Numbers 18:18 — Word Study
WLCוּבְשָׂרָ֖ם יִהְיֶה־ לָּ֑ךְ כַּחֲזֵ֧ה הַתְּנוּפָ֛ה וּכְשׁ֥וֹק הַיָּמִ֖ין לְךָ֥ יִהְיֶֽה׃
BSAAnd their meatbâsâr [flesh, body] belongshâyâh▸ just as the breastchâzeh [front of the animal, often referring to sacrifices] and rightyâmîyn thighshôwq [leg, lower limb] of the wave offeringtᵉnûwphâh [a specific type of offering, where a portion is waved before God] belonghâyâh▸
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וּבְשָׂרָ֖ם | and meat their | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| יִהְיֶה־ | it will belong | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine singular |
| לָּ֑ךְ | to you | Preposition, suffix |
| כַּחֲזֵ֧ה | like [the] breast of | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct |
| הַתְּנוּפָ֛ה | the wave-offering | Particle, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| וּכְשׁ֥וֹק | and like [the] thigh of | Conjunction, preposition, noun common feminine singular construct |
| הַיָּמִ֖ין | the right | Particle, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| לְךָ֥ | to you | Preposition, suffix |
| יִהְיֶֽה׃ | it will belong | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | And their meat belongs to you, just as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering belong to you. |
| KJV | And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine. |
| ASV | And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave-breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine. |
| YLT | and their flesh is thine, as the breast of the wave-offering, and as the right leg, it is thine; |
| WEB | Their meat shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours. |
| BBE | Their flesh is to be yours; like the breast of the wave offering and the right leg, it is to be yours. |
Where they part company is וּבְשָׂרָ֖ם — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause states the allocation of meat, with a comparative phrase detailing what specifically is included.





6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbהָיָה
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 — Numbers 18:18
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 — Instructions for the Priestsgenerated
Numbers 18:18 describes how the meat from certain offerings is allocated to the priests. This allocation is part of the broader instructions given by God regarding the duties and provisions for the priesthood, emphasizing their role in the sacrificial system. The preceding and following verses further clarify the significance of these offerings and the priests' responsibilities in the worship of God.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exodus 29:26–28 | Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be your portion. |
| 2 | Leviticus 7:31–34 | The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — וּבְשָׂרָ֖ם, u.ve.sa.Ramgenerated
The word בָּשָׂר (basar) means 'flesh' and can refer to the body of a person or animal. It is used in various contexts throughout the Bible, often highlighting the physical aspect of living beings.
In this verse, it specifically pertains to the meat of the offerings designated for the priests, indicating their sustenance and role in the sacrificial system.
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 finite verb יִהְיֶה governs the entire verse, indicating possession and allocation. The structure includes noun phrases that specify what belongs to the priests, including the breast and right thigh of the wave offering.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the offerings and their specific parts, highlighting their importance in the sacrificial system.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וּבְשָׂרָ֖ם as κρέα, meaning 'meat' or 'flesh'. This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the focus on the physical substance of the offerings.
The use of κρέα reflects the same emphasis on the bodily aspect of the offerings, consistent with the sacrificial practices described in the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 18:18 states that the meat from certain offerings belongs to the priests, specifically the breast and right thigh of the wave offering. This allocation is part of God's instructions for the priests' sustenance and their role in the sacrificial system.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies that the priests are to receive a portion of the offerings made to God, which supports them in their service.
These parts of the offering were designated for the priests as a way to provide for their needs while they served in the Tabernacle.
This allocation reflects the importance of the priests' role in mediating between God and the people, as they perform sacrifices and offerings.
A wave offering is a specific type of sacrifice where a portion is waved before God, symbolizing dedication and thanksgiving.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can I better understand the role of priests in the Old Testament sacrificial system?
- What does this allocation of meat say about God's provision for those who serve Him?
- In what ways can I apply the principles of dedication and thanksgiving from the wave offering in my own life?
- How does understanding the context of these offerings enhance my appreciation for the sacrificial system?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 18:18 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd the flesh of them shall be thine,.... For him and his family to eat of, whether blemished or perfect the Jews say (l): as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine: which were his part
Read John Gill on Numbers 18 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBut the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for
Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 18 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe flesh; all the flesh of them, and not only some parts, as in other sacrifices.
Read Matthew Poole on Numbers 18 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsNumbers 18:18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.Ver. 18. And the flesh of them shall be thine.] And besides these here touched, they had other revenues of no small value, as their cities, suburbs, lands, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord.
Read John Trapp on Numbers 18 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(18) And the flesh of them shall be thine . . . —In Deuteronomy 12:17-18, the firstlings of the herd and of the flock are directed to be eaten by the owners in the place which the Lord should choose. Either the law as prescribed in Numbers was subsequently modified, or the second clause of this verse explains and qualifies the preceding clause, and assigns only the wave breast and the right shoulder (or, rather, leg) to the priests. (Comp. Leviticus 10:14-15.)
Read Charles John Ellicott on Numbers 18 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges18. the flesh of them shall be thine] Aaron is to receive the whole of their flesh, as he had received the breast and thigh of the peace-offering.
Read Cambridge on Numbers 18 →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
And their meat belongs to you, just as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering belong to you.
Their meat shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours.
And their meat belongs to you, just as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering belong to you.
And their meat will be yours, just as the breast and the right hip of the raised offering is yours.
Tyndale line
And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.
And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave-breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine.
And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine.
And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave-breast and as the right shoulder are thine
And the flesh of them shalbe thine, as the shake breast, and as the right shoulder shalbe thine.
Strictly literal
And their flesh shall be thine; as the wave-breast and as the right shoulder shall it be thine.
and their flesh is thine, as the breast of the wave-offering, and as the right leg, it is thine;
and their flesh is yours, as the breast of the wave-offering and as the right leg are yours.
And their flesh shall be thine: as the breast that is waved and as the right shoulder shall it be thine.
Their meat will be yours. Like the raised breast and the right thigh, their meat will be yours.
From the Latin
But the flesh shall fall to thy use, as the consecrated breast, and the right shoulder shall be thine.
Simplified
Their meat is yours, in the same way that the breast and right thigh of the wave offering are yours.
Their flesh is to be yours; like the breast of the wave offering and the right leg, it is to be yours.
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 and the Samaritan Pentateuch agree word for word on this verse. The Septuagint matches the Hebrew closely, with all nine words corresponding, although its word order differs.
וּבְשָׂרָ֖ם יִהְיֶה־ לָּ֑ךְ כַּחֲזֵ֧ה הַתְּנוּפָ֛ה וּכְשׁ֥וֹק הַיָּמִ֖ין לְךָ֥ יִהְיֶֽה׃
9 of the 9 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.
ובשׂרם יהיה לך כחזה התנופה וכשׁוק הימין לך יהיה
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
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 Numbers 18:18
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.
בָּשָׂר (basar) means 'flesh' and encompasses various meanings, including the physical body, kinship, and a euphemism for male genitalia. It can refer to humans, animals, and all living things, highlighting the frailty of man in relation to God. The entries consistently emphasize its bodily and relational aspects.
בָּשָׂר 266 n.m. flesh
of the body
flesh for the body itself
male organ of generation (euphemism)
flesh for kindred, blood-relations
man over against God as frail or erring
base
H1320 בָּשָׂר flesh . of the body
. flesh for the body itself
. male organ of generation (euphemism)
. flesh for kindred, blood-relations
. man over against God as frail or erring
1320 basar baw-sawr'
from 1319; flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body,
person; also (by euphem.) the pudenda of a man:--body, (fat,
lean) flesh(-ed), kin, (man-)kind, + nakedness, self, skin.
see HEBREW for 01319
בָּשָׂר (ba.sar) — flesh.
1) flesh
1a) of the body
1a1) of humans
1a2) of animals
1b) the body itself
1c) male organ of generation (euphemism)
1d) kindred, blood-relations
1e) flesh as frail or erring (man against God)
1f) all living things
1g) animals
1h) mankind
Aramaic equivalent: be.shar (בְּשַׁר "flesh" H1321)
Conj | N-ms | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHC/Ncmsc/Sp3mp
The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
Fall out, happen
occur, take place, come about, come to pass
esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
Come into being, become
abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
sq. prep.
become
sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
sq. pred. adj.
become like
sq. pred. לְ pers.
sq. לְ pred.
oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
with עַל and לְ
sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
exist, be in existence
abide, remain, continue
with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
as copula, joining subj. & pred.
H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen
. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
. sq. prep.
. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
. sq. pred. adj.
. become like
. sq. pred. + לְ pers.
. sq. לְ pred.
. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.
. with עַל and לְ
. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence
. abide, remain, continue
1961 hayah haw-yaw
a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,
come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or
auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,
committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,
fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit
(one-)self, require, X use.
see HEBREW for 01933
הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.
1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) ---
1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass
1a1b) to come about, come to pass
1a2) to come into being, become
1a2a) to arise, appear, come
1a2b) to become
1a2b1) to become
1a2b2) to become like
1a2b3) to be instituted, be established
1a3) to be
1a3a) to exist, be in existence
1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)
1a3d) to accompany, be with
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singularHVqi3ms
ךְ (kh) — you.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 2nd person feminine singular
HRd/Sp2ms — Preposition · suffixHRd/Sp2ms
חָזֶה (chazeh) refers to the 'breast,' specifically the breast of animals, including in the context of animal sacrifices. It is derived from the root word for 'to see' and is noted in Leviticus 7:51. The Aramaic equivalent is חֲדִי (cha.di), also meaning 'breast.'
חָזֶה n.m. Lv 7:51 breast of animals
base
H2373 חָזֶה
2373 chazeh khaw-zeh'
from 2372; the breast (as most seen in front):--breast.
see HEBREW for 02372
חָזֶה (cha.zeh) — breast.
breast (of animals), breast of an animal sacrifice
Aramaic equivalent: cha.di (חֲדִי "breast" H2306)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular constructHR/Ncmsc
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…
תְּנוּפָה (tnuwphah) refers to a swinging or waving motion, specifically in the context of a wave offering in sacrificial practices. It is derived from a root meaning to brandish or shake, and encompasses both the act of waving and the offerings associated with it, including those of gold or brass.
תְּנוּפָה 30 n.f. a swinging, waving, wave-offering, offering
base
H8573 תְּנוּפָה a swinging, waving, wave-offering, offering
8573 tnuwphah ten-oo-faw'
from 5130; a brandishing (in threat); by implication, tumult;
specifically, the official undulation of sacrificial
offerings:--offering, shaking, wave (offering).
see HEBREW for 05130
תְּנוּפָה (te.nu.phah) — wave offering.
1) swinging, waving, wave offering, offering
1a) a swinging, brandishing
1a1) of God's hand, weapons
1b) waving, wave-offering (technical term of sacrifice)
1c) offering (of gold or brass)
Art | N-fs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absoluteHTd/Ncfsa
- Placed in the hand of the priest and waved before the Lord
- CONSISTED OF
. The fat, right shoulder, &c of the priest's consecration
ram
. The breast of the priest's consecration ram
שׁוֹק (showq) refers to the leg, specifically the lower leg or calf in humans, and the thigh or upper leg in sacrificial animals. It is derived from a root meaning to run and appears in contexts related to both human anatomy and sacrificial practices.
שׁוֹק 19 n.[f.] leg
base
H7785 שׁוֹק leg
7785 showq shoke
from 7783; the (lower) leg (as a runner):--hip, leg,
shoulder, thigh.
see HEBREW for 07783
שׁוֹק (shoq) — leg.
1) leg, thigh
1a) of man; specifically the lower leg (calf) as opposed to the thigh
1b) of sacrificial animal; specifically the thigh, upper leg, hind leg, as the portion eaten
Aramaic equivalent: shaq (שָׁק "leg" H8243)
Conj | Prep | N-fs — Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular constructHC/R/Ncfsc
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…
The Hebrew word יָמִין (*yamiyn*) means 'right hand' or 'right side,' and it can also refer to the direction south, as the right hand points south when facing east. It is derived from the root word for 'to be strong' and covers various contexts, including body parts and directional references.
יָמִין 137 n.f. right hand
right hand
of situation on, or direction toward the right
of other parts of the body
= south, because when facing east the right hand is toward the south
base
H3225 יָמִין right hand . right hand
. of situation on, or direction toward the right
. of other parts of the body
. = south, because when facing east the right hand is toward the south
3225 yamiyn yaw-meen'
from 3231; the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or
other object (as the stronger and more dexterous); locally,
the south:--+ left-handed, right (hand, side), south.
see HEBREW for 03231
יָמִין (ya.min) — right.
1) right, right hand, right side
1a) right hand
1b) right (of direction)
1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
Also means: ya.min (יָמִין ": south" H3225H)
יָמִין (ya.min) — right: south.
1) right, right hand, right side
1a) right hand
1b) right (of direction)
1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
יָמִין (ya.min) — [Ben]jamin.
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.35.18;
son of: Israel (H3478) and Rachel (H7354);
brother of: Joseph (H3130);
half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);
Art | N-fs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absoluteHTd/Ncfsa
rit (yashar, mishpaT; dikaios, euthus): Many Hebrew words are translated "right," with different shades of meaning. Of these the two noted are the most important: yashar, with the sense of being straight, direct, as "right in the sight" of Yahweh (Ex 15:26; De 12:25, etc.), in one's own eyes (Jud 17:6), "right words" (Job 6:25 the King James Version, yosher), "right paths" (Pr 4:11 the King James Version); and mishpaT "judgment" "cause" etc., a forensic term, as "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Ge 18:25). In
ךָּ (ka) — you.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 2nd person masculine singular
HRd/Sp2ms — Preposition · suffixHRd/Sp2ms
The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
Fall out, happen
occur, take place, come about, come to pass
esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
Come into being, become
abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
sq. prep.
become
sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
sq. pred. adj.
become like
sq. pred. לְ pers.
sq. לְ pred.
oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
with עַל and לְ
sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
exist, be in existence
abide, remain, continue
with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
as copula, joining subj. & pred.
H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen
. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
. sq. prep.
. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
. sq. pred. adj.
. become like
. sq. pred. + לְ pers.
. sq. לְ pred.
. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.
. with עַל and לְ
. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence
. abide, remain, continue
1961 hayah haw-yaw
a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,
come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or
auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,
committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,
fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit
(one-)self, require, X use.
see HEBREW for 01933
הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.
1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) ---
1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass
1a1b) to come about, come to pass
1a2) to come into being, become
1a2a) to arise, appear, come
1a2b) to become
1a2b1) to become
1a2b2) to become like
1a2b3) to be instituted, be established
1a3) to be
1a3a) to exist, be in existence
1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)
1a3d) to accompany, be with
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singularHVqi3ms
