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Genesis 1:28 — Word Study

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WLCוַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־ הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־ חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־ הָאָֽרֶץ׃

BSAGod’ĕ·lō·hîm [Elohim, the supreme Creator] blessedway·ḇā·reḵ them’ō·ṯām and’ĕ·lō·hîm saidway·yō·mer saidlā·hem Be fruitfulpə·rū [produce many offspring] and multiplyū·rə·ḇū [increase and grow] and fillū·mil·’ū [replenish and make full] the earthhā·’ā·reṣ [the land, the material world] and subdue itwə·ḵiḇ·šu·hā [conquer and have dominion] ruleū·rə·ḏū [have power and control] over the fishbiḏ·ḡaṯ [all sea creatures] of the seahay·yām [the large body of water] and the birdsū·ḇə·‘ō·wp̄ [winged creatures] of the airhaš·šā·ma·yim [the atmosphere] and everyū·ḇə·ḵāl creatureḥay·yāh [living being] that crawlshā·rō·me·śeṯ [moves on the ground] upon‘al- the earthhā·’ā·reṣ [the land, the material world]

Word
Listen & take awayGenesis 1
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 28 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ha.'A.retz) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Genesis 1:28quick helps
In a sentenceGod blesses humanity and commands them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over all living creatures.
Who is speakingGod, referred to as אֱלֹהִים, Elohim, the supreme Creator.
Where we areThe conclusion of the creation narrative, where God establishes humanity's role in the world.
The hard wordכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ, kivshuha
Take awayHumanity is given the responsibility to care for and govern the earth.
6 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectאֱלֹהִים verbבָּרַךְ The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Genesis 1:28

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Creation of Humanitygenerated

27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.
30And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Genesis 1:28 is part of the narrative where God creates humanity in His image and sets them apart with a unique purpose. This verse emphasizes the divine blessing and the responsibilities assigned to mankind, including procreation and stewardship of the earth. The surrounding verses highlight the creation of man and the provision of food, illustrating God's care for His creation.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Genesis 1:22Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
2Genesis 8:17Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—birds, livestock, and everything that crawls upon the ground—so that they can spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it.”
3Genesis 9:1–7And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
4Genesis 17:16–20And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”
5Genesis 22:17–18I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 19 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing thatGenesis 1:22 Genesis 8:17 Genesis 9:1–7 Genesis 17:16–20 Genesis 22:17–18 Genesis 24:60 Genesis 26:3–4 Genesis 33:5 Genesis 49:25 Leviticus 26:9 1 Chronicles 4:10 1 Chronicles 26:5 Job 42:12 Psalm 107:38 and 4 more

The Key Word אֱלֹהִים, 'E.lo.Himgenerated

The Hebrew word אֱלֹהִים (*elohiym*) is a plural noun that typically refers to the supreme deity in the Old Testament. It suggests majesty and power, encompassing divine beings and rulers. The use of this term in Genesis 1:28 underscores God's authority as the creator who blesses and commands.

In this context, אֱלֹהִים conveys the idea of God as the ultimate source of life and authority, establishing the relationship between the Creator and His creation. This word is foundational to understanding the nature of God in the Hebrew Scriptures.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ, vay.Va.rekh, and he blessed governs the verse, with multiple clauses detailing God's commands. The structure emphasizes the sequential actions of blessing and commanding, reflecting the authority of God in establishing human responsibility.

The commands to פְּר֥וּ, pe.Ru, be fruitful, וּרְב֛וּ, u.re.Vu, and multiply, and וּמִלְא֥וּ, u.mil.'U, and fill create a rhythmic flow, highlighting the imperative nature of God's instructions.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, אֱלֹהִים is rendered as θεὸς, Theos, emphasizing the divine nature of God. This choice aligns with the Greek understanding of divinity and reflects the continuity of God's authority.

The verb כִבְשֻׁ֑הָ is translated as κατακυριεύσατε, katakurieuete, which conveys a sense of dominion and control, further emphasizing humanity's role as stewards of creation.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Genesis 1:28 shows God blessing humanity and giving them the command to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over all living creatures. This verse highlights the role of humans in caring for creation and reflects God's intention for life to flourish on earth.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to be fruitful and multiply?

Being fruitful and multiplying refers to the command for humanity to reproduce and fill the earth with their descendants, ensuring the continuation of life.

What does it mean to subdue the earth?

To subdue the earth means to exercise authority and control over it, managing the resources and creatures within it responsibly.

How does this verse relate to stewardship of the environment?

This verse establishes a foundational principle for stewardship, indicating that humanity has a responsibility to care for and manage the earth and its inhabitants.

Why is God's blessing significant in this context?

God's blessing signifies His favor and intention for humanity to thrive and fulfill their purpose in creation, highlighting the importance of divine support in their endeavors.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can I fulfill the command to be fruitful in my own life?
  2. How can I better exercise stewardship over the resources and environment around me?
  3. What does it mean to me to have God's blessing in my life?
  4. How can I encourage others to recognize their role in caring for creation?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early Church Fathers referenced this verse to discuss the nature of humanity and divine blessing, emphasizing the significance of God's commands for life and growth.

Tertullian c. 155–220
And from that time, ever since the blessing which was pronounced upon man's generation, Genesis 1:28 the flesh and the soul have had a simultaneous birth,
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 1 →
Gregory of NyssaON THE ORIGIN OF MAN c. 335–395
There are two ways to “increase”: in the body and in the soul. The soul increases by education, progressing toward completion; the body increases (by growing) from small to large.
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 1 →
Gregory of NyssaON VIRGINITY 8 c. 335–395
Let no one think that we depreciate marriage as an institution. We are well aware that it is not a stranger to God’s blessing.… But our view of marriage is this: that while the pursuit of heavenly things should be a man’s first care,
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 1 →

Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Genesis 1:28 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And God blessed them,.... The man and the woman he had made, with all the blessings of nature and Providence; with all the good things of life; with his presence, and with communion with himself in a

Read John Gill on Genesis 1 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and

Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 1 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Having blessed them with excellent natures, and heavenly gifts and graces, he further blesseth them with a special and temporal blessing expressed in the following words. Replenish the earth, with inhabitants to be begotten by you. Question. Whether this be a command obliging all men to marriage and procreation? So the Hebrew doctors think. It may be thus resolved: 1. It is a command obliging all men so far as not to suffer the extinction of mankind: thus it did absolutely bind Adam and Eve, as also Noah, and his sons and their wives, after the Flood. 2. It doth not oblige every particular person to marry, as appears both from the example of the Lord Jesus, who lived and died in an…

Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 1 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.Ver. 28. Subdue the earth, and have dominion.] Make it habitable by driving out the wild beasts that infest and annoy it. Make it arable also, and useful to yourselves and yours. The creatures are man’ s servants and household stuff. "God hath put all things under his feet," that be may raise himself thereby to God his maker. A wise philosopher could say, that man is the end of all things in a semicircle; that is, all things in the world…

Read John Trapp on Genesis 1 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 28. And God blessed them] Marked them as being under his especial protection, and gave them power to propagate and multiply their own kind on the earth. A large volume would be insufficient to contain what we know of the excellence and perfection of man, even in his present degraded fallen state. Both his body and soul are adapted with astonishing wisdom to their residence and occupations; and also the place of their residence, as well as the surrounding objects, in their diversity, colour, and mutual relations, to the mind and body of this lord of the creation. The contrivance, arrangement, action, and re-action of the different parts of the body, show the admirable skill of the…

Read AdamClarke on Genesis 1 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

28. The Blessing and the Command 28. replenish] The word is the same as that used in Genesis 1:22 of the fishes, “be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters.” and subdue it] A strong word, denoting subjugation to power. Man’s authority over the creatures of the earth confers upon him responsibility for the exercise of his powers. Supremacy over the fishes, the birds, and the beasts, will require courage, forethought, skill, observation, and judgement. The blessing, therefore, of “fruitfulness” is incomplete, until reinforced by the commission so to exercise the faculties as to ensure intellectual growth. In this connexion, compare Ray Lankester (“Rede Lecture, 1905”), “What we call the…

Read Cambridge on Genesis 1 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

WEBWorld English Bible2000

God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

NETBNew English Translation2006

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living animal that moveth upon the earth.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And God blessed them, and God said to them, Bring forth fruite and multiplie, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the heauen, and ouer euery beast that moueth vpon the earth.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And God blesseth them, and God saith to them, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping upon the earth.'

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And God blesses them, and God says to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over [the] fish of the sea, and over [the] bird of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping on the earth.”

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heaven, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply. Fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

God blessed them and told them, “Reproduce, increase, and spread throughout the earth and control it; exercise authority over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the earth.”

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And God gave them his blessing and said to them, Be fertile and have increase, and make the earth full and be masters of it; be rulers over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing moving on the earth.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וַandclauseverbיְבָ֣רֶךְhe.blessednoun phrase · objectאֹתָם֮themsubjectאֱלֹהִים֒Godוַandclauseverbיֹּ֨אמֶרhe.saidprepositional phrase · prepositionalלָtoהֶ֜םthemsubjectאֱלֹהִ֗יםGodclauseclauseverbפְּר֥וּbe.fruitfulוּandclauseverbרְב֛וּmultiplyוּandclauseverbמִלְא֥וּfillnoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)noun phraseהָtheאָ֖רֶץearthוְandclauseverbכִבְשֻׁ֑subdueobjectהָitוּandclauseverbרְד֞וּruleprepositional phrase · prepositionalprepositional phraseבִּovernoun phraseדְגַ֤תthe.fishnoun phraseהַofיָּם֙the.seaוּandprepositional phraseבְovernoun phraseע֣וֹףthe.bird[s]noun phraseהַofשָּׁמַ֔יִםthe.heavensוּandprepositional phraseבְovernoun phraseכָלeverynoun phraseחַיָּ֖הanimalnoun phraseהָֽ[which]noun phraseclauseverbרֹמֶ֥שֶׂתcreepsprepositional phrase · prepositionalעַלonnoun phraseהָtheאָֽרֶץearth

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text is supported by the Septuagint, which shares significant wording. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs slightly in the verb for 'subdue', using כבשׁוה instead. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain partial matches, with some words restored by editors, indicating a close relationship to the Masoretic Text.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־ הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־ חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־ הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיְבָ֣רֶךְηὐλόγησενאֹתָם֮αὐτοὺςאֱלֹהִים֒θεὸςוַיֹּ֨אמֶרλέγωνפְּר֥וּαὐχάνεσθεוּרְב֛וּπληθύνεσθεוּמִלְא֥וּπληρώσατεהָאָ֖רֶץγῆνוְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָαὐτῆςוּרְד֞וּἄρξετεבִּדְגַ֤תἰξθύωνהַיָּם֙θαλάσσηςוּבְע֣וֹףπετεινῶνהַשָּׁמַ֔יִםοὐρανοῦוּבְכָל־πάντωνעַל־ἐπὶהָאָֽרֶץ׃γῆς

17 of the 22 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ויברך אתם אלהים ויאמר להם אלהים פרו ורבו ומלאו את הארץ וכבשׁוה ורדו בדגת הים ובעוף השׁמים ובכל החיה הרמשׂת על הארץ

1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: כבשׁוה (subdue)

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q483a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[ויברך] אות׳ם [אלוהים] [ויואמר] [ל׳הם] [אלוהים] [פרו] [ורבו] [ומלאו] [את] [הארץ] וכיבשו׳ה [ורדו] [בדגת] [הים] [ובעוף] [השמים] [ובכול] [חיה] [הרומשת] על הארץ

1 word on the leather — 3 partly restored, 18 supplied entire by an editor.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q10a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[ויברך] [את׳ם] [אלהים] [ויאמר] [ל׳הם] [אלהים] [פרו] [ורבו] ומלאו [את] [הארץ] [וכבש׳ה] [ורדו] [בדגת] [הים]

15 words of the verse are on this fragment — 1 partly restored, 14 supplied entire by an editor.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q2a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

ויברך [את׳ם] [אלהים] [ויאמר] [ל׳הם] [אלהים] [פרו] [ורבו]

8 words of the verse are on this fragment — 7 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Genesis 1:28בָּרַךְand he blesand he blessedבָּרַךְאֵתthe object the object markאֵתאֱלֹהִיםGodGodאֱלֹהִיםאָמַרand he saidand he saidאָמַרהֶםto themto themהֶםאֱלֹהִיםGodGodאֱלֹהִיםפָּרָהbe fruitfulbe fruitfulפָּרָהרָבָהand multipland multiplyרָבָהמָלֵאand filland fillמָלֵאאֵתthe object the object markאֵתאֶ֫רֶץthe earththe earthאֶ֫רֶץכָּבַשׁand subdue and subdue itכָּבַשׁרָדָהand ruleand ruleרָדָהדָּגָהover [the] over [the] fishדָּגָהיָםthe seathe seaיָםעוֹףand over [tand over [the] עוֹףשָׁמַיthe heavensthe heavensשָׁמַיכֹּלand over evand over everyכֹּלחַיanimalanimalחַירָמַשׂwhich creepwhich creepsרָמַשׂעַלononעַלאֶ֫רֶץthe earththe earthאֶ֫רֶץאוֹתsign: mirasign: miraculouאוֹתאֱלֹהַּgodgodאֱלֹהַּעוּףto flyto flyעוּףכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלחָיָהto liveto liveחָיָהרָבַבto multiplto multiply tenרָבַבדָּגfishfishדָּגעַלheightheightעַלעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףמִגְרָשׁpasturepastureמִגְרָשׁאַחֵרanotheranotherאַחֵראֲרוֹןarkarkאֲרוֹןכְּנַ֫עַןCanaanCanaanכְּנַ֫עַןמִצְרַ֫יִם(Sea of) E(Sea of) Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםאָרַרto curseto curseאָרַרכֹּהthusthusכֹּהיהוהYHWH/GodYHWH/Godיהוהשָׁרַץto swarmto swarmשָׁרַץ
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Genesis 1:28

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
וַיְבָ֣רֶךְvay.Va.rekh and he blessed H1288 Verb · Piel · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
330× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To bless means to praise or honor God, often by kneeling in worship. In the Bible, people bless God and God blesses people, showing favor and care for them, as seen in the story of Abraham and his descendants.
Tyndale gloss
to bless
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word בָּרַךְ (*barak*) is built from a primitive root meaning 'to kneel' and encompasses a range of meanings including 'to bless' and 'to curse.' It can refer to blessing God or men, as well as the act of kneeling in adoration. The entries note that it can also imply a curse in certain contexts, reflecting a nuanced use in greetings and farewells.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[בָּרַךְ] 329 vb. kneel, bless

Qal

kneel down

bless

Niph. bless oneself

Pi.

bless God, adore with bended knees

God blesses

men bless men

salute, greet, with an invocation of blessing

bless, with the antithetical meaning curse from the greeting in departing, saying adieu to, taking leave of; but rather a blessing overdone and so really a curse as in vulgar English as well as in the Shemitic cognates

Pu.

pass. to be blessed, adored

prospered by God

have prosperity invoked, by Balaam

in gratitude

Hiph. and he made his camel kneel

Hithp. bless oneself, congratulate oneself in his heart

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1288 בָּרַךְ kneel, bless .. kneel down

. bless

. bless oneself

. . bless God, adore with bended knees

. God blesses

. men bless men

. salute, greet, with an invocation of blessing

. bless, with the antithetical meaning curse from the greeting in departing, saying adieu to, taking leave of; but rather a blessing overdone and so really a curse as in vulgar English as well as in the Shemitic cognates

. . pass. to be blessed, adored

. prospered by God

. have prosperity invoked, by Balaam

. in gratitude

. and he made his camel kneel

. bless oneself, congratulate oneself in his heart

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1288 barak baw-rak'

a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as

an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit);

also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason):--X

abundantly, X altogether, X at all, blaspheme, bless,

congratulate, curse, X greatly, X indeed, kneel (down),

praise, salute, X still, thank.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בָּרַךְ (ba.rakh) — to bless.

1) to bless, kneel

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to kneel

1a2) to bless

1b) (Niphal) to be blessed, bless oneself

1c) (Piel) to bless

1d) (Pual) to be blessed, be adored

1e) (Hiphil) to cause to kneel

1f) (Hithpael) to bless oneself

2) (TWOT) to praise, salute, curse

Aramaic equivalent: be.rakh (בְּרַךְ "to bless" H1289)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular — Verb · Piel · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vpw3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bles'-ed (barukh): Where God is referred to, this word has the sense of "praise," as in 1Sa 25:32, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel." But where man is in mind it is used in the sense of "happy" or "favored," and most frequently so in the Psalms and the Gospels, as for example, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked" (Ps 1:1); "Blessed art thou among women" (Lu 1:42); "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Mt 5:3).

See BEATITUDES.

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
אֹתָם֮'o.Tam the object marker them H853 Particle · suffix
10,946× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Tyndale gloss
[Obj.]
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

853 'eth ayth

apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of

entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more

definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or

namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).

see HEBREW for 0226

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵת (et) — [Obj.].

sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative

Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Direct object marker | third person masculine plural — Particle · suffix
HTo/Sp3mp
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
אֱלֹהִים֒'E.lo.Him God H430 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
2,603× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for God, elohim, refers to the one supreme God, and is sometimes used to show respect to judges or magistrates. It is also used to describe angels or mighty beings. This word is closely related to the name of the Lord, Yahweh, and is often translated as God or gods in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
Elohim, the supreme Creator
Tyndale gloss
God
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֱלֹהִים (elohiym) is a plural noun meaning 'gods' or 'God,' often referring to the supreme deity in the Old Testament. It encompasses divine beings, rulers, and judges, reflecting divine majesty and power. The term can also denote angels and is used in a superlative sense. Notably, it is sometimes combined with יהוה (YHWH), the personal name of God.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֱלֹהִים 2570 n.m.pl.

pl. in number.

rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power

divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels

angels

gods

pl. intensive

god or goddess

godlike one

works of God, or things belongng to him

God

הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God

אֱלֹהִים = God

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H430 אֱלֹהִים n. m. pl. . pl. in number. . rulers, judges, either asdivine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power

. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels

. angels

. gods

. pl. intensive . god or goddess

. godlike one

. works of God, or things belongng to him

. God

. הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God

. אֱלֹהִים = God

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

430 'elohiym el-o-heem'

plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically

used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the

supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to

magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X

exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X

mighty.

see HEBREW for 0433

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — God.

This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God"

Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — (LORD)-Elohe.

Combined with ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068)

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — (Gibeath)-elohim.

Combined with giv.ah (גִּבְעָה "Gibeath" H1389)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun - masculine plural — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

god ('Elohim, 'El, [`Elyon], Shadday, Yahweh; Theos):

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE GENERAL IDEA

1. The Idea in Experience and in Thought

2. Definition of the Idea

3. The Knowledge of God

4. Ethnic Ideas of God

(1) Animism

(2) Fetishism

(3) Idolatry

(4) Polytheism

(5) Henotheism

(6) Pantheism

(7) Deism

(8) Semitic Monolatry

(9) Monotheism

II. THE IDEA OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

1. The Course of Its Development

2. Forms of Its Manifestation

(1) The Face or Countenance of God

(2) The Voice and Word of God

(3) The Glory of God

(4) The Angel of God

(5) The Spirit of God

(6) The Name of God

(7) Occasional Forms

3. The Names of God

(1) Generic

(2) Attributive

(3) Yahweh

4. Pre-prophetic Conceptions of God

(1) Yahweh Alone Is the God of Israel

(a) His Early Worship

(b) Popular Religion

(c) Polytheistic Tendencies

(i) Coordination

(ii) Assimilation

(iii) Disintegration

(d) No Hebrew Goddesses

(e) Human Sacrifices

Easton's Bible Dictionary

God

(A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew ’El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of ’Eloah_, plural _’Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by “LORD,” printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argument to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid of understanding (Ps. 14:1).

The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of the being of God are:

(1.) The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(good). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures two chief names are used for the one true divine Being--ELOHIM, commonly translated God in our version, and JEHOVAH, translated Lord . Elohim is the plural of Eloah (in Arabic Allah); it is often used in the short form EL (a word signifying strength , as in EL-SHADDAI, God Almighty, the name by which God was specially known to the patriarchs. (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; Exodus 6:3) The etymology is uncertain, but it is generally agreed that the primary idea is that of strength, power of effect , and that it properly describes God in that character in which he is exhibited to all men in his works, as the creator, sustainer and supreme governor of the world. The plural form of Elohim has given rise to much discussion. The fanciful idea that it…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

This name, the derivation of which is uncertain, we give to that eternal, infinite, perfect, and incomprehensible Being, the Creator of all things, who preserves and governs all by his almighty power and wisdom, and is the only proper object of worship. The proper Hebrew name for God is JEHOVAH, which signifies He is. But the Jews, from a feeling of reverence, avoid pronouncing this name, substituting for it, wherever it occurs in the sacred test, the word ADONAI, Lord; except in the expression, ADONAI JEHOVAH, Lord Jehovah, for which they put, ADONAI ELOHIM, Lord God. This usage, which is not without an element of superstition, is very ancient, dating its origin some centuries before Christ; but there is no good ground for assuming its existence in the days of the inspired Old Testament writers. The proper word for God is ELOHIM, which is plural in its form, being thus used to signify…

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.mer and he said H559 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
5,309× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to say or speak, and it's used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to command, promise, or think, and it's translated in the KJV as 'answer', 'appoint', or 'command'.
Tyndale gloss
to say
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say

Qal

Say

Say in the heart (= think)

Promise

Command (esp. late)

Niph. be said, told

Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

Hithp. act proudly, boast

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say

. Say in the heart (= think)

. Promise

. Command (esp. late)

. be said, told

. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

. act proudly, boast

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

559 'amar aw-mar'

a primitive root; to say (used with great

latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,

certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),

commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X

expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,

publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X

suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),

utter, X verily, X yet.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.

1) to say, speak, utter

1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend

1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called

1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly

1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
לָהֶ֜םla.Hem to them H9038 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הֶם (hem) — them.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine plural

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HRd/Sp3mp — Preposition · suffix
HRd/Sp3mp
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
אֱלֹהִ֗ים'E.lo.Him God H430 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
2,603× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for God, elohim, refers to the one supreme God, and is sometimes used to show respect to judges or magistrates. It is also used to describe angels or mighty beings. This word is closely related to the name of the Lord, Yahweh, and is often translated as God or gods in the Bible.
Tyndale gloss
God
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֱלֹהִים (elohiym) is a plural noun meaning 'gods' or 'God,' often referring to the supreme deity in the Old Testament. It encompasses divine beings, rulers, and judges, reflecting divine majesty and power. The term can also denote angels and is used in a superlative sense. Notably, it is sometimes combined with יהוה (YHWH), the personal name of God.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֱלֹהִים 2570 n.m.pl.

pl. in number.

rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power

divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels

angels

gods

pl. intensive

god or goddess

godlike one

works of God, or things belongng to him

God

הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God

אֱלֹהִים = God

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H430 אֱלֹהִים n. m. pl. . pl. in number. . rulers, judges, either asdivine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power

. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels

. angels

. gods

. pl. intensive . god or goddess

. godlike one

. works of God, or things belongng to him

. God

. הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God

. אֱלֹהִים = God

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

430 'elohiym el-o-heem'

plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically

used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the

supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to

magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X

exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X

mighty.

see HEBREW for 0433

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — God.

This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God"

Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — (LORD)-Elohe.

Combined with ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068)

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — (Gibeath)-elohim.

Combined with giv.ah (גִּבְעָה "Gibeath" H1389)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun - masculine plural — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

god ('Elohim, 'El, [`Elyon], Shadday, Yahweh; Theos):

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE GENERAL IDEA

1. The Idea in Experience and in Thought

2. Definition of the Idea

3. The Knowledge of God

4. Ethnic Ideas of God

(1) Animism

(2) Fetishism

(3) Idolatry

(4) Polytheism

(5) Henotheism

(6) Pantheism

(7) Deism

(8) Semitic Monolatry

(9) Monotheism

II. THE IDEA OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

1. The Course of Its Development

2. Forms of Its Manifestation

(1) The Face or Countenance of God

(2) The Voice and Word of God

(3) The Glory of God

(4) The Angel of God

(5) The Spirit of God

(6) The Name of God

(7) Occasional Forms

3. The Names of God

(1) Generic

(2) Attributive

(3) Yahweh

4. Pre-prophetic Conceptions of God

(1) Yahweh Alone Is the God of Israel

(a) His Early Worship

(b) Popular Religion

(c) Polytheistic Tendencies

(i) Coordination

(ii) Assimilation

(iii) Disintegration

(d) No Hebrew Goddesses

(e) Human Sacrifices

Easton's Bible Dictionary

God

(A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew ’El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of ’Eloah_, plural _’Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by “LORD,” printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argument to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid of understanding (Ps. 14:1).

The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of the being of God are:

(1.) The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(good). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures two chief names are used for the one true divine Being--ELOHIM, commonly translated God in our version, and JEHOVAH, translated Lord . Elohim is the plural of Eloah (in Arabic Allah); it is often used in the short form EL (a word signifying strength , as in EL-SHADDAI, God Almighty, the name by which God was specially known to the patriarchs. (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; Exodus 6:3) The etymology is uncertain, but it is generally agreed that the primary idea is that of strength, power of effect , and that it properly describes God in that character in which he is exhibited to all men in his works, as the creator, sustainer and supreme governor of the world. The plural form of Elohim has given rise to much discussion. The fanciful idea that it…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

This name, the derivation of which is uncertain, we give to that eternal, infinite, perfect, and incomprehensible Being, the Creator of all things, who preserves and governs all by his almighty power and wisdom, and is the only proper object of worship. The proper Hebrew name for God is JEHOVAH, which signifies He is. But the Jews, from a feeling of reverence, avoid pronouncing this name, substituting for it, wherever it occurs in the sacred test, the word ADONAI, Lord; except in the expression, ADONAI JEHOVAH, Lord Jehovah, for which they put, ADONAI ELOHIM, Lord God. This usage, which is not without an element of superstition, is very ancient, dating its origin some centuries before Christ; but there is no good ground for assuming its existence in the days of the inspired Old Testament writers. The proper word for God is ELOHIM, which is plural in its form, being thus used to signify…

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
פְּר֥וּpe.Ru be fruitful H6509 Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine plural
29× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to be fruitful or produce something, like a tree bearing fruit. It is used in a literal sense, but also figuratively, like in Genesis where God tells humans to be fruitful and multiply. It emphasizes growth and increase.
Amplified meaning
produce many offspring
Tyndale gloss
be fruitful
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

פָּרָה (parah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to bear fruit or be fruitful, applicable to both literal and figurative contexts. It can describe the act of producing fruit, as well as the process of making something fruitful. The verb appears in different forms, including Qal and Hiphil, indicating both the action of bearing fruit and causing fruitfulness.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[פָּרָה] vb. bear fruit, be fruitful

Qal

of men and animals

of vine

Hiph.

cause to bear fruit

make fruitful

shew fruitfulness, bear fruit

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6509 פָּרָה bear fruit, be fruitful

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6509 parah paw-raw'

a primitive root; to bear fruit (literally or

figuratively):--bear, bring forth (fruit), (be, cause to be,

make) fruitful, grow, increase.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פָּרָה (pa.rah) — be fruitful.

1) to bear fruit, be fruitful, branch off

1a) (Qal) to bear fruit, be fruitful

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to bear fruit

1b2) to make fruitful

1b3) to show fruitfulness, bear fruit

Also means: pa.ra (פָּרָא "be fruitful" H6500)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural — Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine plural
HVqv2mp
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
וּרְב֛וּu.re.Vu and multiply H7235 Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine plural
227× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to increase or grow, like a plant shooting up. It is used in the Bible to describe something getting bigger or more abundant. The KJV translates it as abundance or bring up.
Amplified meaning
increase and grow
Tyndale gloss
to multiply
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רָבָה (rabah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to increase or multiply, encompassing ideas of becoming great, numerous, or abundant. It has various forms, including Qal (to become many), Piel (to make large), and Hiphil (to make much). The word also appears in a context related to shooting in Genesis 21:20. There is a noted Aramaic equivalent, רְבָה.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[רָבָה] 225 vb. be, or become, much, many, great

Qal 59

become many, numerous

be great

grow great (Aramaism)

Pi. 4 make large, increase

Hiph. 162

make much or many

make great, obj. pers.

base

[רָבָה] vb. shoot;—only Qal Gn 21:20

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7235a רָבָה be, or become, much, many, great .. become many, numerous

. . be great

. grow great (Aramaism)

. make large, increase

. . make much or many

. make great, obj. pers.

H7235b רָבָה shoot

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7235 rabah raw-baw'

a primitive root; to increase (in whatever respect):--(bring

in) abundance (X -antly), + archer (by mistake for 7232), be

in authority, bring up, X continue, enlarge, excel,

exceeding(-ly), be full of, (be, make) great(-er, -ly,

X -ness), grow up, heap, increase, be long, (be, give, have,

make, use) many (a time), (any, be, give, give the, have) more

(in number), (ask, be, be so, gather, over, take, yield) much

(greater, more), (make to) multiply, nourish, plenty(-eous), X

process (of time), sore, store, thoroughly, very.

see HEBREW for 07232

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רָבָה (ra.vah) — to multiply.

1) be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things)

1a2) to be or grow great

1b) (Piel) to make large, enlarge, increase, become many

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to make much, make many, have many

1c1a) to multiply, increase

1c1b) to make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly

1c1c) to increase greatly or exceedingly

1c2) to make great, enlarge, do much

Aramaic equivalent: re.vah (רְבָה "to grow great" H7236)

רָבָה (ra.vah) — to shoot.

(Qal) to shoot

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural — Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine plural
HC/Vqv2mp
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
וּמִלְא֥וּu.mil.'U and fill H4390 Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine plural
249× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To fill means to make something full or complete, like filling a container or fulfilling a promise. This word is used in many contexts, including being full of joy or having a job completed.
Amplified meaning
replenish and make full
Tyndale gloss
to fill
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָלֵא (male') means 'to fill' or 'be full,' with applications ranging from literal filling to figurative uses like accomplishing or completing something. It appears in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hithpael, indicating different nuances such as being satisfied or confirming. Notably, it can also refer to massing against someone.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָלֵא 249 vb. be full, fill

Qal 99

be full, usu. c. acc. material

trans. fill

Niph.

be filled

be accomplished, ended

Pi.

fill

special uses are:

fulfil, accomplish, complete, obj. week, year, day

Pu. filled

Hithp. mass themselves against me

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4390 מָלֵא be full, fill .. be full, usu. c. acc. material

. trans. fill

. . be filled

. be accomplished, ended

. . fill

. special uses are:

. fulfil, accomplish, complete, obj. week, year, day

. filled

. mass themselves against me

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4390 male' maw-lay'

or malae (Esth. 7:5) {maw-law'}; a primitive root, to fill or

(intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally

and figuratively):--accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at

an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, X

draw, give in, go) full(-ly, -ly set, tale), (over-)flow,

fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume,

replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a (hand-)full, + have

wholly.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָלֵא (ma.le) — to fill.

1) to fill, be full

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be full

1a1a) fulness, abundance (participle)

1a1b) to be full, be accomplished, be ended

1a2) to consecrate, fill the hand

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be filled, be armed, be satisfied

1b2) to be accomplished, be ended

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to fill

1c2) to satisfy

1c3) to fulfil, accomplish, complete

1c4) to confirm

1d) (Pual) to be filled

1e) (Hithpael) to mass themselves against

Aramaic equivalent: me.la (מְלָא "to fill" H4391)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural — Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine plural
HC/Vqv2mp
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
אֶת־'et- the object marker H853 Particle
10,946× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Tyndale gloss
[Obj.]
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

853 'eth ayth

apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of

entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more

definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or

namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).

see HEBREW for 0226

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵת (et) — [Obj.].

sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative

Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTo — Particle
HTo
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
הָאָ֖רֶץha.'A.retz the earth H776 Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
2,504× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The land or earth refers to the soil or ground, and can also mean a country, territory, or region. In the Bible, it is used to describe the earth and its inhabitants, and is often translated as 'land' or 'country'.
Amplified meaning
the land, the material world
Tyndale gloss
land: soil
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land

earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

earth, opp. to heaven, sky

earth = inhabitants of earth

land =

country, territory

district, region

trial territory

piece of ground

specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

= inhabitants of land

used even of Shᵉʼôl

ground, surface of ground

soil, as productive

אֶרֶץ in phrases

people of the land

in measurements of distance

the country of the plain, level or plain country

land of the living

end(s) of the earth

pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

. earth, opp. to heaven, sky

. earth = inhabitants of earth

. land = . country, territory

. district, region

. trial territory

. piece of ground

. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

. = inhabitants of land

. used even of Shᵉʼôl

. . ground, surface of ground

. soil, as productive

. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land

. in measurements of distance

. the country of the plain, level or plain country

. land of the living

. end(s) of the earth

. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

776 'erets eh'-rets

from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth

(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,

field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.

: country/field

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

1b2) district, region

1b3) tribal territory

1b4) piece of ground

1b5) land of Canaan, Israel

1b6) inhabitants of land

1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world

1b8) city (-state)

1c) ground, surface of the earth

1c1) ground

1c2) soil

1d) (in phrases)

1d1) people of the land

1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)

1d3) level or plain country

1d4) land of the living

1d5) end(s) of the earth

1e) (almost wholly late in usage)

1e1) lands, countries

1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.

: soil

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Article | Noun - feminine singular — Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
HTd/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):

In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.

'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Earth

(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah’. In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.

(2). As the rendering of ’erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The term is used in two widely-different senses: (1) for the material of which the earth’s surface is composed; (2) as the name of the planet on which man dwells. The Hebrew language discriminates between these two by the use of separate terms, adamah for the former, erets for the latter. Adamah is the earth in the sense of soil or ground, particularly as being susceptible of cultivation. (Genesis 2:7) Erets is applied in a more or less extended sense-- (1) to the whole world, (Genesis 1:1) (2) to land as opposed to sea, (Genesis 1:10) (3) to a country, (Genesis 21:32) (4) to a plot of ground, (Genesis 23:15) and (5) to…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

In both Hebrew and Greek the same word is used to denote the earth as a whole, and a particular land. Only the context can enable us to decide in which of these senses it is to be taken in a given passage.

Thus in Mt 27:45 we might, so far as the original word is concerned, render either "there was darkness over all the land," or over all the earth. The expression "all the earth" is sometimes used hyperbolically for a large portion of it, Ezr 1:2. The word is used of the whole world, etc. In a moral sense, earthly is opposed to what is heavenly, spiritual and holy, Joh 3:31 1Co 15:47 Col 3:2

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָve.khiv.Shu.ha and subdue it H3533 Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine plural · suffix
14× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To subdue means to conquer or force someone or something into submission. In the Bible, this word is used to describe the act of dominating or oppressing others, and is often used in the context of war or conflict.
Amplified meaning
conquer and have dominion
Tyndale gloss
to subdue
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כָּבַשׁ (kabash) is a Hebrew verb meaning to subdue or bring into bondage. It encompasses a range of actions including conquering, dominating, and forcing others into subjection. The verb appears in various forms, indicating different nuances of subjugation, such as being subdued or actively subduing. The entries do not present any significant disagreements.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[כָּבַשׁ] vb. subdue, bring into bondage

Qal

bring into bondage

(late) subdue, force, a woman

subdue, dominate, the earth

Niph. pass.

Pi. (of conquest)

Hiph. bring into bondage

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3533 כָּבַשׁ subdue, bring into bondage

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3533 kabash kaw-bash'

a primitive root; to tread down; hence, negatively, to

disregard; positively, to conquer, subjugate, violate:--bring

into bondage, force, keep under, subdue, bring into

subjection.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כָּבַשׁ (ka.vash) — to subdue.

1) to subject, subdue, force, keep under, bring into bondage

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to bring into bondage, make subservient

1a2) to subdue, force, violate

1a3) to subdue, dominate, tread down

1b) (Niphal) to be subdued

1c) (Piel) to subdue

1d) (Hiphil) to bring into bondage

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural | third person feminine singular — Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine plural · suffix
HC/Vqv2mp/Sp3fs
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
וּרְד֞וּu.re.Du and rule H7287 Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine plural
26× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to have power or control over someone or something. It can also mean to scrape or crumble something, like scraping out a bowl.
Amplified meaning
have power and control
Tyndale gloss
to rule
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רָדָה (radah) is a Hebrew verb with two main meanings: to rule or have dominion, and to scrape out. It can refer to subjugating or dominating in the Qal form, while the Hiphil form indicates causing someone to dominate. The word encompasses both authority and a physical action of scraping.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[רָדָה] vb. have dominion, rule, dominate

Qal have dominion, rule, over

Hiph. and kings he causeth (him) to dominate

base

רָדָה vb. scrape out

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7287a רָדָה have dominion, rule, dominate H7287b רָדָה scrape out

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7287 radah raw-daw'

a primitive root; to tread down, i.e. subjugate;

specifically, to crumble off:--(come to, make to) have

dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule,(-r,

over), take.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רָדָה (ra.dah) — to rule.

1) to rule, have dominion, dominate, tread down

1a) (Qal) to have dominion, rule, subjugate

1b) (Hiphil) to cause to dominate

רָדָה (ra.dah) — to scrape.

1) to scrape out

1a) (Qal) to scrape, scrape out

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural — Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine plural
HC/Vqv2mp
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
בִּדְגַ֤תbid.Gat over [the] fish of H1710 Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct
15× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word also means fish, similar to H1709, and is used to describe fish in the Bible, often in stories about fishing and the sea.
Amplified meaning
all sea creatures
Tyndale gloss
fish
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

דָּגָה (dagah) is a feminine noun meaning 'fish.' It is derived from the related word דָּג (dag), which also means 'fish.' The entries consistently define it without any significant disagreement, emphasizing its straightforward meaning.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

דָּגָה n.f. fish

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1710 דָּגָה fish

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1710 dagah daw-gaw'

feminine of 1709, and meaning the same:--fish.

see HEBREW for 01709

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

דָּגָה (da.gah) — fish.

fish

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct — Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct
HR/Ncfsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
הַיָּם֙hai.Yam the sea H3220 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
396× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Refers to a large body of water like the Mediterranean Sea or a sea in general, sometimes specifically the west or seaward direction.
Amplified meaning
the large body of water
Tyndale gloss
(Mt. Ephron in the) West
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָם (yam) means 'sea' and refers to various large bodies of water, including the Mediterranean, Red, and Dead Seas, as well as the Sea of Galilee. It can also denote a mighty river like the Nile and has geographical implications, indicating directions such as west or south. The term is derived from a root meaning to roar, suggesting the noise of breaking surf.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָם 390 n.m. sea

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3220 יָם sea

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3220 yam yawm

from an unused root meaning to roar; a sea (as breaking in

noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the

article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or

an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the

south:--sea (X -faring man, (-shore)), south, west (-ern,

side, -ward).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָם (yam) — sea.

: sea

1) sea

1a) Mediterranean Sea

1b) Red Sea

1c) Dead Sea

1d) Sea of Galilee

1e) sea (general)

1f) mighty river (Nile)

1g) the sea (the great basin in the temple court)

1h) seaward, west, westward

יָם (yam) — sea: west.

: west

1) sea

1a) Mediterranean Sea

1b) Red Sea

1c) Dead Sea

1d) Sea of Galilee

1e) sea (general)

1f) mighty river (Nile)

1g) the sea (the great basin in the temple court)

1h) seaward, west, westward

יָם (yam) — (Mt. Ephron in the) West.

This name means sea, seaward, westward

Another name of eph.ron (עֶפְרוֹן "(Mount )Ephron" H6085H)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Article | Noun - masculine singular — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

se (yam; thalassa; in Ac 27:5 pelagos): The Mediterranean is called ha-yam ha-gadhol, "the great sea" (Nu 34:6; Jos 1:4; Eze 47:10, etc.); ha-yam ha-'acharon, "the hinder," or "western sea" (De 11:24; 34:2; Joe 2:20; Zec 14:8); yam pelishtim, "the sea of the Philis" (Ex 23:31); the King James Version translates yam yapho' in Ezr 3:7 by "sea of Joppa," perhaps rightly.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The sea, yam , is used in Scripture to denote-- "The gathering of the waters," "the Ocean." (Genesis 1:2,10; 30:13) etc. Some portion of this, as the Mediterranean Sea, called the "hinder," the "western" and the "utmost" sea, (11:24; 34:2; Joel 2:20) "sea of the Philistines," (Exodus 23:31) "the great sea," (Numbers 36:6,7; Joshua 15:47) "the sea." Genesis49:13; Psal 80:11 Also frequently of the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:4) [RED SEA SEA] Inland lakes termed seas, as the Salt or Dead Sea. [See the special article] Any…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The Hebrews give the name of sea to any large collection of water, Job 14:11; as to the lakes of Tiberias and Asphaltites, and also to the rivers Nile and Euphrates, Isa 11:15 18:2 21:1 Jer 51:36,42. The principal seas mentioned in Scripture are the following:

1. The GREAT SEA, the Mediterranean, called also the Hinder or Western Sea. Indeed, the Hebrew word for sea, meaning the Mediterranean, is often put for the west. The Great Sea is 2,200 miles long, and in the widest part 1,200 miles in width. In many places it is so deep as to give no soundings. It is little affected by tides, but is often agitated by violent winds. The prevailing direction of the wind in spring is from the southeast and southwest and from the northeast…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Creation of Ge 1:9,10; Ps 95:5; 148:4,5

→ Lake Galilee calmed by Jesus Mt 8:24-26; Mr 4:37-39

→ Jesus walked upon Lake Galilee Mt 14:25-31

→ The Dead, to be given up by the, at the resurrection Re 20:13

→ SYMBOLICAL

In Daniel' s vision Da 7:2,3

In John' s apocalyptic vision Re 4:6; 8:8,9; 10:2,5,6,8; 13:1; 15:2; 16:3; 21:1

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
וּבְע֣וֹףu.ve.'of and over [the] bird[s] of H5775 Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
71× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word simply means a bird, like the ones that fly in the sky. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Psalms, often symbolizing freedom.
Amplified meaning
winged creatures
Tyndale gloss
bird
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עוֹף (owph) refers to flying creatures, including birds and insects. It is derived from the root meaning to cover with wings, emphasizing the aspect of flight. The term encompasses various types of fowl and winged insects, and it is noted in the Aramaic as well. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding its meaning.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עוֹף 70 n.m. coll. flying creatures, fowls, insects

fowl, birds

winged insects

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5775 עוֹף flying creatures, fowls, insects . fowl, birds

. winged insects

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5775 `owph ofe

from 5774; a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as

covering with wings), often collectively:--bird, that flieth,

flying, fowl.

see HEBREW for 05774

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עוֹף (oph) — bird.

1) flying creatures, fowl, insects, birds

1a) fowl, birds

1b) winged insects

Aramaic equivalent: oph (עוֹף "bird" H5776)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct — Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HC/R/Ncmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִםha.sha.Ma.yim the heavens H8064 Particle · noun common masculine plural absolute
421× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for heaven or sky, it refers to the visible universe and the abode of God. It is often used in the Bible to describe the dwelling place of celestial bodies.
Amplified meaning
the atmosphere
Tyndale gloss
heaven
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (*shamayim*) is a dual noun meaning 'heavens' or 'sky.' It refers to the visible heavens where celestial bodies are found, as well as the abode of God. The dual form may suggest both the arch of the sky and the higher ether. It is noted in contexts such as Elijah's ascent in a whirlwind.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁמַי] n.m. only pl. שָׁמַיִם 421 heavens, sky

visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

phrases

as abode of God

Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8064 שָׁמַי only pl. שָׁמַיִם heavens, sky . . visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

. phrases

. . as abode of God

. Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

. הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim

dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused

root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps

alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well

as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies

revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַיִם (sha.ma.yim) — heaven.

1) heaven, heavens, sky

1a) visible heavens, sky

1a1) as abode of the stars

1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc

1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (שָׁמַ֫יִן "heaven" H8065)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Article | Noun - masculine plural — Particle · noun common masculine plural absolute
HTd/Ncmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hev'-'nz (shamayim; ouranoi): On the physical heavens see ASTRONOMY; WORLD. Above these, in popular conception, were the celestial heavens, the abode of God and of the hosts of angels (Ps 11:4; 103:19-21; Isa 66:1; Re 4:2; 5:11; compare Da 7:10), though it was recognized that Yahweh's presence was not confined to any region (1Ki 8:27). Later Judaism reckoned seven heavens. The apostle Paul speaks of himself as caught up into "the third heaven," which he evidently identifies with Paradise (2Co 12:2).

See HEAVENLY.

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
וּבְכָל־u.ve.Khol- and over every H3605 Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct — Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HC/R/Ncmsc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
חַיָּ֖הchai.Yah animal H2416 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
498× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means life or being alive. It can refer to physical life, like in Genesis 1:20, or spiritual life, like in Psalm 30:5.
Amplified meaning
living being
Tyndale gloss
alive
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word חַי (*chay*) means 'alive' or 'living' and covers a range of meanings related to life, including living beings, vitality, and freshness. It can refer to God, animals, vegetation, and even concepts like appetite and community. Variants include חַיָּה (*chayyah*), meaning 'living thing' or 'animal,' and חַיִּים (*chayim*), which emphasizes life and sustenance.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חַי adj. alive, living

of God, as the living one, the fountain of life

of man

of animals, alive, living

animals and man

(dub.) of vegetation, as thorns, green

of water, fresh

(dub.) lively, active

reviving

base

[חַי] n.[m.] kinsfolk, pl. sf. 1 S 18:18

ref

חַיָּה n.f. living thing, animal

animal

in general

wild animals, on account of their vital energy and activity

living beings, of the cherubic chariot

life, only in late poetry

appetite, activity of hunger

revival, renewal

base

חַיָּה n.f. community

base

חַיִּים n.m. pl. abstr. emph. life

life: physical

life: as welfare and happiness in king's presence

sustenance, maintenance

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2416a חַי alive, living . . of God, as the living one, the fountain of life

. of man

. of animals, alive, living

. animals and man

. (dub.) of vegetation, as thorns, green

. of water, fresh

. (dub.) lively, active

. reviving

H2416b חַי kinsfolk H2416c חַיָּה living thing, animal . animal . in general

. wild animals, on account of their vital energy and activity

. living beings, of the cherubic chariot

. life, only in late poetry

. appetite, activity of hunger

. revival, renewal

H2416d חַיָּה community H2416e חַיִּים pl. abstr. emph. life . life: physical

. life: as welfare and happiness in king's presence

. sustenance, maintenance

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2416 chay khah'-ee

from 2421; alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water,

year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine

singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether

literally or figuratively:--+ age, alive, appetite, (wild)

beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living

(creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be)

old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.

see HEBREW for 02421

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חַי (chay) — alive.

adj

1) living, alive

1a) green (of vegetation)

1b) flowing, fresh (of water)

1c) lively, active (of man)

1d) reviving (of the springtime)

Aramaic equivalent: chay (חַי "living" H2417)

חַי (chay) — kinsfolk.

kinsfolk

חַיָּה (chay.yah) — living thing.

1) living thing, animal

1a) animal

1b) life

1c) appetite

1d) revival, renewal

Aramaic equivalent: che.va (חֵיוָא "beast" H2423)

חַיָּה (chay.yah) — community.

community

חַיִּים (chay.yim) — life.

1) life (abstract emphatic)

1a) life

1b) sustenance, maintenance

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun - feminine singular — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

an'-i-mal: See under the various names and also the general article on ZOOLOGY.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Animal

An organized living creature endowed with sensation. The Levitical law divided animals into clean and unclean, although the distinction seems to have existed before the Flood (Gen. 7:2). The clean could be offered in sacrifice and eaten. All animals that had not cloven hoofs and did not chew the cud were unclean. The list of clean and unclean quadrupeds is set forth in the Levitical law (Deut. 14:3-20; Lev. 11).

and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂתha.ro.Me.set which creeps H7430 Particle · verb qal participle (active) feminine singular
17× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to creep or move lightly, often used to describe the movement of animals. It appears in the Bible to describe the action of creeping things, such as insects or reptiles. In KJV translations, it is rendered as 'creep' or 'move'.
Amplified meaning
moves on the ground
Tyndale gloss
to creep
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רָמַשׂ (ramas) is a Hebrew verb meaning to creep or move lightly. It encompasses actions like crawling or gliding, particularly in reference to animals. The entries indicate its use in various contexts, including both land and water creatures. Brown-Driver-Briggs notes a specific application to trample, while other sources emphasize its general movement connotations.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רָמַשׂ vb. creep, move lightly, move about (chiefly P)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7430 רָמַשׂ trample

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7430 ramas raw-mas'

a primitive root; properly, to glide swiftly, i.e. to crawl

or move with short steps; by analogy to swarm:--creep, move.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רָמַשׂ (ra.ma.s) — to creep.

1) to creep, move lightly, move about, walk on all fours

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to creep, teem (of all creeping things)

1a2) to creep (of animals)

1a3) to move lightly, glide about (of water animals)

1a4) to move about (of all land animals generally)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular — Particle · verb qal participle (active) feminine singular
HTd/Vqrfsa
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
עַל־'al- on H5921 Preposition
5,774× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means on or above something, like a physical object or a situation. It can also imply a sense of responsibility or accountability, as in being on behalf of someone.
Tyndale gloss
upon
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עַל (*al*) is a preposition meaning 'upon' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including 'on account of,' 'beside,' 'above,' and 'against.' It can indicate physical placement, emotional burdens, or duties imposed on a person. The entries also note its use in idiomatic expressions and with verbs of motion. There is a mention of its function as a conjunction in certain contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

base

עַל, עָ֑ל

subst. height

As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

of clothing, etc., which any one wears

With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5921a עַל, עָ֑ל . As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against . Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed . — . of clothing, etc., which any one wears

. With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5921 `al al

properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the

singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a

particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always

in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great

variety of applications (as follow):--above, according

to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because

of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both

and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in

(that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than,

through(-out), to, touching, X with.

see HEBREW for 05920

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַל (al) — upon.

prep

1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards

1b) above, beyond, over (of excess)

1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence)

1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition)

1e) over (of suspension or extension)

1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity)

1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion)

1h) to (as a dative)

[כִּי] עַל [כֵּן] ([ki] al [ken]) — as.

conj

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Preposition — Preposition
HR
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

On

Light; the sun, (Gen. 41:45, 50), the great seat of sun-worship, called also Bethshemesh (Jer. 43:13) and Aven (Ezek. 30:17), stood on the east bank of the Nile, a few miles north of Memphis, and near Cairo, in the north-east. The Vulgate and the LXX. Versions have “Heliopolis” (“city of the sun”) instead of On in Genesis and of Aven in Ezekiel. The “city of destruction” Isaiah speaks of (19:18, marg. “of Heres;” Heb. ‘Ir-ha-heres, which some MSS. read Ir-ha-heres, i.e., “city of the sun”) may be the name given to On, the prophecy being that the time will come when that city which was known as the “city of the sun-god” shall become the “city of destruction” of the sun-god, i.e., when idolatry shall cease, and the worship…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(abode or city of the sun), a town of lower Egypt, called BETH-SHEMESH in (Jeremiah 43:13) On is better known under its Greek name Heliopolis. It was situated on the east side of the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, just below the point of the Delta, and about twenty miles northeast of Memphis. The chief object of worship at Heliopolis was the sun, whose temple, described by Strabo, is now only represented by the single beautiful obelisk, of red granite so feet 2 inches high above the pedestal which has stood for more than 4000 years, having been erected by Usirtesen, the second king of the twelfth dynasty. Heliopolis was anciently famous for its learning, and Eudoxus and Plato studied under its priests. The first mention of this place in the Bible is in the history of Joseph, to whom we read Pharaoh gave "to wife Asenath the daughter…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

See HELIOPOLIS.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

pain; force; iniquity

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he blessed the object marker them God and he said to them God be fruitful and multiply and fill the object marker the earth and subdue it and rule over [the] fish of the sea and over [the] bird[s] of the heavens and over every animal which creeps on the earth
הָאָֽרֶץ׃ha.'A.retz the earth H776 Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
2,504× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The land or earth refers to the soil or ground, and can also mean a country, territory, or region. In the Bible, it is used to describe the earth and its inhabitants, and is often translated as 'land' or 'country'.
Amplified meaning
the land, the material world
Tyndale gloss
land: soil
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land

earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

earth, opp. to heaven, sky

earth = inhabitants of earth

land =

country, territory

district, region

trial territory

piece of ground

specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

= inhabitants of land

used even of Shᵉʼôl

ground, surface of ground

soil, as productive

אֶרֶץ in phrases

people of the land

in measurements of distance

the country of the plain, level or plain country

land of the living

end(s) of the earth

pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

. earth, opp. to heaven, sky

. earth = inhabitants of earth

. land = . country, territory

. district, region

. trial territory

. piece of ground

. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

. = inhabitants of land

. used even of Shᵉʼôl

. . ground, surface of ground

. soil, as productive

. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land

. in measurements of distance

. the country of the plain, level or plain country

. land of the living

. end(s) of the earth

. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

776 'erets eh'-rets

from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth

(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,

field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.

: country/field

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

1b2) district, region

1b3) tribal territory

1b4) piece of ground

1b5) land of Canaan, Israel

1b6) inhabitants of land

1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world

1b8) city (-state)

1c) ground, surface of the earth

1c1) ground

1c2) soil

1d) (in phrases)

1d1) people of the land

1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)

1d3) level or plain country

1d4) land of the living

1d5) end(s) of the earth

1e) (almost wholly late in usage)

1e1) lands, countries

1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.

: soil

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Article | Noun - feminine singular — Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
HTd/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):

In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.

'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Earth

(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah’. In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.

(2). As the rendering of ’erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The term is used in two widely-different senses: (1) for the material of which the earth’s surface is composed; (2) as the name of the planet on which man dwells. The Hebrew language discriminates between these two by the use of separate terms, adamah for the former, erets for the latter. Adamah is the earth in the sense of soil or ground, particularly as being susceptible of cultivation. (Genesis 2:7) Erets is applied in a more or less extended sense-- (1) to the whole world, (Genesis 1:1) (2) to land as opposed to sea, (Genesis 1:10) (3) to a country, (Genesis 21:32) (4) to a plot of ground, (Genesis 23:15) and (5) to…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

In both Hebrew and Greek the same word is used to denote the earth as a whole, and a particular land. Only the context can enable us to decide in which of these senses it is to be taken in a given passage.

Thus in Mt 27:45 we might, so far as the original word is concerned, render either "there was darkness over all the land," or over all the earth. The expression "all the earth" is sometimes used hyperbolically for a large portion of it, Ezr 1:2. The word is used of the whole world, etc. In a moral sense, earthly is opposed to what is heavenly, spiritual and holy, Joh 3:31 1Co 15:47 Col 3:2

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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