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Isaiah 56:9 — Word Study

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WLCכֹּ֖ל חַיְת֣וֹ שָׂדָ֑י אֵתָ֕יוּ לֶאֱכֹ֥ל כָּל־ חַיְת֖וֹ בַּיָּֽעַר׃ ס

BSAComeʼâthâh allkôl [every single one, the entirety of] you beastschay [living creatures, animals] of the fieldsâdeh [open land, countryside] eat greedilyʼâkal [devour, consume, hungrily, without restraint] allkôl [every single one, the entirety of] you beastschay [living creatures, animals] of the forestyaʻar [woodland, wild area]

Word
Listen & take awayIsaiah 56
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 9 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 (bai.Ya.'ar) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Isaiah 56:9quick helps
In a sentenceThe Lord calls all animals from the fields and forests to come and eat.
Who is speakingThe Lord God, addressing the beasts.
Where we areA prophetic call to creatures, emphasizing their role in God's plan.
The hard wordכֹּ֖ל
Take awayAll creatures are invited to partake without restraint.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbאָתָה 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 — Isaiah 56:9

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 — A Call to the Beastsgenerated

8Thus declares the Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.”
9Come, all you beasts of the field; eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.
10Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.
11Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:

Isaiah 56:9 presents a vivid image where the Lord calls all animals of the field and forest to come and eat. This invitation underscores the inclusivity of God's call, extending beyond humanity to all living beings. The surrounding verses highlight the gathering of Israel and the blindness of its watchmen, contrasting the alertness of the beasts responding to God's command.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Deuteronomy 28:26Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away.
2Jeremiah 12:9Is not My inheritance to Me like a speckled bird of prey with other birds of prey circling against her? Go, gather all the beasts of the field; bring them to devour her.
3Ezekiel 29:5I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have given you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.
4Ezekiel 39:17And as for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: Call out to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.
5Revelation 19:17–18Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,

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

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.Deuteronomy 28:26 Jeremiah 12:9 Ezekiel 29:5 Ezekiel 39:17 Revelation 19:17–18

The Key Word כֹּ֖ל, kolgenerated

The Hebrew word כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It signifies totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. In this context, it emphasizes the entirety of the beasts being called, indicating no exclusion.

This term is foundational in biblical texts, representing completeness and universality. Its frequent use throughout scripture, such as in Genesis 1:31, illustrates God's comprehensive view of creation, where He sees everything as very good.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations agree here, all rendering the call to the beasts similarly, emphasizing the invitation to all creatures.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse consists of two main clauses: the first is an imperative call to the beasts, and the second describes the action they are to take. The structure emphasizes the direct command from God to the animals, highlighting the urgency of the invitation.

The word order places emphasis on the call to 'come,' followed by the action of 'eating,' which is directed to all beasts, reinforcing the totality of the invitation.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word כֹּל is rendered as πάντα (panta), meaning 'all.' This choice maintains the inclusivity of the original Hebrew, indicating that the call extends to every creature.

The translation choice reflects a consistent understanding of the term's meaning, ensuring that the invitation remains universal.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Isaiah 56:9 shows the Lord calling all the beasts of the field and forest to come and eat. This call emphasizes that every creature is included in God's invitation, highlighting the idea that all living beings respond to His command.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean for the beasts to be called to eat?

The call signifies God's provision and invitation for all living creatures to partake in His abundance.

Why does God address the beasts in this verse?

This address illustrates God's sovereignty over all creation, showing that His care extends beyond humanity to all living beings.

What is the significance of the beasts of the field and forest?

These creatures symbolize the broader creation that responds to God's commands, contrasting with the blindness of Israel's watchmen.

How does this verse connect to the surrounding context?

The surrounding verses highlight God's gathering of His people and the failures of their leaders, while the beasts respond to His call, indicating a theme of responsiveness to God's authority.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I see God's provision in my life, similar to how He provides for all creatures?
  2. How can I be more aware of God's call in my life, just as the beasts respond to His invitation?
  3. What does it mean to me that God includes all living beings in His plans?
  4. How can I reflect the responsiveness of the beasts in my own relationship with God?

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

Early commentators like Eusebius of Caesarea and Theodoret of Cyrus reference this verse to discuss God's invitation to all nations and creatures, illustrating the inclusivity of His call.

Eusebius of CaesareaCOMMENTARY ON Isaiah 2:45 c. 260–340
We have often seen the mass of the other nations called “the woodlands.” These are the beasts of God’s calling worthy to be called up due to their fear.
Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 56 →
Theodoret of CyrusCOMMENTARY ON Isaiah 18:56.6-9 c. 393–460
Having made these promises to foreigners and eunuchs, he predicts to the Jews the last siege that would be made by the Romans.… The Roman army was gathered from diverse nations,
Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 56 →
Procopius of GazaCOMMENTARY ON Isaiah 56:1-11 c. 465–528
“The beasts of the forest” means the nations. For a forest denotes the group of nations of different branches that he invites to the spiritual banquet.
Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 56 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Isaiah 56:9 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour,.... Which may be understood either literally of savage beasts being called to devour the slain, signifying a great slaughter that should be made, like that

Read John Gill on Isaiah 56 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

Read Robert Jamieson on Isaiah 56 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

This invitation or proclamation is a prediction of Israel’ s destruction by their cruel enemies, which are oft expressed in Scripture under the names of ravenous beasts. But the great question is, What connexion this part of the chapter hath with the former? Which may be thus conceived: The prophet having largely discoursed concerning the Messiah, and his church and kingdom, and particularly of the great accession and conversion of the Gentiles to it, and of the infidelity, apostacy, and manifold wickednesses of the Jewish nation, and having comforted and encouraged the Gentiles with God’ s gracious promises made to them, he now proceeds to terrify the unbelieving and ungodly Jews, and to…

Read Matthew Poole on Isaiah 56 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Isaiah 56:9 All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, [yea], all ye beasts in the forest.Ver. 9. All ye beasts of the field, come to devour.] Statim quasi vehementer ira accensus, &c. All upon the sudden, as one much enraged against the wicked priests especially, as greatest traitors to the state, the Lord thundereth and threateneth terribly. By the beasts here called for, we may understand the Babylonians, Grecians, Syrians, Egyptians, but especially the Romans, who made clean work of them, whenas they were grown extremely wicked, and even ripe for ruin, as Josephus witnesseth. See Jeremiah 50:17.

Read John Trapp on Isaiah 56 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(9) All ye beasts of the field . . .—The sudden change of tone indicates that we enter on an entirely new section, which extends to the close of Isaiah 57. The contents of that section fit in with the assumption of its having been written early in the reign of Manasseh, better than With that of a date after the exile. The opening words summon the enemies of Israel to do their work of punishment, and this is followed naturally by a denunciation of the sins which had made it necessary. For the form of the summons, comp. Ezekiel 34:8; Jeremiah 12:9.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Isaiah 56 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 9. All ye beasts of the field] Here manifestly begins a new section. The prophet in the foregoing chapters, having comforted the faithful Jews with many great promises of God's favour to be extended to them, in the restoration of their ruined state, and in the enlargement of his Church by the admission of the Gentiles; here on a sudden makes a transition to the more disagreeable part of the prospect, and to a sharp reproof of the wicked and unbelievers; and especially of the negligent and faithless governors and teachers, of the idolaters and hypocrites, who would still draw down his judgments upon the nation. Probably having in view the destruction of their city and polity by the…

Read AdamClarke on Isaiah 56 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ch. Isaiah 56:9 to Isaiah 57:21. A Protest against the Unworthy Shepherds of God’s Flock, and the arrogant Heathenism by which it is threatened; followed by a Message of Consolation to True IsraelitesThis sombre and impassioned discourse is composed of three parts: i. ch. Isaiah 56:9 to Isaiah 57:2.—The defenceless condition of the community, due to the incompetence of its spiritual leaders. (1) All the wild beasts of the field and the forest are invited to come and devour the unprotected flock (Isaiah 56:9). (2) For its rulers neglect their duty; they are inefficient as dumb dogs, they are slothful, greedy and sensual (Isaiah 56:10-12). (3) In consequence of their incapacity the righteous…

Read Cambridge on Isaiah 56 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All ye beasts of the field - This evidently commences a new subject, and refers to some invasion of the land of Judea.

Read Albert Barnes on Isaiah 56 →

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

Come, all you beasts of the field; eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

All you animals of the field, come to devour, all you animals in the forest.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Come, all you beasts of the field; eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.

NETBNew English Translation2006

All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

RVARevised Version, American1894

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yes, all ye beasts in the forest.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

All ye beastes of the fielde, come to deuoure, euen all ye beastes of the forest.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, all ye beasts in the forest.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Every beast of the field, Come to devour, every beast in the forest.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Every beast of the field, || Come to devour, every beast in the forest.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, [yea,] all ye beasts in the forest.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

All you wild beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts in the forest!

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

All ye beasts of the field come to devour, all ye beasts of the forest.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Come, wild animals, wild animals of the countryside and forests, come and eat my people!

BBEBible in Basic English1949

All you beasts of the field, come together for your meat, even all you beasts of the wood.

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.

clauseclausenoun phraseכֹּ֖לO.everynoun phraseחַיְת֣וֹanimalשָׂדָ֑יof.[the].fieldclauseverbאֵתָ֕יוּcomeprepositional phrase · prepositionalלֶtoclauseverbאֱכֹ֥לdevourclausenoun phrasenoun phraseכָּלO.everyחַיְת֖וֹanimalprepositional phraseבַּinnoun phrasetheיָּֽעַרforest

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


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

The Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, and the Dead Sea Scrolls all agree in their wording for this verse. The scrolls provide a nearly complete match to the Masoretic Text, confirming the consistency of the text across different ancient witnesses.

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

כֹּ֖ל חַיְת֣וֹ שָׂדָ֑י אֵתָ֕יוּ לֶאֱכֹ֥ל כָּל־ חַיְת֖וֹ בַּיָּֽעַר׃ ס

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
כֹּ֖לπάνταחַיְת֣וֹτὰשָׂדָ֑יἄγριαאֵתָ֕יוּδεῦτεלֶאֱכֹ֥לφάγετεכָּל־πάνταחַיְת֖וֹτὰבַּיָּֽעַר׃ סδρυμοῦ

8 of the 8 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.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Qisaaa copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

כול חיות שדה אתיו לאכול וכול חיות ביער

8 words on the leather.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Q8a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

כל חיתו שדי אתיו לאכל כל חייתו ביער

7 words on the leather — 1 partly restored.

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.

Isaiah 56:9כֹּלO everyO everyכֹּלחַיanimal ofanimal ofחַישָׂדַי[the] field[the] fieldשָׂדַיאָתָהcomecomeאָתָהאָכַלto devourto devourאָכַלכֹּלO everyO everyכֹּלחַיanimalanimalחַייַ֫עַרin the forein the forestיַ֫עַרכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלחָיָהto liveto liveחָיָהעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףשָׂדַיfieldfieldשָׂדַיעֵ֫שֶׂבvegetationvegetationעֵ֫שֶׂבכֶּרֶםvineyardvineyardכֶּרֶםבָּעָהto enquireto enquireבָּעָהפַּ֫חַדdreaddreadפַּ֫חַדשָׁתָהto drinkto drinkשָׁתָהלֶ֫חֶםfoodfoodלֶ֫חֶםכַּרְמֶלplantationplantationכַּרְמֶללְבָנוֹן(Valley of(Valley of) Lebלְבָנוֹן
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 Isaiah 56:9

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.

O every animal of [the] field come to devour O every animal in the forest
כֹּ֖לkol O every H3605 Noun common · masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Amplified meaning
every single one, the entirety of
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

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

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

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

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

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

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

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

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

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

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

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

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

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

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

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
O every animal of [the] field come to devour O every animal in the forest
חַיְת֣וֹchay.To animal of H2416 Noun common · feminine singular construct
498× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means life or being alive. It can refer to physical life, like in Genesis 1:20, or spiritual life, like in Psalm 30:5.
Amplified meaning
living creatures, animals
Tyndale gloss
alive
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חַי adj. alive, living

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

of man

of animals, alive, living

animals and man

(dub.) of vegetation, as thorns, green

of water, fresh

(dub.) lively, active

reviving

base

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

ref

חַיָּה n.f. living thing, animal

animal

in general

wild animals, on account of their vital energy and activity

living beings, of the cherubic chariot

life, only in late poetry

appetite, activity of hunger

revival, renewal

base

חַיָּה n.f. community

base

חַיִּים n.m. pl. abstr. emph. life

life: physical

life: as welfare and happiness in king's presence

sustenance, maintenance

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

. of man

. of animals, alive, living

. animals and man

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

. of water, fresh

. (dub.) lively, active

. reviving

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

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

. living beings, of the cherubic chariot

. life, only in late poetry

. appetite, activity of hunger

. revival, renewal

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

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

. sustenance, maintenance

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2416 chay khah'-ee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

see HEBREW for 02421

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חַי (chay) — alive.

adj

1) living, alive

1a) green (of vegetation)

1b) flowing, fresh (of water)

1c) lively, active (of man)

1d) reviving (of the springtime)

Aramaic equivalent: chay (חַי "living" H2417)

חַי (chay) — kinsfolk.

kinsfolk

חַיָּה (chay.yah) — living thing.

1) living thing, animal

1a) animal

1b) life

1c) appetite

1d) revival, renewal

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

חַיָּה (chay.yah) — community.

community

חַיִּים (chay.yim) — life.

1) life (abstract emphatic)

1a) life

1b) sustenance, maintenance

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular construct
HNcfsc
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…

O every animal of [the] field come to devour O every animal in the forest
שָׂדָ֑יsa.Dai [the] field H7704 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
334× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A field or land is what this word represents, often referring to a flat area of land used for cultivation or as a habitat for wild animals, as described in the book of Genesis. It can also mean a plain or a country, as opposed to a mountain or sea. This term is used in the story of Ruth and Boaz.
Amplified meaning
open land, countryside
Tyndale gloss
field
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׂדַי (saday) and שָׂדֶה (sadeh) both refer to a field or land, encompassing cultivated areas, open fields, and regions opposed to mountains or seas. The terms can denote specific portions of ground and are associated with wildlife habitats. They derive from a root meaning to spread out, indicating flat, expansive areas.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׂדַי n.m. field, land

cultivated field

home of wild beasts

plain, opp. mt.

land, opp. sea

base

שָׂדֶה 819 n.m. id. [u.ak.ab]

(ordinary contr. form)open field, country

definite portion of ground, field, land

land, opp. sea

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7704a שָׂדַי field, land . cultivated field

. home of wild beasts

. plain, opp. mt.

. land, opp. sea

H7704b שָׂדֶה id. [7704a] . open field, country

. definite portion of ground, field, land

. land, opp. sea

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7704 sadeh saw-deh'

or saday {saw-dah'-ee}; from an unused root meaning to spread

out; a field (as flat):--country, field, ground, land, soil,

X wild.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׂדַי (sa.day) — Sirion.

This name means field, land, plain

Another spelling of cher.mon (חֶרְמוֹן "(Mount )Hermon" H2768)

שָׂדֶה (sa.deh) — land: soil.

: soil

1) field, land

1a) open field, country

1b) definite portion of ground, field, land

1c) land (opposed to sea)

שָׂדֶה (sa.deh) — land: country.

: country/field

1) field, land

1a) open field, country

1b) definite portion of ground, field, land

1c) land (opposed to sea)

שָׂדֶה (sa.deh) — Field (of the Launderer).

Combined with ka.vas (כָּבַס "Washer's" H3526)

This name means field, land

שָׂדֶה (sa.deh) — land: wildlife.

: wild(animals/plants)

1) field, land

1a) open field, country

1b) definite portion of ground, field, land

1c) land (opposed to sea)

שָׂדַי (sa.day) — field.

1) field, land

1a) cultivated field

1b) of home of wild beasts

1c) plain (opposed to mountain)

1d) land (opposed to sea)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

feld.

See AGRICULTURE.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Field

(Heb. sadeh), a cultivated field, but unenclosed. It is applied to any cultivated ground or pasture (Gen. 29:2; 31:4; 34:7), or tillage (Gen. 37:7; 47:24). It is also applied to woodland (Ps. 132:6) or mountain top (Judg. 9:32, 36; 2 Sam. 1:21). It denotes sometimes a cultivated region as opposed to the wilderness (Gen. 33:19; 36:35). Unwalled villages or scattered houses are spoken of as “in the fields” (Deut. 28:3, 16; Lev. 25:31;

The Hebrew sadeh is applied to any cultivated ground, and in some instances in marked opposition to the neighboring wilderness. On the other hand the sadeh is frequently contrasted with what is enclosed, whether a vineyard, a garden or a walled town. In many passages the term implies what is remote from a house, (Genesis 4:8; 24:63; 22:25) or settled habitation, as in the case of Esau. (Genesis 25:27) The separate plots of ground were marked off by stones, which might easily be removed, (19:14; 27:17) cf. Job 24:2; Prov 22:28; 23:10 The absence of fences rendered the fields liable to damage from straying cattle, (Exodus…

O every animal of [the] field come to devour O every animal in the forest
אֵתָ֕יוּ'e.Ta.yu come H857 Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine plural
21× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To arrive or come to a place, it can also mean to bring something. It is used in the Bible to describe the coming of people, events, or things.
Tyndale gloss
to come
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָתָה (athah) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to come' or 'to arrive.' It has a Qal stem indicating a simple action of coming, and a Hiphil stem meaning to bring. The term appears primarily in poetic contexts, and its Aramaic equivalent is also noted.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָתָה vb. come (in Heb. only poet.)

Qal come

Hiph. bring

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H857 אָתָה come (in Heb. only poet.)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

857 'athah aw-thaw'

or matha {aw-thaw'}; a primitive root (collateral to 225

contraction); to arrive:--(be-, things to) come (upon),

bring.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָתָה (a.tah) — to come.

1) to come, arrive

1a) (Qal) to come (of men, time, beasts, calamity)

1b) (Hiphil) to bring

Aramaic equivalent: a.tah (אֲתָה "to come" H0858)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Impv-2mp — Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine plural
HVqv2mp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kum: The translation of many Hebrew and Greek words. In the phrase "The Spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon him" (Jud 14:6,19; 15:14; 1Sa 10:10; 11:6; 16:13), the word is tsaleah; Jud 14:6; 15:14 "came mightily," which is the uniform translation of the Revised Version (British and American) (compare Jud 13:25 "to move," i.e. to disturb or stir up). In Jud 6:34; 1Ch 12:18; 2Ch 24:20, it is labhesh, "to clothe"; the Revised Version, margin "The Spirit .... clothed itself with Gideon" and .... "with Zechariah,"…

O every animal of [the] field come to devour O every animal in the forest
לֶאֱכֹ֥לle.'e.Khol to devour H398 Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
810× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to eat or devour, and it's used in many stories, including when Jesus fed the 5000 with fish and bread in the book of Matthew. It's about taking in nourishment and being satisfied.
Amplified meaning
devour, consume, hungrily, without restraint
Tyndale gloss
to eat
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָכַל (akal) means 'to eat' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including literal consumption by humans and animals, as well as figurative uses like devouring by fire or destruction. It can describe actions such as feeding or causing to eat, and it also appears in contexts of oppression and destruction. The verb has various forms, indicating different subjects and nuances.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָכַל 806 vb. eat

Qal

eat, human subject

of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour

fig. of fire, devour, consume

of sword, devour, slay

in genl., devour, consume, destroy

fig. of oppression, devour the poor

Niph.

be eaten by man

be devoured by fire, consumed

be wasted, destroyed, of flesh

Pu. be consumed

Hiph.

cause to eat, feed with

cause to devoure, obj. sword

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H398 אָכַל eat .. eat, human subject

. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour

. fig. of fire, devour, consume

. of sword, devour, slay

. in genl., devour, consume, destroy

. fig. of oppression, devour the poor

. . be eaten by man

. be devoured by fire, consumed

. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh

. be consumed

. . cause to eat, feed with

. cause to devoure, obj. sword

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

398 'akal aw-kal'

a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively):--X at

all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up),

feed (with), food, X freely, X in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay)

meat, X quite.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָכַל (a.khal) — to eat.

1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to eat (human subject)

1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds)

1a3) to devour, consume (of fire)

1a4) to devour, slay (of sword)

1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought)

1a6) to devour (of oppression)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be eaten (by men)

1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire)

1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh)

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to cause to eat, feed with

1c2) to cause to devour

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to feed

1d2) to cause to eat

1e) (Piel)

1e1) consume

Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
HR/Vqcc
O every animal of [the] field come to devour O every animal in the forest
כָּל־kol- O every H3605 Noun common · masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Amplified meaning
every single one, the entirety of
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

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

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

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

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

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

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

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

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

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

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

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

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

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

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

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
O every animal of [the] field come to devour O every animal in the forest
חַיְת֖וֹchay.To animal H2416 Noun common · feminine singular construct
498× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means life or being alive. It can refer to physical life, like in Genesis 1:20, or spiritual life, like in Psalm 30:5.
Amplified meaning
living creatures, animals
Tyndale gloss
alive
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חַי adj. alive, living

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

of man

of animals, alive, living

animals and man

(dub.) of vegetation, as thorns, green

of water, fresh

(dub.) lively, active

reviving

base

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

ref

חַיָּה n.f. living thing, animal

animal

in general

wild animals, on account of their vital energy and activity

living beings, of the cherubic chariot

life, only in late poetry

appetite, activity of hunger

revival, renewal

base

חַיָּה n.f. community

base

חַיִּים n.m. pl. abstr. emph. life

life: physical

life: as welfare and happiness in king's presence

sustenance, maintenance

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

. of man

. of animals, alive, living

. animals and man

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

. of water, fresh

. (dub.) lively, active

. reviving

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

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

. living beings, of the cherubic chariot

. life, only in late poetry

. appetite, activity of hunger

. revival, renewal

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

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

. sustenance, maintenance

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2416 chay khah'-ee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

see HEBREW for 02421

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חַי (chay) — alive.

adj

1) living, alive

1a) green (of vegetation)

1b) flowing, fresh (of water)

1c) lively, active (of man)

1d) reviving (of the springtime)

Aramaic equivalent: chay (חַי "living" H2417)

חַי (chay) — kinsfolk.

kinsfolk

חַיָּה (chay.yah) — living thing.

1) living thing, animal

1a) animal

1b) life

1c) appetite

1d) revival, renewal

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

חַיָּה (chay.yah) — community.

community

חַיִּים (chay.yim) — life.

1) life (abstract emphatic)

1a) life

1b) sustenance, maintenance

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular construct
HNcfsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Animal

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

O every animal of [the] field come to devour O every animal in the forest
בַּיָּֽעַר׃ סbai.Ya.'ar in the forest H3293 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
59× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word Yaar refers to a forest or a copse of bushes, and also to a honeycomb. It is associated with Kiriath-jearim, a place name in the Bible. This word is used to describe natural environments.
Amplified meaning
woodland, wild area
Tyndale gloss
Jaar
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יַ֫עַר (ya'ar) refers to both a wood or forest and a honeycomb. The word is derived from a root suggesting thick vegetation. It encompasses meanings related to wooded areas and also has a specific reference to honeycomb, possibly due to its association with trees. Some entries connect it to specific locations or phrases in the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יַ֫עַר n.m. wood, forest, thicket

base

יַ֫עַר n.[m.] honeycomb

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3293a יַ֫עַר wood, forest, thicket H3293b יַ֫עַר honeycomb

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3293 ya`ar yah'-ar

from an unused root probably meaning to thicken with verdure;

a copse of bushes; hence, a forest; hence, honey in the comb

(as hived in trees):--(honey-)comb, forest, wood.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יַ֫עַר (ya.ar) — wood.

forest, wood, thicket, wooded height

Also means: ya.or (יָעוֹר "wood" H3264)

יַ֫עַר (ya.ar) — honeycomb.

honeycomb

יַ֫עַר (ya.ar) — Jaar.

honeycomb

Another name of qir.yat ye.a.rim (קִרְיַת יְעָרִים "Kiriath-jearim" H7157)

יַ֫עַר (ya.ar) — (Ephraim) Forest.

Combined with eph.ra.yim (אֶפְרַ֫יִם " of Ephraim" H0669K)

§ honeycomb

יַ֫עַר (ya.ar) — (House of) the Forest.

Combined with ba.yit (בַּ֫יִת "House" H1004J)

§ honeycomb

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HRd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

for'-est:

(1) choresh (compare proper name Harosheth), 2Ch 27:4. In 1Sa 23:15 ff translated "wood"; in Isa 17:9, "wood"; in Eze 31:3, "forest-like shade." Applied to any thick growth of vegetation but not necessarily so extensive as (3).

(2) pardec: Ne 2:8, margin "park"; Ec 2:5, the King James Version "orchards," the Revised Version (British and American) "parks"; So 4:13, English Versions of the Bible "orchard," the Revised Version, margin "paradise." A word of Persian origin signifying probably an enclosure.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Forest

Heb. ya’ar, meaning a dense wood, from its luxuriance. Thus all the great primeval forests of Syria (Eccl. 2:6; Isa. 44:14; Jer. 5:6; Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic forest of Ephraim (2 Sam. 18:6, 8; Josh. 17:15, 18), which is probably the same as the wood of Ephratah (Ps. 132:6), some part of the great forest of Gilead. It was in this forest that Absalom was slain by Joab. David withdrew to the forest of Hareth in the mountains of Judah to avoid the fury of Saul (

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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