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יוֹבֵל

𐤉𐤅𐤁𐤋

yôwbêl

H3104 noun

SILEX Entry

Root יבל to bring, lead, conduct, carry along

Definition

The primary meaning of יוֹבֵל (yôwbêl) is 'ram’s horn,' specifically in the context of a ceremonial trumpet used for signaling, particularly during significant Israelite religious and social rituals. The term extends to denote both the instrument (ram's horn, trumpet) and the event marked by its sounding, most notably the Jubilee year—a major social reset occurring every fiftieth year marked by emancipation and land restoration.

Semantic Range

ram's horn, trumpet (used in ritual signaling), the Jubilee year, the festival marked by the sounding of the horn, instrument used to proclaim sacred times

Root / Etymology

The word יוֹבֵל is generally connected to the Hebrew root יבל (y-b-l), which conveys the sense 'to bring, lead, carry, or conduct.' The noun יובל may have originally denoted 'something that is led,' i.e., a ram (from which the horn was taken) or, by metonymy, the horn itself. From this, it developed the meaning of the horn used in ritual signaling, and then further the time or event denoted by its blowing (the Jubilee).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Torah, יוֹבֵל (yôwbêl) functions both concretely and abstractly: it names the ram’s horn/trumpet sounded on designated occasions (e.g. Lev 25:9) and the social institution of 'the Jubilee' (Lev 25:10), during which land was restored to ancestral families and debts forgiven. The Jubilee institution appears only in Priestly texts and may reflect an ideal rather than widely attested historical practice. The ram’s horn (שׁוֹפָר, shofar) is a related term but is typically used for other ritual or military purposes, whereas יוֹבֵל specifically marks the start of the Jubilee year. In English translations, 'jubilee' is derived from the Latin and Vulgate translation and does not fully capture the original socio-religious implications. Early Israelite texts make no reference to 'silver trumpets' for יוֹבֵל; rather, it is the distinctive ram’s horn used for the jubilee announcement. In later biblical and post-biblical periods, the concept of Jubilee acquired broader and often spiritualized connotations, but in the classical Hebrew Bible, יוֹבֵל refers primarily to the physical instrument and the period it inaugurates.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or יֹבֵל; apparently from יָבַל; the blast of a horn (from its continuous sound); specifically, the signal of the silver trumpets; hence, the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced; jubile, ram's horn, trumpet.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

יבל (y-b-l) — to bring, lead, conduct, carry along

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H180 אוּבָל the water-bearing stream
H2981 יְבוּל and her yield
H2986 יָבַל I will conduct them
H2987 יְבַל and to cause to bring
H2988 יָבָל streams of

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3104-02 הַ/יֹּבֵ֔ל hayovel HTd/Ncmsa of the Jubilee the ram-horn trumpet 15
H3104-01 בַּ/יֹּבֵ֔ל bayovel HRd/Ncmsa in the Jubilee in the ram’s-horn 3
H3104-06 יוֹבֵ֥ל yovel HNcmsa Jubilee ram’s-horn trumpet 3
H3104-03 הַ/יּֽוֹבְלִים֙ hayovelim HTd/Ncmpa rams'-horns the ram-horns 3
H3104-07 יוֹבְלִ֔ים yovelim HNcmpa of rams' horns ram-horns 1
H3104-05 בַ/יֹּבֵ֗ל vayovel HRd/Ncmsa in the Jubilee in the ram’s-horn 1
H3104-04 וּ/בַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל uvayovel HC/Rd/Ncmsa and-in-the-Jubilee and in the ram’s-horn 1

Occurrences in Scripture

27 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3104-02 Exodus 19:13 הַ/יֹּבֵ֔ל hayovel HTd/Ncmsa the ram's horn the ram-horn trumpet
H3104-06 Leviticus 25:10 יוֹבֵ֥ל yovel HNcmsa Jubilee ram’s-horn trumpet
H3104-06 Leviticus 25:11 יוֹבֵ֣ל yovel HNcmsa jubilee ram’s-horn trumpet
H3104-06 Leviticus 25:12 יוֹבֵ֣ל yovel HNcmsa Jubilee ram’s-horn trumpet
H3104-02 Leviticus 25:13 הַ/יּוֹבֵ֖ל hayovel HTd/Ncmsa of the Jubilee the ram-horn trumpet
H3104-02 Leviticus 25:15 הַ/יּוֹבֵ֔ל hayovel HTd/Ncmsa the jubilee the ram-horn trumpet
H3104-02 Leviticus 25:28 הַ/יּוֹבֵ֑ל hayovel HTd/Ncmsa of the Jubilee the ram-horn trumpet
H3104-01 Leviticus 25:28 בַּ/יֹּבֵ֔ל bayovel HRd/Ncmsa in the Jubilee in the ram’s-horn
H3104-01 Leviticus 25:30 בַּ/יֹּבֵֽל bayovel HRd/Ncmsa in-the-jubilee in the ram’s-horn
H3104-04 Leviticus 25:31 וּ/בַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל uvayovel HC/Rd/Ncmsa and-in-the-Jubilee and in the ram’s-horn
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