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Genesis 3:23 — Word Study

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WLCוַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים מִגַּן־ עֵ֑דֶן לַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־ הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֻקַּ֖ח מִשָּֽׁם׃

BSATherefore the LORDYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] Godʼĕlôhîym [Elohim, the supreme God] banished himshâlach [sent forth, expelled] from the Gardengan [an enclosed area, a place of beauty] of EdenʻÊden [a place of pleasure] to workʻâbad [to serve, to till] the groundʼădâmâh [the earth, the land] from whichʼăsher he had been takenlâqach [created, formed]

Word
Listen & take awayGenesis 3
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 23 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 (mi.Sham) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Genesis 3:23quick helps
In a sentenceGod sent Adam out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
Who is speakingThe LORD God, who is both Yahweh and Elohim.
Where we areThis verse describes the consequence of Adam's disobedience.
The hard wordוַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ
Take awayAdam's ease in the garden is replaced by the toil of the earth.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbלָקַח 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 3:23

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 Banishment from Edengenerated

21And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.
22Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”
23Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
24So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:23 describes the moment when Adam is banished from the Garden of Eden due to his disobedience. This act signifies the beginning of human toil and the consequences of sin. The surrounding verses illustrate God's judgment and the transition from paradise to the hardships of life outside the garden, emphasizing the gravity of Adam's choice in Genesis 3:22 and the protective measures taken thereafter in Genesis 3:24.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Genesis 3:19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
2Genesis 2:5Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted; for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.
3Genesis 4:2–12Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil.
4Genesis 9:20Now Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.
5Ecclesiastes 5:9The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ, vay.sha.le.Che.hugenerated

The verb שָׁלַח (shalach) means 'to send' and is in the piel stem, indicating an active sending out. It can refer to various forms of sending away, such as expelling or letting go.

In this context, וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ specifically denotes God's action of sending Adam out of the garden, emphasizing the severity of the punishment and the transition from a place of abundance to one of labor.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations generally agree on the meaning of the verse.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb is וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ, He sent him out, governing the entire clause. The structure includes a prepositional phrase indicating the source, 'from the Garden of Eden,' and another prepositional phrase detailing the purpose of the action, 'to work the ground.'

The sentence flows logically from the action of sending to the reason for the sending, highlighting the consequences of Adam's actions.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ as αὐτὸν (auton), meaning 'him.' This choice reflects a straightforward rendering of the Hebrew without additional interpretation.

The simplicity of the Greek translation underscores the direct action taken by God, aligning closely with the Hebrew text.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Genesis 3:23 tells us that God sent Adam out of the Garden of Eden because of his disobedience. This action marked the beginning of human labor and the consequences of sin. Adam was to work the ground from which he was taken, highlighting the shift from paradise to toil.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Why was Adam banished from the Garden of Eden?

Adam was banished due to his disobedience to God's command, which resulted in the loss of his place in paradise.

What does it mean to work the ground?

To work the ground refers to the labor and toil required to cultivate the earth, a stark contrast to the ease of life in the Garden.

How does this verse relate to the concept of sin?

This verse illustrates the consequences of sin, showing that disobedience to God leads to separation from Him and the hardships of life.

What is the significance of the Garden of Eden?

The Garden of Eden represents an ideal state of existence, a place of beauty and abundance, which Adam lost due to his actions.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does this verse teach about the consequences of disobedience?
  2. How can I apply the lessons of toil and labor in my own life?
  3. In what ways do I see the effects of sin in the world around me?
  4. How can understanding this verse help me appreciate the grace of God more?

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

Early church fathers referenced this verse to discuss the implications of Adam's sin and the nature of God's judgment.

TertullianAgainst Marcion Book II c. 155–220
Now, although Adam was by reason of his condition under law subject to death, yet was hope preserved to him by the Lord's saying, "Behold, Adam is become as one of us;" that is,
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 3 →
TertullianAgainst Praxeas c. 155–220
"Behold the man is become as one of us," Genesis 3:22 He is either deceiving or amusing us in speaking plurally, if He is One only and singular.
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 3 →
Ephrem the Syrian c. 306–373
God now sends him "to work the earth from which he had been taken, " [ Gen. 3:23 ] so that he who had been harmed by the ease in the Garden might be benefited by toil on the earth.
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 3 →

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Genesis 3:23 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden,.... Gave him orders to depart immediately; sent or put him away as a man does his wife, when he divorces her; or as a prince banishes a

Read John Gill on Genesis 3 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth.

Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 3 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

For prevention thereof, the Lord God sent him forth, or expelled him with shame and violence, and so as never to restore him thither; for it is the same word which is used concerning divorced wives. To till, to wit, with toil and sweat, as was threatened, , the ground without Paradise; for he was made without Paradise, and then put into it, as was noted before.

Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 3 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.Ver. 23. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth.] He gently dismissed him, as the word signifies; placed him over against Paradise, in the sight thereof (as Stella observeth out of the Septuagint) that, by often beholding, the sorrow of his sin, might be increased, that his "eye might affect his heart" Yet, "lest he should be swallowed up of over-much sorrow," and so Satan get "an advantage of him" - for God is not ignorant of his devices - Christ, the promised Seed, was, by his voluntary banishment, to bring back all believers to their heavenly home; to bear them by his…

Read John Trapp on Genesis 3 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(23) To till the ground.—This is the same word as that rendered “dress” in Genesis 2:15. Adam’s task is the same, but the conditions are altered.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Genesis 3 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

23. sent him forth, &c.] Man is dismissed from the garden with the duty imposed upon him to till the ground. Agriculture is here treated as the earliest human industry. See note on Genesis 3:18.

Read Cambridge on Genesis 3 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

23. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth — The divine utterance in the previous verse was impressively left unfinished, a notable example of aposiopesis.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Genesis 3 →

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

Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

NETBNew English Translation2006

So the Lord God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

RVARevised Version, American1894

therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Therefore the Lord God sent him foorth from the garden of Eden, to till ye earth, whence he was taken.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Therefore Jehovah Elohim sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Jehovah God sendeth him forth from the garden of Eden to serve the ground from which he hath been taken;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

YHWH God sends him forth from the Garden of Eden to serve the ground from which he has been taken;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

So the Lord God expelled them from the Garden of Eden. He sent Adam to cultivate the ground from which he'd been made.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

So the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to be a worker on the earth from which he was taken.

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.

וַֽandclauseverbיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛heobjectהוּsent.him.outnoun phrase · subjectיְהוָ֥הYahwehאֱלֹהִ֖יםGodprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִfromnoun phraseגַּןthe.gardenעֵ֑דֶןof.Edenprepositional phrase · prepositionalלַֽtoclauseverbעֲבֹד֙tillnoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)noun phraseהָ֣thenoun phraseאֲדָמָ֔הgroundrelpאֲשֶׁ֥רwhereclauseverbלֻקַּ֖חhe.was.takenprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִfromשָּֽׁםthere

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 Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word with the Hebrew. The Septuagint, while matching 8 of the 11 words, presents a different word order.

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

וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים מִגַּן־ עֵ֑דֶן לַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־ הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֻקַּ֖ח מִשָּֽׁם׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּαὐτὸνיְהוָ֥הκύριοςאֱלֹהִ֖יםθεὸςעֵ֑דֶןτρυφῆςלַֽעֲבֹד֙ἐργάζεσθαιהָ֣אֲדָמָ֔הγῆνאֲשֶׁ֥רἧςלֻקַּ֖חἐλήμφθη

8 of the 11 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

וישׁלחהו יהוה אלהים מגן עדן לעבד את האדמה אשׁר לקח משׁם

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

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 3:23שָׁלַחand he sentand he sent outשָׁלַחיהוהYahwehYahwehיהוהאֱלֹהִיםGodGodאֱלֹהִיםגַּןfrom [the] from [the] gardגַּןעֵ֫דֶןEdenEdenעֵ֫דֶןעָבַדto tillto tillעָבַדאֵתthe object the object markאֵתאֲדָמָהthe groundthe groundאֲדָמָהאֲשֶׁרwherewhereאֲשֶׁרלָקַחhe was takehe was takenלָקַחשָׁםfrom therefrom thereשָׁםהָיָהto beto beהָיָהגָּנַןto defendto defendגָּנַןאוֹתsign: mirasign: miraculouאוֹתאָדֹםto reddento reddenאָדֹםאֱלֹהַּgodgodאֱלֹהַּעֵ֫דֶןdelicacydelicacyעֵ֫דֶןאֲשֶׁרwhichwhichאֲשֶׁרחָפְשִׁיfreefreeחָפְשִׁימַלְאָךְmessengermessengerמַלְאָךְנְאֻםutteranceutteranceנְאֻםצָבָאarmyarmyצָבָאאַחֵרanotheranotherאַחֵראֲרוֹןarkarkאֲרוֹןעֵ֫דֶןEdenEdenעֵ֫דֶןבֹּ֫שֶׂםspicespiceבֹּ֫שֶׂםגַּןgardengardenגַּןיוֹאָחJoahJoahיוֹאָחבַּ֫עַלBaalBaalבַּ֫עַל
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 3:23

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 sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּvay.sha.le.Che.hu and he sent out him H7971 Verb piel sequential imperfect third person masculine singular · suffix
847× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To send or depart is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which has various applications in the Bible. It can describe sending someone or something away, or letting something go.
Amplified meaning
sent forth, expelled
Tyndale gloss
to send: depart
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁלַח (shalach) is a primitive root meaning 'to send' with a wide range of applications. It can refer to sending away, stretching out (especially a hand), or letting go. The entries indicate various forms, including sending off, casting out, and setting free. Notably, it can also imply divorce or being sent away in a marital context.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁלַח 814 vb. send

Qal

send: human subj.

send: subj. י׳ (God)

stretch out, esp. acc. hand

rarely send away: human subj.

let loose

Niph. letters were sent

Pi.

send off, away, human subj.

send away, subj. י׳

give over

cast out

send out, forth

let go, set free

shoot forth branches

let down

shoot

Phrases

Pu. be sent off (started on journey); be put away, divorced, of wife; be impelled(?)

Hiph. and I (י׳) will send

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7971 שָׁלַח send .. send: human subj.

. send: subj. י׳ (God)

. stretch out, esp. acc. hand

. rarely send away: human subj.

. let loose

. letters were sent

. . send off, away, human subj.

. . send away, subj. י׳

. give over

. cast out

. send out, forth

. let go, set free

. shoot forth branches

. let down

. shoot

. Phrases

. be sent off (started on journey); be put away, divorced, of wife; be impelled(?)

. and I (י׳) will send

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7971 shalach shaw-lakh'

a primitive root; to send away, for, or out (in a great

variety of applications):--X any wise, appoint, bring (on the

way), cast (away, out), conduct, X earnestly, forsake, give

(up), grow long, lay, leave, let depart (down, go, loose),

push away, put (away, forth, in, out), reach forth, send

(away, forth, out), set, shoot (forth, out), sow, spread,

stretch forth (out).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁלַח (sha.lach) — to send: depart.

: depart/send

1) to send, send away, let go, stretch out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to send

1a2) to stretch out, extend, direct

1a3) to send away

1a4) to let loose

1b) (Niphal) to be sent

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to send off or away or out or forth, dismiss, give over, cast out

1c2) to let go, set free

1c3) to shoot forth (of branches)

1c4) to let down

1c5) to shoot

1d) (Pual) to be sent off, be put away, be divorced, be impelled

1e) (Hiphil) to send

שָׁלַח (sha.lach) — to send: let go.

: let_go/free

1) to send, send away, let go, stretch out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to send

1a2) to stretch out, extend, direct

1a3) to send away

1a4) to let loose

1b) (Niphal) to be sent

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to send off or away or out or forth, dismiss, give over, cast out

1c2) to let go, set free

1c3) to shoot forth (of branches)

1c4) to let down

1c5) to shoot

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Piel-ConsecImperf-3ms | Suff — Verb piel sequential imperfect third person masculine singular · suffix
Hc/Vpw3ms/Sp3ms
and he sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
יְהוָ֥הYah.weh Yahweh H3068 Noun proper
6,528× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Yehovah is another name for God, often translated as 'the Lord'. It is a national name for God in the Jewish faith. This name is used throughout the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
Yehovah, The covenant Name of God
Tyndale gloss
The Lord
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'

from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish

national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

see HEBREW for 01961

see HEBREW for 03050

see HEBREW for 03069

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.

Jehovah = "the existing One"

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.

Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.

Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpt
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
אֱלֹהִ֖ים'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 God
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
N-mp — 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 sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
מִגַּן־mi.gan- from [the] garden of H1588 Preposition · noun common both singular construct
42× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The word for garden refers to an enclosed area, like the Garden of Eden. It can also symbolize a bride or a place for plants.
Amplified meaning
an enclosed area, a place of beauty
Tyndale gloss
garden
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גַּן (gan) means 'garden' or 'enclosure' and can refer to a physical garden or, figuratively, to a bride. It is derived from a root meaning to fence in. The term is used in various contexts, including the Garden of Eden and specific locations like Beth-haggan.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גַּן n.m. & f. enclosure, garden

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1588 גַּן enclosure, garden

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1588 gan gan

from 1598; a garden (as fenced):--garden.

see HEBREW for 01598

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גַּן (gan) — Garden (of Uzza).

This name means garden, enclosure

גַּן (gan) — (Beth)-haggan.

Combined with ba.yit (בַּ֫יִת "Beth" H1004H)

גַּן (gan) — garden.

1) garden, enclosure

1a) enclosed garden

1a1) (fig. of a bride)

1b) garden (of plants)

1c) Garden of Eden

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-cs — Preposition · noun common both singular construct
HR/Ncbsc
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 sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
עֵ֑דֶן'E.den Eden H5731 Noun proper
16× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Eden refers to the garden where Adam and Eve lived, a place of pleasure and beauty. It is also the name of a person who lived during the Divided Monarchy. The word means pleasure in Hebrew.
Amplified meaning
a place of pleasure
Tyndale gloss
Eden
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עֵ֫דֶן (*Eden*) refers to both a geographical region, identified as the home of Adam and Eve, and a Levite name found in 2 Chronicles 29:12 and 31:15. The term is associated with the meaning 'pleasure.' The entries highlight its dual use as a place and a personal name, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֵ֫דֶן n.pr.m. Levite name 2 Ch 29:12 (𝔊 Ιω(α)δαν), 31:15 (𝔊 Οδαμ, 𝔊L Ιαδαν).

done

עֵ֫דֶן n.pr.terr. (prob. associated by Heb. with I. עֵ֫דֶן);—district in which lay garden of י׳, home of Adam and Eve

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5731a עֵ֫דֶן Levite name H5731b עֵ֫דֶן n. pr. terr. (prob. associated by Heb. with I. עֵ֫דֶן);—district in which lay garden of י׳, home of Adam and Eve

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5731 `Eden ay'-den

the same as 5730 (masculine); Eden, the region of Adam's

home:--Eden.

see HEBREW for 05730

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֵ֫דֶן (e.den) — Eden.

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 2Ch.29.12;

son of: Joah (H3098L)

§ Eden= "pleasure"

a Gershonite Levite, son of Joah in the days of king Hezekiah of Judah

עֵ֫דֶן (e.den) — Eden.

§ Eden= "pleasure"

the first habitat of man after the creation

עֵ֫דֶן (e.den) — Eden.

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 2Ch.31.15

§ Eden= "pleasure"

the first habitat of man after the creation

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

e'-d'-n (`edhen, "delight"; Edem):

(1) The land in which "Yahweh God planted a garden," where upon his creation "he put the man whom he had formed" (Ge 2:8).

In the Assyrian inscriptions idinu (Accadian, edin) means "plain" and it is from this that the Biblical word is probably derived. Following are the references to Eden in the Bible, aside from those in Ge 2 and 3: Ge 4:16; Isa 51:3; Eze 28:13; 31:9,16,18; 36:35; Joe 2:3. The Garden of Eden is said to be "eastward, in Eden" Ge (2:8); where the vegetation was luxurious (2:9) and the fig tree indigenous (3:7), and where it was watered by irrigation.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Eden

Delight. (1.) The garden in which our first parents dewlt (Gen. 2:8-17). No geographical question has been so much discussed as that bearing on its site. It has been placed in Armenia, in the region west of the Caspian Sea, in Media, near Damascus, in Palestine, in Southern Arabia, and in Babylonia. The site must undoubtedly be sought for somewhere along the course of the great streams the Tigris and the Euphrates of Western Asia, in “the land of Shinar” or Babylonia. The region from about lat. 33 degrees 30’ to lat. 31 degrees, which is a very rich and fertile tract, has been by the most competent authorities agreed on as the probable site of Eden. “It is a region where streams abound, where they divide and re-unite, where alone in the Mesopotamian tract can be found the phenomenon of a single river parting into four arms, each…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

A Gershonite Levite, son of Joah, in the days of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 29:12) (B.C. 727.) Also a Levite, probably identical with the preceding. (2 Chronicles 31:15)

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A province in Asia, in which was Paradise. "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed," Ge 2:8. The topography of Eden is thus described: "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison," etc.

This obscure passage has received many different explanations and applications, none of which are fully satisfactory; and now it is impossible to say with certainty where Eden lay. Most writers have sought for it in some elevated and central region, the heights of which would give rise to various rivers flowing off in different directions through lower grounds to their outlets. Such a region exists in the high lands of Armenia, west of Mount Ararat and 5,000 feet above the sea. Here, within a circle but a…

and he sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
לַֽעֲבֹד֙la.'a.Vod to till H5647 Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
288× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To serve or work is the meaning of this verb, which can also imply slavery or bondage, as seen in the story of the Israelites in Egypt. It is used to describe various types of work or service, including serving God or other people. The word has different forms and meanings in different contexts.
Amplified meaning
to serve, to till
Tyndale gloss
to serve
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָבַד (abad) is a Hebrew verb meaning to work or serve, encompassing a range of activities from laboring for others to serving God, including Levitical service. It can also refer to the cultivation of land or the act of enslaving. The word appears in various forms, indicating different nuances of service and labor.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָבַד 290 vb. work, serve

Qal

labour, work, do work

work for another, serve him by labour

serve as subjects

serve God

serve י׳ with Levitical service

Niph.

be tilled, of land

dub. cultivated field

Pu. worked

Hiph.

compel to labour as slaves

make to serve as subjects

cause to serve God

Hoph. be led or enticed to serve

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5647 עָבַד work, serve .. labour, work, do work

. work for another, serve him by labour

. serve as subjects

. serve God

. serve י׳ with Levitical service

. . be tilled, of land

. dub. cultivated field

. worked

. . compel to labour as slaves

. make to serve as subjects

. cause to serve God

. be led or enticed to serve

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5647 `abad aw-bad'

a primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication, to

serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.:--X be, keep in

bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear,

execute, + husbandman, keep, labour(-ing man, bring to pass,

(cause to, make to) serve(-ing, self), (be, become)

servant(-s), do (use) service, till(-er), transgress (from

margin), (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper,

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָבַד (a.vad) — to serve.

: serve[someone]

1) to work, serve

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to labour, work, do work

1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour

1a3) to serve as subjects

1a4) to serve (God)

1a5) to serve (with Levitical service)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be worked, be tilled (of land)

1b2) to make oneself a servant

1c) (Pual) to be worked

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to compel to labour or work, cause to labour, cause to serve

1d2) to cause to serve as subjects

1e) (Hophal) to be led or enticed to serve

עָבַד (a.vad) — to serve: minister.

: minister/serve[God/tabernacle/temple]/worship

1) to work, serve

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to labour, work, do work

1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour

1a3) to serve as subjects

1a4) to serve (God)

1a5) to serve (with Levitical service)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be worked, be tilled (of land)

1b2) to make oneself a servant

1c) (Pual) to be worked

1d) (Hiphil)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
HR/Vqcc
and he sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
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 sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔הha.'a.da.Mah the ground H127 Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
225× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word refers to the earth or soil, often describing the ground as a source of sustenance. It is used to describe the physical earth, a plot of land, or even a whole country. The KJV translates it as 'country', 'earth', or 'land'.
Amplified meaning
the earth, the land
Tyndale gloss
land: soil
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֲדָמָה (adamah) refers to ground or land, encompassing meanings such as tilled soil, a specific plot of land, and the earth's visible surface. It can denote territory or the whole inhabited earth, and it is also the name of a city in Naphtali. The word is derived from a root meaning 'red,' likely referring to the color of soil.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֲדָמָה 224 n.f. ground, land (as tilled)

ground (as tilled, yielding sustenance)

piece of ground, landed property

earth as material substance

ground as earth's visible surface

land, territory, country

whole earth, inhabited earth

n. pr. loc. city in Naphtali

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H127 אֲדָמָה ground, land . ground (as tilled, yielding sustenance)

. piece of ground, landed property

. earth as material substance

. ground as earth's visible surface

. land, territory, country

. whole earth, inhabited earth

. n. pr. loc. city in Naphtali

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

127 'adamah ad-aw-maw'

from 119; soil (from its general redness):--country, earth,

ground, husband(-man) (-ry), land.

see HEBREW for 0119

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֲדָמָה (a.da.mah) — land: soil.

: soil

1) ground, land

1a) ground (as general, tilled, yielding sustenance)

1b) piece of ground, a specific plot of land

1c) earth substance (for building or constructing)

1d) ground as earth's visible surface

1e) land, territory, country

1f) whole inhabited earth

1g) city in Naphtali

אֲדָמָה (a.da.mah) — land: country.

: country

1) ground, land

1a) ground (as general, tilled, yielding sustenance)

1b) piece of ground, a specific plot of land

1c) earth substance (for building or constructing)

1d) ground as earth's visible surface

1e) land, territory, country

1f) whole inhabited earth

1g) city in Naphtali

אֲדָמָה (a.da.mah) — land: planet.

: planet

1) ground, land

1a) ground (as general, tilled, yielding sustenance)

1b) piece of ground, a specific plot of land

1c) earth substance (for building or constructing)

1d) ground as earth's visible surface

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-fs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
HTd/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ Man made from Ge 2:7; 3:19,23; Job 4:19; 33:6

→ Animals made from Ge 2:19

→ Vegetables come from Ge 2:9

→ Cursed Ge 3:17; 5:29

and he sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sher where H834 Particle
5,500× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word is a conjunction that connects ideas and events in the Bible, like in the book of Genesis, where it's used to describe the relationship between God and His creation.
Tyndale gloss
which
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֲשֶׁר (*asher*) is a relative pronoun that can mean 'who,' 'which,' or 'that.' It serves various grammatical functions, including as an adverb or conjunction, indicating relationships between clauses, places, or conditions. Variants like בַאֲשֶׁר (*ba-asher*), מֵאֲשֶׁר (*me-asher*), and כַּאֲשֶׁר (*ka-asher*) expand its usage to specific contexts such as location, causation, and time.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.

base

בַאֲשֶׁר

in (that) which

adv. in (the place) where

conj. in that, inasmuch as

on account of whom?

base

מֵאֲשֶׁר

from (or than) that which

adv. from (the place) where

conj. from (the fact) that …, since

base

כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when

according to that which, according as, as

with a causal force, in so far as, since

with a temporal force, when

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H834a אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause. H834b בַאֲשֶׁר . in (that) which

. adv. in (the place) where

. conj. in that, inasmuch as

. on account of whom?

H834c מֵאֲשֶׁר . from (or than) that which

. adv. from (the place) where

. conj. from (the fact) that …, since

H834d כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when . according to that which, according as, as

. with a causal force, in so far as, since

. with a temporal force, when

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

834 'aher ash-er'

a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);

who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction)

when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X

alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, +

from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which,

wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where

(+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, +

whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is

indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun

expletively, used to show the connection.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) — which.

A: 1) (relative part.)

1a) which, who

1b) that which

2) (conj)

2a) that (in obj clause)

2b) when

2c) since

2d) as

2e) conditional if

B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which

2) (adv)

2a) where

3) (conj)

3a) in that, inasmuch as

3b) on account of

C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which

2) from (the place) where

3) from (the fact) that, since

D: Kaph+

1) (conj.), according as, as, when

1a) according to that which, according as, as

1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since

1c) with a temporal force: when

בַאֲשֶׁר (ba.a.sher) — in which.

1) in (that) which

2) (adv)

2a) where

3) (conj)

3a) in that, inasmuch as

3b) on account of

מֵאֲשֶׁר (me.a.sher) — whence.

1) from (or than) that which

2) from (the place) where

3) from (the fact) that, since

כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka.a.sher) — as which.

conj

1) according as, as, when

1a) according to that which, according as, as

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Rel — Particle
HTr
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
לֻקַּ֖חlu.Kach he was taken H3947 Verb · Pual · perfect third person masculine singular
966× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to take or get something, and it is used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to take a wife, to take possession of something, or to receive a gift. For example, in Genesis 2:22, God takes a rib from Adam to create Eve.
Amplified meaning
created, formed
Tyndale gloss
to take: take
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word לָקַח (*laqach*) means 'to take' and encompasses a wide range of actions, including to receive, seize, capture, and carry away. It can refer to taking something in hand, taking a wife, or even taking vengeance. The verb has various forms indicating different nuances, such as being taken away or captured.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לָקַח 965 vb. take

Qal

take, take in hand

take and carry along with oneself

take from, or out of

take, carry away

take away from, so as to deprive of

esp. take away life

take to or for a person

take up, upon = put upon

= fetch

take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)

take = capture, seize

take = carry off

in phr. take vengeance

Niph.

be captured, of ark

be taken away, removed

be taken, brought unto

Pu.

be taken from, out of

= be stolen from

be taken captive

be taken away, removed

Hoph.

be taken, brought unto

be taken out of

be taken away from

Hithp. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3947 לָקַח take .. take, take in hand

. take and carry along with oneself

. . take from, or out of

. take, carry away

. take away from, so as to deprive of

. esp. take away life

. take to or for a person

. take up, upon = put upon

. = fetch

. take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)

. take = capture, seize

. take = carry off

. in phr. take vengeance

. . be captured, of ark

. be taken away, removed

. be taken, brought unto

. . be taken from, out of

. = be stolen from

. be taken captive

. be taken away, removed

. . be taken, brought unto

. be taken out of

. be taken away from

. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3947 laqach law-kakh'

a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of

applications):--accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch,

get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve,

seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לָקַח (la.qach) — to take: take.

: take

1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to take, take in the hand

1a2) to take and carry along

1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away

1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept

1a5) to take up or upon, put upon

1a6) to fetch

1a7) to take, lead, conduct

1a8) to take, capture, seize

1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be captured

1b2) to be taken away, be removed

1b3) to be taken, brought unto

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to be taken from or out of

1c2) to be stolen from

1c3) to be taken captive

1c4) to be taken away, be removed

1d) (Hophal)

1d1) to be taken unto, be brought unto

1d2) to be taken out of

1d3) to be taken away

1e) (Hithpael)

1e1) to take hold of oneself

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Pual-Perf-3ms — Verb · Pual · perfect third person masculine singular
HVPp3ms
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he sent out him Yahweh God from [the] garden of Eden to till the object marker the ground where he was taken from there
מִשָּֽׁם׃mi.Sham from there H8033 Preposition · adverb
834× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word sham means there or then, often used to describe a location or point in time. It can also mean thither or thence, indicating movement or direction. This word is used frequently in the Bible to provide context and clarify the setting of a story.
Tyndale gloss
there
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁם (sham) is a Hebrew adverb meaning 'there' or 'thither,' indicating a location or direction. It can also refer to a point in time, translating to 'then.' The word is derived from a relative pronoun and is used in various contexts, including movement and temporal references.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁם adv. there, thither

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8033 שָׁם there, thither

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8033 sham shawm

a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834);

there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or

thence:--in it, + thence, there (-in, + of, + out), +

thither, + whither.

see HEBREW for 0834

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁם (sham) — there.

1) there, thither

1a) there

1b) thither (after verbs of motion)

1c) from there, thence

1d) then (as an adverb of time)

Aramaic equivalent: tam.mah (תַּמָּה "there" H8536)

שָׁם (sham) — (Jerusalem) Is There.

Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

This name means there, thither

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/D — Preposition · adverb
HR/D
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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