יֶשַׁע

𐤉𐤔𐤏

yeshaʻ

H3468 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ישׁע to deliver, to save, to help, to give security

Definition

Yeshaʻ denotes the state or condition of being delivered from danger, oppression, or adversity; safety, security, or well-being resulting from such deliverance. It can refer to relief from physical threat, rescue in battles or crises, personal welfare or prosperity, and more broadly, the act or result of being saved. In religious contexts, it may signal the protective intervention of the deity, but the word itself centers on tangible experiences of rescue and safety.

Semantic Range

deliverance, rescue, saving, safety, security, relief from distress, well-being, prosperity

Root / Etymology

From the root יָשַׁע (yashaʻ), meaning 'to save,' 'to deliver,' or 'to provide help or victory.' The noun יֶשַׁע (yeshaʻ) thus derives from the verbal sense of delivering or rescuing, but the noun focuses on the state or outcome: safety, deliverance, security. The root is common in Hebrew and appears in several nouns and verbal forms, all related to the concept of help in the face of adversity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, yeshaʻ typically describes the deliverance or salvation granted in times of national crisis, often attributed to the deity, especially in poetic and prophetic texts (e.g., Psalms, Isaiah). It broadly covers tangible rescue and abstract well-being, but primarily the former. Unlike תְּשׁוּעָה (teshuʻah), which tends to emphasize the act of rescue or victory, yeshaʻ may highlight the resulting security or welfare. The term is concentrated in poetic and exalted speech; prose narratives favor related but distinct terms. While later English translations sometimes simplify yeshaʻ to 'salvation,' the term's usage in pre-exilic and exilic Israelite texts regularly encompasses military, personal, and communal safety or well-being. The association with specifically religious or eschatological salvation is a development of later interpretive traditions. In non-biblical contexts, cognate forms in other Semitic languages usually retain the sense of help or deliverance without unique theological connotations.

Translation Consistency

primary "deliverance" 24 occurrences

Deliverance best matches the primary sense in the SILEX entry—being delivered or rescued from danger or distress—and was the most frequent choice in existing renderings. It is broad enough to cover physical rescue, safety, and the result of being saved while remaining natural English and less theologically loaded than 'salvation,' so it fits typical usage across contexts.

Alternatives (12 occurrences):
"deliverance-security" (11x) "safety" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or יֵשַׁע; from יָשַׁע; liberty, deliverance, prosperity; safety, salvation, saving.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ישׁע (y-š-ʿ) — to deliver, to save, to help, to give security

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3444 יְשׁוּעָה in deliverance
H3469 יִשְׁעִי My Salvation
H8668 תְּשׁוּעָה for deliverance

Word Forms

11 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3468-10 יִשְׁעִ֗/י yishei HNcmsc/Sp1cs my salvation my deliverance-security my deliverance-security 11
H3468-06 יֶ֗שַׁע yesha HNcmsa salvation deliverance deliverance 5
H3468-09 יִשְׁעֵ֑/נוּ yisheenu HNcmsc/Sp1cp of our salvation our deliverance our deliverance 5
H3468-07 יִשְׁעֶ֑/ךָ yisheekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your-salvation your deliverance your deliverance 4
H3468-08 יִשְׁעֵ֔/ךְ yisheekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs of your salvation your deliverance your deliverance 2
H3468-11 יִשְׁעֽ/וֹ yisheo HNcmsc/Sp3ms his salvation his deliverance his deliverance 2
H3468-02 לְ/יֵ֣שַׁע leyesha HR/Ncmsc for salvation for deliverance for deliverance 2
H3468-01 בְּ֝/יֵ֗שַׁע beyesha HR/Ncmsa in salvation in deliverance in deliverance 2
H3468-04 וְ֝/יֶשְׁעֲ/ךָ֗ veyesheakha HC/Ncmsc/Sp2ms and Your salvation and your deliverance and your deliverance 1
H3468-03 מִ/יֶּ֑שַׁע miyesha HR/Ncmsa from safety from deliverance from safety 1

Occurrences in Scripture

36 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3468-10 2 Samuel 22:3 יִשְׁעִ֗/י yishei HNcmsc/Sp1cs of my salvation my deliverance-security my deliverance-security
H3468-07 2 Samuel 22:36 יִשְׁעֶ֑/ךָ yisheekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your-salvation your deliverance your deliverance
H3468-10 2 Samuel 22:47 יִשְׁעִֽ/י yishei HNcmsc/Sp1cs my salvation my deliverance-security my deliverance-security
H3468-10 2 Samuel 23:5 יִשְׁעִ֥/י yishei HNcmsc/Sp1cs my salvation my deliverance-security my deliverance-security
H3468-08 Isaiah 17:10 יִשְׁעֵ֔/ךְ yisheekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs of your salvation your deliverance your deliverance
H3468-06 Isaiah 45:8 יֶ֗שַׁע yesha HNcmsa salvation deliverance deliverance
H3468-10 Isaiah 51:5 יִשְׁעִ֔/י yishei HNcmsc/Sp1cs My salvation my deliverance-security my deliverance-security
H3468-06 Isaiah 61:10 יֶ֔שַׁע yesha HNcmsa salvation deliverance deliverance
H3468-08 Isaiah 62:11 יִשְׁעֵ֖/ךְ yisheekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs your salvation your deliverance your deliverance
H3468-10 Micah 7:7 יִשְׁעִ֑/י yishei HNcmsc/Sp1cs of my salvation my deliverance-security my deliverance-security