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יָשָׁר

𐤉𐤔𐤓

yâshâr

H3477 adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Fundamentally, 'yashar' denotes what is straight, level, or direct—both in the physical and metaphorical sense. In extended usage, it signifies moral uprightness, integrity, honesty, or that which accords with ethical or communal norms. It is used to describe persons, actions, judgment, paths, and even speech or thoughts that are considered just or right. In rare instances, the term serves as a proper noun (as in the Book of Jashar), implying those regarded as upright or distinguished.

Semantic Range

straight, level, direct, upright (in behavior or character), honest, just, fair, pleasing (in what is considered right), proper, proper person, distinguished; as a noun: upright one(s), proper ones; proper name (Book of the Upright/Jashar)

Root / Etymology

The word derives from the root ישר (y-š-r), meaning 'to be straight' or 'make level.' The adjective יָשָׁר (yashar) thus describes something straightened or upright, with the literal meaning extending into the figurative sense of moral rightness or integrity. The core notion is of straightness that is not curved, bent, or deviating from a standard.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In early Israelite literature, 'yashar' often denotes physical straightness (e.g., a straight path in Proverbs) but quickly acquires a metaphorical sense indicating ethical rectitude or social justice. In legal, prophetic, and wisdom literature, it denotes conduct that aligns with covenantal or communal expectations, distinguishing between those 'upright' (yashar) before the deity or community and the 'wicked' (rasha‘). The term stands distinct from צַדִּיק (ṣaddiq, 'righteous'), which often emphasizes legal or forensic correctness; 'yashar' stresses integrity or authenticity more broadly. In the Tanakh, it is applied to individuals (e.g., Job 1:1), communities, and even proper social relationships. The phrase עֵינֵי יְהוָה ('in the eyes of YHWH') frequently appears in evaluations of rulers' conduct as 'yashar' or not. The Book of Jashar (סֵפֶר הַיָּשָׁר) refers to an ancient poetic collection, possibly meaning 'Book of the Upright' or 'of the Distinguished.' Later translation traditions sometimes narrow 'yashar' to 'just' or 'righteous,' but the term is broader, signifying whatever conforms to a standard of straightness, integrity, and acceptability—whether in physical, social, or ethical dimensions.

Translation Consistency

primary "upright" 41 occurrences

Upright best captures the dominant, natural English sense of יָשָׁר — moral integrity, rectitude, and also the literal sense of straight/level. It is the most frequent rendering in the corpus and reads naturally across references to persons, actions, paths, and speech; alternatives like “right” or “straight” are narrower or less frequently attested.

Alternatives (9 occurrences):
"what is right" (5x) "what was right" (3x) "right" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יָשַׁר; straight (literally or figuratively); convenient, equity, Jasher, just, meet(-est), [phrase] pleased well right(-eous), straight, (most) upright(-ly, -ness).

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

ישׁר (yâshâr) — to be straight, to be level, to be upright

Root ישׁר to be straight, to be level, to be upright
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3483 יִשְׁרָה and in uprightness of

Word Forms

17 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3477-01 הַ/יָּשָׁ֧ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one the upright one 35
H3477-15 יְשָׁרִ֞ים yesharim HAampa the upright upright ones upright ones 25
H3477-12 יָשָׁ֣ר yashar HAamsa upright upright upright 18
H3477-10 וְ/יָשָׁ֖ר veyashar HC/Aamsa and upright and upright and upright 11
H3477-17 יִשְׁרֵ֣י yisherey HAampc the upright upright ones of upright ones of 6
H3477-06 וְ/הַ/יָּשָׁ֔ר vehayashar HC/Td/Aamsa and the right and the upright one and the upright one 5
H3477-03 לַ֭/יְשָׁרִים layesharim HRd/Aampa for the upright to the upright ones to the upright ones 3
H3477-11 וִ/ישָׁרִ֥ים visharim HC/Aampa and right and upright ones and upright ones 3
H3477-14 יְשָׁרָ֑ה yesharah HAafsa straight upright (feminine) upright (feminine) 3
H3477-04 לְ/יִשְׁרֵי leyisherey HR/Aampc to the upright to upright ones of to upright ones of 2

Occurrences in Scripture

119 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3477-06 Exodus 15:26 וְ/הַ/יָּשָׁ֤ר vehayashar HC/Td/Aamsa and the right and the upright one and the upright one
H3477-15 Numbers 23:10 יְשָׁרִ֔ים yesharim HAampa of the upright upright ones upright ones
H3477-01 Deuteronomy 6:18 הַ/יָּשָׁ֥ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the-right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 Deuteronomy 12:8 הַ/יָּשָׁ֥ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa is right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 Deuteronomy 12:25 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one what is right
H3477-06 Deuteronomy 12:28 וְ/הַ/יָּשָׁ֔ר vehayashar HC/Td/Aamsa and right and the upright one and the upright one
H3477-01 Deuteronomy 13:19 הַ/יָּשָׁ֔ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 Deuteronomy 21:9 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what is right the upright one what is right
H3477-10 Deuteronomy 32:4 וְ/יָשָׁ֖ר veyashar HC/Aamsa and upright and upright and upright
H3477-08 Joshua 9:25 וְ/כַ/יָּשָׁ֧ר vekhayashar HC/Rd/Aamsa and-as-the-right and as upright and as upright
H3477-01 Joshua 10:13 הַ/יָּשָׁ֑ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa of Jashar the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 Judges 17:6 הַ/יָּשָׁ֥ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what was right the upright one what was right
H3477-01 Judges 21:25 הַ/יָּשָׁ֥ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what was right the upright one the upright one
H3477-07 1 Samuel 12:23 וְ/הַ/יְשָׁרָֽה vehayesharah HC/Td/Aafsa and the right and the upright one and the right
H3477-12 1 Samuel 29:6 יָשָׁ֣ר yashar HAamsa upright upright upright
H3477-01 2 Samuel 1:18 הַ/יָּשָֽׁר hayashar HTd/Aamsa of Jashar the upright one the upright one
H3477-12 2 Samuel 19:7 יָשָׁ֥ר yashar HAamsa right upright upright
H3477-01 1 Kings 11:33 הַ/יָּשָׁ֧ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what is right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 1 Kings 11:38 הַ/יָּשָׁ֤ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what is right the upright one what is right
H3477-01 1 Kings 14:8 הַ/יָּשָׁ֥ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the-right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 1 Kings 15:5 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what was right the upright one what was upright
H3477-01 1 Kings 15:11 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 1 Kings 22:43 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one what is right
H3477-06 2 Kings 10:3 וְ/הַ/יָּשָׁר֙ vehayashar HC/Td/Aamsa and the upright and the upright one and the upright one
H3477-12 2 Kings 10:15 יָשָׁ֗ר yashar HAamsa right upright upright
H3477-01 2 Kings 10:30 הַ/יָּשָׁר֙ hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 2 Kings 12:3 הַ/יָּשָׁ֛ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 2 Kings 14:3 הַ/יָּשָׁר֙ hayashar HTd/Aamsa what was right the upright one what was upright
H3477-01 2 Kings 15:3 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what was right the upright one what was right
H3477-01 2 Kings 15:34 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what was right the upright one what was right
H3477-01 2 Kings 16:2 הַ/יָּשָׁ֗ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 2 Kings 18:3 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one what is right
H3477-01 2 Kings 22:2 הַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa what was right the upright one what is upright
H3477-12 Isaiah 26:7 יָשָׁ֕ר yashar HAamsa O Upright One upright upright
H3477-08 Jeremiah 26:14 וְ/כַ/יָּשָׁ֖ר vekhayashar HC/Rd/Aamsa and as right and as upright and as upright
H3477-12 Jeremiah 31:9 יָשָׁ֔ר yashar HAamsa straight upright upright
H3477-01 Jeremiah 34:15 הַ/יָּשָׁר֙ hayashar HTd/Aamsa the right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 Jeremiah 40:4 הַ/יָּשָׁ֧ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa right the upright one the upright one
H3477-01 Jeremiah 40:5 הַ/יָּשָׁ֧ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the-right the upright one the upright one
H3477-14 Ezekiel 1:7 יְשָׁרָ֑ה yesharah HAafsa straight upright (feminine) upright (feminine)
H3477-16 Ezekiel 1:23 יְשָׁר֔וֹת yesharot HAafpa were straight upright ones upright ones
H3477-15 Hosea 14:10 יְשָׁרִ֞ים yesharim HAampa right upright ones upright ones
H3477-01 Micah 2:7 הַ/יָּשָׁ֥ר hayashar HTd/Aamsa the upright the upright one the upright one
H3477-02 Micah 3:9 הַ/יְשָׁרָ֖ה hayesharah HTd/Aafsa that is straight the upright one the upright one
H3477-10 Micah 7:2 וְ/יָשָׁ֥ר veyashar HC/Aamsa and upright and upright and upright
H3477-12 Micah 7:4 יָשָׁ֖ר yashar HAamsa the most upright upright upright
H3477-17 Psalms 7:11 יִשְׁרֵי yisherey HAampc the upright upright ones of upright ones of
H3477-04 Psalms 11:2 לְ/יִשְׁרֵי leyisherey HR/Aampc upright to upright ones of to upright ones of
H3477-12 Psalms 11:7 יָ֝שָׁ֗ר yashar HAamsa upright upright upright
H3477-15 Psalms 19:9 יְ֭שָׁרִים yesharim HAampa are right upright ones are upright
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