הָ֥יָה
𐤄𐤉𐤄
hâyâh
water
To be, to exist, to happen, to take place; expresses existence, state of being, occurrence, or coming into a particular state. Used for describing the state or process of being, becoming, or coming to pass; also to indicate the occurrence of events or conditions, and, in certain syntactic contexts, serves as a linking or existential verb.
Numbers 20:2 · Word #2
Lexicon H1961
| Lemma | הָיָה |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤄𐤉𐤄 |
| Transliteration | hâyâh |
| Strong's | H1961 |
| Definition | To be, to exist, to happen, to take place; expresses existence, state of being, occurrence, or coming into a particular state. Used for describing the state or process of being, becoming, or coming to pass; also to indicate the occurrence of events or conditions, and, in certain syntactic contexts, serves as a linking or existential verb. |
Morphology HVqp3ms
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | q — Qal — Simple active |
| Conjugation | p — Perfect — Completed action |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
Common Translation
| Phrase | water |
SIBI-P1 Translation H1961-09
he was / he became
| Morphological Notes | Verb, Qal stem, perfect (suffix conjugation), 3rd person masculine singular. |
| Rendering Rationale | Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular expresses completed existence or entry into a state in the past. The rendering preserves both stative ('was') and dynamic ('became') aspects inherent in the root היה without adding contextual specification. |
View full lexicon entry for H1961 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
was
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | In this context, 'hayah' is the simple existential verb indicating the state of being, best rendered as 'was'. 'He was / he became' is too specific and not idiomatic here; 'was' is context-appropriate. |