יָם
𐤉𐤌
yâm
H3221 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A large body of water, typically the sea, especially the Mediterranean Sea in biblical contexts; also used for other extensive waters such as major rivers or artificial basins. In figurative or geographic contexts, refers to the territory west of a given point, as the Mediterranean bordered ancient Israel to the west. The term can denote natural bodies of water (seas, lakes), sometimes rivers of significant size, and occasionally large man-made reservoirs.
Semantic Range
sea, seas (the Mediterranean, other large bodies of water, the 'Sea of Reeds,' the Sea of Galilee); large river (rare or figurative); ritual basin ('molten sea' of the Temple); the west (as a direction adjacently westward toward the sea)
Root / Etymology
From the root יָם, which appears to function as both root and noun denoting 'sea' or 'large body of water.' The root is not widely productive outside this noun, but similar Semitic terms are found (e.g., Ugaritic ym, Akkadian tâmtu), indicating a common Semitic term for sea or ocean. The usage in Hebrew is inherited and stable.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical Hebrew, יָם nearly always designates a large natural water body, most often the Mediterranean (called 'HaYam HaGadol'—the Great Sea), but also the 'Reed Sea' (traditionally, 'Red Sea') near which the Israelites crossed in Exodus. The term occurs for lakes (such as the 'Sea of Kinneret,' i.e., the Sea of Galilee), and represents significant water features rather than minor ones. Rivers are seldom called יָם, except metaphorically or when possessing extraordinary breadth (e.g., the Nile appearing as a sea, Isaiah 19:5). The word can refer to large ritual basins, especially the 'molten sea' (יָם מְצוּק) in Solomon's Temple, functioning as a symbolic 'sea' for priestly purification. In geographic description, 'yam' can serve as shorthand for 'toward the sea,' hence 'westward,' since the Mediterranean defined Israel's western boundary; rarely, it can be used for southern directions, but this is contextual and rare. The term does not primarily denote smaller water bodies or ponds. Later translation traditions sometimes render it as 'West' or, in Greek, as 'thalassa.' English translations typically render it 'sea,' but this may obscure its function as a geographic marker. Comparable terms like נָהָר (nahar) specifically denote rivers, not seas, and are distinguished in biblical usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to יָם; {a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the south}; sea.
Bantu Hebrew
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ים (y-m) — sea, large body of water
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3220 | יָם | in the sea |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3221-02 |
יַמָּ֑/א | yama | ANcmsd/Td |
the sea | the sea | 1 |
H3221-01 |
לְ/יַמָּ֥/א | leyama | ATo/Ncmsd/Td |
to-the-sea | to the sea | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3221-01 |
Daniel 7:2 | לְ/יַמָּ֥/א | leyama | ATo/Ncmsd/Td |
to-the-sea | to the sea |
H3221-02 |
Daniel 7:3 | יַמָּ֑/א | yama | ANcmsd/Td |
the sea | the sea |