יֵשׁ 187 substantive
being, substance, existence (on etymology see
2) —
יֵשׁ Genesis 18:24 etc.;
יֶשֿׁ Genesis 31:29 + often;
הֲיֵשׁ Genesis 24:23 +
18 times (so
אִשׁ 2 Samuel 14:19,
הַאִשׁ Micah 6:10), with suffix
יֶשְׁךָ Genesis 24:42 +
2 times;
יֶשְׁכֶם Genesis 24:49;
הֲיִשְׁכֶם Deuteronomy 13:4;
יֶשְׁנוֺ (Ol
§ 97 b Sta
§ 370 b)
Deuteronomy 29:14;
1 Samuel 14:39 (+
1 Samuel 14:41 We Dr),
1 Samuel 23:23;
Esther 3:8; —
1. substance, only
Proverbs 8:21 לְהַנְחִיל אֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ to cause them that love me to inherit
substance (so
Sir 42:3).
2. elsewhere (properly as a substantive in the
stative construct), it asserts
existence, and so corresponds to the
verb substantive, is (are, was, were, will be), literally
the being, presence of... (so Biblical Aramaic
H383 אִתַי; Aramaic
איתא,
אית,
[whence
(self-)
existent,
essence, substance], with
לָא contracted
לַיִת,
לֵית,
; Mandean
עת,
עית,
לאיית; Arabic [with irregular
]
(inflected as a verb,
,
, etc.; W
AG i. § 182, ii. § 42)
is not (
is known only in two proverbial sayings, as a secondary form Fl
Kl. Schr. i. 146 f.); Assyrian
išû,
be,
have Dl
HWB 310; with affix
1st person singular la-a i-ša-a-ku, I have not, TP
i. 57 f.. On this word, see especially Nö
M. § 213, who exemplifies its different constructions in Semitic, and shews how it tends to pass into a verb; —
(1) in Biblical Aramaic, Syriac, Babylonian
, with possessive suffix;
(2) in later Palestinian dialects, Jerusalem
, Jerusalem Talmud, sometimes also in Babylonian
and Syriac, with independent personal pronoun (as
לית אנא,
לית הוא);
(3) in Mandean, Babylonian Talmud, sometimes in Syriac and Arabic, and in Hebrew יֶשְׁנוֺ, with object. (verbal) suffix;
(4) in Arabic, as a true verb. In Ethiopic
literally
therein, German
es gibt, is similar in use (Di
Gr. § 167, l), though not of course in origin. In Hebrew the corresponding negative is
אַיִן, which see, the construction of which is quite similar) — is, are, was, were, etc., not, however, as a mere copula, but implying existence with emphasis (hence in English to be often represented by the substantive verb in italics):
b. absolutely,
there is (
es. gibt, il y a),
Genesis 18:24 אולי ישׁ חמשׁים צדיקים בעיר perhaps there
are fifty righteous in the city,
Genesis 24:23 הישׁ בית אביך מקום לנו ללון,
Genesis 42:1 כי ישׁ שׁבר במצ׳ that there
was corn in Egypt,
Judges 4:20 הישׁ פה אישׁ,
2 Samuel 9:1;
2 Kings 5:8 he shall know that there
is (emphatic) a prophet in Israel,
Ruth 3:12 there
is a kinsman nearer than I,
Psalm 58:12 [
Psalm 58:11]surely there
are gods judging on the earth: so in aphorisms, asserting the existence of a particular character, quality, etc.,
Proverbs 11:24 ישׁ מפזר ונוסף עוד,
Proverbs 12:18;
Proverbs 13:7,
23;
Proverbs 14:12;
Proverbs 16:25;
Proverbs 18:24;
Proverbs 20:15;
Ecclesiastes 2:21;
Ecclesiastes 4:8;
Ecclesiastes 5:12;
Ecclesiastes 6:1,
11;
Ecclesiastes 7:15 (twice in verse);
Ecclesiastes 8:14 (
3 times in verse);
Ecclesiastes 10:5. In questions, or protestations,
יֵשׁ often implies a doubt whether what is asked about is to be found or exists:
1 Kings 18:10;
Jeremiah 5:1 and see
אם ישׁ אישׁ if there
is (emphatic) a man doing justice, etc. (compare
Psalm 14:2), Psalm 14:22;
Isaiah 44:8 הישׁ אלהים is there a god beside me?
Psalm 7:4 אם ישׁ עול בכפי if there
is iniquity in my hands!
Psalm 73:11 is there knowledge in the Most High?
Job 5:1;
Job 6:30;
Lamentations 1:2.
c. special phrases: —
(b) יֵשׁ לְ =
has (
had), especially with pronouns
יֵשׁ לִי,
יֵשׁ לְךָ; etc.,
Genesis 33:9 יֶשׁלִֿי רָב I have plenty,
Genesis 33:11;
Genesis 43:7 הישׁ לכם אח,
Genesis 44:20 ישׁ לנו אב זקן,
1 Samuel 17:40 that they may know
כי ישׁ אלהים לישׂראל that Israel
has (emphatic) a god,
2 Kings 4:2 מַהיֶּֿשׁלָֿכְי what
hast thou ?
Job 14:7 for a tree
has (emphatic) hope (compare
Ruth 1:12), Ruth 25:3; Ruth 28:1; Ruth 38:28
׃הישׁ למטר אב Genesis 39:5 (twice in verse);
Genesis 39:8, * F f
כל אשׁר יֶשׁלֿו all that had (
Genesis 39:4 without
אשׁר, probably error).
(h) לֹא יֵשׁ Job 9:33 (compare
,
: but
Me and others
לֻא). — As a rule,
יֵשׁ precedes its substantive (from which, however, like
אין, it may be separated:
Genesis 24:23;
Genesis 43:7 הֲיֵשׁ לָכֶם אָח,
Genesis 44:19,
20;
1 Samuel 20:8 etc.); but occasionally, for greater emphasis, this is prefixed:
1 Samuel 21:5 כי אם לחם קדשׁ ישׁ but holy bread
there is! Isaiah 43:8 the blind people,
ועינים ישׁ though it
has eyes,
Judges 19:19 לחם ויין ישׁ לי (compare
אַיִן 2 c).
See related Aramaic BDB entry
H383.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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