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יָם

𐤉𐤌

yâm

H3220 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A large body of water, most frequently used of the sea (particularly the Mediterranean); also used for large rivers, lakes, and sometimes artificial basins. By extension, it denotes the geographic direction west (toward the Mediterranean from the perspective of the land of Israel). The word encompasses both physical and figurative senses, such as tumult or abundance.

Semantic Range

sea, large river, lake, artificial basin, direction west, abundance or mass (figurative), tumult (poetic); by extension: Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Nile, westward direction in geographical idiom

Root / Etymology

From the root ים (y-m), possibly related to the sense of 'roaring' or 'noisy tumult,' although this root is not attested in Hebrew verbal forms. The noun 'ים' developed primary usage for the sea and extended to broader meanings of large water bodies and directionality based on Israelite geography.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, יָם most commonly refers specifically to the Mediterranean Sea ('the Sea'), given its significance as the western boundary of the land of Israel. It can also refer generically to any sea or large body of water (e.g., the Red Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea) and, less frequently, to significant non-marine waters such as the Nile (Isa 19:5) or to man-made features like the large basin in the Temple courtyard (1 Kgs 7:23, 'the bronze Sea'). The word is used directionally to indicate the west, reflecting orientation toward the Mediterranean. Occasionally, poetic or metaphorical usages refer to chaos, depth, or abundance. Later usage in Aramaic, post-biblical Hebrew, and neighboring languages (Ugaritic, Akkadian) reflects overlapping senses of 'sea,' 'large body of water,' and sometimes 'lake.' Standard English translations usually render יָם as 'sea' but may obscure specific references to major rivers, large artificial basins, or the directional sense. Contrast with נָהָר (nahar, 'river'), אֲגַם ('agam, 'pool'), and other more specific terms for bodies of water.

Translation Consistency

primary "sea" 43 occurrences

'Sea' is the dominant and most natural English rendering in the corpus (by far the most frequent P2 choice) and fits the primary physical sense (Mediterranean and other large bodies of water) while also working idiomatically for plural and figurative uses (tumult, mass, abundance). Directional or specific usages (west, Nile, Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, large river) can still be rendered from the same base in context, but 'sea' provides the clearest, most consistent default.

Alternatives (7 occurrences):
"sea-ward" (5x) "westward" (1x) "west" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to roar; a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the south; sea ([idiom] -faring man, (-shore)), south, west (-ern, side, -ward).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

ים (yâm) — to be tumultuous, to roar (possible root); large body of water, sea

Root ים to be tumultuous, to roar (possible root); large body of water, sea
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3221 יָם to the sea

Word Forms

22 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3220-04 הַ/יָּם֙ hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea 140
H3220-20 יָ֤ם yam HNcmsc sea sea of sea of 91
H3220-21 יָ֖מָּ/ה yamah HNcmsa/Sd westward sea-ward sea-ward 48
H3220-22 יַמִּ֖ים yamim HNcmpa of the seas seas seas 21
H3220-12 מִ/יָּ֑ם miyam HR/Ncmsa from sea from sea from sea 18
H3220-01 בַּ/יָּם֙ bayam HRd/Ncmsa in the sea in the sea in the sea 15
H3220-05 הַ/יָּ֔מָּ/ה hayamah HTd/Ncmsa/Sd to the sea the seaward to the sea 10
H3220-15 בַ/יָּֽם vayam HRd/Ncmsa into the sea in the sea in the sea 8
H3220-17 וְ/הַ/יָּ֥ם vehayam HC/Td/Ncmsa and the sea and the sea and the sea 7
H3220-02 בַּ/יַּמִּ֔ים bayamim HRd/Ncmpa in the seas in the seas in the seas 5

Occurrences in Scripture

396 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3220-22 Genesis 1:10 יַמִּ֑ים yamim HNcmpa Seas seas seas
H3220-02 Genesis 1:22 בַּ/יַּמִּ֔ים bayamim HRd/Ncmpa in the seas in the seas in the seas
H3220-04 Genesis 1:26 הַ/יָּ֜ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa of the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Genesis 1:28 הַ/יָּם֙ hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Genesis 9:2 הַ/יָּ֖ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa of the sea the sea the sea
H3220-12 Genesis 12:8 מִ/יָּם֙ miyam HR/Ncmsa on the west from sea westward
H3220-16 Genesis 13:14 וָ/יָֽמָּ/ה vayamah HC/Ncmsa/Sd and westward and sea-ward and sea-ward
H3220-20 Genesis 14:3 יָ֥ם yam HNcmsc Sea sea of sea of
H3220-04 Genesis 22:17 הַ/יָּ֑ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa of the sea the sea the sea
H3220-21 Genesis 28:14 יָ֥מָּ/ה yamah HNcmsa/Sd to the west sea-ward to the west
H3220-04 Genesis 32:13 הַ/יָּ֔ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa of the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Genesis 41:49 הַ/יָּ֖ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa of the sea the sea the sea
H3220-22 Genesis 49:13 יַמִּ֖ים yamim HNcmpa of seas seas seas
H3220-20 Exodus 10:19 יָם֙ yam HNcmsa sea sea of sea
H3220-21 Exodus 10:19 יָ֣מָּ/ה yamah HNcmsc/Sd sea-ward sea-ward sea-ward
H3220-20 Exodus 13:18 יַם yam HNcmsc Sea sea of sea of
H3220-04 Exodus 14:2 הַ/יָּ֑ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:2 הַ/יָּֽם hayam-2 HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:9 הַ/יָּ֔ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:16 הַ/יָּ֖ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:16 הַ/יָּ֖ם hayam-2 HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:21 הַ/יָּם֒ hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:21 הַ֠/יָּם hayam-2 HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:21 הַ/יָּ֖ם hayam-3 HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:22 הַ/יָּ֖ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:23 הַ/יָּֽם hayam HTd/Ncmsa of the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:26 הַ/יָּ֑ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:27 הַ/יָּ֗ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:27 הַ/יָּ֜ם hayam-2 HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:27 הַ/יָּֽם hayam-3 HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-01 Exodus 14:28 בַּ/יָּ֑ם bayam HRd/Ncmsa into the sea in the sea in the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:29 הַ/יָּ֑ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 14:30 הַ/יָּֽם hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-15 Exodus 15:1 בַ/יָּֽם vayam HRd/Ncmsa into the sea in the sea into the sea
H3220-15 Exodus 15:4 בַ/יָּ֑ם vayam HRd/Ncmsa into the sea in the sea into the sea
H3220-18 Exodus 15:4 בְ/יַם veyam HR/Ncmsc in the sea sea of in the sea
H3220-20 Exodus 15:8 יָֽם yam HNcmsa of the sea sea of sea of
H3220-20 Exodus 15:10 יָ֑ם yam HNcmsa sea sea of sea of
H3220-01 Exodus 15:19 בַּ/יָּ֔ם bayam HRd/Ncmsa into the sea in the sea in the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 15:19 הַ/יָּ֑ם hayam HTd/Ncmsa of the sea the sea the sea
H3220-04 Exodus 15:19 הַ/יָּֽם hayam-2 HTd/Ncmsa of the sea the sea the sea
H3220-15 Exodus 15:21 בַ/יָּֽם vayam HRd/Ncmsa into the sea in the sea into the sea
H3220-12 Exodus 15:22 מִ/יַּם miyam HR/Ncmsc from the sea from sea from sea
H3220-04 Exodus 20:11 הַ/יָּם֙ hayam HTd/Ncmsa the sea the sea the sea
H3220-12 Exodus 23:31 מִ/יַּם miyam HR/Ncmsc from sea from sea from sea
H3220-20 Exodus 23:31 יָ֣ם yam HNcmsc sea sea of sea of
H3220-21 Exodus 26:22 יָ֑מָּ/ה yamah HNcmsa/Sd westward sea-ward sea-ward
H3220-21 Exodus 26:27 יָֽמָּ/ה yamah HNcmsa/Sd westward sea-ward sea-ward
H3220-20 Exodus 27:12 יָ֔ם yam HNcmsa of the sea sea of sea of
H3220-21 Exodus 36:27 יָ֑מָּ/ה yamah HNcmsa/Sd westward sea-ward sea-ward
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