יוֹרַי
𐤉𐤅𐤓𐤉
Yoray
H3140 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper personal name: Yorai. A masculine Israelite personal name likely derived from a verbal root meaning 'to send rain' or 'to shoot.' Its use as a personal name probably signifies 'Yah gives rain' or 'he sends rain.'
Semantic Range
personal name, 'he causes rain', 'rainy', possible participial form: 'one causing rain'
Root / Etymology
From the root יָרָה (yarah), 'to throw, cast, shoot'; in the Hiphil form, 'to water, to rain.' The name is a nominal formation, likely with a theophoric or active participial sense. The exact process of name formation is debated, but most view it as related to the idea of 'rain' or 'raining.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
יוֹרַי (Yorai) appears in 1 Chronicles 5:13 as the name of an Israelite (descendant of Gad) listing, presumably of the monarchic or pre-exilic period. The root יָרָה often refers to the act of throwing, shooting, or watering; in the Hiphil form it is frequently used for God giving rain (cf. Deut 11:14). This personal name, constructed from that root, may capture the hope or belief in divine provision of rain—an important theme in ancient agrarian society. English translations preserve it as 'Jorai,' sometimes rendering it more generically as a list entry. There is no evidence that the bearer had any identity connected specifically to Judahite, Judean, or later-period meanings—the context is solidly Israelite during the period of the divided monarchy. The formation is similar to other Hebrew names based on climatic or agricultural terms, with possible parallels like יוֹשָפָט (Jehoshaphat, 'Yah judges') or יוֹיָדָע (Jehoiada, 'Yah knows'), though יוֹרַי lacks the explicit theophoric element.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from יָרָה; rainy; Jorai, an Israelite; Jorai.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ירה (y-r-h) — to throw, to cast, to shoot, to water, to give rain
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3138 | יוֹרֶה | his early rain |
| H3139 | יוֹרָה | Autumn-Rain |
| H3384 | יָרָה | the shooters |
| H3385 | יְרוּאֵל | El-Founded Place |
| H3400 | יְרִיאֵל | and El-teaches |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3140-01 |
וְ/יוֹרַ֧י | veyoray | HC/Np |
and Jorai | Rain-Causer | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3140-01 |
1 Chronicles 5:13 | וְ/יוֹרַ֧י | veyoray | HC/Np |
and Jorai | Rain-Causer |