יָדַע
𐤉𐤃𐤏
yâdaʻ
H3045 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To know, perceive, or recognize through observation, experience, or relationship. The verb denotes a spectrum from simple perceptual knowledge (to see, notice, or learn) to more abstract understanding (intellectual knowledge, discernment, wisdom) and even intimate acquaintance (personal relationship, sexual intimacy). Used of both concrete, observable knowledge (e.g., knowing a fact or event) and relational, experiential knowledge (knowing a person or deity). Extended uses include to be skilled, to appoint, and to declare or make known.
Semantic Range
to know (factually), to perceive, to recognize, to understand, to have sexual relations (euphemism), to be acquainted with, to care for, to make known, to declare, to reveal, to appoint, to designate, to be skilled, to instruct, to be taught
Root / Etymology
From the root ידע (y-d-ʻ), whose core meaning is to know, recognize, experience. The verb יָדַע is the basic stem (qal) conveying the act of knowing; derived stems (niphal, hifil, etc.) convey passive, causative, or reflexive senses (to be made known, to inform, to cause to know, etc.).
Historical & Contextual Notes
יָדַע functions as one of the most foundational verbs in Biblical Hebrew for expressing knowledge, perception, and relationship. In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, it covers a wide semantic range, including factual knowledge (Genesis 3:5), discerning moral or ritual situations (Leviticus 5:1), and intimate personal relationships, notably as a euphemism for sexual relations (Genesis 4:1). In wisdom literature, יָדַע is closely associated with wisdom, discernment, and the pursuit of understanding (Proverbs 9:10). Theological usage includes knowing YHWH, a term loaded with covenantal and relational significance (Jeremiah 31:34). Over time, the sense of 'knowing' as experiential, relational, and covenantal came to predominate in prophetic texts, contrasting mere factual awareness. English translations often separate the senses (e.g. 'know,' 'understand,' 'have sexual relations,' 'reveal') but do not capture the full depth of the term's immersive, experiential, and relational dimensions in Hebrew. Related verbs include בין (bin, 'to discern/understand'), שׂכל (śkl, 'to be wise/insightful'), and ראה (ra'ah, 'to see/perceive'), each with partial overlap but distinct focus. Later Jewish and Judean literature, including post-exilic and Second Temple texts, continue to employ ידע, often with heightened emphasis on spiritual or covenantal knowing.
Translation Consistency
yâdaʻ’s dominant and most natural English equivalent is “know,” which covers its primary semantic range—factual/experiential knowledge, recognition, understanding, and intimate acquaintance (the Bible’s euphemistic “know”). Corpus frequency strongly favors know/known/knew, and this single verb yields consistent, idiomatic English across the varied usages; rarer senses (appoint, make known, be skilled) can be rendered per context while keeping the core verb consistent.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
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.); acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, [idiom] 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, [phrase] be learned, [phrase] lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, [idiom] prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell, understand, have (understanding), [idiom] will be, wist, wit, wot.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
ידע (Deuel) — to know, to perceive, to recognize
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1843 | דֵּעַ | Know! |
| H1844 | דֵּעָה | perceptive knowledge |
| H1845 | דְּעוּאֵל | God Knows |
| H1847 | דַּעַת | by his knowledge |
| H3037 | יַדּוּעַ | and Known-One |
Word Forms
188 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3045-139 |
יָדַ֔עְתִּי | yadaeti | HVqp1cs |
I know | I knew | I knew | 90 |
H3045-134 |
יָדָֽע | yada | HVqp3ms |
knows | he knew | he knew | 64 |
H3045-137 |
יָדָֽעְתָּ | yadaeta | HVqp2ms |
know | you have known | you have known | 55 |
H3045-118 |
וְ/יָדְע֤וּ | veyadeu | HC/Vqq3cp |
and-they-will-know | and they knew | and they will know | 53 |
H3045-178 |
יֹדֵ֥עַ | yodea | HVqrmsa |
knows | the knowing one | knows | 43 |
H3045-129 |
וִֽ/ידַעְתֶּ֖ם | vidaetem | HC/Vqp2mp |
and you will know | and you will know | and you will know | 39 |
H3045-142 |
יָדְע֖וּ | yadeu | HVqp3cp |
they knew | they knew | they knew | 39 |
H3045-36 |
לָ/דַ֖עַת | ladaat | HR/Vqc |
to know | to know | to know | 33 |
H3045-64 |
תֵּדַ֖ע | teda | HVqi2ms |
you know | you will know | you will know | 29 |
H3045-148 |
יֵֽדַע | yeda | HVqj3ms |
knows | let him know | let him know | 19 |
Occurrences in Scripture
953 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3045-136 |
Genesis 43:22 | יָדַ֔עְנוּ | yadaenu | HVqp1cp |
we know | we have known | we have known |
H3045-156 |
Genesis 44:15 | יְדַעְתֶּ֔ם | yedaetem | HVqp2mp |
you know | you have known | you have known |
H3045-156 |
Genesis 44:27 | יְדַעְתֶּ֔ם | yedaetem | HVqp2mp |
know | you have known | you have known |
H3045-01 |
Genesis 45:1 | בְּ/הִתְוַדַּ֥ע | behitevada | HR/Vtc |
when Joseph made himself known | to make oneself known | as he made himself known |
H3045-137 |
Genesis 47:6 | יָדַ֗עְתָּ | yadaeta | HVqp2ms |
you know | you have known | you have known |
H3045-139 |
Genesis 48:19 | יָדַ֤עְתִּֽי | yadaeti | HVqp1cs |
I know | I knew | I knew |
H3045-139 |
Genesis 48:19 | יָדַ֔עְתִּי | yadaeti-2 | HVqp1cs |
I know | I knew | I knew |
H3045-134 |
Exodus 1:8 | יָדַ֖ע | yada | HVqp3ms |
know | he knew | know |
H3045-40 |
Exodus 2:4 | לְ/דֵעָ֕ה | ledeah | HR/Vqc |
to know | to know | to know |
H3045-57 |
Exodus 2:14 | נוֹדַ֥ע | noda | HVNp3ms |
is known. | has become known | has become known |
H3045-90 |
Exodus 2:25 | וַ/יֵּ֖דַע | vayeda | HC/Vqw3ms |
and God knew. | and he knew | and he knew |
H3045-139 |
Exodus 3:7 | יָדַ֖עְתִּי | yadaeti | HVqp1cs |
I know | I knew | I knew |
H3045-139 |
Exodus 3:19 | יָדַ֔עְתִּי | yadaeti | HVqp1cs |
know | I knew | I knew |
H3045-139 |
Exodus 4:14 | יָדַ֕עְתִּי | yadaeti | HVqp1cs |
I know | I knew | I knew |
H3045-139 |
Exodus 5:2 | יָדַ֨עְתִּי֙ | yadaeti | HVqp1cs |
I do know | I knew | I knew |
H3045-58 |
Exodus 6:3 | נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי | nodaeti | HVNp1cs |
was I known | I was made known | I was known |
H3045-129 |
Exodus 6:7 | וִֽ/ידַעְתֶּ֗ם | vidaetem | HC/Vqq2mp |
and you shall know | and you will know | and you will know |
H3045-118 |
Exodus 7:5 | וְ/יָדְע֤וּ | veyadeu | HC/Vqq3cp |
And shall know | and they knew | and they will know |
H3045-64 |
Exodus 7:17 | תֵּדַ֔ע | teda | HVqi2ms |
you shall know | you will know | you will know |
H3045-64 |
Exodus 8:6 | תֵּדַ֔ע | teda | HVqi2ms |
you may know | you will know | you will know |
H3045-64 |
Exodus 8:18 | תֵּדַ֔ע | teda | HVqi2ms |
you may know | you will know | you may know |
H3045-64 |
Exodus 9:14 | תֵּדַ֔ע | teda | HVqi2ms |
you may know | you will know | you may know |
H3045-64 |
Exodus 9:29 | תֵּדַ֔ע | teda | HVqi2ms |
you may know | you will know | you may know |
H3045-139 |
Exodus 9:30 | יָדַ֕עְתִּי | yadaeti | HVqp1cs |
I know | I knew | I knew |
H3045-129 |
Exodus 10:2 | וִֽ/ידַעְתֶּ֖ם | vidaetem | HC/Vqq2mp |
that you may know | and you will know | and you will know |
H3045-64 |
Exodus 10:7 | תֵּדַ֔ע | teda | HVqi2ms |
know | you will know | you will know |
H3045-55 |
Exodus 10:26 | נֵדַ֗ע | neda | HVqi1cp |
know | we know | know |
H3045-71 |
Exodus 11:7 | תֵּֽדְע֔וּ/ן | tedeun | HVqi2mp/Sn |
you may know | you (masculine plural) will know | you will know |
H3045-118 |
Exodus 14:4 | וְ/יָדְע֥וּ | veyadeu | HC/Vqq3cp |
and will know | and they knew | and they will know |
H3045-118 |
Exodus 14:18 | וְ/יָדְע֥וּ | veyadeu | HC/Vqq3cp |
and they will know | and they knew | and they will know |
H3045-129 |
Exodus 16:6 | וִֽ/ידַעְתֶּ֕ם | vidaetem | HC/Vqp2mp |
you shall know | and you will know | and you will know |
H3045-129 |
Exodus 16:12 | וִֽ/ידַעְתֶּ֕ם | vidaetem | HC/Vqq2mp |
and you shall know | and you will know | and you will know |
H3045-142 |
Exodus 16:15 | יָדְע֖וּ | yadeu | HVqp3cp |
they knew | they knew | they knew |
H3045-139 |
Exodus 18:11 | יָדַ֔עְתִּי | yadaeti | HVqp1cs |
I know | I knew | I knew |
H3045-103 |
Exodus 18:16 | וְ/הוֹדַעְתִּ֛י | vehodaeti | HC/Vhq1cs |
and I make known | and I caused to know | and I make known |
H3045-99 |
Exodus 18:20 | וְ/הוֹדַעְתָּ֣ | vehodaeta | HC/Vhq2ms |
you shall make known | and you caused to know | and you shall make known |
H3045-57 |
Exodus 21:36 | נוֹדַ֗ע | noda | HVNp3ms |
it-is-known | has become known | has become known |
H3045-156 |
Exodus 23:9 | יְדַעְתֶּם֙ | yedaetem | HVqp2mp |
you know | you have known | you have known |
H3045-118 |
Exodus 29:46 | וְ/יָדְע֗וּ | veyadeu | HC/Vqq3cp |
And they will know | and they knew | and they will know |
H3045-36 |
Exodus 31:13 | לָ/דַ֕עַת | ladaat | HR/Vqc |
that you may know | to know | to know |
H3045-136 |
Exodus 32:1 | יָדַ֖עְנוּ | yadaenu | HVqp1cp |
we know | we have known | we know |
H3045-137 |
Exodus 32:22 | יָדַ֣עְתָּ | yadaeta | HVqp2ms |
know | you have known | you have known |
H3045-136 |
Exodus 32:23 | יָדַ֖עְנוּ | yadaenu | HVqp1cp |
we know | we have known | we have known |
H3045-98 |
Exodus 33:5 | וְ/אֵדְעָ֖ה | veedeah | HC/Vqh1cs |
that I may know | and let me know | and let me know |
H3045-25 |
Exodus 33:12 | הֽוֹדַעְתַּ֔/נִי | hodaetani | HVhp2ms/Sp1cs |
have let me know | you caused me to know | you caused me to know |
H3045-159 |
Exodus 33:12 | יְדַעְתִּ֣י/ךָֽ | yedaetikha | HVqp1cs/Sp2ms |
I know you | I knew you | I knew you |
H3045-32 |
Exodus 33:13 | הוֹדִעֵ֤/נִי | hodieni | HVhv2ms/Sp1cs |
show me | cause me to know | cause me to know |
H3045-97 |
Exodus 33:13 | וְ/אֵדָ֣עֲ/ךָ֔ | veedaakha | HC/Vqi1cs/Sp2ms |
that I may know you | I will know you | that I may know you |
H3045-173 |
Exodus 33:16 | יִוָּדַ֣ע | yivada | HVNi3ms |
shall it be known | he will be known | will it be known |
H3045-84 |
Exodus 33:17 | וָ/אֵדָעֲ/ךָ֖ | vaedaakha | HC/Vqw1cs/Sp2ms |
and I have known you | and I knew you | and I knew you |