H0835 H0835
blessed! happy! — a beatitude formula pronouncing someone fortunate, always in the construct plural ashrey
Ashrey is one of the most recognizable words in the Hebrew Bible, the exclamatory formula that opens the Psalter ('Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,' Ps 1:1) and structures the Beatitudes of the Old Testament. Always appearing in the construct plural — never as a simple noun — it functions as an interjection pronouncing someone genuinely fortunate or enviably happy. Its 45 occurrences cluster in Wisdom literature and the Psalms: 'Blessed is the one you choose and bring near' (Ps 65:4), 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD' (Ps 33:12), 'Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD' (Ps 128:1). Proverbs applies it to wisdom: 'Blessed is the one who finds wisdom' (Prov 3:13). The German 'selig' and French 'heureux' each capture a slightly different facet — blessedness and happiness — while Spanish 'bienaventurado' fuses both ideas into one word.
Senses
1. blessed, happy, fortunate — A beatitude interjection in the construct plural form, invariably sentence-initial, pronouncing a person or group genuinely fortunate or blessed on account of their relationship to God, their moral conduct, or their receipt of divine favor. Opens the Psalter (Ps 1:1) and recurs throughout the psalms and wisdom literature as a fixed formula: 'ashrey + the person who...' (Ps 32:1-2; 34:8; 84:5, 12; 112:1; 119:1-2; 128:1). Extended to nations (Ps 33:12; Deut 33:29) and to those who find wisdom (Prov 3:13; 8:34). All 45 occurrences share this exclamatory-declarative function, distinct from the verbal root 'ashar ('to go straight, advance'). 45×
AR["طوبى", "طوبى-", "طُوبَى", "طُوبَى-"]·ben["ধন্য", "ধন্য-"]·DE["gluecklich", "selig", "selig-"]·EN["blessed", "blessed-", "blessed-are", "blessed-is"]·FR["heureux"]·heb["אשרי", "אשרי-"]·HI["धन्य"]·ID["Berbahagialah", "Berbahagialah-", "berbahagialah"]·IT["beato", "beato-"]·jav["Rahayu", "Rahayu-", "rahayu"]·KO["복-이-있도다", "복-있는", "복-있도다", "복되다", "복되도다"]·PT["Bem-aventurada", "Bem-aventurado", "Bem-aventurados", "bem-aventurado", "feliz"]·RU["Блажен", "Блажен-", "Блаженны", "блажен", "блажен-", "блаженны"]·ES["Bienaventurada", "Bienaventurado", "Bienaventurado-", "Bienaventurados", "bienaventurado", "dichoso"]·SW["Amebarikiwa", "Heri", "heri"]·TR["Ne-mutlu", "ne-mutlu", "ne-mutlu-"]·urd["مبارک", "مبارک-ہے", "مُبارک"]
Deut 33:29, 1 Kgs 10:8, 1 Kgs 10:8, 2 Chr 9:7, 2 Chr 9:7, Job 5:17, Ps 1:1, Ps 2:12, Ps 32:1, Ps 32:2, Ps 33:12, Ps 34:8 (+33 more)
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [אֶ֫שֶׁר, or אָשָׁר, cf. LagBN 143] n.[m.