Job 12:8 — Word Study
WLCא֤וֹ שִׂ֣יחַ לָאָ֣רֶץ וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ לְ֝ךָ֗ דְּגֵ֣י הַיָּֽם׃
BSAOrʼôw [as an alternative, if you wish] speaksîyach to the earthʼerets [the land, the ground] and it will teach youyârâh▸ [show, instruct] let the fishdâg [sea creatures, aquatic life] of the seayâm [the ocean, the deep] informçâphar▸ [declare, tell]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| א֤וֹ | or | Conjunction |
| שִׂ֣יחַ | complain | Verb, Qal, imperative second person masculine singular |
| לָאָ֣רֶץ | to the earth | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ | so it may teach you | Conjunction, verb hiphil third person feminine singular, suffix |
| וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ | and they may recount | Conjunction, verb piel third person masculine plural |
| לְ֝ךָ֗ | to you | Preposition, suffix |
| דְּגֵ֣י | [the] fish of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| הַיָּֽם׃ | the sea | Particle, noun common masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you. |
| KJV | Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. |
| ASV | Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. |
| YLT | Or talk to the earth, and it sheweth thee, And fishes of the sea recount to thee: |
| WEB | Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you. The fish of the sea will declare to you. |
| BBE | Or to the things which go flat on the earth, and they will give you wisdom; and the fishes of the sea will give you news of it. |
Where they part company is in the verbs used for teaching and recounting — see How Translations Differ.
Two main clauses with additional phrases providing context. The structure emphasizes the actions of speaking and learning from creation.





6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
verbשִׂיחַ
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
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 12:8
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 Discourse on Wisdomgenerated
Job 12:8 is part of Job's response to his friends, where he asserts that wisdom can be found in the natural world. He suggests that the earth and the creatures of the sea possess knowledge that can teach humanity about God's workings. This reflects Job's belief that understanding comes not only from human experience but also from observing creation, as he challenges the limited perspectives of his companions.
Cross References
The Key Word — שִׂ֣יחַ, Si.achgenerated
The Hebrew word שִׂיחַ (*si'ach*) is a verb that means to muse or complain. It encompasses a range of actions such as talking, pondering, and reflecting. In this verse, it conveys the idea of engaging in deep thought or conversation, indicating that one should consider the earth's lessons seriously.
This verb is in the imperative form, suggesting a command to speak or engage in this thoughtful dialogue. It emphasizes the importance of communication with the earth as a source of wisdom.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses teach and inform for the actions attributed to the earth and the fish of the sea.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse contains two main clauses, with the finite verbs שִׂ֣יחַ and וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ anchoring the structure. The first clause invites speaking to the earth, while the second clause shifts to the fish of the sea and their role in teaching.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the actions of speaking and recounting, highlighting the relationship between humanity and creation as sources of wisdom.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates שִׂ֣יחַ as ἐκδιήγησαι, which means to recount or narrate. This choice indicates a focus on the act of storytelling or sharing knowledge, aligning with the theme of learning from nature.
The use of θαλάσσης for הַיָּֽם emphasizes the vastness of the sea, reinforcing the idea that great wisdom can be found in the natural world.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 12:8 encourages us to speak to the earth and learn from it, just as we can learn from the fish of the sea. Job suggests that nature has valuable lessons to teach us about the world and about God.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job is suggesting that the earth has wisdom to impart, and by engaging with it, we can learn important truths.
The fish of the sea represent the broader creation that reflects God's wisdom, and observing them can lead to insights about life and existence.
Job's challenge emphasizes that wisdom is not limited to human understanding; nature itself can provide profound insights.
This verse highlights Job's perspective that despite his suffering, there is still knowledge and wisdom to be found in the world around him.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I seen nature teach me lessons about life or faith?
- How can I better engage with the world around me to gain wisdom?
- What are some examples of wisdom I can learn from observing creation?
- How does understanding the lessons of nature help me in times of difficulty?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 12:8 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleOr speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee,.... Or ask "a sprig of the earth" (n), any shrub, or tree, or whatsoever grows out of it, and they will all unite in this doctrine, that they are
Read John Gill on Job 12 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBut ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Ask now the beasts ... and the fowls ... and the fish.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 12 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 12:8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.Ver. 8. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee] Teach thee? what? Surely many good lessons; as that of humility and modesty, considering our origin, Terra quam terimus docet terram quam gerimus; that of fruitfulness, while she liberally yields her riches and strength, and brings forth food for the maintenance of those innumerable armies of creatures that live upon her; but especially, and for the purpose, this the earth teacheth, that the tabernacles of robbers prosper, that oppressors swallow down most of her delicates, eat the fat and drink the sweet, ruffle in her silks, and…
Read John Trapp on Job 12 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges8. speak to the earth] The “earth” here includes all the forms of lower life with which it teems.
Read Cambridge on Job 12 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleOr speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee - Perhaps this appeal to the earth may mean, as Stuhlman supposes, that the same thing is shown in the productions of the earth, as in the case of fierce animals.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 12 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible8. Speak to the earth — That is, to “every creeping thing” (Genesis 1:30) which is on the earth. The division of animate creation is the same and in the same order as in Genesis 9:2. Beasts, birds, creeping things, fishes.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 12 →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
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you.
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you. The fish of the sea will declare to you.
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you.
Or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea declare to you.
Tyndale line
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare to thee.
Or speake to the earth, and it shall shewe thee: or the fishes of the sea, and they shall declare vnto thee.
Strictly literal
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Or talk to the earth, and it sheweth thee, And fishes of the sea recount to thee:
Or talk to the earth, and it shows you, || And fishes of the sea recount to you:
Or speak to the earth, and she will instruct thee; and the fishes of the sea will inform thee
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; the fish of the sea will declare to you.
From the Latin
Speak to the earth, and it shall answer thee: and the fishes of the sea shall tell.
Simplified
ask the earth and it will teach you, and the fishes in the sea will tell you.
Or to the things which go flat on the earth, and they will give you wisdom; and the fishes of the sea will give you news of it.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text of Job 12:8 reads, 'Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you.' The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in meaning, as all eight words match in a word-by-word correspondence, although the order and articles may differ. There are no significant differences noted in the Samaritan Pentateuch or the Dead Sea Scrolls for this verse, indicating a strong consistency across these ancient witnesses.
א֤וֹ שִׂ֣יחַ לָאָ֣רֶץ וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ לְ֝ךָ֗ דְּגֵ֣י הַיָּֽם׃
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.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 12:8
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.
The Hebrew word אוֹ (*'ow*) primarily functions as a conjunction meaning 'or,' often indicating a preference or choice between options. It can also introduce examples, express conditions, or imply alternatives. Additionally, it is associated with the noun meaning 'desire' in Proverbs 31:4. The entries reflect a range of uses, but do not present significant disagreement.
אוֹ 320 conj. or
sometimes implying a preference, nearly or rather
introducing a sentence, esp. a particular case under a general principle, or = or if
if perchance
once, with the juss. = except
base
[אֵו] n.m. אוֹ, Kt Pr 31:4 desire, so Thes MV; but < Qr אֵי q.v.
done
H176 אוֹ or . sometimes implying a preference, nearly or rather
. introducing a sentence, esp. a particular case under a general principle, or = or if
. if perchance
. once, with the juss. = except
176 'ow o
presumed to be the "constructive" or genitival form of -av
{av}; short for 185; desire (and so probably in Prov. 31:4);
hence (by way of alternative) or, also if:--also, and,
either, if, at the least, X nor, or, otherwise, then, whether.
see HEBREW for 0185
אוֹ (o) — or.
1) or, rather
1a) implying that the latter choice is preferred
1b) or if, introducing an example to be seen under a particular principle
1c) (in series) either...or, whether...or
1d) if perchance
1e) except, or else
2) whether, not the least, if, otherwise, also, and, then
אוֹ (o) — desire.
desire
Conj — ConjunctionHC
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.
שִׂיחַ (siyach) is a Hebrew verb meaning to muse or complain, encompassing a range of actions such as talking, singing, and meditating. It can imply conversing with oneself or aloud, and includes nuances of pondering and declaring thoughts. The entries consistently highlight its use in contexts of communication and reflection.
שִׂיחַ vb. denom. muse, complain, poet. talk (of)
Qal
complain
muse
talk (about), sing (of)
talk (with)
Pôl‛el meditate, consider
base
H7878 שִׂיחַ vb. denom. muse, complain, poet. talk of
7878 siyach see'-akh
a primitive root; to ponder, i.e. (by implication) converse
(with oneself, and hence, aloud) or (transitively) utter:--
commune, complain, declare, meditate, muse, pray, speak, talk
(with).
שִׂיחַ (si.ach) — to muse.
1) to put forth, mediate, muse, commune, speak, complain, ponder, sing
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to complain
1a2) to muse, meditate upon, study, ponder
1a3) to talk, sing, speak
1b) (Polel) to meditate, consider, put forth thoughts
V-Qal-Impv-2ms — Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine singularHVqv2ms
אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.
אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land
earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
earth, opp. to heaven, sky
earth = inhabitants of earth
land =
country, territory
district, region
trial territory
piece of ground
specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
= inhabitants of land
used even of Shᵉʼôl
ground, surface of ground
soil, as productive
אֶרֶץ in phrases
people of the land
in measurements of distance
the country of the plain, level or plain country
land of the living
end(s) of the earth
pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
base
H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
. earth, opp. to heaven, sky
. earth = inhabitants of earth
. land = . country, territory
. district, region
. trial territory
. piece of ground
. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
. = inhabitants of land
. used even of Shᵉʼôl
. . ground, surface of ground
. soil, as productive
. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land
. in measurements of distance
. the country of the plain, level or plain country
. land of the living
. end(s) of the earth
. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
776 'erets eh'-rets
from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth
(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,
field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.
אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.
: country/field
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
1b2) district, region
1b3) tribal territory
1b4) piece of ground
1b5) land of Canaan, Israel
1b6) inhabitants of land
1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world
1b8) city (-state)
1c) ground, surface of the earth
1c1) ground
1c2) soil
1d) (in phrases)
1d1) people of the land
1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)
1d3) level or plain country
1d4) land of the living
1d5) end(s) of the earth
1e) (almost wholly late in usage)
1e1) lands, countries
1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan
אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.
: soil
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
Prep | N-cs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHRd/Ncfsa
urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):
In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.
'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).
Earth
(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah’. In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.
(2). As the rendering of ’erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (
The term is used in two widely-different senses: (1) for the material of which the earth’s surface is composed; (2) as the name of the planet on which man dwells. The Hebrew language discriminates between these two by the use of separate terms, adamah for the former, erets for the latter. Adamah is the earth in the sense of soil or ground, particularly as being susceptible of cultivation. (Genesis 2:7) Erets is applied in a more or less extended sense-- (1) to the whole world, (Genesis 1:1) (2) to land as opposed to sea, (Genesis 1:10) (3) to a country, (Genesis 21:32) (4) to a plot of ground, (Genesis 23:15) and (5) to…
In both Hebrew and Greek the same word is used to denote the earth as a whole, and a particular land. Only the context can enable us to decide in which of these senses it is to be taken in a given passage.
Thus in Mt 27:45 we might, so far as the original word is concerned, render either "there was darkness over all the land," or over all the earth. The expression "all the earth" is sometimes used hyperbolically for a large portion of it, Ezr 1:2. The word is used of the whole world, etc. In a moral sense, earthly is opposed to what is heavenly, spiritual and holy, Joh 3:31 1Co 15:47 Col 3:2
The Hebrew word יָרָא (*yarah*) encompasses meanings related to shooting, pouring, and throwing. It can refer to actions like shooting arrows or casting water, as well as figurative uses such as teaching or directing. The entries indicate that it has both a literal and a figurative range, with roots in the idea of flowing or pointing out.
[יָרָא] vb. shoot, pour
Qal shoot with arrows
Hiph. and they shot at; Pt. pl. the shooters, archers
Hoph. he that watereth shall himself also be watered
base
יָרָה vb. throw, shoot
Qal
throw, cast
cast (= lay, set), corner-stone; pillar
shoot arrows
throw water, rain
Niph. shot through (with arrows)
Hiph.
throw, cast
shoot (arrows)
throw water, rain
point out, shew
direct, teach, instruct
base
H3384a יָרָא shoot, pour H3384b יָרָה throw, shoot .. throw, cast
. cast (= lay, set), corner-stone; pillar
. shoot arrows
. throw water, rain
. shot through (with arrows)
. . throw, cast
. shoot (arrows)
. throw water, rain
. point out, shew
. direct, teach, instruct
3384 yarah yaw-raw'
or (2 Chr. 26:15) yara; {yaw-raw'}; a primitive root;
properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to
lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot);
figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to
teach:--(+) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew,
shoot, teach(-er,-ing), through.
יָרָא (ya.ra) — to shoot.
1) to shoot, pour
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to shoot arrows
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to shoot at
1b2) part. shooter, archer
1c) to throw water, rain
יָרָה (ya.rah) — to show.
1) to point out, show
1b) to direct, teach, instruct
Conj | V-Hiphil-Imperf-3fs | Suff — Conjunction · verb hiphil third person feminine singular · suffixHC/Vhu3fs/Sp2ms
סָפַר (safar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to count or recount, with various forms indicating actions like declaring or rehearsing. The noun form סֹפֵר (sofer) refers to a scribe or secretary. The entries highlight its use in contexts of enumeration and record-keeping, but do not present significant disagreement among lexicons.
סָפַר 107 vb. count, Pi. recount, relate
Qal 27
count things, to learn their number
number = take account of, carefully observe and consider, reckon
Niph. be counted, numbered
Pi. 67 recount, rehearse, declare
Pu. be recounted, related, rehearsed
base
סֹפֵר, סוֹפֵר n.m. enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe
base
H5608a סָפַר count, Pi. recount, relate .. count things, to learn their number
. number = take account of, carefully observe and consider, reckon
. be counted, numbered
. recount, rehearse, declare
. be recounted, related, rehearsed
H5608b סֹפֵר, סוֹפֵר enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe
5608 caphar saw-far'
a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally
or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to
enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate:--commune,
(ac-)count; declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew
forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.
סָפַר (sa.phar) — to recount.
v
1) to count, recount, relate
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to count (things)
1a2) to number, take account of, reckon
1b) (Niphal) to be counted, be numbered
1c) (Piel) to recount, rehearse, declare
1c1) to recount (something), rehearse
1c2) to talk
1c3) to count exactly or accurately
1d) (Pual) to be recounted, be rehearsed, be related
סֹפֵר (so.pher) — secretary.
1) enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe
1a) enumerator, muster-officer, secretary
1b) learned man, scribe
Aramaic equivalent: sa.pher (סָפִר "scribe" H5613)
Conj | V-Piel-Imperf-3mp — Conjunction · verb piel third person masculine pluralHC/Vpu3mp
ךָּ (ka) — you.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 2nd person masculine singular
HR/Sp2ms — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp2ms
דָּג (dag) means 'fish' in Hebrew. The word is derived from roots suggesting prolificacy and movement, particularly the squirming motion of a fish's tail. It is often used collectively to refer to fish in general. The term appears in Nehemiah 13:16.
H1709 דָּג fish
1709 dag dawg
or (fully) dag (Nehemiah 13:16) {dawg}; from 1711; a fish
(as prolific); or perhaps rather from 1672 (as timid); but
still better from 1672 (in the sense of squirming, i.e. moving
by the vibratory action of the tail); a fish (often used
collectively):--fish.
see HEBREW for 01711
see HEBREW for 01672
see HEBREW for 01672
דָּג (dag) — Fish (Gate).
fish
דָּג (dag) — fish.
fish
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural constructHNcmpc
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.
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…
יָם (yam) means 'sea' and refers to various large bodies of water, including the Mediterranean, Red, and Dead Seas, as well as the Sea of Galilee. It can also denote a mighty river like the Nile and has geographical implications, indicating directions such as west or south. The term is derived from a root meaning to roar, suggesting the noise of breaking surf.
יָם 390 n.m. sea
base
H3220 יָם sea
3220 yam yawm
from an unused root meaning to roar; a sea (as breaking in
noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the
article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or
an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the
south:--sea (X -faring man, (-shore)), south, west (-ern,
side, -ward).
יָם (yam) — sea.
: sea
1) sea
1a) Mediterranean Sea
1b) Red Sea
1c) Dead Sea
1d) Sea of Galilee
1e) sea (general)
1f) mighty river (Nile)
1g) the sea (the great basin in the temple court)
1h) seaward, west, westward
יָם (yam) — sea: west.
: west
1) sea
1a) Mediterranean Sea
1b) Red Sea
1c) Dead Sea
1d) Sea of Galilee
1e) sea (general)
1f) mighty river (Nile)
1g) the sea (the great basin in the temple court)
1h) seaward, west, westward
יָם (yam) — (Mt. Ephron in the) West.
This name means sea, seaward, westward
Another name of eph.ron (עֶפְרוֹן "(Mount )Ephron" H6085H)
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ncmsa
se (yam; thalassa; in Ac 27:5 pelagos): The Mediterranean is called ha-yam ha-gadhol, "the great sea" (Nu 34:6; Jos 1:4; Eze 47:10, etc.); ha-yam ha-'acharon, "the hinder," or "western sea" (De 11:24; 34:2; Joe 2:20; Zec 14:8); yam pelishtim, "the sea of the Philis" (Ex 23:31); the King James Version translates yam yapho' in Ezr 3:7 by "sea of Joppa," perhaps rightly.
The sea, yam , is used in Scripture to denote-- "The gathering of the waters," "the Ocean." (Genesis 1:2,10; 30:13) etc. Some portion of this, as the Mediterranean Sea, called the "hinder," the "western" and the "utmost" sea, (11:24; 34:2; Joel 2:20) "sea of the Philistines," (Exodus 23:31) "the great sea," (Numbers 36:6,7; Joshua 15:47) "the sea." Genesis49:13; Psal 80:11 Also frequently of the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:4) [RED SEA SEA] Inland lakes termed seas, as the Salt or Dead Sea. [See the special article] Any…
The Hebrews give the name of sea to any large collection of water, Job 14:11; as to the lakes of Tiberias and Asphaltites, and also to the rivers Nile and Euphrates, Isa 11:15 18:2 21:1 Jer 51:36,42. The principal seas mentioned in Scripture are the following:
1. The GREAT SEA, the Mediterranean, called also the Hinder or Western Sea. Indeed, the Hebrew word for sea, meaning the Mediterranean, is often put for the west. The Great Sea is 2,200 miles long, and in the widest part 1,200 miles in width. In many places it is so deep as to give no soundings. It is little affected by tides, but is often agitated by violent winds. The prevailing direction of the wind in spring is from the southeast and southwest and from the northeast…
→ Creation of Ge 1:9,10; Ps 95:5; 148:4,5
→ Lake Galilee calmed by Jesus Mt 8:24-26; Mr 4:37-39
→ Jesus walked upon Lake Galilee Mt 14:25-31
