הָיָה3570 H1961
To be, exist, become, come to pass; the foundational Hebrew verb of existence and state-change, serving as copula and narrative marker.
Perhaps the most fundamental verb in biblical Hebrew, hayah (הָיָה) carries the weight of existence itself. It functions as the copula ('was,' 'is,' 'will be'), marks narrative transitions with the iconic wayyehi ('and it came to pass'), and expresses transformative becoming — as when the dust of Egypt 'became' gnats (Exod 8:17). Its most theologically charged occurrence is God's self-revelation at the burning bush: 'ehyeh asher ehyeh — 'I AM WHO I AM' (Exod 3:14), where the multilingual translations (Spanish 'Ehyeh,' French 'JE SUIS,' German 'ich AM') show translators wrestling with the untranslatable divine Name.
2. become, come to be (Qal inchoative) — The inchoative or transformative sense: 'to become, turn into, come to be,' marking a change of state rather than static existence. Distinguished from sense 1 by implying transition — Aaron's rod 'became' a serpent (Exod 7:12), a river 'became' four branches (Gen 2:10), Jacob confessing 'I have become' unworthy (Gen 32:10). The Arabic cognate صَارَ ('to become') parallels this inchoative force. Spanish 'fui' and German 'bin-ich-geworden' capture the transformational aspect that English 'became' renders naturally. 55×
AR["صِرتُ","صِرْتُ","صِرْنَا","فَصَارُوا","كُنْتُ","وَ-كَانَ","وَكَانُوا"]·ben["আমরা-হয়েছি","আমি-ছিলাম","আমি-হয়েছি","আর-হলেন","এবং-তারা-হলেন","ও-হলেন","সমস্ত","সেনানীদের","হয়েছি"]·DE["Krieg","bin-ich-geworden","ich-war","und-es-geschah","und-sein","und-sie-became"]·EN["I-have-become","I-have-been","I-was","and-became","and-they-became","and-were","have-become","we-have-become"]·FR["Je-avoir-devenir","et-il-arriva","et-ils-devint","et-être","j'étais","le-être","être"]·heb["היה","היינו","הייתי","ו-היה","ו-יהיו"]·HI["और-हुए","और-हो-गए","और-हो-गया","था-मैं","बना-हूँ-मैं","मैं-था","मैं-बन-गया","मैं-बना","मैं-हूँ","मैं-हो-गया","मैं-हो-गया-हूं","हम-हो-गए","हो-गया-हूँ","हो-गया-हूँ-मैं"]·ID["Kami-menjadi","aku menjadi","aku-menjadi","aku-telah-menjadi","dan-jadilah","dan-menjadi","dan-mereka-menjadi","menjadi"]·IT["e-avvenne","e-essere","e-essi-divenne","essere","fu","io-avere-become"]·jav["Kawula-sedaya-sampun-dados","Kula-dados","kawula-dados","kawula-sampun-dados","kula-dados","kula-sampun-dados","lan-dados","sampun-dados"]·KO["그-와-되었다","그리고-되었다","내가-되었다","되었나이다","되었다","되었도다","되었도다-내-가","되었었돀다"]·PT["Tornamo-nos","e-foi","e-foram","e-tornaram-se","era","fui","me-tornei","tornei-me"]·RU["был-я","и-стал","и-стали","стал","стал-я","стали-мы","я-стал"]·ES["Fuimos","era","fui","he-llegado-a-ser","he-sido","soy","y-fue","y-fueron"]·SW["Tumekuwa","na-wakawa","nilikuwa","nimekuwa"]·TR["idim","olduk","oldum","ve-oldu","ve-oldular"]·urd["اور-بنے","اور-ہوئے","میں بن گیا ہوں","میں-تھا","میں-ہو-گیا","ہو-گئے-ہم","ہو-گیا","ہو-گیا-مَیں","ہو-گیا-میں","ہو-گیا-ہوں"]
Gen 2:10, Gen 32:10, Exod 7:12, Josh 24:32, Judg 1:30, Judg 1:35, Judg 15:14, 2 Sam 2:25, 1 Chr 12:22, 1 Chr 18:2, 1 Chr 18:6, 1 Chr 18:13 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. be, exist, was (Qal copular/existential) — The copular and existential backbone of Hebrew narrative and discourse: 'to be, was, exist, there was.' This sense encompasses the verb as a linking word between subject and predicate, as a marker of existence, and as the formulaic wayyehi opening temporal clauses. It appears over 3,500 times, making it the workhorse of Hebrew syntax. The translation signatures are remarkably consistent across languages — Spanish 'y-fue,' French 'et-ce-fut,' German 'und-es-geschah' — all reflecting the narrative-sequential 'and it was/came to pass' formula (e.g., Gen 11:2, Gen 15:17). 3505×
AR["وَ-كانَ","وَ-كَانَ","وَ-كَانَتِ","وَكَانَ"]·ben["আর-হল","এবং-ঘটল","এবং-হল","এবং-হলো","ও-হল"]·DE["und-es-geschah","und-es-war","und-war"]·EN["and-it-was","and-was"]·FR["et-ce-fut","et-cela-était","et-fut","et-il-était","et-était"]·heb["ו-היה","ו-יהי"]·HI["और-हुअ","और-हुआ"]·ID["Dan-menjadi","Dan-terjadilah","dan-adalah","dan-jadilah","dan-terjadi","dan-terjadilah"]·IT["e-era","e-esso-fu","e-fu"]·jav["Lan-dados","Lan-dumados","Lan-wonten","lan-dados"]·KO["그리고-되었다","그리고-이었다","그리고-있었다"]·PT["E-foi","e-foi","¶ E-aconteceu"]·RU["И-было","и-было"]·ES["Y-fue","y-fue","y-sucedió"]·SW["Na-ikawa","na-ikawa","na-iliendelea","na-kuwa"]·TR["Ve-oldu","ve-oldu"]·urd["اور-ہوا"]
3. ketiv/textual variant reading — Ketiv/qere textual variants in the Masoretic tradition where the consonantal text (ketiv) preserves an alternate spelling of the verb. These are not a distinct semantic sense but a text-critical phenomenon, appearing at boundary descriptions in Joshua (15:4, 18:12, 18:14, 18:19, 19:29) where the written form differs from the prescribed reading. The bracketed glosses across languages — English '[and-was],' Spanish '[kethiv],' German '[ketiv]' — signal the scribal notation rather than a meaning distinction. 7×
AR["[كتابة]","[كتيب]","[وَتَكونُ]","[وَكانَ]","[وَيِهْيُو]"]·ben["[এবং-ছিল]","[এবং-হবে]","এবং-হবে","ভুল"]·DE["[ketiv]","[und-war]","[und-waren]","und-sein"]·EN["[and-was]","[and-were]","[ketiv]"]·FR["[cétiv]","[et-étaient]","[et-était]","[ketiv]","et-ils-étaient"]·heb["[ו-היה]","[ו-היית]","[והיה]","ו-היה","ו-יהיו"]·HI["[वहयत]","और-होगा"]·ID["(ketiv)","[dan-menjadi]","[ketib]"]·IT["[e-fu]","[e-furono]","[ketiv]","e-essere"]·jav["[lan-badhé-dados]","[lan-dados]","lan-dados"]·KO["[그리고-될-것이다]","그리고-될-것이다"]·PT["(e-foram)","[e-foram]","[e-serão]","[ketiv]"]·RU["[и-будет]","[и-будут]","[кетив:и-был]","[кетив:и-были]","[кетив]"]·ES["[Y-será]","[kethiv]","[y-fueron]"]·SW["[k]","[na-kutakuwa]","[na-ukawa]"]·TR["[k]","[ve-olacak]","[ve-oldu]"]·urd["[اور-ہوگا]","اور-ہوگی"]
4. sense 4 — The theologically momentous divine self-declaration 'ehyeh (אֶהְיֶה) — 'I AM' or 'I WILL BE' — concentrated at the burning bush theophany of Exodus 3:14. The first-person imperfect form carries both present and future force, and translators across traditions struggle with its fullness: French renders 'JE SUIS' (I AM), German 'ich AM' (preserving the Hebrew), Spanish 'Ehyeh' (transliterating rather than translating). The remaining occurrences (1 Sam 18:18, Song 1:7) use the same form in humble self-questioning: 'Who am I that I should be...?' 5×
AR["أَكُونَ","أَهْيَهْ","إِهْيِه"]·ben["আমি-আছি","আমি-হব"]·DE["ich-AM","ich-sollte-sein","ich-werde-sein"]·EN["I-AM","I-should-be","should-I-be"]·FR["JE-SUIS","je-devrait-être","serais-je"]·heb["אהיה"]·HI["मई̃-हũ̃","होऊँ-मैं","होओन-मैन"]·ID["AKU-ADALAH","aku-menjadi","harus-aku"]·IT["essere","io-AM","io-dovrebbe-essere"]·jav["Ingkang-Wonten","Kula-Punika-Ingkang-Wonten","dados","kula-dados"]·KO["나는-스스로-있는-자이다","내-가-되리오","되겠느냐-내가","스스로-있는-자가"]·PT["'Ehyeh","seja","seria"]·RU["ЭХЬЕ","была-я","быть"]·ES["Ehyeh","habré-de-ser","sea"]·SW["NIKO","niwe"]·TR["Ben-Varım","olayim","olayım"]·urd["میں-ہوں"]
5. sense 5 — A resultative-perfective nuance: 'has been, has occurred,' emphasizing the completed or unprecedented nature of an event. Used for singular, epochal moments — 'there has not been such a cry' in Egypt (Exod 11:6), 'has this thing been done?' regarding Solomon's coronation (1 Kgs 1:27), and the unparalleled wisdom and riches 'that has not been' before (1 Kgs 3:12–13). The English 'has been' and German 'ist-gewesen' capture this perfect-tense emphasis on the extraordinary quality of what has transpired. 4×
AR["تَكُنْ","كَانَ","يَكُنْ"]·ben["ছিল","না","হয়েছে"]·DE["hat-gewesen","ist-gewesen"]·EN["has-been"]·FR["a-été"]·heb["היה","נהיה","נהיתה"]·HI["था","हुई","हुई-है"]·ID["ada","pernah-ada","terjadi"]·IT["ha-stato","è-stato"]·jav["naté-wonten","sampun-dados","wonten"]·KO["되었나이다","있었다"]·PT["foi-feita","houve"]·RU["было","стало"]·ES["fue-hecha","hubo"]·SW["amekuwa","kuwa","na-baada-yako","na-hukuwaambia"]·TR["oldu","olmuştu"]·urd["تھا","ہوئی","ہوئی-تھی"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)G1510 1. copulative, linking predication (2095×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
הָיָה3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be (SI 1.6 היה, ib.3 הית; parallel form of הוה, Arabic هَوَى, Aramaic הֲוָא, ܗܘܳܐ; v. הָוָה supr.)— Qal Pf. 3 ms. הָיָה Gn 3:1 +; וְהָיָה consec. Gn 4:14 +; 3 fs. הָֽיְתָה Gn 1:2 +; הָיָתָ֑ה Is 14:24 + 3 times; וְהָֽיְתָה consec. Gn 9:13 +; והית 2 K 9:37 Kt (Qr וְהָיְתָה); 2 ms. הָיִיתָ Dt 5:15 +; 1 s. הָיִיתִי Gn 31:40; 3 pl. הָיוּ Gn 6:4 +; 2 mpl.…