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Psalms 73:22 — Word Study

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WLCוַאֲנִי־ בַ֭עַר וְלֹ֣א אֵדָ֑ע בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹת הָיִ֥יתִי עִמָּֽךְ׃

BSAI wasʼănîy [the emphatic I] senselessbaʻar [stupid, brutish] andlôʼ ignorantyâdaʻ [lacking knowledge, unaware] I washâyâh a brute beastbᵉhêmâh [like an animal, without understanding] before Youʻim [in Your presence, with You]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 73
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 22 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 ('i.Makh) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 73:22quick helps
In a sentenceThe speaker confesses a lack of understanding and awareness before God.
Who is speakingThe speaker is the psalmist, expressing personal reflection.
Where we areIn the context of a moment of emotional turmoil and realization.
The hard wordבַ֭עַר
Take awayThe acknowledgment of ignorance in the presence of God.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectאֲנִי verbיָדַע 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 — Psalms 73:22

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 — Reflections on Understanding Before Godgenerated

21When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within,
22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You.
23Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand.
24You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.

Psalm 73:22 captures the psalmist's deep sense of ignorance and brutishness in contrast to God's wisdom. This verse follows a moment of personal anguish and serves as a confession of the speaker's state before God, who remains constant and present, as seen in the surrounding verses.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 69:5You know my folly, O God, and my guilt is not hidden from You.
2Psalm 92:6A senseless man does not know, and a fool does not understand,
3Proverbs 30:2Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man.
4Ecclesiastes 3:18I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”
5Psalm 32:9Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding; they must be controlled with bit and bridle to make them come to you.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word אֲנִי, va.'a.ni-generated

The word אֲנִי (aniy) is a first-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me.' It emphasizes the speaker's personal experience and feelings. This word is fundamental in Hebrew, often used to express self-reference and can imply possession.

In this verse, it underscores the speaker's admission of their own foolishness and lack of understanding, making the confession deeply personal.


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. The BSB has stupid, and so do the KJV and ASV: all three maintain the bluntness of בַ֭עַר.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse consists of a main clause followed by a series of descriptors. The finite verb הָיִ֥יתִי (ha.Yi.ti), meaning 'I was,' anchors the sentence, with the subject אֲנִי (aniy) preceding it for emphasis.

The structure highlights the speaker's state of being, with the additional phrases elaborating on their ignorance and comparison to animals, creating a stark contrast with God's presence.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates אֲנִי as ἐγὼ (egō), maintaining the first-person emphasis. This choice shows continuity in the personal nature of the confession.

The Greek word ἐχουδενωμένος corresponds to בַ֭עַר, indicating a similar sense of being rendered worthless or foolish, aligning with the Hebrew's intent.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 73:22 reveals the speaker's admission of being senseless and ignorant before God, likening themselves to a brute beast. This reflects a moment of realization about their own understanding in the face of divine wisdom.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the speaker mean by being 'senseless and ignorant'?

The speaker acknowledges their lack of understanding and awareness, recognizing their foolishness in contrast to God's wisdom.

Why does the speaker compare themselves to a brute beast?

This comparison emphasizes the speaker's feeling of being without understanding, similar to how animals act without reason.

What is the significance of the phrase 'before You'?

This phrase highlights the speaker's awareness of being in God's presence, which adds weight to their confession of ignorance.

How does this verse relate to the surrounding verses?

It follows a moment of emotional turmoil, providing a stark contrast to the later realization of God's constant presence and guidance.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I feel ignorant or lacking understanding?
  2. How can recognizing my limitations before God help me grow in wisdom?
  3. What does it mean for me to be in God's presence, and how does that affect my understanding?
  4. How can I learn to rely on God's guidance rather than my own understanding?

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

The early church father Augustine of Hippo references this verse to illustrate the speaker's realization of their own nothingness before God.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 73 354–430
And hear how. "And I was brought unto nothing, and I knew not" [Psalms 73:22].
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 73 →

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 73:22 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

So foolish was I,.... To envy the prosperity of the wicked, which is of so short a continuance; to arraign the providence and perfections of God, and to conclude so hastily that there was nothing in

Read John Gill on Psalms 73 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. -He condemns his past beastlike folly and expresses his assurance of God's presence and guidance, notwithstanding his folly. Verse 21.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 73 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

As a beast. Heb. beasts, which may signify a great beast; a most stupid and sottish creature, like one not only void of grace, but of reason too; for reason itself, especially assisted by the Holy Scriptures, did sufficiently discover that, all things considered, I had no sufficient cause to envy the prosperity of wicked men. I minded only present things, as the brutes do. and did not consider things to come, as reasonable creatures do, and ought to do. Before thee; in thy sight or judgment, and therefore in truth, , howsoever I seemed to myself or others to have some degree of reason and discretion.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 73 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 73:22 So foolish [was] I, and ignorant: I was [as] a beast before thee.Ver. 22. So foolish was I and ignorant] By this befooling and be beasting himself, he retracteth and bewaileth his former fluctuation and folly, Psalms 73:2-3. This is the proper fruit of his godly sorrow, Psalms 73:12. I was as a beast before thee] Heb. Behemoth, as a great beast, or as many beasts in one. Thus he aggravateth and layeth load upon his sin, and so must we.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 73 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

15–28. Faith triumphant in the conviction of an ultimate judgement and the consciousness of the supreme blessedness of fellowship with God.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 73 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

So foolish was I, and ignorant - Such low and imperfect views did I take of the subject.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 73 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

22. Foolish… ignorant… as a beast—Strong terms, expressive of his blindness and stupidity in his deceived and doubting state.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 73 →

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

I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

I was so senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before you.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You.

NETBNew English Translation2006

I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before you.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

So brutish was I, and ignorant; I was as a beast before thee.

RVARevised Version, American1894

So brutish was I, and ignorant; I was as a beast before thee.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

So foolish was I and ignorant: I was a beast before thee.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Then I was brutish and knew nothing; I was [as] a beast with thee.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And I am brutish, and do not know. A beast I have been with Thee.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And I am brutish, and do not know. I have been a beast with You.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

But I was indeed foolish, and I knew it not: I was as a [thoughtless] beast with thee.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was like a senseless animal before you.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Arise, O God, judge thy own cause: remember thy reproaches with which the foolish man hath reproached thee all the day.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

I was stupid and ignorant. I was like a brute beast to you.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

As for me, I was foolish, and without knowledge; I was like a beast before you.

Word by word, the decisions they made

בַ֭עַרVa.'ar [was] stupid H1198 2 different renderings
brutishASV DBY LSV RVA YLT
stupidFBV

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.

וַandclausesubjectאֲנִיIpredicateבַ֭עַר[was].stupidוְandclauseadverbialלֹ֣אnotverbאֵדָ֑עI.knewclauseobjectבְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹתanimalsverbהָיִ֥יתִיI.wasprepositional phrase · prepositionalעִמָּֽwithךְyou

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, "וַאֲנִי־ בַ֭עַר וְלֹ֣א אֵדָ֑ע בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹת הָיִ֥יתִי עִמָּֽךְ׃" which translates to "I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in terms of the meaning conveyed, as all seven words correspond directly, although the word order may differ. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls do not provide additional variants for this verse, confirming the consistency of the text across these witnesses.

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

וַאֲנִי־ בַ֭עַר וְלֹ֣א אֵדָ֑ע בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹת הָיִ֥יתִי עִמָּֽךְ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַאֲנִי־ἐγὼבַ֭עַרἐχουδενωμένοςוְלֹ֣אοὐκאֵדָ֑עἔγνωνבְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹתκτηνώδηςהָיִ֥יתִיἐγενόμηνעִמָּֽךְ׃σοί

7 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.

Psalms 73:22אֲנִיand Iand Iאֲנִיבַּ֫עַר[was] stupi[was] stupidבַּ֫עַרלֹאand notand notלֹאיָדַעI knewI knewיָדַעבְּהֵמָהanimalsanimalsבְּהֵמָההָיָהI wasI wasהָיָהעִםwith youwith youעִםאָֽנֹכִ֫יIIאָֽנֹכִ֫יבָּעַרto burn: bto burn: burnבָּעַרעָמַםto darkento darkenעָמַםהָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאיָדַעto knowto knowיָדַענְאֻםutteranceutteranceנְאֻםכְּסִילfoolfoolכְּסִיליָכֹלbe ablebe ableיָכֹלעוֹדstillstillעוֹדאֲנִיIIאֲנִיבִּיןto understto understandבִּיןעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףאָדָםthe man (Athe man (Adam)אָדָםשָׁכַבto lie dowto lie down: laשָׁכַבקָבַרto buryto buryקָבַר
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 Psalms 73:22

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.

and I [was] stupid and not I knew animals I was with you
וַאֲנִי־va.'a.ni- and I H589 Conjunction · pronoun
874× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word is a simple way of saying 'I' or 'me', often used for emphasis. It is used by people like David in the Psalms to express their thoughts and feelings. The word is a basic part of the Hebrew language.
Amplified meaning
the emphatic I
Tyndale gloss
I
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֲנִי, transliterated as aniy, is a first-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me.' It is often used for emphasis and can also imply possession, as in 'mine' or 'myself.' The word is derived from a form that indicates self-reference, and it appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי pron. 1s. comm. I

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H589 אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי I

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

589 'aniy an-ee'

contracted from 595; I:--I, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, X

which, X who.

see HEBREW for 0595

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֲנִי (a.ni) — I.

I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Pron — Conjunction · pronoun
HC/Pp1bs
and I [was] stupid and not I knew animals I was with you
בַ֭עַרVa.'ar [was] stupid H1198 Adj
5× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Stupid refers to brutishness or stupidity, describing someone who is foolish or lacking sense, often in a way that is compared to the behavior of cattle.
Amplified meaning
stupid, brutish
Tyndale gloss
stupid
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בַּ֫עַר (ba'ar) refers to brutishness or stupidity, often used to describe a foolish person. It is derived from a root meaning 'foot' in a sense of consumption. The term appears in a poetic context, emphasizing a lack of intelligence or base behavior.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בַּ֫עַר n.m. brutishness (only poet.)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1198 בַּ֫עַר

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1198 ba`ar bah'-ar

from 1197; properly, foot (as consumed); i.e. (by exten.) of

cattle brutishness; (concretely) stupid:--brutish (person),

foolish.

see HEBREW for 01197

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בַּ֫עַר (ba.ar) — stupid.

brutishness, stupidity, brutish (person)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAamsa
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and I [was] stupid and not I knew animals I was with you
וְלֹ֣אve.Lo' and not H3808 Conjunction · particle
5,170× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3808 lo' lo

or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often

used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,

ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,

no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out

of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +

of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֹא (lo) — not.

1) not, no

1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)

1b) not (with modifier-negation)

1c) nothing (subst)

1d) without (with particle)

1e) before (of time)

Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Part — Conjunction · particle
HC/Tn
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and I [was] stupid and not I knew animals I was with you
אֵדָ֑ע'e.Da' I knew H3045 Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singular
945× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to know means to ascertain by seeing, and is used in many senses, including to learn, perceive, and recognize, as seen in various KJV translations.
Amplified meaning
lacking knowledge, unaware
Tyndale gloss
to know
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָדַע (yada`) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to know,' encompassing a wide range of senses including perception, recognition, and experience. It can refer to knowing someone intimately or being skilled in a task. The word has various forms, indicating actions such as making known or being made known. Lexicons note its use in both literal and figurative contexts, but there is no significant disagreement among them.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָדַע 943 vb. know

Qal

know, learn to know

perceive

perceive and see; find out and discern

discriminate, distinguish

know by experience

recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess

consider

not know = not expect

know a person, be acquainted with

know a person carnally, of sexual intercourse

know how, to do a thing, be able to do it

be skilful in

abs. have knowledge, be wise

Niph.

be made known, be or become known, of things

make oneself known of pers.

be perceived

be instructed

Pi. cause to know

Pu. known

Hiph. make known, declare

Hoph. made known

Hithp. make oneself known

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3045 יָדַע know .. . know, learn to know

. perceive

. perceive and see; find out and discern

. discriminate, distinguish

. know by experience

. recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess

. consider

. not know = not expect

. know a person, be acquainted with

. know a person carnally, of sexual intercourse

. . know how, to do a thing, be able to do it

. be skilful in

. abs. have knowledge, be wise

. . be made known, be or become known, of things

. make oneself known of pers.

. be perceived

. be instructed

. cause to know

. known

. make known, declare

. made known

. make oneself known

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3045 yada` yaw-dah'

a primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing);

used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally,

euphemistically and inferentially (including observation,

care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation,

punishment, etc.) (as follow):--acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted

with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware,

(un-)awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, X

could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to)

discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel,

can have, be (ig-)norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause

to let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have

(knowledge), (be, make, make to be, make self) known, + be

learned, + lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, X

prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man

of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell,

Read the full entry →
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָדַע (ya.da) — to know.

1) to know

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to know

1a1a) to know, learn to know

1a1b) to perceive

1a1c) to perceive and see, find out and discern

1a1d) to discriminate, distinguish

1a1e) to know by experience

1a1f) to recognise, admit, acknowledge, confess

1a1g) to consider

1a2) to know, be acquainted with

1a3) to know (a person carnally)

1a4) to know how, be skilful in

1a5) to have knowledge, be wise

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be made known, be or become known, be revealed

1b2) to make oneself known

1b3) to be perceived

1b4) to be instructed

1c) (Piel) to cause to know

1d) (Poal) to cause to know

1e) (Pual)

1e1) to be known

1e2) known, one known, acquaintance (participle)

1f) (Hiphil) to make known, declare

1g) (Hophal) to be made known

1h) (Hithpael) to make oneself known, reveal oneself

Aramaic equivalent: ye.da (יְדַע "to know" H3046)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-1cs — Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singular
HVqi1cs
and I [was] stupid and not I knew animals I was with you
בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹתbe.he.Mot animals H929 Noun common · feminine plural absolute
190× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to animals, especially large quadruped mammals. It's used in the Bible to describe livestock, wild beasts, and other creatures. It appears in stories of creation, farming, and wildlife.
Amplified meaning
like an animal, without understanding
Tyndale gloss
animal
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בְּהֵמָה (bhemah) refers to a beast or animal, typically denoting domesticated livestock or cattle, and occasionally wild beasts. It is derived from a root that suggests being mute, implying a 'dumb beast.' The term encompasses all living creatures other than humans, with a specific mention of large quadrupeds.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בְּהֵמָה 187 n.f. beast, animal, cattle

of living creatures other than man

opp. also to wild beasts

rarely of wild beasts, esp. carnivora

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H929 בְּהֵמָה beast, animal, cattle . of living creatures other than man

. opp. also to wild beasts

. rarely of wild beasts, esp. carnivora

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

929 bhemah be-hay-maw'

from an unused root (probably meaning to be mute); properly,

a dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often

collective):--beast, cattle.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בְּהֵמָה (be.he.mah) — animal.

1) beast, cattle, animal

1a) beasts (coll of all animals)

1b) cattle, livestock (of domestic animals)

1c) wild beasts

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fp — Noun common · feminine plural absolute
HNcfpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ Creations of Ge 1:24; 2:19; Jer 27:5

→ Food of Ge 1:30

→ Named Ge 2:20

→ Ordained as food for man Ge 9:2,3; Le 11:3,9,21,22; De 14:4-6,9,11,20

→ God's care of Ge 9:9,10; De 25:4; Job 38:41; Ps 36:6; 104:11,21; 147:9; Jon 4:11;

and I [was] stupid and not I knew animals I was with you
הָיִ֥יתִיha.Yi.ti I was H1961 Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-1cs — Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singular
HVqp1cs
and I [was] stupid and not I knew animals I was with you
עִמָּֽךְ׃'i.Makh with you H5973 Preposition · suffix
1,052× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means with or together, like when God is with his people in Exodus 33:14-15. It's used to describe accompaniment or association, and can also mean against or beside. The word is used to convey a sense of relationship or proximity between people or things.
Amplified meaning
in Your presence, with You
Tyndale gloss
with
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עִם (im) is a preposition meaning 'with' and covers a range of relationships, including companionship, locality, and possession. It can imply actions done jointly, equality, or even opposition in contexts like combat. The related form מֵעִם (me.im) means 'from with' or 'beside.' The entries reflect various nuances but do not present significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עִם prep. with

of fellowship and companionship

of aid

Of actions done jointly with another

If the common action be of the nature of a contest or combat, with in the sense of against

Of dealing with a person, or of the relation in which one stands with, or towards, another

Of a common lot together with the wicked

Of equality or resemblance generally aid

Of time, as long as

Of a locality, close to, beside

Of persons, עִם is spec.

in the house or family or service of

In possession of

In the custody or care of

Beside = except

With = friendly with

Idiom. of a thought or purpose present with one

Metaph. together with = in spite of, notwithstanding

base

מֵעִם 72 from with or beside

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5973a עִם with . of fellowship and companionship

. Of a locality, close to, beside

. Of persons, עִם is spec. . in the house or family or service of

. In possession of

. In the custody or care of

. Beside = except

. With = friendly with

. Idiom. of a thought or purpose present with one

. Metaph. together with = in spite of, notwithstanding

H5973b מֵעִם from with, beside

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5973 `im eem

from 6004; adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction

with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with;

often with prepositional prefix (and then usually

unrepresented in English):--accompanying, against, and, as (X

long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from

(among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-)to,

with(-al).

see HEBREW for 06004

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עִם (im) — with.

1) with

1a) with

1b) against

1c) toward

1d) as long as

מֵעִם (me.im) — from with.

1a) beside, except

1b) in spite of

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | Suff — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp2ms
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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