יַהַץ
𐤉𐤄𐤑
Yahats
H3096 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A specific location east of the Jordan River, known from biblical accounts as the site of a notable conflict between the Israelites and the Amorite king Sihon. The term refers to both the place itself and, in historical context, the area immediately surrounding it. Semantic range includes: a definite geographic name, the site of battle, a city or settlement in Moabite territory, and occasionally the reference point in boundary lists.
Semantic Range
proper place name; site of Israelite-Amorite battle; Moabite city; geographic landmark, border settlement
Root / Etymology
Root uncertain. The form appears to derive from an unused root, possibly related to the idea 'to stamp' or 'to tread,' leading to the suggested connection with a threshing floor; however, there is no direct evidence for this root in extant Hebrew texts. The word is best understood as a toponym (place name), and the connection to threshing or stamping remains speculative.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Biblical references consistently present Yahats as a defined location east of the Jordan: as the site where the Israelites under Moses defeated Sihon king of the Amorites (Numbers 21:23, Deuteronomy 2:32, Judges 11:20). In later periods (e.g., Isaiah 15:4, Jeremiah 48:21, Jeremiah 48:34), it is listed as a Moabite city, reflecting the area's changes in political control and population. The Septuagint translates the name as Ιαασ/Jaas, preserving the toponym. The English term 'Jahaz' is a later transliteration. There is no clear evidence that the name described the function of the place (such as a threshing-floor); it is simply a place-name in all extant biblical references. Standard English translations often obscure the shifting territorial control of Yahats; in different periods it belonged to the Amorites, Israelites, and Moabites. No reference in the Hebrew Bible identifies Yahats as a 'threshing-floor' or as a generic place—always as a specific location.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or יַהְצָה; or (feminine) יַהְצָה; from an unused root meaning to stamp; perhaps threshing-floor; Jahats or Jahtsah, a place East of the Jordan; Jahaz, Jahazah, Jahzah.
Bantu Hebrew
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יהץ (uncertain) (y-h-ṣ (uncertain)) — uncertain; possibly stamp, tread (speculative)
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3096-04 |
יָ֑הְצָ/ה | yahetsah | HNp/Sd |
Jahzah | Yahats | Yahats | 5 |
H3096-03 |
יַ֖הַץ | yahats | HNp |
Jahaz | Yahats | Yahats | 2 |
H3096-01 |
בְּ/יָ֑הְצָ/ה | beyahetsah | HR/Np/Sd |
at Jahaz | at Yahatsah | in Yahats | 1 |
H3096-02 |
וְ/יַ֥הְצָ/ה | veyahetsah | HC/Np/Sd |
and Jahaz | and Yahats | and Yahats | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
9 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3096-04 |
Numbers 21:23 | יָ֑הְצָ/ה | yahetsah | HNp/Sd |
to Jahaz | Yahats | Yahats |
H3096-04 |
Deuteronomy 2:32 | יָֽהְצָ/ה | yahetsah | HNp/Sd |
at Jahaz | Yahats | Yahats |
H3096-02 |
Joshua 13:18 | וְ/יַ֥הְצָ/ה | veyahetsah | HC/Np/Sd |
and Jahaz | and Yahats | and Yahats |
H3096-04 |
Joshua 21:36 | יַ֖הְצָ/ה | yahetsah | HNp/Sd |
Jahzah | Yahats | Yahats |
H3096-01 |
Judges 11:20 | בְּ/יָ֑הְצָ/ה | beyahetsah | HR/Np/Sd |
at Jahaz | at Yahatsah | in Yahats |
H3096-03 |
Isaiah 15:4 | יַ֖הַץ | yahats | HNp |
Jahaz | Yahats | Yahats |
H3096-04 |
Jeremiah 48:21 | יַ֖הְצָ/ה | yahetsah | HNp/Sd |
Jahzah | Yahats | Yahats |
H3096-03 |
Jeremiah 48:34 | יַ֨הַץ֙ | yahats | HNp |
Jahaz | Yahats | Yahats |
H3096-04 |
1 Chronicles 6:63 | יַ֖הְצָ/ה | yahetsah | HNp/Sd |
Jahzah | Yahats | Yahats |