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בּוֹא

𐤁𐤅𐤀

Bo

H935 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

A verb denoting the act of going, coming, or entering, usually indicating movement toward a point (frequently the speaker or a referent location). Used to express entry into a place, event or state, both literally (such as entering a city, house, or land) and figuratively (such as attaining a condition, being included, or happening). In causative (hiphil) stem, it frequently means to bring or cause to come, i.e., cause a person, thing, or event to enter or occur.

Semantic Range

to come (toward speaker or point of reference), to go (in context of entrance), to enter (a place, state, or condition), to bring or cause to come (in hiphil), to arrive, to happen or befall, to be included or initiated, to attain, to be carried in, to return, to bring forth, to invade (military), to be stricken (with age, idiomatically), to lead in, to fetch, to cause events to occur

Root / Etymology

From the root בוא, a common Semitic root with the basic sense of 'to come' or 'to enter.' In Hebrew, it is a primitive root, meaning it is not derived from a simpler verb.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בּוֹא is one of the most frequent verbs of motion in Biblical Hebrew. In early Israelite narrative, it appears in reference to physical arrival (people coming to places, entering lands, going in to houses, etc.) and events arriving (such as seasons or outcomes). Its use expands into abstract domains by the monarchic and exilic periods, encompassing events befalling someone, fulfillment of words or prophecies, and transitions into conditions or states (e.g., coming of age, becoming stricken in years). In later periods (Second Temple, post-exilic), it maintains its central meaning but is used in administrative and ritual contexts as well (such as entering the temple or participating in communal events). The causative hiphil stem is especially common for conveying that someone or something is being brought in or introduced. בּוֹא often stands in contrast with יָצָא (yatza, 'to go out'), highlighting the crossings of boundaries. English translations gloss it broadly as 'come,' 'go,' 'enter,' or 'bring,' but these do not cover the full valency of the verb in Hebrew, which also includes idiomatic uses (e.g., 'come upon' in the sense of 'befall,' or 'come to pass'). The concept of entry is broader in Hebrew, encompassing arrival, initiation, and inclusion, sometimes where later languages (including English) would prefer more specific verbs.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בוא (b-w-ʾ) — to come, to enter, to bring in

Root בוא to come, to enter, to bring in
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1159 בָּעוּ they came
H1933 הָוָא he caused to come
H3051 יָהַב to bring in
H3996 מָבוֹא in the entrance
H3997 מְבוֹאָה entrances of

Word Forms

280 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H935-211 וַ/יָּ֣בֹא vayavo HC/Vqw3ms and came and he came and he came 263
H935-212 וַ/יָּבֹ֥אוּ vayavou HC/Vqw3mp and they came they came they came 188
H935-08 בָּ֣א ba HVqp3ms came he came he came 175
H935-262 יָב֥וֹא yavo HVqi3ms comes he comes he comes 158
H935-23 בָּ֧אוּ bau HVqp3cp came they came they came 88
H935-124 תָּב֥וֹא tavo HVqi2ms will come you will come you will come 87
H935-102 לָ/ב֣וֹא lavo HR/Vqc to come to come in to come in 81
H935-168 בָ֣א va HVqp3ms came he came he came 63
H935-150 וּ/בָ֖א uva HC/Vqq3ms and comes and he came and he came 53
H935-263 יָבֹ֜אוּ yavou HVqi3mp shall come they come they come 52

Occurrences in Scripture

2592 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H935-207 Genesis 2:19 וַ/יָּבֵא֙ vayave HC/Vhw3ms and brought and he brought in and he brought in
H935-213 Genesis 2:22 וַ/יְבִאֶ֖/הָ vayevieha HC/Vhw3ms/Sp3fs and brought her and he brought her in and he brought her in
H935-207 Genesis 4:3 וַ/יָּבֵ֨א vayave HC/Vhw3ms Cain brought and he brought in and he brought
H935-74 Genesis 4:4 הֵבִ֥יא hevi HVhp3ms brought he caused to come in he brought
H935-263 Genesis 6:4 יָבֹ֜אוּ yavou HVqi3mp came they come they came
H935-08 Genesis 6:13 בָּ֣א ba HVqp3ms has come he came has come
H935-107 Genesis 6:17 מֵבִ֨יא mevi HVhrmsa am bringing bringing in am bringing
H935-156 Genesis 6:18 וּ/בָאתָ֙ uvata HC/Vqq2ms and you shall come and you came and you shall come
H935-122 Genesis 6:19 תָּבִ֥יא tavi HVhi2ms you shall bring you will bring in you will bring
H935-263 Genesis 6:20 יָבֹ֥אוּ yavou HVqi3mp shall come they come they come
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