יֶזַע
𐤉𐤆𐤏
yezaʻ
H3154 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Sweat; the moisture exuded from the body due to exertion, heat, or anxiety. In biblical context, refers specifically to the bodily excretion produced through physical labor or emotional strain.
Semantic Range
sweat (bodily excretion), anything inducing sweat (garment, effort), figurative for laborious toil, sign of exertion or distress
Root / Etymology
From the root יזע (root uncertain and not otherwise attested in the Hebrew Bible), potentially cognate with related Semitic terms indicating oozing or secreting liquid. The noun is denominative, derived directly from a presumed root meaning 'to sweat' or 'to ooze.' Etymology uncertain due to absence of the root as a verb form in Biblical Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
יֶזַע occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible and is primarily attested in poetic contexts or in description of ritual actions (e.g., Ezekiel 44:18, where it is prohibited for priests to wear garments that cause sweat during their temple service). The prevention of sweat is associated with ritual purity and the avoidance of exertion or defilement in priestly contexts. By the Second Temple period, the term's concrete sense of bodily excretion was retained, but the wider metaphorical sense of laborious effort or intense anxiety became more prominent in later literature. English translations often render יֶזַע simply as 'sweat,' which adequately reflects the primary lexical meaning, but may miss the cultural or ritual associations present in certain passages. The term is distinct from words for 'moisture' or 'dew' (e.g., טַל tal), as its emphasis is specifically the human excretion produced by heat or exertion. Later rabbinic literature continues this distinction but occasionally employs metaphorical uses for spiritual or moral effort.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root mean to ooze; sweat, i.e. (by implication) a sweating dress; any thing that causeth sweat.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
יזע (y-z-ʿ) — to exude, to ooze, to sweat
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3154-01 |
בַּ/יָּֽזַע | bayaza | HRd/Ncmsa |
with sweat | sweat | in sweat | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3154-01 |
Ezekiel 44:18 | בַּ/יָּֽזַע | bayaza | HRd/Ncmsa |
with sweat | sweat | in sweat |