יַעֲלָה
𐤉𐤏𐤋𐤄
yaʻălâh
H3280 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A female ibex or mountain goat, specifically designating the wild female goat native to the rocky hill country of the Levant. The term highlights the animal's agility and tendency to inhabit high, inaccessible cliffs. Its primary lexical meaning is that of a wild female ibex, but in some contexts it may generically refer to an agile wild goat.
Semantic Range
female ibex, wild female goat, mountain goat, (rare) agile climbing goat
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root יעל (y-'-l), meaning 'to ascend, go up, climb.' יַעֲלָה is the feminine form, constructed after the pattern indicating a female animal, of יָעֵל (ya‘el, male or generic ibex/wild goat). The root meaning 'to ascend' relates to the animal's climbing abilities.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, יַעֲלָה occurs comparatively rarely but always refers to the agile, cliff-dwelling wild goat—the female ibex native to the Judean and Transjordanian wilderness. The term appears in poetic literature (e.g., Job 39:1; Psalm 104:18), emphasizing the animal’s freedom and adaptation to inaccessible terrain. English translations often render it as 'roe' or 'wild goat.' 'Roe' is misleading, as that term properly refers to a type of deer, while the biblical animal is a true ibex (Capra ibex nubiana). The animal was emblematic of grace and sure-footedness and was symbolically associated with wilderness and freedom in ancient Israelite poetry. In contrast to צְפִי (ṣəpî, 'gazelle') and אַיָּלָה (’ayyalah, 'doe/deer'), יַעֲלָה references a goat rather than a deer and specifically recalls the rocky landscapes rather than open fields. Later translation tradition sometimes used 'wild goat,' but this occasionally obscures the gender and species specificity of the Hebrew term. There is no major semantic shift across periods, but the animal continued as a literary symbol in Second Temple and later Hebrew literature. The use of 'Jew' or references to Judaism are neither appropriate nor present for this animal designation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of יָעֵל; {an ibex (as climbing)}; roe.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
יעל (y-ʿ-l) — to ascend, to go up, to climb
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3132 | יוֹעֵאלָה | and Joelah |
| H3276 | יַעַל | he brought benefit |
| H3277 | יָעֵל | the mountain ibexes |
| H3278 | יָעֵל | Ibex |
| H3279 | יַעֲלָא | Wild-Goat |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3280-01 |
וְֽ/יַעֲלַ֫ת | veyaalat | HC/Ncfsc |
and graceful doe | and female ibex of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3280-01 |
Proverbs 5:19 | וְֽ/יַעֲלַ֫ת | veyaalat | HC/Ncfsc |
and graceful doe | and female ibex of |