יָוֵן
𐤉𐤅𐤍
yâvên
H3121 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A semi-liquid mass or thick, muddy substance; clay, mire, or mud resulting from the mixing of water and earth, especially as found in swamps, marshes, pits, or other low-lying locations. The word can also denote a clay pit or the actual sediment/mire accumulated at the bottom of a body of water or mixed with water on the surface. In metaphorical usage, it denotes a troublesome or undesirable situation (e.g., being stuck in the 'mire'). Used for both literal mud or mire and for figurative states of difficulty or impurity.
Semantic Range
mud, mire, swampy mud, miry clay, pool or pit of mud, the thick dregs or sediment at the bottom of a wet area, figurative sense of trouble or entrapment
Root / Etymology
Root יון (y-w-n), possibly from יין (yayin) meaning 'wine,' in the sense of agitated effervescence or foaming, but the connection is uncertain. The term יָוֵן refers instead to liquid mud or mire, not directly to wine or its dregs. Etymology uncertain; may be onomatopoeic, mimicking the sound or appearance of bubbling mud.
Historical & Contextual Notes
יָוֵן occurs a handful of times in the Hebrew Bible to describe muddy, miry, or swampy conditions (e.g., Psalm 40:3[2], 'miry clay'; Jeremiah 38:6, 'the mire of the pit'). The association with 'dregs' reflects a comparison to effervescent or bubbling sediment, but the primary reference is to mud or liquid mire. English translations tend to render it as 'mire,' 'mud,' or 'clay,' but the word can refer to different kinds of viscous earth in different contexts, including dangerous or trapping mud (such as a cistern's bottom or a swamp). The term is not a technical word for pottery clay (חמר, טיט) but rather for naturally occurring mud or mire. In contrast to related terms like טִיט (ṭit, 'clay') or חֹמֶר (ḥomer, 'clay, mortar'), יָוֵן emphasizes liquidity and the sense of mire as trapping or unstable ground. The semantic development may have been influenced by the image of frothing or bubbling mud. There is no evidence that the term carried significant theological or ritual connotation; it is a descriptive, physical term.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as יַיִן; properly, dregs (as effervescing); hence, mud; mire, miry.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
יון (y-w-n) — to be muddy, to be miry, to bubble or effervesce (uncertain)
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3121-02 |
הַ/יָּ֫וֵ֥ן | hayaven | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the clay | the mire | 1 |
H3121-01 |
בִּ/יוֵ֣ן | biven | HR/Ncmsc |
in mire | miry mud | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3121-02 |
Psalms 40:3 | הַ/יָּ֫וֵ֥ן | hayaven | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the clay | the mire |
H3121-01 |
Psalms 69:3 | בִּ/יוֵ֣ן | biven | HR/Ncmsc |
in mire | miry mud |