יָם390 H3220
Sea or large body of water; the direction 'west' (from Israel's Mediterranean orientation); or the first element of geographic sea-names.
Yam is the Hebrew word for sea, carrying a remarkable triple function: literal body of water, compass direction, and geographic name component. As a body of water, it names the Mediterranean, the Red Sea (yam suf), the Dead Sea, and the great bronze 'Sea' in Solomon's temple (1 Kgs 7:23). Because the Mediterranean lies to Israel's west, yam became the standard word for 'westward' -- a directional sense captured by Spanish 'al-oeste' and French 'vers-l'ouest.' In construct chains like yam-suf or yam kinneret, it functions as the first element of proper geographic names, a pattern visible across all target languages.
Senses
1. sea, body of water — A large body of water, whether the Mediterranean (the 'Great Sea,' Num 34:6), the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, or seas in general including the molten 'Sea' in the temple (1 Kgs 7:23). This is the dominant sense, covering singular and plural forms with all prepositional and pronominal attachments. Glosses converge on 'the-sea,' 'el-mar,' 'la-mer,' 'das-Meer.' Includes poetic and cosmological uses where the sea represents chaos or the boundary of creation (Gen 1:26; Ps 104:25). 269×
AR["الْ-بَحْرَ", "الْ-بَحْرُ", "الْ-بَحْرِ", "الْبَحْرِ"]·ben["-সমুদ্রের", "সমুদ্র", "সমুদ্র।", "সমুদ্রের", "সমুদ্রের।"]·DE["das-Meer", "des-Meeres", "des-Meeres-ist"]·EN["the-sea"]·FR["la-mer"]·heb["ה-ים"]·HI["समुद्र", "समुद्र-की", "समुद्र-के"]·ID["laut"]·IT["il-mare"]·jav["ing-seganten", "seganten"]·KO["그-바다", "그-바다-의", "그-바다가", "그-바다를", "그-바다의", "바다의-모래"]·PT["o-mar", "o-mar,", "o-mar.", "o-mar:", "o-mar;"]·RU["-моря", "море", "морем", "морских", "моря"]·ES["el-mar"]·SW["bahari", "bahari-", "wa-bahari", "ya-bahari"]·TR["-denizin", "deniz", "denizi", "denizin"]·urd["-سمندر-کے", "سمندر", "سمندر-کی", "سمندر-کے"]
Gen 1:26, Gen 1:28, Gen 9:2, Gen 22:17, Gen 32:12, Gen 41:49, Exod 14:2, Exod 14:2, Exod 14:9, Exod 14:16, Exod 14:16, Exod 14:21 (+38 more)
2. west, westward — The direction 'west' or 'westward,' derived from Israel's geographic orientation where the Mediterranean lay to the west. Appears prominently in tabernacle construction (Exod 26:22, 'the rear of the tabernacle yammah') and tribal boundary descriptions. French 'vers-l'ouest,' Spanish 'al-oeste,' and German 'westwärts' confirm the directional reading. The directional he suffix (yammah) frequently reinforces this sense, though context alone sometimes suffices. 78×
AR["الغَربِيِّ", "غَرباً", "غَرْباً", "غَرْبًا"]·ben["পশ্চিম", "পশ্চিম-দিকে", "পশ্চিমদিকে", "পশ্চিমে", "পশ্চিমে-"]·DE["Meer", "westwaerts", "westward"]·EN["west", "westward"]·FR["mer", "vers-l'ouest", "westward"]·heb["ים-ה", "ימ-ה", "ימה"]·HI["पश्चिम", "पश्चिम-ओर", "पश्चिम-की-ओर", "पश्चिम-में", "समुद्र"]·ID["barat", "di-sebelah-barat", "ke-barat"]·IT["mare", "verso-ovest", "westward"]·jav["dhateng-kilèn", "kilen", "kilèn", "kulon", "kulon,", "kulon.", "kulèn", "kèlen,", "kèlen.", "mangkulèn", "mangulon", "mangétan", "sisih-kulon", "sisih-kulèn"]·KO["바다쪽으로", "서쪽", "서쪽-으로", "서쪽으로"]·PT["ao-mar", "ao-ocidente", "ao-oeste", "mar", "oeste", "para-o-mar", "para-o-oeste", "para-oeste"]·RU["запад", "к-западу", "к-морю", "на-запад"]·ES["al-occidente", "al-oeste", "hacia-el-mar", "hacia-el-oeste", "hacia-mar", "hacia-oeste", "occidente"]·SW["magharibi", "na-watatu", "upande-wa-magharibi"]·TR["batiya", "batı", "batıda", "batıya"]·urd["مغرب", "مغرب کی طرف", "مغرب-کی-طرف"]
Exod 26:22, Exod 26:27, Exod 27:12, Exod 36:27, Exod 36:32, Exod 38:12, Num 2:18, Num 3:23, Num 34:6, Num 34:6, Num 35:5, Deut 3:27 (+38 more)
3. Sea of (geographic name) — The noun yam in construct state forming the first element of a geographic proper name: yam-suf (Sea of Reeds, Exod 13:18), yam kinneret (Sea of Chinnereth, Num 34:11), yam ha-aravah (Sea of the Arabah, Deut 3:17). Multilingual glosses like 'Sea-of,' 'mar-de,' 'Mer-de,' and 'Meer-von' consistently mark this as a name-forming pattern. Distinguished from sense 1 by the tight construct bond with the following place name. 49×
AR["الْبَحْرَ", "بَحر-", "بَحرِ", "بَحْرَ", "بَحْرُ", "بَحْرِ", "بَحْرِ-", "يَمَّ"]·ben["-এ-সমুদ্রের", "সমুদ্র", "সমুদ্র-", "সমুদ্রের-", "সাগর", "সাগরের"]·DE["Meer", "Meer-von", "Sea-von", "das-Meer", "der-Meer-"]·EN["Sea-of", "sea-of", "sea-of-", "the-Sea-of"]·FR["Mer-de", "mer", "mer-de"]·heb["ים"]·HI["-किन्नेरेत-से", "याम", "समुद्र", "समुद्र-", "समुद्र-को", "सागर"]·ID["Laut", "Laut-", "ke-Laut-", "laut", "laut-"]·IT["Sea-di", "mare", "mare-di"]·jav["Seganten", "Seganten-", "laut", "seganten", "seganten-"]·KO["바다", "바다-", "바다-를", "바다이다"]·PT["Mar-", "Mar-de", "ao-Mar", "mar-de", "o-mar-", "o-mar-de"]·RU["-морем-", "море", "море-", "морю", "моря", "моря-"]·ES["al-mar-de", "el-mar-de", "mar", "mar-", "mar-de", "mar-de-"]·SW["bahari", "bahari-", "bahari-ya", "bahari-ya-", "ya-bahari-ya"]·TR["Deniz", "deniz", "denizde-", "denizi", "denizi-", "denizin", "denizine", "denizine-", "denizinin-", "havuzu"]·urd["جھیل", "حوض", "سمندر"]
Gen 14:3, Exod 10:19, Exod 13:18, Exod 15:4, Exod 15:22, Exod 23:31, Exod 23:31, Num 14:25, Num 21:4, Num 33:10, Num 33:11, Num 34:3 (+37 more)
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)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×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
יָם390 n.m. Ex 14:27 sea (Ph. ים; Arabic يَمٌّ; Palm. בימא on the sea, VogNo. 79; on Assyrian iâmu,, sea, v. DlHWB307 M-ACD 52 HptBAS i.171 n.)—abs. יָם 1 S 13:5 +; יָ֫מָּה Gn 28:14 +; cstr. יָם Gn 14:3 + 23 times, also יָ֫מָּה סוּף Ex 10:19, but always יַם־סוּף Ex 13:18 + 22 times; sf. יַמָּהּ Je 51:36; pl. יַמִּים Ju 5:17 + 29 times;—sea: especially 1. Mediterranean S. Nu 13:29 (E), 34:5 (P),…