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יָהּ

𐤉𐤄

Yah

H3050 noun

SILEX Entry

Root היה to be, to exist

Definition

A short form of the divine name יְהוָה (YHWH), used as a poetic or liturgical designation for the God of Israel. Primarily appears in poetic passages, expressions of praise, and in certain Israelite personal names. The term expresses reverence and invokes the Israelite God, often in the context of worship or thanksgiving. Semantic range: used as a vocative or exclamatory address to the deity, an emphatic divine reference within poetry, or as part of compound proper names.

Semantic Range

short, poetic or liturgical form of the divine name YHWH; used as an exclamatory address or epithet for the Israelite God; element in personal names (theophoric suffix); expression in praise formulas or doxologies

Root / Etymology

Derived as an abbreviated or contracted form from the tetragrammaton יְהוָה (YHWH). The root is הוה/היה (h-y-h), meaning 'to be, exist,' indicating being or existence, but the precise formation of יָהּ as a divine name is a poetic or liturgical contraction.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יָהּ primarily occurs in poetry (e.g., Exodus 15:2; Isaiah 12:2; Psalms, especially in the phrase הַלְלוּיָהּ 'praise Yah'). Its use is distinct from the full tetragrammaton יְהוָה, emphasizing intimacy or heightened emotional or liturgical expression. Most occurrences are postdating the full development of the tetragrammaton as the primary God-name of Israelite religion, particularly in Second Temple period psalms. The contracted form יָהּ also appears at the end of Israelite personal names (theophoric names) as '-iah' or '-yah' in English translation (e.g., Isaiah = Yeshayahu, Jeremiah = Yirmeyahu). Later English renderings like 'Jah' (as in KJV Psalms 68:4) obscure the literary and liturgical character of the term in biblical Hebrew. The term is not a generic term for deity but a specific, poetic invocation of the Israelite national god YHWH; in contrast, titles like אֱלֹהִים (Elohim) are general divine designations. Usage narrows further in post-biblical and synagogue liturgy, where יָהּ becomes popular in doxologies and phrases.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

contraction for יְהֹוָה, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name; Jah, the Lord, most vehement. Compare names in '-iah,' '-jah.'

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

היה (h-y-h) — to be, to exist

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H165 אֱהִי Where is?
H1961 הָיָה in being
H3068 יְהֹוָה in Yahweh
H3069 יְהֹוִה and to the Is-Being One
H3071 יְהֹוָה נִסִּי Yahweh

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3050-02 יָ֔הּ yah HNp Yah Yah, the Existing One 48
H3050-01 בְּ/יָ֣הּ beyah HR/Np in Yah in Yah 2

Occurrences in Scripture

50 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3050-02 Exodus 15:2 יָ֔הּ yah HNp YHWH Yah, the Existing One
H3050-02 Exodus 17:16 יָ֔הּ yah HNp Yah Yah, the Existing One
H3050-02 Isaiah 12:2 יָ֣הּ yah HNp Yah Yah, the Existing One
H3050-01 Isaiah 26:4 בְּ/יָ֣הּ beyah HR/Np in Yah in Yah
H3050-02 Isaiah 38:11 יָ֔הּ yah HNp YHWH Yah, the Existing One
H3050-02 Isaiah 38:11 יָ֖הּ yah-2 HNp YHWH Yah, the Existing One
H3050-01 Psalms 68:5 בְּ/יָ֥הּ beyah HR/Np in Yah in Yah
H3050-02 Psalms 68:19 יָ֬הּ yah HNp Yah Yah, the Existing One
H3050-02 Psalms 77:12 יָ֑הּ yah HNp YHWH Yah, the Existing One
H3050-02 Psalms 89:9 יָ֑הּ yah HNp Yah Yah, the Existing One
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