וַיְהִ֣יplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigהָיָה

hebrew

The word הָיָה means “to exist” or “to be” or “to become” or “to come into being” and occurs 3561 times in the Old Testament.

This is the foundational verb of existence, identity, becoming and occurrence.

* It is used in the creation narrative of Genesis 1, represented by the English words Genesis 1:3Exodus 3:12Ruth 1:1Isaiah 2:2 כִשְׁמֹ֣עַ כָּל מַלְכֵ֣י הָאֱמֹרִ֡י אֲשֶׁר֩ בְּעֵ֨בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֜ן יָ֗מָּה וְכָל מַלְכֵ֤י הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל הַיָּ֔ם אֵ֠תplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigאֵת

hebrew

The Hebrew אֵת word does not have a corresponding word in English. In Hebrew, it is a marker of the accusative, i.e. the word following it is the object of the sentence. It only ever occurs in conjunction with nouns associated with the definite article הַ.Genesis 1:1 אֲשֶׁר הוֹבִ֨ישׁ יְהוָ֜הplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigיְהוָֹה

hebrew

Meaning

* Yahweh - God's personal name

It is not a generic term for “god”, but rather the word יְהוָֹה (YHWH) is the name by which God uniquely identifies himself in the Old Testament.

First appearing in Genesis 2:4, it occurs over 6,000 times in the Old Testament.Exodus 3:14Deuteronomy 6:4Psalm 23:1Romans 10:13Joel 2:32Exodus 20:7Psalm 18:1Exodus 15:3Psalm 8:1Genesis 2:41 Samuel 1:3Judges 6:24Genesis 22:14Jeremiah 23:6 אֶתplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigאֵת

hebrew

The Hebrew אֵת word does not have a corresponding word in English. In Hebrew, it is a marker of the accusative, i.e. the word following it is the object of the sentence. It only ever occurs in conjunction with nouns associated with the definite article הַ.Genesis 1:1 מֵ֧י הַיַּרְדֵּ֛ן מִפְּנֵ֥יplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigפָנִים

hebrew

Meaning:

* Face * Presence * Front or surface

Noun. Masculine. Although it looks plural in form (ending in -ים), it is almost always used as a singular in meaning - a type of plural of intensity or plural of form common in Hebrew for body parts that come in pairs or have multiple aspects. בְנֵֽי יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַד עברנו עָבְרָ֑ם וַיִּמַּ֣ס לְבָבָ֗ם וְלֹא הָ֨יָהplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigהָיָה

hebrew

The word הָיָה means “to exist” or “to be” or “to become” or “to come into being” and occurs 3561 times in the Old Testament.

This is the foundational verb of existence, identity, becoming and occurrence.

* It is used in the creation narrative of Genesis 1, represented by the English words Genesis 1:3Exodus 3:12Ruth 1:1Isaiah 2:2 בָ֥ם עוֹד֙ ר֔וּחַplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigרוּחַ

hebrew

Meaning:

* Wind * Breath * Spirit

Noun. Occurs about 380 times in the Old Testament.

Though usually feminine, רוּחַ sometimes takes masculine verbs and adjectives, especially when referring to the Spirit of God (רוּחַ יְהוָה).Exodus 10:13Genesis 6:17Genesis 41:8Proverbs 16:32Ecclesiastes 12:7Genesis 1:2Judges 3:10Ezekiel 36:27Genesis 2:7John 3:8Genesis 1:2Genesis 8:1 מִפְּנֵ֖יplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigפָנִים

hebrew

Meaning:

* Face * Presence * Front or surface

Noun. Masculine. Although it looks plural in form (ending in -ים), it is almost always used as a singular in meaning - a type of plural of intensity or plural of form common in Hebrew for body parts that come in pairs or have multiple aspects. בְּנֵֽי יִשְׂרָאֵֽל