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יֶרַח

𐤉𐤓𐤇

yerach

H3391 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ירח to be moon-like, to measure by the moon (uncertain)

Definition

A measure of time based on the cycle of the moon, typically 'month,' but in rarer cases also refers to the moon itself as a celestial body. The dominant use is as a temporal division, corresponding to the period from one new moon to the next in the ancient Israelite lunar calendar. In poetic or archaic passages, it may refer concretely or metaphorically to the physical moon.

Semantic Range

month (lunar cycle), moon (as a celestial body; poetic or archaic usage)

Root / Etymology

The etymology is uncertain; the word is traditionally linked with the root ירח, associated with the moon or with measuring time by the moon, but no verbal form is attested in Biblical Hebrew. Thus, the root meaning is unclear, and יֶרַח functions as an independent noun denoting 'month' (by lunar reckoning) or, rarely, 'moon.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

During the patriarchal and monarchic periods, 'yerach' appears mainly in poetic or archaic passages, typically contrasted with חֹדֶשׁ (ḥodesh), the regular prose term for 'month.' While חֹדֶשׁ emphasizes the newness or beginning of the month (from the verb 'to renew'), יֶרַח highlights the lunar cycle as a unit of time. In ancient Israelite calendars, months were determined by lunar phases, and 'yerach' reflects this reckoning. Its occasional use for 'moon' is limited and always contextually clear. In later periods, חֹדֶשׁ becomes dominant for administrative and calendrical purposes. English translations usually render both terms as 'month,' potentially obscuring their nuance.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a unused root of uncertain signification; a lunation, i.e. month; month, moon.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

ירח (y-r-ḥ) — moon, lunar cycle, month (by moon)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3386 יָרוֹחַ Moon-born
H3392 יֶרַח Yerach
H3393 יְרַח lunar month of
H3394 יָרֵחַ the moon
H3398 יַרְחָע moon

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3391-06 יְרָחִֽים yerachim HNcmpa months lunar months 4
H3391-01 בְּ/יֶ֖רַח beyerach HR/Ncmsc in month in lunar-month-of 4
H3391-05 יֶ֣רַח yerach HNcmsc a month lunar month of 2
H3391-02 כְ/יַרְחֵי kheyarechey HR/Ncmpc as months-of as lunar-months of 1
H3391-04 יַרְחֵי yarechey HNcmpc months of lunar-months of 1
H3391-03 וִ/ירֵחֵ֖/ךְ virechekhe HC/Ncmsc/Sp2fs and your moon and your month 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3391-06 Exodus 2:2 יְרָחִֽים yerachim HNcmpa months lunar months
H3391-05 Deuteronomy 21:13 יֶ֣רַח yerach HNcmsc a month lunar month of
H3391-06 Deuteronomy 33:14 יְרָחִֽים yerachim HNcmpa of the moons lunar months
H3391-01 1 Kings 6:37 בְּ/יֶ֖רַח beyerach HR/Ncmsc in (the) month in lunar-month-of
H3391-01 1 Kings 6:38 בְּ/יֶ֣רַח beyerach HR/Ncmsc in month in lunar-month-of
H3391-01 1 Kings 8:2 בְּ/יֶ֥רַח beyerach HR/Ncmsc in month in lunar-month-of
H3391-05 2 Kings 15:13 יֶֽרַח yerach HNcmsc a month lunar month of
H3391-03 Isaiah 60:20 וִ/ירֵחֵ֖/ךְ virechekhe HC/Ncmsc/Sp2fs and your moon and your month
H3391-01 Zechariah 11:8 בְּ/יֶ֣רַח beyerach HR/Ncmsa in-month in lunar-month-of
H3391-06 Job 3:6 יְ֝רָחִ֗ים yerachim HNcmpa months lunar months
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