Isaiah 46:1 — Word Study
WLCכָּרַ֥ע בֵּל֙ קֹרֵ֣ס נְב֔וֹ הָיוּ֙ עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֔ם לַחַיָּ֖ה וְלַבְּהֵמָ֑ה נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶ֣ם עֲמוּס֔וֹת מַשָּׂ֖א לַעֲיֵפָֽה׃
BSABelBêl [the Babylonian lord] croucheskâraʻ■ NeboNᵉbôw [a Babylonian deity] cowersqâraç [stoops, bows down] Their idolsʻâtsâb [idolatrous images, false gods] [weigh down] beastschay [large quadruped mammals, livestock] and cattlebᵉhêmâh [domesticated animals] The images you carrynᵉsûwʼâh△ [your burdens, heavy loads] are burdensomeʻâmaç [a weight] a loadmassâʼ [a burden, a heavy weight] to the weary [animal]ʻâyêph [faint, exhausted, a living creature, a beast]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| כָּרַ֥ע | he has bowed down | Verb, Qal, perfect third person masculine singular |
| בֵּל֙ | Bel | Noun proper |
| קֹרֵ֣ס | [is] stooping low | Verb, Qal, participle (active) masculine singular |
| נְב֔וֹ | Nebo | Noun proper |
| הָיוּ֙ | they belong | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֔ם | idols their | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| לַחַיָּ֖ה | to the animal[s] | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| וְלַבְּהֵמָ֑ה | and to the cattle | Conjunction, preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶ֣ם | burdens your | Noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| עֲמוּס֔וֹת | [are] carried | Verb, Qal, participle (passive) feminine plural |
| מַשָּׂ֖א | a load | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| לַעֲיֵפָֽה׃ | for a weary [animal] | Preposition |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal. |
| KJV | Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. |
| ASV | Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth; their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: the things that ye carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary beast. |
| YLT | Bowed down hath Bel, stooping is Nebo, Their idols have been for the beast and for cattle, Your burdens are loaded, a burden to the weary. |
| WEB | Bel bows down. Nebo stoops. Their idols are carried by animals, and on the livestock. The things that you carried around are heavy loads, a burden for the weary. |
| BBE | Bel is bent down, Nebo is falling; their images are on the beasts and on the cattle: the things which you took about have become a weight to the tired beast. |
The translations agree on the burdensome nature of the idols in this verse.
The structure features a main clause followed by descriptive phrases, emphasizing the actions and effects of the idols.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectבֵּל
verbכָּרַע
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 12 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
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 — Isaiah 46:1
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 Burden of Idolsgenerated
Isaiah 46:1 describes the Babylonian gods Bel and Nebo as weak and incapable of bearing the burdens of their worshippers. The verse emphasizes the futility of relying on idols that cannot help or save, contrasting their impotence with God's ability to sustain His people. This theme continues in the following verses, where God reassures Israel of His support and care, even in their old age, as seen in Isaiah 46:4.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah 21:9 | Look, here come the riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one answered, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon! All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground!” |
| 2 | Isaiah 41:6–7 | Each one helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong!” |
| 3 | Exodus 12:12 | On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. |
| 4 | 1 Samuel 5:3 | When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. |
| 5 | Jeremiah 48:1–25 | Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be devastated. Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced; the fortress will be shattered and dismantled. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — עֲמוּס֔וֹת, a.mu.Sotgenerated
The word עֲמוּס֔וֹת (a.mu.Sot) is a participle meaning 'carried' or 'burdened.' It comes from the root that implies lifting or loading something. In this verse, it conveys the idea of the burdens that the idols impose on those who worship them.
The parsing as a feminine plural participle indicates that it refers to multiple burdens, specifically those that the idols represent for the people. This highlights the weight of idolatry, as the worshippers are metaphorically 'carrying' these burdensome idols.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree here, with all versions conveying the idea of burdens associated with the idols.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse consists of multiple clauses, with the main action centered around the verbs כָּרַ֥ע (he has bowed down) and קֹרֵ֣ס (stooping low). The structure highlights the actions of the idols and their impact on the animals.
The sequence of subjects and verbs indicates a focus on the idols' weakness and the burden they create for the living creatures, emphasizing the contrast between the supposed power of the idols and their actual impotence.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates כָּרַ֥ע as ἔπεσε (he fell), which suggests a complete lack of strength in the idols. This choice underscores the theme of their failure to support their worshippers.
The translation of קֹרֵ֣ס as συνετρίβη (was crushed) further emphasizes the idols' inability to bear any weight, reinforcing the idea that they are burdens rather than sources of help.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Isaiah 46:1 describes the Babylonian gods Bel and Nebo as weak and unable to help their worshippers. The idols they represent are burdensome, making life harder for the animals and people who carry them. This verse contrasts the powerlessness of idols with God's promise to support His people.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Bel and Nebo are significant Babylonian deities, representing the futility of idol worship and the burdens that come with relying on powerless gods.
The idols are described as burdensome, indicating that they weigh down the animals and make their lives harder, reflecting the overall burden of idolatry.
This verse contrasts the burdens of idols with God's promise to carry and support His people, emphasizing His strength and care.
This verse illustrates the theme of idolatry as a source of burden and helplessness, which is a recurring motif throughout the Bible, highlighting the need for reliance on God instead.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I see idols or burdens in my own life that distract me from relying on God?
- How can I remind myself of God's ability to carry my burdens as I face challenges?
- What are some practical steps I can take to avoid the pitfalls of idolatry in my daily life?
- How does understanding the weakness of idols help me appreciate God's strength more?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers referenced this verse to discuss the futility of idol worship and God's enduring support for His people.
The prophecy has described those things concerning the conversion of the nations and those concerning the elect of the seed of the sons of Israel,Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 46 →
Bel is broken, Nabo is crushed. Their idols have become beasts and livestock, burdening you with heavy loads until exhaustion. They have melted together and crumbled.Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 46 →
Hear me, house of Jacob, and all the rest of the house of Israel, who are carried from my womb, who are born from my womb. Even to your old age, I am the one, and even to your gray hairs, I will carry you.Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 46 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Isaiah 46:1 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleVer. 1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth,.... These are names of the idols of Babylon.
Read John Gill on Isaiah 46 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.
Read Robert Jamieson on Isaiah 46 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleISAIAH CHAPTER 46 The ruin of Babylon and her idols, ,2. God’ s love and faithfulness to the Jews, ,4. Idols not to be compared with God, , for power, knowledge, and sure salvation, . Bel; the chief idol of the Babylonians, 51:44, called by profane historians Jupiter Belus. Boweth down; as the Babylonians used to bow down to him to worship him, so now he boweth down and submits himself to the victorious Persians. Nebo; another of the famous idols, which used to deliver oracles, as his name signifies. Their idols were upon the beasts; were taken and broken, and the materials of them, which were gold, and silver, and brass, as both Scripture and other authors witness, were carried upon beasts…
Read Matthew Poole on Isaiah 46 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsIsaiah 46:1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages [were] heavy loaden; [they are] a burden to the weary [beast].Ver. 1. Bel is bowed down.] Jupiter Belus (as Pliny calleth him), Babel’ s chief God, is now become a prey to the Persians, and might be to them of as great worth as was Nebuchadnezzar’ s solid gold image dedicated in Dura. This great golden image some think to be the same that is here called Nebo or Nebuchadnezzar. Others think it to be Apollo Deus vaticinus. Tremellius rendereth it, the prophesying or oracular God. Jeremiah seemeth to call him Merodach. Dagon the Septuagint render him, but not well. Your carriages…
Read John Trapp on Isaiah 46 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersXLVI. (1) Bel boweth down, Nebo Stoopeth.—Bel or Belus (“Lord “), is perhaps identical with Marduk or Merôdach, but see Note on Jeremiah 1:2. Nabu (“ the Revealer”) was a kind of Assyrian Hermes. Isaiah sees the idols carried off as spoil, at the command of Cyrus, a heavy burden for the beasts that drag them. An inscription recently deciphered by Sir H. Rawlinson (Journal of Asiatic Society, Jan. 1880, quoted by Cheyne) presents the conduct of the conqueror under a somewhat different aspect. In that inscription he describes himself as a worshipper of Bel and Nebo, and prays to them for length of days. The king would seem from this to have been as wide in his syncretic liberalism as…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Isaiah 46 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleCHAPTER XLVI The idols of Babylon represented as so far from being able to bear the burden of their votaries, that they themselves are borne by beasts of burden into captivity, 1, 2. This beautifully contrasted with the tender care of God, in bearing his people from first to last in his arms, and delivering them from their distress, 3, 4. The prophet, then, with his usual force and elegance, goes on to show the folly of idolatry, and the utter inability of idols, 5-7. From which he passes with great ease to the contemplation of the attributes and perfections of the true God, 8-10. Particularly that prescience which foretold the deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, with all…
Read AdamClarke on Isaiah 46 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1, 2. The ignominious flight of the gods of Babylon.—Bel and Nebo are the Jupiter and Mercury of the Babylonian pantheon (they are represented by these planets), and were the supreme deities in Babylon at this time. Bel (Bîlu) is the Babylonian form of the Hebrew Ba‘al (= lord), and like that word is a generic name applicable to any deity. When used as a proper name it usually denotes Merodach (Marduk), the tutelary divinity of the city of Babylon (so Jeremiah 50:2; Jeremiah 51:44); although there was an older Bel, who is spoken of as his father. The elevation of Bel-Merodach to the chief place among the older gods, as recorded in the mythical Chaldæan account of the Creation (Tablet IV., 1…
Read Cambridge on Isaiah 46 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleBel boweth down - Bel or Belus (בל bēl, from בעל be‛ēl, the same as בעל ba‛al was the chief domestic god of the Babylonians, and was worshipped in the celebrated tower of Babylon (compare Jeremiah 50:2; Jeremiah 51:44).
Read Albert Barnes on Isaiah 46 →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
Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.
Bel bows down. Nebo stoops. Their idols are carried by animals, and on the livestock. The things that you carried around are heavy loads, a burden for the weary.
Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.
Bel kneels down, Nebo bends low. Their images weigh down animals and beasts. Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals.
Tyndale line
Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.
Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth; their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: the things that ye carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary beast.
Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth; their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: the things that ye carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary beast.
Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your loads were heavy; they were a burden to the weary beast .
Bel is bowed downe: Nebo is fallen: their idoles were vpon the beastes, and vpon the cattell: they which did beare you, were laden with a wearie burden.
Strictly literal
Bel is bowed down, Nebo bendeth; their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: the things ye carried are laid on, a burden to the weary [beast].
Bowed down hath Bel, stooping is Nebo, Their idols have been for the beast and for cattle, Your burdens are loaded, a burden to the weary.
Bel has bowed down, Nebo is stooping, || Their idols have been for the beast and for livestock, || Your burdens are loaded, a burden to the weary.
Bel is bowed down, Nebo sinketh, their idols are [delivered] unto the beasts, and unto the cattle; those which were once carried by you are now laden up a burden to the weary beasts.
Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols are carried by animals and beasts of burden. These idols that you carry are a heavy burden for weary animals.
From the Latin
Bel is broken, Nebo is destroyed: their idols are put upon beasts and cattle, your burdens of heavy weight even unto weariness.
Simplified
Bel bows down, Nebo bends low; their idols are carried off on beasts of burden, a heavy weight for the tired animals.
Bel is bent down, Nebo is falling; their images are on the beasts and on the cattle: the things which you took about have become a weight to the tired beast.
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.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text aligns with the Septuagint in many respects, though the Septuagint's word order and additional interpretations reflect its own theological perspective. The Dead Sea Scrolls show partial agreement with the Masoretic Text, with some words restored by editors.
כָּרַ֥ע בֵּל֙ קֹרֵ֣ס נְב֔וֹ הָיוּ֙ עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֔ם לַחַיָּ֖ה וְלַבְּהֵמָ֑ה נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶ֣ם עֲמוּס֔וֹת מַשָּׂ֖א לַעֲיֵפָֽה׃
10 of the 12 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.
[כרע] [בל] [קרס] [נבו] [היו] [עצבי׳הם] [לחיה] [ולבהמה] נשאתי׳כם עמסות משא [לעיפה]
2 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 9 supplied entire by an editor.
כרע בל קרס נבו היו עצבי׳המה לחיה לבהמה נשאותי׳כמה עמוסות משמועי׳המה
11 words of the verse are on this fragment. The rest of the verse is not on it.
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.
Lexicons — every word in Isaiah 46:1
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.
כָּרַע (kara`) means to bow down or bend the knee. It encompasses actions like kneeling in reverence, crouching, or sinking down, and can also imply causing someone or something to bow. The term appears in various contexts, including expressions of grief and submission.
כָּרַע bow down
Qal
bow
bow down, of the crouching lion
bow down over (in order to lie with) a woman
bow down, of a woman in childbirth
Hiph.
cause to bow in grief
cause to bow down in death
base
H3766 כָּרַע bow down
3766 kara` kaw-rah'
a primitive root; to bend the knee; by implication, to sink,
to prostrate:--bow (down, self), bring down (low), cast down,
couch, fall, feeble, kneeling, sink, smite (stoop) down,
subdue, X very.
כָּרַע (ka.ra) — to bow.
1) to bend, kneel, bow, bow down, sink down to one's knees, kneel down to rest (of animals), kneel in reverence
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to bow
1a2) to bow down, crouch
1a3) to bow down over
1a4) to tilt, lean
1b) (Hiphil) to cause to bow
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singularHVqp3ms
בֵּל (Bel) refers to a chief Babylonian deity, identified with Merodach, the protector of Babylon. The name is derived from a term meaning 'lord.' The entries consistently describe Bel as a significant figure in Babylonian religion.
בֵּל n.pr.m. a chief Babylonian diety = Merodach, tutelary god of Babylon
base
H1078 בֵּל a chief Babylonian diety = Merodach, tutelary god of Babylon
1078 Bel bale
by contraction for 1168; Bel, the Baal of the Babylonians:--
Bel.
see HEBREW for 01168
בֵּל (bel) — Bel.
§ Bel = "lord"
a chief Babylonian deity
N-proper — Noun properHNpt
[BAAL]
The chief idol of the Babylonians.
The Hebrew word קָרַס (*qarac*) means to bend down, stoop, or crouch. It is derived from a primitive root suggesting a protruding or hunch-backed posture. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning related to bending or stooping.
[קָרַס] vb. bend down, stoop, crouch
base
H7164 [קָרַס] bend down, stoop, crouch
7164 qarac kaw-ras'
a primitive root; properly, to protrude; used only as
denominative from 7165 (for alliteration with 7167), to hunch,
i.e. be hump-backed:--stoop.
see HEBREW for 07165
see HEBREW for 07167
קָרַס (qa.ras) — to stoop.
(Qal) to bend down, stoop, crouch
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singularHVqrmsa
נְבוֹ (nevo) refers to several locations and a deity. It denotes a city in Moab, a city in Judah, and a mountain in Moab where Moses died. Additionally, it represents a Babylonian god associated with learning, akin to Hermes and Mercury. The name is linked to the meaning 'prophet'.
נְבוֹ n.pr.loc.
city in Moab
city in Judah
mt. in Moab, where Moses died
base
נְבוֹ n.pr.div. Nebo;—Babylonian god Is 46:1.
ref
H5015a נְבוֹ . . city in Moab
. city in Judah
. mt. in Moab, where Moses died
H5015b נְבוֹ Nebo;—Babylonian god
5015 Nbow neb-o'
probably of foreign derivation; Nebo, the name of a
Babylonian deity, also of a mountain in Moab, and of a place
in Palestine:--Nebo.
נְבוֹ (ne.vo) — Nebo.
§ Nebo = "prophet"
a city in Moab and at one time assigned to Reuben; probably located on or near Mount Nebo
נְבוֹ (ne.vo) — Nebo.
§ Nebo = "prophet"
a Babylonian deity who presided over learning and letters; corresponds to Greek Hermes, Latin Mercury, and Egyptian Thoth
נְבוֹ (ne.vo) — Nebo.
§ Nebo = "prophet"
a city in Judah (maybe Benjamin) from which the families of some exiles, who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel, originally came
נְבוֹ (ne.vo) — (Mount) Nebo.
Nebo = "prophet"
the mountain where Moses died; located east of the Jordan opposite Jericho
Also named: a.va.rim (עֲבָרִים "Abarim" H5682)
N-proper — Noun properHNpt
Nebo
Proclaimer; prophet. (1.) A Chaldean god whose worship was introduced into Assyria by Pul (Isa. 46:1; Jer. 48:1). To this idol was dedicated the great temple whose ruins are still seen at Birs Nimrud. A statue of Nebo found at Calah, where it was set up by Pul, king of Assyria, is now in the British Museum.
(2.) A mountain in the land of Moab from which Moses looked for the first and the last time on the Promised Land (Deut. 32:49; 34:1). It has been identified with Jebel Nebah, on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea, near its northern end, and about 5 miles south-west of Heshbon. It was the summit of the ridge of Pisgah (q.v.), which was a part of the range of the “mountains of Abarim.” It is about 2,643 feet in height, but…
A town of Reuben on the east side of Jordan. (Numbers 32:3,38) In the remarkable prophecy adopted by Isaiah, (Isaiah 15:2) and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 48:1,26) concerning Moab, Nebo is mentioned in the same connection as before, but in the hands of Moab. Eusebius and Jerome identify it with Nobah or Kerrath, and place it eight miles South of Heshbon, where the ruins of el-Habis appear to stand at present. (Prof. Paine identifies it with some ruins on Mount Nebo, a mile south of its summit, and Dr. Robinson seems to agree with this. --ED.) The children of Nebo returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:29; 10:43; Nehemiah 7:33) The name occurs between Bethel and Ai and Lydda…
1. A town in the vicinity of Bethel and Ai, Ezr 2:29 Ne 7:33.
2. A city of Reuben, Nu 32:38, taken by the Moabites, who held it in the time of Jeremiah, Isa 15:2 Jer 48:1.
3. A mountain of Moab, whence Moses had a view of the promised land, and where he died. It is a summit of the range Abarim, "over against Jericho." Seetzen, Burckhardy, etc., identify it with Mount Attarus, about ten miles north of the Arnon. Travelers do not observe any very prominent summit in the rage immediately opposite Jericho; but it has not yet fully explored, De 32:49 34:1-12.
that speaks or prophesies
The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
Fall out, happen
occur, take place, come about, come to pass
esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
Come into being, become
abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
sq. prep.
become
sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
sq. pred. adj.
become like
sq. pred. לְ pers.
sq. לְ pred.
oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
with עַל and לְ
sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
exist, be in existence
abide, remain, continue
with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
as copula, joining subj. & pred.
H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen
. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
. sq. prep.
. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
. sq. pred. adj.
. become like
. sq. pred. + לְ pers.
. sq. לְ pred.
. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.
. with עַל and לְ
. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence
. abide, remain, continue
1961 hayah haw-yaw
a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,
come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or
auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,
committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,
fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit
(one-)self, require, X use.
see HEBREW for 01933
הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.
1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) ---
1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass
1a1b) to come about, come to pass
1a2) to come into being, become
1a2a) to arise, appear, come
1a2b) to become
1a2b1) to become
1a2b2) to become like
1a2b3) to be instituted, be established
1a3) to be
1a3a) to exist, be in existence
1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)
1a3d) to accompany, be with
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone
HVqp3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
עָצָב (atsab) means 'idol' or 'image' and is derived from the root word for 'to carve' or 'to fashion.' The entries consistently define it as an idolatrous image, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[עָצָב] n.[m.] idol
base
H6091 [עָצָב] idol
6091 `atsab aw-tsawb'
from 6087; an (idolatrous) image:--idol, image.
see HEBREW for 06087
עָצָב (a.tsav) — idol.
idol, image
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3mp
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.
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
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
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
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
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHRd/Ncfsa
בְּהֵמָה (bhemah) refers to a beast or animal, typically denoting domesticated livestock or cattle, and occasionally wild beasts. It is derived from a root that suggests being mute, implying a 'dumb beast.' The term encompasses all living creatures other than humans, with a specific mention of large quadrupeds.
בְּהֵמָה 187 n.f. beast, animal, cattle
of living creatures other than man
opp. also to wild beasts
rarely of wild beasts, esp. carnivora
base
H929 בְּהֵמָה beast, animal, cattle . of living creatures other than man
. opp. also to wild beasts
. rarely of wild beasts, esp. carnivora
929 bhemah be-hay-maw'
from an unused root (probably meaning to be mute); properly,
a dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often
collective):--beast, cattle.
בְּהֵמָה (be.he.mah) — animal.
1) beast, cattle, animal
1a) beasts (coll of all animals)
1b) cattle, livestock (of domestic animals)
1c) wild beasts
Conj | Prep | N-fs — Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Rd/Ncfsa
kat'-'-l (behemah, "a dumb beast"; miqneh, "a possession" from qanah, "to acquire" (compare Arabic qana', "to acquire," and Greek kienos, "beast," and plural ktenea, "flocks," from ktaomai, "to acquire," flocks being both with the Homeric peoples and with the patriarchs an important form of property; compare English "fee"); tso'n "small cattle," "sheep" or goats (compare Arabic da'n, "sheep"); seh, a single sheep or goat (compare Arabic shah); mela'khah, "property," from la'akh, "to minister" (compare Arabic malakah and mulk, "property," from malak, "to possess"); meri' "fatling" (1Ki 19); thremma (Joh 4:12), "cattle," i.e. "that which is nourished," from trepho, "to nourish"; baqar, "kine," "oxen" (compare Arabic baqar, "cattle"); shor, tor (Da 4:25), tauros (
Cattle
Abounded in the Holy Land. To the rearing and management of them the inhabitants chiefly devoted themselves (Deut. 8:13; 12:21; 1 Sam. 11:5; 12:3; Ps. 144:14; Jer. 3:24). They may be classified as,
(1.) Neat cattle. Many hundreds of these were yearly consumed in sacrifices or used for food. The finest herds were found in Bashan, beyond Jordan (Num. 32:4). Large herds also pastured on the wide fertile plains of Sharon. They were yoked to the plough (1 Kings 19:19), and were employed for carrying burdens (1 Chr.…
[BULL, BULLOCK].
נְשׂוּאָה (nsuw'ah) refers to something that is borne or carried, essentially a load or burden. It is a feminine passive participle derived from the root of נָשָׂא (nasa). The term appears in the plural form in Isaiah 46:1.
[נְשׂוּאָה] n.f. what is borne about;—pl. sf. Is 46:1
ref
H5385 [נְשׂוּאָה] what is borne about
5385 nsuw'ah nes-oo-aw'
or rather, nsutah {nes-oo-aw'}; feminine. passive participle
of 5375; something borne, i.e. a load:--carriage.
see HEBREW for 05375
נְשׂוּאָה (ne.su.ah) — burden.
what is borne or carried about, load
V-Qal-Inf-c | Suff — Noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHNcfpc/Sp2mp
עָמַס (amac) is a Hebrew verb meaning to load or carry a load. It can also imply imposing a burden, either literally or figuratively. The entries indicate that it can be used in different forms, such as Qal and Hiphil, with the latter meaning to lay a load on someone or something.
[עָמַס, ?עָמַשׂ] vb. 1. load. 2 carry a load
base
H6006 [עָמַס, ?עָמַשׂ] 1. load. 2 carry a load
6006 `amac aw-mas'
or mamas {aw-mas'}; a primitive root; to load, i.e. impose a
burden (or figuratively, infliction):--be borne, (heavy)
burden (self), lade, load, put.
עָמַס (a.mas) — to lift.
1) to load, carry, carry a load
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to load
1a2) to carry a load
1b)(Hiphil) to lay a load on
V-Qal-Inf-c — Verb · Qal · participle (passive) feminine pluralHVqsfpa
מַשָּׂא (massa') refers to a load or burden, encompassing meanings like tribute and lifting. It can also signify an utterance or oracle, often linked to prophecy or song. The word is built from the root meaning to carry or lift, and it appears in contexts related to both physical and figurative burdens.
מַשָּׂא n.m. load, burden, lifting, bearing, tribute
base
מַשָּׂא n.m. utterance, oracle
base
H4853a מַשָּׂא load, burden, lifting, bearing, tribute H4853b מַשָּׂא utterance, oracle
4853 massa' mas-saw'
from 5375; a burden; specifically, tribute, or (abstractly)
porterage; figuratively, an utterance, chiefly a doom,
especially singing; mental, desire:--burden, carry away,
prophecy, X they set, song, tribute.
see HEBREW for 05375
מַשָּׂא (mas.sa) — burden.
1) load, bearing, tribute, burden, lifting
1a) load, burden
1b) lifting, uplifting, that to which the soul lifts itself up
1c) bearing, carrying
1d) tribute, that which is carried or brought or borne
מַשָּׂא (mas.sa) — oracle.
utterance, oracle, burden
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
עָיֵף (ayeph) is an adjective meaning faint or weary. It is derived from the root word corresponding to H5888 and conveys a sense of exhaustion or languor. The entries consistently emphasize its meanings related to fatigue.
עָיֵף adj. faint, weary
base
H5889 עָיֵף faint, weary
5889 `ayeph aw-yafe'
from 5888; languid:--faint, thirsty, weary.
see HEBREW for 05888
עָיֵף (a.yeph) — faint.
faint, exhausted, weary
Prep | Adj — PrepositionHR/Aafsa
an'-i-mal: See under the various names and also the general article on ZOOLOGY.
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).