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Job 10:5 — Word Study

Depth

WLCהֲכִימֵ֣י אֱנ֣וֹשׁ יָמֶ֑יךָ אִם־ שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָ כִּ֣ימֵי גָֽבֶר׃

BSAAre Your daysyôwm [as the days of man] like thoseyôwm of a [mortal]ʼĕnôwsh [human, enosh] orʼim Your yearsshâneh [like man's days, as the time of man] like thoseyôwm of a mangeber [great man, a man of strength]

Word
Listen & take awayJob 10
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 5 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 (Ga.ver) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Job 10:5quick helps
In a sentenceJob questions whether God's days and years are comparable to those of humans.
Who is speakingJob, in a dialogue with God.
Where we areJob is expressing his deep anguish and confusion regarding God's nature.
The hard wordאֱנ֣וֹשׁ
Take awayJob is pondering the vast difference between divine and human existence.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause 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 — Job 10:5

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 — Job's Plea to Godgenerated

4Do You have eyes of flesh? Do You see as man sees?
5Are Your days like those of a mortal, or Your years like those of a man,
6that You should seek my iniquity and search out my sin—
7though You know that I am not guilty, and there is no deliverance from Your hand?

Job 10:5 reveals Job's struggle to understand God's nature in light of human frailty. He questions if God's days and years are like those of a mortal man, emphasizing the contrast between divine eternity and human temporality. This inquiry is set within a broader lament where Job expresses his feelings of injustice and seeks to comprehend his suffering in the context of God's power and knowledge, as seen in the surrounding verses.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 90:2–4Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
2Psalm 102:12–24But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures to all generations.
3Hebrews 1:12You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.”
42 Peter 3:8Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days,Psalm 90:2–4 Psalm 102:12–24 Hebrews 1:12 2 Peter 3:8

The Key Word אֱנ֣וֹשׁ, 'e.No.oshgenerated

The word אֱנ֣וֹשׁ ('enosh) refers to a human being or mankind, often highlighting the mortality and frailty of humans. It is derived from a root that emphasizes the transient nature of human life, distinguishing it from more exalted terms for man.

In this verse, Job uses אֱנ֣וֹשׁ to draw a stark comparison between the finite existence of humans and the eternal nature of God, questioning if God's experience of time aligns with that of a mere mortal.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

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


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse is structured around a main clause that poses a rhetorical question: הֲכִימֵ֣י, Are Your days? This is followed by a parallel structure that compares God's days and years to those of a mortal man.

The Hebrew syntax emphasizes the contrast between the divine and human experience of time, with the finite verb הֲכִימֵ֣י leading the inquiry into God's nature.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the translators chose the Greek word to render הֲכִימֵ֣י, which suggests a direct equivalence in questioning but may imply a different nuance in understanding God's temporal nature compared to the Hebrew.

The choice of reflects a more philosophical inquiry into existence, possibly indicating a broader interpretation of the relationship between God and humanity.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Job 10:5 asks whether God's days are like those of a mortal man. Job is expressing his confusion about God's nature and how it relates to human experience, emphasizing the differences in how time is perceived by God compared to humans.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Job mean by questioning God's days?

Job is exploring the idea that God's experience of time may not be like that of humans, highlighting the vast difference between divine and human existence.

Why does Job refer to humans as 'enosh'?

The term 'enosh' emphasizes the frailty and mortality of humans, contrasting their limited existence with God's eternal nature.

How does this verse reflect Job's overall struggle?

This verse encapsulates Job's deep anguish and his quest for understanding in the face of suffering and divine power.

What is the significance of the comparison between God's years and a man's years?

This comparison underscores the finite nature of human life in contrast to God's eternal existence, prompting reflection on the nature of suffering and divine justice.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I perceive the differences between my experiences and God's nature?
  2. How can understanding the concept of mortality deepen my relationship with God?
  3. What questions do I have about God's nature that I can bring to Him?
  4. How does Job's struggle resonate with my own experiences of suffering or questioning?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Job 10:5 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

[Are] thy days as the days of man?.... No, they are not: not so few; the days of the years of man's life in common are threescore years and ten, Psalms 90:10; but a thousand years with the Lord are

Read John Gill on Job 10 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days, Hast thou eyes of flesh? ... Are thy days as the days of man? ... That thou inquirest after mine iniquity?

Read Robert Jamieson on Job 10 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Man’ s time is short and uncertain, and therefore he must improve his time whilst he hath it, and diligently search out the crimes of malefactors, and punish them whilst he may, lest by death he lose the opportunity of doing justice, and the criminal get out of his power. But it is not so with thee, thou art eternal and unchangeable, and seest at one view all men’ s hearts, and all their actions present and to come; and therefore thou dost not need to proceed with me in this manner, by making so long and so severe a scrutiny into my heart and life.

Read Matthew Poole on Job 10 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 10:5 [Are] thy days as the days of man? [are] thy years as man’ s days,Ver. 5. Are thy days as the days of man?] Art thou mortal and short lived, as sorry man is, that thou proceedest in this sudden and severe manner, as if thou shouldest not have time enough to try me, and to take an order with me? Art not thou eternal, and dost thou not know in the indivisible moment of thine eternity, all what hath been, is, and shall be? "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world," Acts 15:18; yea, long before. The truth is, neither foreknowledge nor remembrance are properly in God, since all things, both past and future, are present with him, Romans 4:17 2 Peter 3:8 Jeremiah…

Read John Trapp on Job 10 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 5. Are thy days as the days of man] אנוש enosh, wretched, miserable man. Thy years as man's days; גבר gaber, the strong man. Thou art not short-lived, like man in his present imperfect state; nor can the years of the long-lived patriarchs be compared with thine. The difference of the phraseology in the original justifies this view of the subject. Man in his low estate cannot be likened unto thee; nor can he in his greatest excellence, though made in thy own image and likeness, be compared to thee.

Read AdamClarke on Job 10 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5–7. Then he asks if God’s life be brief like human life, that by the inquisition of chastisements He seeks to bring Job’s sin to light, lest His victim should outlive Him, and hurries on his punishment lest some one should rescue His captive from His hand.

Read Cambridge on Job 10 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Are thy days as the days of man - Does thy life pass on like that of man? Dost thou expect soon to die, that thou dost pursue me in this manner, searching out my sins, and afflicting me as if there were no time to lose?

Read Albert Barnes on Job 10 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

5. As man’s days — The third reason Job gives is, that God’s years are not limited like the days of men. There is, therefore, no danger that man should outlive Deity, and thus escape his just deserts.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 10 →

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

Are Your days like those of a mortal, or Your years like those of a man,

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Are your days as the days of mortals, or your years as man’s years,

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Are Your days like those of a mortal, or Your years like those of a man,

NETBNew English Translation2006

Are your days like the days of a mortal, or your years like the years of a mortal,

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man’s days,

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Are thy days as the days of man, Or thy years as man’s days,

RVARevised Version, American1894

Are thy days as the days of man, or thy years as man’s days,

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days,

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Are thy dayes as mans dayes? or thy yeres, as the time of man,

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Are thy days as the days of a mortal? are thy years as a man's days,

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

As the days of man [are] Thy days? Thy years as the days of a man?

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

[Are] Your days as the days of man? Your years as the days of a man?

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Are thy days as the days of a mortal, or are thy years as the days of a man,

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Are your days like the days of mankind or your years like the years of people,

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Are thy days as the days of man, and are thy years as the times of men:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Is your life as short as mortal beings? Are your years as brief as those of humanity,

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Are your days as the days of man, or your years like his,

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.

clauseהֲlikeclauseprepositional phrase · predicateכִ[the]noun phraseימֵ֣יdays?אֱנ֣וֹשׁof.a.personnoun phrase · subjectיָמֶ֑יdaysךָ[are].yourclauseאִםor?clausenoun phrase · subjectשְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יyearsךָ[are].yourprepositional phrase · predicateכִּ֣like.[the]noun phraseימֵיdaysגָֽבֶרof.a.man

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


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

The Masoretic Text reads הֲכִימֵ֣י אֱנ֣וֹשׁ יָמֶ֑יךָ אִם־ שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָ כִּ֣ימֵי גָֽבֶר׃, while the Septuagint matches four of the seven words. This correspondence highlights the shared themes but also the distinct interpretative choices made by the translators.

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

הֲכִימֵ֣י אֱנ֣וֹשׁ יָמֶ֑יךָ אִם־ שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָ כִּ֣ימֵי גָֽבֶר׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
הֲכִימֵ֣ייָמֶ֑יךָσουאִם־שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָσου

4 of the 7 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.

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.

Job 10:5יוֹם¿ like [the¿ like [the] daיוֹםאֱנוֹשׁa persona personאֱנוֹשׁיוֹם[are] days [are] days yourיוֹםאִםor?or?אִםשָׁנָה[are] years[are] years youשָׁנָהיוֹםlike [the] like [the] daysיוֹםגֶּ֫בֶרa mana manגֶּ֫בֶראָנַשׁbe incurabbe incurableאָנַשׁשָׁנָהto changeto changeשָׁנָהגָּבַרto prevailto prevailגָּבַרשְׁבִיעִיseventhseventhשְׁבִיעִישַׁבָּתSabbathSabbathשַׁבָּתבְּלִיַּ֫עַלBelial: woBelial: worthleבְּלִיַּ֫עַלעַיAiAiעַיחֵןfavorfavorחֵןיֵשׁtherethereיֵשׁמָלַךְto reignto reignמָלַךְעֶשְׂרִיםtwentytwentyעֶשְׂרִיםחָלָץloinloinחָלָץסָכַןbe usefulbe usefulסָכַן
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 Job 10:5

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.

¿ like [the] days of a person [are] days your or? [are] years your like [the] days of a man
הֲכִימֵ֣יha.khi.Mei ¿ like [the] days of H3117 Particle · preposition · noun common masculine plural construct
2,306× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word 'yom' refers to a day, which can be a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time. It is used in the Bible to describe a wide range of time periods, from a single day to a year or a lifetime. The word 'yom' is used in many different contexts throughout the Bible.
Amplified meaning
as the days of man
Tyndale gloss
day
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יוֹם 2285 n.m. day

day, opp. night

Day as division of time

יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

Pl. days of anyone

Days

יוֹם = time

Phrases

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night

. Day as division of time

. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

. Pl. days of anyone

. Days

. יוֹם = time

. Phrases

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3117 yowm yome

from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm

hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one

sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by

an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +

chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)

day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +

(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as

(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,

presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,

then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,

weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole

(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יוֹם (yom) — day.

: day/when/time/period

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: old.

: old/(full/many)[days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: year.

: year[of_days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part | Prep | N-mp — Particle · preposition · noun common masculine plural construct
HTi/R/Ncmpc
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…

¿ like [the] days of a person [are] days your or? [are] years your like [the] days of a man
אֱנ֣וֹשׁ'e.No.osh a person H582 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
566× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Enosh refers to a human or mankind in general, used to describe individuals or people as a whole in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
human, enosh
Tyndale gloss
human
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֱנוֹשׁ (enowsh) refers to man or mankind, often used in a poetic context. It denotes a mortal individual, distinguishing humans from more dignified terms for man. The word encompasses both singular and collective meanings, indicating people or persons in general. Its Aramaic equivalent is אֱנָשׁ (e.nash), also meaning 'man'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֱנוֹשׁ n.m. man, mankind, mostly poet.

of individ.

coll. men

man, mankind

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H582 אֱנוֹשׁ man, mankind, mostly poet.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

582 'enowsh en-oshe'

from 605; properly, a mortal (and thus differing from the

more dignified 120); hence, a man in general (singly or

collectively):--another, X (blood-)thirsty, certain,

chap(-man); divers, fellow, X in the flower of their age,

husband, (certain, mortal) man, people, person, servant, some

( X of them), + stranger, those, + their trade. It is often

unexpressed in the English versions, especially when used in

apposition with another word . Compare 376.

see HEBREW for 0605

see HEBREW for 0120

see HEBREW for 0376

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֱנוֹשׁ (e.nosh) — human.

1) man, mortal man, person, mankind

1a) of an individual

1b) men (collective)

1c) man, mankind

Aramaic equivalent: e.nash (אֱנָשׁ "man" H0606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
¿ like [the] days of a person [are] days your or? [are] years your like [the] days of a man
יָמֶ֑יךָya.Mei.kha [are] days your H3117 Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
2,306× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word 'yom' refers to a day, which can be a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time. It is used in the Bible to describe a wide range of time periods, from a single day to a year or a lifetime. The word 'yom' is used in many different contexts throughout the Bible.
Tyndale gloss
day
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יוֹם 2285 n.m. day

day, opp. night

Day as division of time

יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

Pl. days of anyone

Days

יוֹם = time

Phrases

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night

. Day as division of time

. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

. Pl. days of anyone

. Days

. יוֹם = time

. Phrases

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3117 yowm yome

from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm

hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one

sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by

an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +

chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)

day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +

(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as

(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,

presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,

then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,

weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole

(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יוֹם (yom) — day.

: day/when/time/period

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: old.

: old/(full/many)[days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: year.

: year[of_days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
HNcmpc/Sp2ms
¿ like [the] days of a person [are] days your or? [are] years your like [the] days of a man
אִם־'i.moSh- or? H518 Particle
1,070× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word is used to express conditions or questions, like if or whether. It can also be used to make oaths or express wishes, as in Oh that! It appears in various forms in the KJV, including if, though, and when.
Tyndale gloss
if
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אִם (im) is a Hebrew conjunction primarily meaning 'if' and is used in various contexts, including conditional clauses and interrogative situations. It can also express negation, alternatives, or exceptions, and appears frequently in the Old Testament. The lexicons note its use in oaths and its ability to connect different clauses, sometimes altering their meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִם conj.

hypoth. part. if

Interrog. part.

base

כִּי אם־

each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause:

that if

for if

(About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause—

limiting the prec. clause, except

the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

after an oath, surely

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H518a אִם conj. . hypoth. part. if

. Interrog. part.

H518b כִּי אם־ . each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause: . that if

. for if

. (About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause— . limiting the prec. clause, except

. the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

. after an oath, surely

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

518 'im eem

a primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!;

interrog., whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh

that!, when; hence, as a negative, not:--(and, can-,

doubtless, if, that) (not), + but, either, + except, +

more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or,

+ save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, + surely (no more,

none, not), though, + of a truth, + unless, + verily, when,

whereas, whether, while, + yet.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִם (im) — if.

: if/whether_or/though

1) if

1a) conditional clauses

1a1) of possible situations

1a2) of impossible situations

1b) oath contexts

1b1) no, not

1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or

1d) when, whenever

1e) since

1f) interrogative particle

1g) but rather

[כִּי] אם (ki im) — if: except.

1) except if

1a) but if

אִם (im) — if: surely no.

: surely_no

1) if

1a) conditional clauses

1a1) of possible situations

1a2) of impossible situations

1b) oath contexts

1b1) no, not

1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or

1d) when, whenever

1e) since

1f) interrogative particle

1g) but rather

אִם (im) — if: surely yes.

: surely_yes

1) if

1a) conditional clauses

1a1) of possible situations

1a2) of impossible situations

1b) oath contexts

1b1) no, not

1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or

1d) when, whenever

1e) since

1f) interrogative particle

1g) but rather

אִם (im) — if: until.

: until/except

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Particle
HTc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

or: The word is used once for either (1Sa 26:10), and is still in poetic use in this sense; as in, "Without or wave or wind" (Coleridge); "Or the bakke or some bone he breketh in his dzouthe" (Piers Plowman (B), VII, 93; compare Merchant of Venice, III, ii, 65). It is also used with "ever" for before (Ps 90:2; Ecclesiasticus 18:19), which the American Standard Revised Version substitutes in Ec 12:6 (compare 12:1,2); So 6:12; Da 6:24.

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
¿ like [the] days of a person [are] days your or? [are] years your like [the] days of a man
שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָShe.no.Tei.kha [are] years your H8141 Noun common feminine plural construct · suffix
877× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word also means a year, like when Abraham was 100 years old in Genesis 21. It is used to describe a period of time, age, or a lifetime.
Amplified meaning
like man's days, as the time of man
Tyndale gloss
year
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8141 shaneh shaw-neh'

(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year

(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,

year(X -ly).

see HEBREW for 08138

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.

1) year

1a) as division of time

1b) as measure of time

1c) as indication of age

1d) a lifetime (of years of life)

Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fp | Suff — Noun common feminine plural construct · suffix
HNcfpc/Sp2ms
¿ like [the] days of a person [are] days your or? [are] years your like [the] days of a man
כִּ֣ימֵיKi.mei like [the] days of H3117 Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct
2,306× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word 'yom' refers to a day, which can be a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time. It is used in the Bible to describe a wide range of time periods, from a single day to a year or a lifetime. The word 'yom' is used in many different contexts throughout the Bible.
Tyndale gloss
day
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יוֹם 2285 n.m. day

day, opp. night

Day as division of time

יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

Pl. days of anyone

Days

יוֹם = time

Phrases

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night

. Day as division of time

. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

. Pl. days of anyone

. Days

. יוֹם = time

. Phrases

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3117 yowm yome

from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm

hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one

sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by

an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +

chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)

day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +

(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as

(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,

presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,

then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,

weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole

(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יוֹם (yom) — day.

: day/when/time/period

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: old.

: old/(full/many)[days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: year.

: year[of_days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-mp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct
HR/Ncmpc
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…

¿ like [the] days of a person [are] days your or? [are] years your like [the] days of a man
גָֽבֶר׃Ga.ver a man H1397 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
65× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for a great man or warrior, emphasizing strength or ability to fight, used to describe a person of valor. It is translated as 'man' or 'mighty' in the KJV. In the Bible, it appears in various contexts, including descriptions of strong leaders.
Amplified meaning
great man, a man of strength
Tyndale gloss
great man
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גֶּ֫בֶר (geber) refers to a man, particularly one who is strong or valiant, often distinguished from women and children. The term is used primarily in poetic contexts and emphasizes the qualities of strength and warrior-like attributes. It is derived from a root meaning to be strong, and lexicons highlight its use in describing a mighty or capable individual.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גֶּ֫בֶר 66 n.m. man;—man as strong, disting. fr. women, children, and non-combatants whom he is to defend, chiefly poetic

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1397 גֶּ֫בֶר man;—man as strong, disting. fr. women, children, and non-combatants whom he is to defend, chiefly poetic

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1397 geber gheh'-ber

from 1396; properly, a valiant man or warrior; generally, a

person simply:--every one, man, X mighty.

see HEBREW for 01396

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גָּבֶר (ga.ver) — great man.

man, strong man, warrior (emphasising strength or ability to fight)

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

See ANTHROPOLOGY.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Man

(1.) Heb. ‘Adam, used as the proper name of the first man. The name is derived from a word meaning “to be red,” and thus the first man was called Adam because he was formed from the red earth. It is also the generic name of the human race (Gen. 1:26, 27; 5:2; 8:21; Deut. 8:3). Its equivalents are the Latin homo and the Greek anthropos (Matt. 5:13, 16). It denotes also man in opposition to woman (Gen. 3:12; Matt. 19:10).

(2.) Heb. ‘ish, like the Latin vir and Greek aner, denotes properly a man in opposition to a woman (1 Sam. 17:33;

→ CREATED Ge 1:26,27; 2:7; 5:1,2; De 4:32; Job 4:17; 10:2,3,8,9; 31:15; 33:4; 35:10; Ps 8:5; 100:3; 119:73; 138:8; 139:14; Ec 7:29; Isa 17:7; 42:5; 43:7; 45:12; 64:8; Jer 27:5; Zec 12:1; Mal 2:10; Mr 10:6; Heb 2:7

See CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, below

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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