, sometimes also in Babylonian ᵑ7 and Syriac, with independent personal pronoun (as לית אנא, לית הוא); (3) in Mandean, Babylonian Talmud, sometimes in Syriac and Arabic, and in Hebrew יֶשְׁנוֺ, with object. (verbal) suffix; (4) in Arabic, as a true verb. In Ethiopic literally therein, German es gibt, is similar in use (Di Gr. § 167, l), though not of course in origin. In Hebrew the corresponding negative is אַיִן, q. v., the construction of which is quite similar) — Isaiah , are, was, were, etc., not, however, as a mere copula, but implying existence with emphasis (hence in English to be often represented by the substantive verb in italics):
a. with a predicate following, Genesis 28:16 במקום הזה׳אכן ישׁ י surely Y. is (emphatic) in this place! Genesis 44:26 אִם יֵשׁ אָחִינוּ אִתְּכֶם; Exodus 17:7 הֲיֵשׁ יהוה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם אַיִן, Numbers 22:29 לו ישׁ חרבבידי Oh, that there were a sword in my hand! Deuteronomy 13:4 הֲיִשְׁכֶם אֹהֲבִים whether you do love, Deuteronomy 29:17 פן ישׁ בכם אישׁ, Deuteronomy 29:18; 1 Samuel 9:11f. and they said, Is the seer here? and they said יֵשׁ He is, 1 Samuel 20:8; 1 Samuel 23:23; Jeremiah 27:18. Alone, in answer to a question (asked with יֵשׁ), He ( it) is: 1 Samuel 9:12; 2 Kings 10:15; Jeremiah 37:17. But Jeremiah 23:26 (where ישׁ has no substantive or suffix) text must be corrupt: compare Gie.
b. absolutely, there is ( es. gibt, il y a), Genesis 18:24 אולי ישׁ חמשׁים צדיקיםבעיר perhaps there are fifty righteous in the city, Genesis 24:23 הישׁ בית אביך מקום לנו ללון, Genesis 42:1 כי ישׁ שׁבר׳במצ that there was corn in Egypt, Judges 4:20 הישׁפה אישׁ, 2 Samuel 9:1; 2 Kings 5:8 he shall know that there is (emphatic) a prophet in Israel, Ruth 3:12 there is a kinsman nearer than I, Psalm 58:12 surely there are gods judging on the earth: so in aphorisms, asserting the existence of a particular character, quality, etc., Proverbs 11:24 ישׁ מפזר ונוסף עוד, Proverbs 12:18; Proverbs 13:7,23; Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25; Proverbs 18:24; Proverbs 20:15; Ecclesiastes 2:21; Ecclesiastes 4:8; Ecclesiastes 5:12; Ecclesiastes 6:1,11; Ecclesiastes 7:15 (twice in verse); Ecclesiastes 8:14 (3t. in verse); Ecclesiastes 10:5. In questions, or protestations, יֵשׁ often implies a doubt whether what is asked about is to be found or exists: 1 Kings 18:10; Jeremiah 5:1 and see אם ישׁ אישׁ if there is (emphatic) a man doing justice, etc. (compare Psalm 14:2), Psalm 14:22; Isaiah 44:8 הישׁ אלהים is there a god beside me? Psalm 7:4 אם ישׁ עול בכפי if there is iniquity in my hands! Psalm 73:11 is there knowledge in the Most High? Job 5:1; Job 6:30; Lamentations 1:2.
c. special phrases: — ( a) after אִם and a participle, where an abiding intention is to be emphasized, Genesis 24:42 אםיֿשׁךנֿא מצליח דרכי if thou art (really), prospering my way, Genesis 24:49; Genesis 43:4; Judges 6:36 (compare II. אין
2 b). ( b) יֵשׁ לְ = has ( had), especially with pronouns יֵשׁ לִי, יֵשׁ לְךָ; etc., Genesis 33:9 יֶשׁלִֿי רָב I have plenty, Genesis 33:11; Genesis 43:7 הישׁ לכם אח, Genesis 44:20 ישׁ לנו אב זקן, 1 Samuel 17:40 that they may know כי ישׁ אלהים לישׂראל that Israel has (emphatic) a god, 2 Kings 4:2 מַהיֶּֿשׁלָֿכְי what hast thou ? Job 14:7 for a tree has (emphatic) hope (compare Ruth 1:12), Ruth 25:3; Ruth 28:1; Ruth 38:28 ׃הישׁ למטר אב Genesis 39:5 (twice in verse); Genesis 39:8, * F f כל אשׁר יֶשׁלֿו all that had ( Genesis 39:4 without אשׁר, probably error). ( c) with infinitive and לְ, is it possible to... ? 2 Kings 4:13; הישׁ לדברלֿך can-1 speak for thee to the king? 2 Chronicles 25:9; so אִשׁ לְ 2 Samuel 14:19 (compare אֵין לְ, below II. אַיִן
5). ( d)... יֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר (if) it was that... Numbers 9:20,21; there were some who... (with participle) Nehemiah 5:2,3,4 (compare Syriac for ὃ μὲν... ὃ δὲ ... Matthew 13:8; PS172). ( e) יֶשׁלְֿאֵל יָדִי Genesis 31:29 and elsewhere; see II. אֵל
7, p. 43. ( f) 2 Kings 10:15 וָיֵשׁ and (if) it be... (compare וָלֹא 2 Kings 5:17; 2 Samuel 13:26); so Judges 6:13 אִתָּנוּ׳וְיֵשׁ י. ( g) pleonastic אֵין יֵשׁ Psalm 135:17. ( h) לֹא יֵשׁ Job 9:33 (compare , : but ᵐ5ᵑ6 Me and others לֻא). — As a rule, יֵשׁ precedes its substantive (from which, however, like אין, it may be separated: Genesis 24:23; Genesis 43:7 הֲיֵשׁ לָכֶםאָח, Genesis 44:19,20; 1 Samuel 20:8 etc.); but occasionally, for greater emphasis, this is prefixed: 1 Samuel 21:5 כיאם לחם קדשׁ ישׁ but holy bread there is! Isaiah 43:8 the blind people, ועינים ישׁ though it has eyes, Judges 19:19 לחם ויין ישׁ לי (compare אַיִן 2 c).
יֵשׁ followed by a Maccaph, יִשׁ
(1) prop. subst. esse, being, existence (see יָשָׁה ); whence that which is present, ready; οὐσία, wealth (compare עֲתִידוֹת). So prob. Proverbs 8:21, לְהַנְחִיל אֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ “to cause those who love me to inherit substance.”
(2) By far the most common use of the word is its being put for the verb substantive, without distinction of number or tense (Aram. ܐܝܺܬ, אִיתַי, which see, id.; Arab. أَيْسَ. Opposed to אַיִן, אֵין, there is not). Specially, therefore, with a sing. is, was, will be, may be. Genesis 28:16, יֵשׁ יְהֹוָה בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה “Jehovah is in this place.” 2 Kings 10:5, יֵשׁ זָיֵשׂ “truly it is so.” Numbers 22:29; Jeremiah 31:6. With plur. are, were, will be, 2 Kings 2:16; Ezra 10:4; 2 Chronicles 6:19. יֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר there are those who, there will be those who (Syr. ܐܝܺܬ ܕ), Nehemiah 5:2,,. יֵשׁ לִי there is to me, I have, Genesis 43:7, 44:20 hence כָּל־אֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ לוֹ whatsoever he had, Genesis 39:5.
(3) especially, to be present, ready, to exist, Ruth 3:12; Jeremiah 5:1. Ecclesiastes 1:10, יֵשׁ דָּבָר שֶׁיּאֹמַר “there is anything of which it may be said.” Ecclesiastes 2:21, 7:15 8:14. Proverbs 13:7, יֵשׁ מִתְעַשֶּׁר “there are those (who) feign themselves rich.” Proverbs 11:24, 18:24. Comp. Numbers 9:20, יֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה “there was, when there was,” etc., i.e. there was sometimes, like Ch. אית דהוי.
If the subject be contained in a personal pronoun, this is expressed by a suffix, as יֶשְׁךָ thou art, Judges 6:36 יֶשְׁכֶם ye are, Genesis 24:49 יֶשְׁנוֹ he is, Deuteronomy 29:14. The verb substantive, when thus expressed, stands often in conjunction with a participle for the finite verb, Judges 6:36, אִם יֶשְׁךָ מוֹשִׁיעַ “if thou savest,” Genesis 24:42, 49 Genesis 24:49.