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אִישׁ

𐤀𐤉𐤔

ʼîysh

H376 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A male human being; an individual man; often used to denote a person in general (regardless of gender in legal or representative contexts); also employed as a term for 'husband' or for one's counterpart, neighbor, or associate. In specific constructions, functions as an indefinite pronoun ('someone,' 'anyone,' 'each,' 'every') or as a component in descriptive and relational phrases.

Semantic Range

male human being, individual man, husband, person (in legal or representative contexts), each or every man, someone, any man, counterpart, neighbor, associate, champion, person of a particular kind or status

Root / Etymology

Root is א-נ-ש (אנש), but more likely related to the root אִישׁ itself, with the core meaning 'man,' 'individual.' The internal structure suggests a development distinct from אֱנוֹשׁ (ʼenosh) and וְאָדָם (ʼadam) though the three words overlap semantically. Some propose that אִישׁ derives from a root meaning 'to be strong, to exist,' but etymology remains uncertain beyond its clear function as 'man' or 'person.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, אִישׁ is the most common term for an individual man, distinguishing from other terms: אָדָם (ʼadam, often generic 'human'), אֱנוֹשׁ (ʼenosh, often emphasizing frailty or mortality), and גֶּבֶר (gever, often emphasizing strength or masculinity). אִישׁ emphasizes individuality or particularity, as in 'each man' (אִישׁ אִישׁ). In legal, contractual, or genealogical contexts, אִישׁ denotes an individual without always explicitly marking maleness (thus sometimes just 'person'). In familial terms, it commonly means 'husband' (in contrast to אִשָּׁה, 'wife'). In idiomatic expressions and with possessive suffixes, it can indicate status, role, or relationship (e.g., 'man of valor,' 'his companion,' 'man of his house'). Post-biblically, distinctions between אִישׁ and related terms persist, with אִישׁ remaining standard for 'man.' English translations sometimes obscure the full semantic range, and in some cases render אִישׁ as 'man,' 'one,' 'person,' 'someone,' or 'husband' depending on the context.

Translation Consistency

primary "man" 1529 occurrences

"Man" is the most frequent and natural English equivalent for אִישׁ (1285 of 2187 P2 renderings). It captures the primary sense of a male individual and easily fits common constructions (each man, every man, man and wife, men of a place). Less common senses (husband, person in legal contexts, counterpart) can be handled by context-specific phrasing, but consistency requires the single, typical lexical choice: "man."

Alternatives (658 occurrences):
"men" (389x) "men of" (198x) "husband" (53x) "among men of" (3x) "husbands" (3x) "male" (2x) "among the men" (2x) "among men" (2x) "among the men of" (2x) "like men" (1x) "one" (1x) "each one" (1x) "like men of" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

contracted for אֱנוֹשׁ (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation); also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phrase] steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare אִשָּׁה.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אישׁ (ʾ-y-sh) — man, individual, person, husband

Root אישׁ man, individual, person, husband
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1145 בֶּן־יְמִינִי individual man
H377 אִישׁ and act as men
H378 אִישׁ־בֹּשֶׁת individual man
H380 אִישׁוֹן pupil of
H606 אֱנָשׁ men

Word Forms

59 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H376-17 אִ֔ישׁ ish HNcmsa man man man 1121
H376-16 הָ/אִישׁ֙ haish HTd/Ncmsa the man the man the man 168
H376-08 אַנְשֵׁ֥י aneshey HNcmpc men of men of men of 168
H376-55 וְ/אִ֨ישׁ veish HC/Ncmsa and man and a man and a man 141
H376-15 הָֽ/אֲנָשִׁ֔ים haanashim HTd/Ncmpa the men the men the men 121
H376-07 אֲנָשִׁ֑ים anashim HNcmpa men men men 109
H376-32 לְ/אִ֣ישׁ leish HR/Ncmsa to a man to a man to a man 60
H376-30 לָ/אִ֔ישׁ laish HRd/Ncmsa to the man to a man to a man 32
H376-18 אִישָׁ֖/הּ ishah HNcmsc/Sp3fs her husband woman her husband 25
H376-47 וַ/אֲנָשָׁ֗י/ו vaanashayv HC/Ncmpc/Sp3ms and his men and his men and his men 25

Occurrences in Scripture

2187 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H376-39 Genesis 2:23 מֵ/אִ֖ישׁ meish HR/Ncmsa from man from a man from a man
H376-17 Genesis 2:24 אִ֔ישׁ ish HNcmsa a man man a man
H376-33 Genesis 3:6 לְ/אִישָׁ֛/הּ leishah HR/Ncmsc/Sp3fs to her husband to a woman to her husband
H376-19 Genesis 3:16 אִישֵׁ/ךְ֙ ishekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs your husband your man your husband
H376-17 Genesis 4:1 אִ֖ישׁ ish HNcmsa a man man a man
H376-17 Genesis 4:23 אִ֤ישׁ ish HNcmsa a man man a man
H376-08 Genesis 6:4 אַנְשֵׁ֥י aneshey HNcmpc men men of men of
H376-17 Genesis 6:9 אִ֥ישׁ ish HNcmsa man man man
H376-17 Genesis 7:2 אִ֣ישׁ ish HNcmsa male man male
H376-17 Genesis 7:2 אִ֥ישׁ ish-2 HNcmsa male man male
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