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.
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 more senses below
Senses
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
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×)H0776 1. land, country, territory (2323×)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×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)
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),…