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יוּבַל

𐤉𐤅𐤁𐤋

yûwbal

H3105 noun

SILEX Entry

Root יבל to bring, carry, flow, lead

Definition

A watercourse, specifically a stream, brook, or small river, typically conveying flowing water and often seasonal in nature. Refers to a natural channel or stream, as opposed to a major river or artificial canal.

Semantic Range

stream, brook, water channel, tributary, (poetically) a source of flowing water

Root / Etymology

The term יוּבַל (yûwbal) is derived from the root יבל, which means 'to bring, carry, lead, flow.' The noun form reflects the idea of flowing or being carried (by water) and thus designates a flowing watercourse. The same root underpins related words signifying flow, bringing, or leading, whether literal (water, animals) or metaphorical.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, יוּבַל most often refers to a natural stream or flowing body of water, sometimes paralleled with larger rivers (e.g., נהר) to denote tributaries feeding into greater rivers. Its use is mostly poetic or in descriptions of landscapes, as in Isaiah 30:25 and Psalm 137:1, where it conveys the image of smaller streams or channels branching from a main water source. Unlike נהר (nahar, 'great river'), יוּבַל never denotes the primary rivers of Mesopotamia or Egypt. In later Hebrew and Aramaic, the distinction between יוּבַל and other terms such as אפיק ('channel, riverbed') and נחל ('wadi, seasonal stream') persists, with יוּבַל generally indicating a perennial or significant tributary. English translations sometimes use 'river' or 'stream,' but the sense is of something less than a great river, often a tributary or branch. The connection to the personal name יובל (Jubal, Genesis 4:21) is etymologically related, highlighting the core idea of 'bringing forth' or 'flowing.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יָבַל; a stream; river.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

יבל (y-b-l) — bring, carry, lead, flow

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

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3105-01 יוּבַל֙ yuval HNcmsa a stream flowing stream 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3105-01 Jeremiah 17:8 יוּבַל֙ yuval HNcmsa a stream flowing stream
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