יוֹבֵל
𐤉𐤅𐤁𐤋
yôwbêl
H3104 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The primary meaning of יוֹבֵל (yôwbêl) is 'ram’s horn,' specifically in the context of a ceremonial trumpet used for signaling, particularly during significant Israelite religious and social rituals. The term extends to denote both the instrument (ram's horn, trumpet) and the event marked by its sounding, most notably the Jubilee year—a major social reset occurring every fiftieth year marked by emancipation and land restoration.
Semantic Range
ram's horn, trumpet (used in ritual signaling), the Jubilee year, the festival marked by the sounding of the horn, instrument used to proclaim sacred times
Root / Etymology
The word יוֹבֵל is generally connected to the Hebrew root יבל (y-b-l), which conveys the sense 'to bring, lead, carry, or conduct.' The noun יובל may have originally denoted 'something that is led,' i.e., a ram (from which the horn was taken) or, by metonymy, the horn itself. From this, it developed the meaning of the horn used in ritual signaling, and then further the time or event denoted by its blowing (the Jubilee).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Torah, יוֹבֵל (yôwbêl) functions both concretely and abstractly: it names the ram’s horn/trumpet sounded on designated occasions (e.g. Lev 25:9) and the social institution of 'the Jubilee' (Lev 25:10), during which land was restored to ancestral families and debts forgiven. The Jubilee institution appears only in Priestly texts and may reflect an ideal rather than widely attested historical practice. The ram’s horn (שׁוֹפָר, shofar) is a related term but is typically used for other ritual or military purposes, whereas יוֹבֵל specifically marks the start of the Jubilee year. In English translations, 'jubilee' is derived from the Latin and Vulgate translation and does not fully capture the original socio-religious implications. Early Israelite texts make no reference to 'silver trumpets' for יוֹבֵל; rather, it is the distinctive ram’s horn used for the jubilee announcement. In later biblical and post-biblical periods, the concept of Jubilee acquired broader and often spiritualized connotations, but in the classical Hebrew Bible, יוֹבֵל refers primarily to the physical instrument and the period it inaugurates.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or יֹבֵל; apparently from יָבַל; the blast of a horn (from its continuous sound); specifically, the signal of the silver trumpets; hence, the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced; jubile, ram's horn, trumpet.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
יבל (Yaval) — to bring, carry, flow
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H180 | אוּבָל | the water-bearing stream |
| H2981 | יְבוּל | and her yield |
| H2986 | יָבַל | I will conduct them |
| H2988 | יָבָל | streams of |
| H2989 | יָבָל | Flow-Bringer |
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3104-02 |
הַ/יֹּבֵ֔ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the Jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the Jubilee | 15 |
H3104-01 |
בַּ/יֹּבֵ֔ל | bayovel | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the Jubilee | in the ram’s-horn | in the Jubilee | 3 |
H3104-03 |
הַ/יּֽוֹבְלִים֙ | hayovelim | HTd/Ncmpa |
rams'-horns | the ram-horns | of ram's horns | 3 |
H3104-06 |
יוֹבֵ֥ל | yovel | HNcmsa |
Jubilee | ram’s-horn trumpet | Jubilee | 3 |
H3104-04 |
וּ/בַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל | uvayovel | HC/Rd/Ncmsa |
and-in-the-Jubilee | and in the ram’s-horn | and in the Jubilee | 1 |
H3104-05 |
בַ/יֹּבֵ֗ל | vayovel | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the Jubilee | in the ram’s-horn | in the Jubilee | 1 |
H3104-07 |
יוֹבְלִ֔ים | yovelim | HNcmpa |
of rams' horns | ram-horns | ram-horns | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
27 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3104-02 |
Exodus 19:13 | הַ/יֹּבֵ֔ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
the ram's horn | the ram-horn trumpet | the ram-horn trumpet |
H3104-06 |
Leviticus 25:10 | יוֹבֵ֥ל | yovel | HNcmsa |
Jubilee | ram’s-horn trumpet | Jubilee |
H3104-06 |
Leviticus 25:11 | יוֹבֵ֣ל | yovel | HNcmsa |
jubilee | ram’s-horn trumpet | jubilee |
H3104-06 |
Leviticus 25:12 | יוֹבֵ֣ל | yovel | HNcmsa |
Jubilee | ram’s-horn trumpet | Jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 25:13 | הַ/יּוֹבֵ֖ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the Jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the Jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 25:15 | הַ/יּוֹבֵ֔ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
the jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 25:28 | הַ/יּוֹבֵ֑ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the Jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the Jubilee |
H3104-01 |
Leviticus 25:28 | בַּ/יֹּבֵ֔ל | bayovel | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the Jubilee | in the ram’s-horn | in the Jubilee |
H3104-01 |
Leviticus 25:30 | בַּ/יֹּבֵֽל | bayovel | HRd/Ncmsa |
in-the-jubilee | in the ram’s-horn | in the jubilee |
H3104-04 |
Leviticus 25:31 | וּ/בַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל | uvayovel | HC/Rd/Ncmsa |
and-in-the-Jubilee | and in the ram’s-horn | and in the Jubilee |
H3104-01 |
Leviticus 25:33 | בַּ/יֹּבֵ֑ל | bayovel | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the Jubilee | in the ram’s-horn | in the Jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 25:40 | הַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the Jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the Jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 25:50 | הַ/יֹּבֵ֑ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the Jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the Jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 25:52 | הַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
the Jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the Jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 25:54 | הַ/יֹּבֵ֔ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of Jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the Jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 27:17 | הַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 27:18 | הַ/יֹּבֵל֮ | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
the jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 27:18 | הַ/יֹּבֵ֑ל | hayovel-2 | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the jubilee |
H3104-05 |
Leviticus 27:21 | בַ/יֹּבֵ֗ל | vayovel | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the Jubilee | in the ram’s-horn | in the Jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 27:23 | הַ/יֹּבֵ֑ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
the jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Leviticus 27:24 | הַ/יּוֹבֵל֙ | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the jubilee |
H3104-02 |
Numbers 36:4 | הַ/יֹּבֵל֮ | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
the Jubilee | the ram-horn trumpet | the Jubilee |
H3104-03 |
Joshua 6:4 | הַ/יּֽוֹבְלִים֙ | hayovelim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of-rams'-horns | the ram-horns | of the jubilee-horns |
H3104-02 |
Joshua 6:5 | הַ/יּוֹבֵ֗ל | hayovel | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the ram | the ram-horn trumpet | of the ram-horn trumpet |
H3104-07 |
Joshua 6:6 | יוֹבְלִ֔ים | yovelim | HNcmpa |
of rams' horns | ram-horns | ram-horns |
H3104-03 |
Joshua 6:8 | הַ/יּֽוֹבְלִים֙ | hayovelim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of rams' horns | the ram-horns | of ram's horns |
H3104-03 |
Joshua 6:13 | הַ/יֹּבְלִ֗ים | hayovelim | HTd/Ncmpa |
rams'-horns | the ram-horns | of jubilee |