יִשָּׂשכָר
𐤉𐤔𐤔𐤊𐤓
Yisashkhar
H3485 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name designating a male ancestor and—by extension—the Israelite tribe traditionally descended from him. The name likely means 'there is a reward' or 'he brings recompense.' In the Hebrew Bible, יִשָּׂשכָר refers to one of the sons of Jacob/Israel by Leah, and subsequently the eponymous ancestor of the tribe of Issachar. The semantic range is primarily limited to personal and tribal designation, but the underlying etymology relates to concepts of wage or reward.
Semantic Range
personal name, tribal designation, symbolic reward or recompense; rarely: reference to the concept of hire or wage through association
Root / Etymology
Formed from the combination of נָשָׂא (to lift, to carry, to bear) and שָׂכָר (wages, reward). The name may represent a theophoric or sentence name, possibly meaning 'There is a reward' or 'He brings reward.' Some ancient versions and interpretations (e.g., Targum, Samaritan tradition) suggest possible linkage to 'man of hire' or 'there is a wage,' but precise formation is debated. The root meaning of שָׂכָר is 'reward, wage.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
יִשָּׂשכָר appears as the ninth son of Jacob/Israel and second son of Leah (Genesis 30:17–18). The birth narrative links the name to Leah's sense of having received a 'reward' for giving her maid to Jacob, underlining themes of recompense. The personal name then becomes the eponymous ancestor for the tribe occupying territory in the central-northern highlands (Joshua 19:17–23). In early monarchic and prophetic literature, - e.g. Judges, Chronicles, and prophetic texts—the designation is typically ethnic or tribal. Later translations, such as the KJV, Anglicize the name as 'Issachar' but do not preserve the potential nuance regarding 'reward.' Some rabbinic and medieval commentaries suggest alternative folk etymologies, including the idea of 'man of recompense' or reference to hired labor, but these are not supported by the original narrative. The name is part of a broader category of biblical Hebrew personal names expressing circumstances of birth, aspirations, or blessings. The meaning of the name did not shift significantly over time; it remained a genealogical and tribal marker throughout the periods of the Hebrew Bible, and later as an ethnic identifier in postbiblical literature.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(strictly yis-saws-kawr'); from נָשָׂא and שָׂכָר; he will bring a reward; Jissaskar, a son of Jacob; Issachar.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שכר (š-k-r) — to hire, to reward, to wage
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4909 | מַשְׂכֹּרֶת | your compensation |
| H7910 | שִׁכּוֹר | drunken one |
| H7916 | שָׂכִיר | as a wage-earner |
| H7917 | שְׂכִירָה | the hire-wage |
| H7937 | שָׁכַר | I will intoxicate |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3485-05 |
יִשָּׂשכָֽר | yisashkhar | HNp |
Issachar | He-Brings-Reward | 32 |
H3485-04 |
וְ/יִשָּׂשכָ֖ר | veyisashkhar | HC/Np |
and Issachar | And He-Brings-Reward | 4 |
H3485-02 |
לְ/יִ֨שָּׂשכָ֔ר | leyisashkhar | HR/Np |
for Issachar | to Reward-Bringer | 3 |
H3485-01 |
בְּ/יִשָּׂשכָ֣ר | beyisashkhar | HR/Np |
in Issachar | in Reward-bringer | 3 |
H3485-03 |
וּ/בְ/יִשָּׂשכָ֖ר | uveyisashkhar | HC/R/Np |
and in Issachar | and in He-Brings-Reward | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
43 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3485-05 |
Genesis 30:18 | יִשָּׂשכָֽר | yisashkhar | HNp |
Issachar | He-Brings-Reward |
H3485-04 |
Genesis 35:23 | וְ/יִשָּׂשכָ֖ר | veyisashkhar | HC/Np |
and Issachar | And He-Brings-Reward |
H3485-05 |
Genesis 46:13 | יִשָׂשכָ֑ר | yisashkhar | HNp |
of Issachar | He-Brings-Reward |
H3485-05 |
Genesis 49:14 | יִשָּׂשכָ֖ר | yisashkhar | HNp |
Issachar | He-Brings-Reward |
H3485-05 |
Exodus 1:3 | יִשָּׂשכָ֥ר | yisashkhar | HNp |
Issachar, | He-Brings-Reward |
H3485-02 |
Numbers 1:8 | לְ/יִ֨שָּׂשכָ֔ר | leyisashkhar | HR/Np |
of Issachar | to Reward-Bringer |
H3485-05 |
Numbers 1:28 | יִשָּׂשכָ֔ר | yisashkhar | HNp |
of Issachar | He-Brings-Reward |
H3485-05 |
Numbers 1:29 | יִשָּׂשכָ֑ר | yisashkhar | HNp |
Issachar | He-Brings-Reward |
H3485-05 |
Numbers 2:5 | יִשָּׂשכָ֑ר | yisashkhar | HNp |
of Issachar | He-Brings-Reward |
H3485-05 |
Numbers 2:5 | יִשָּׂשכָ֔ר | yisashkhar-2 | HNp |
of Issachar | He-Brings-Reward |