H2975 H2975
The Nile River (Egyptian loanword); by extension, any major river, stream, or irrigation canal.
Ye'or is one of the Bible's most striking loanwords — borrowed directly from Egyptian iotr/io'r ('watercourse'), surviving also in Coptic eiero. In its dominant use, it is simply the Nile: Pharaoh's dreams unfold 'by the ye'or' (Gen 41:1-3), and the plagues turn it to blood (Exod 7:20). Spanish el Rio, French le Nil, and Korean nail-gang all point to this singular great river. Yet the word also functions as a common noun for any major waterway — Ezekiel's Pharaoh boasts 'my ye'or' (29:3), and 2 Kings 19:24 speaks of 'the rivers (ye'orei) of Egypt' in a generic sense. In its most technical use, ye'or denotes the canals and irrigation channels of the Nile delta (Exod 7:19; Isa 19:6), reflecting Egypt's engineered hydrology.
Senses
1. the Nile River — The Nile River as a proper noun — the great river of Egypt, center of the Exodus narrative and prophetic oracle. The 47 occurrences include Pharaoh's dream (Gen 41:1-3), the plague of blood (Exod 7:20-21), the infant Moses set among reeds (Exod 2:3), and prophetic judgment against Egypt (Isa 19:5-8). Spanish el Rio, French le Nil, German der Nil, and Arabic an-nil all treat it as a definite, singular river. The definite article (hayye'or) is standard, reflecting the loanword's quasi-proper-noun status. 47×
AR["النَّهْرَ", "النَّهْرُ", "النَّهْرِ", "فِي-النَّهْرِ"]·ben["নদী", "নদী-", "নদীকে", "নদীতে", "নদীর"]·DE["der-Nil", "in-der-Nil"]·EN["in-the-Nile", "the-Nile"]·FR["dans-le-Nil", "le-Nil"]·heb["ב-יאור", "ה-יאור"]·HI["नदी", "नदी-का", "नदी-के", "नील-नदी", "नील-नदी-के", "नील-नदी-ने", "नील-नदी-में-था", "नील-नदी-में-थी", "नील-नदी-में-है"]·ID["Sungai-Nil", "di-Sungai-Nil"]·IT["il-Nilo", "in-il-Nilo"]·jav["lepen", "lèpèn", "wonten-ing-lèpèn"]·KO["강에-있는", "그-강", "그-강에서", "그-강을", "그-강의", "그-강이", "그리고-보았다", "그리고-시녀들이-그녀의", "입술에"]·PT["no-Rio", "o-Rio", "o-rio", "o-rio,"]·RU["Нил", "Нила", "в-Ниле", "реке", "реки"]·ES["el-Río", "el-río", "en-el-río"]·SW["Mto-Naili", "katika-mto", "mto", "wa-mto", "ya-mto"]·TR["Nil", "Nil'de", "Nil'den", "Nil'i", "Nil'in"]·urd["دریا", "دریا-سے", "دریا-میں", "دریا-کے"]
2. river, stream — A common noun meaning 'river' or 'stream,' used with possessive suffixes or in plural to denote major waterways beyond the specific Nile channel. Ezekiel 29:3 has Pharaoh declaring 'my river,' and Psalm 78:44 recalls how God 'turned their rivers to blood' — Spanish los rios, German Fluesse, and Swahili mito all render the generic plural. This includes Isaiah 7:18's 'the rivers of Egypt' as a geographic designation broader than the single Nile channel. 12×
AR["أَنهَارِ", "أَنْهَارَهُمْ", "أَنْهَارِ", "أَنْهَارِكَ", "أَنْهَارِهِ", "الْأَنْهَارَ", "نَهْرِي"]·ben["আমার-নদী", "তাদের-নদীগুলিকে", "তার-নদীর", "তোমার-নদীর", "নদীগুলি", "নদীগুলো", "নদীগুলোর"]·DE["Fluesse-von", "Kanal", "ihr-Ströme"]·EN["his-rivers", "my-river", "rivers", "rivers-of", "streams-of", "the-streams", "their-rivers", "your-rivers"]·FR["Nil", "canal", "fleuves-de"]·heb["יאורי", "יאוריהם", "יאוריו", "יאוריך", "יאורים"]·HI["उनकी-नदियों-को", "नदियों-अपनी-के", "नदियों-की", "नदियों-को", "नदियों-तेरी", "नदियों-तेरी-की", "नदियों-तेरी-के", "नदी-मेरी", "नहरें", "नहरों"]·ID["sungai-sungai", "sungai-sungai-mereka", "sungai-sungaimu", "sungai-sungaimu,", "sungai-sungaimu;", "sungaiku,", "sungaimu"]·IT["Nilo", "[יאריהם]", "canale", "fiumi-di"]·jav["lepen-kawula", "lepen-lepen", "lepen-lepen-ipun", "lepen-lepenipun", "lepen-panjenengan", "lèpèn-lèpèn"]·KO["강들", "강들을", "강들을-너의", "강들의", "강들의-그의", "강들의-너의", "강이-나의", "그들-의-강들-을", "시내들을"]·PT["meu-rio", "os-rios", "rios-de", "seus-rios", "teus-rios"]·RU["протоки", "рек", "рек-своих", "рек-твоих", "река-моя", "реки", "реки-их"]·ES["los-ríos", "mi-río", "ríos-de", "ríos-de-ellos", "sus-ríos", "tus-ríos"]·SW["mito", "mito-yake", "mito-yako", "mito-yao", "mto-wangu", "vijito"]·TR["irmaklarinin", "kanallarini", "nehirleri", "nehirlerine", "nehirlerini", "nehirlerinin", "nehrim", "ırmaklarını-"]·urd["اُن-کی-نہروں-کو", "دریاؤں", "دریاؤں-اپنے", "دریاؤں-تیرے", "نہروں", "نہروں-کو", "نہروں-کی", "نیل-میرا"]
3. canal, channel, watercourse — Canals, irrigation channels, or engineered watercourses, reflecting the branching delta and man-made infrastructure of Egyptian hydrology. Exodus 7:19 and 8:5 list ye'orim alongside other water features (rivers, ponds, pools), and Isaiah 19:6 predicts the 'canals' will stink. Job 28:10 uses the word for channels cut through rock. Spanish canales, French canal, and Swahili mifereji ('ditches') capture this artificial, constructed sense distinct from the natural river. 6×
AR["أَنهاراً", "الْجَدَاوِلِ", "بَيْنَ-الْأَنْهَارِ", "تُرَعُ", "جَدَاوِلِهِمْ", "وَ-قَنَوَاتٍ"]·ben["খাল", "খালগুলি", "খালগুলো-", "তাদের-খালগুলির", "নদীগুলির-মধ্যে", "নালাগুলোর"]·DE["Kanal", "[ביארים]", "[יארים]", "der-canals", "ihr-canals"]·EN["broad", "by-the-Nile", "canals-of", "channels", "the-canals", "their-canals"]·FR["Nil", "canal", "le-canals", "leur-canals", "יארים"]·heb["ב-יאורים", "ה-יאורים", "יאורי", "יאוריהם", "יאורים"]·HI["उनकी-नहरों", "नहरें", "नहरों", "नहरों-का", "नहरों-के-बीच", "नाले"]·ID["anak-anak-sungai", "di-sungai-sungai-Nil,", "kanal-kanal", "kanal-kanal-mereka", "parit-parit", "saluran-saluran"]·IT["Nilo", "canale", "channels", "il-canals", "loro-canals"]·jav["ing-lèpèn-lèpèn", "kali-kali", "lan-kali", "lèpèn-lèpèn", "lèpèn-lèpènipun"]·KO["그-시내들", "그들의-시내들을", "수로들이", "수로를", "시내들의", "에서-강들"]·PT["canais", "canais-deles", "entre-os-canais", "os-canais", "os-canais-de"]·RU["каналы", "каналы-их", "потоки", "потоков", "среди-рек"]·ES["arroyos", "canales", "canales-de", "entre-los-ríos", "los-canales", "sus-canales"]·SW["kando-ya-mito", "na-mifereji", "vijito", "vijito-vyao"]·TR["kanallar", "kanallari", "kanallarin", "kanalların", "kanallarının", "nehirlerde-o"]·urd["نالے", "نہروں", "نہروں-ان-کے", "نہروں-کی", "نہروں-کے-کنارے", "نہریں"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† יְאֹר, יְאוֹר n.m. Ex 7:21 stream of the Nile, stream, canal (Egyptian loan-word = Egyptian ’iotr, ’ioʾr, watercourse, Copt. eioor, ior; also ’iotrʿo, ’io’rʿo, Copt. eiero, iaro, Nile, SteindorffBAs i. 612; in Assyrian i̯a’uru, stream, ’Iaruʾû, river Nile, Id.ib., Hptib. 171 Jägerib 466)—abs. הַיְאֹר Gn 41:1 + 37 times; הַיְאוֹר Is 19:8; הַיְ֫אֹרָה Ex 1:22; יְאוֹר Is 19:7(×3) + 2 times; כָּאֹר…