יָשֵׁשׁ
𐤉𐤔𐤔
yâshêsh
H3486 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
An adjective denoting advanced age or the physical condition associated with old age, typically referring to someone whose hair has turned gray or white due to age. Used to describe individuals as elderly, gray-haired, or to indicate stooped posture resulting from old age.
Semantic Range
aged, gray-haired, person advanced in years, someone stooped or visibly marked by age
Root / Etymology
Uncertain. The word is traditionally connected to an unused or unattested root possibly meaning 'to blanch' or 'to become pale,' which would refer to the whitening of hair in old age. The formation יָשֵׁשׁ is adjectival and relates only to human age, particularly the visible effects of aging.
Historical & Contextual Notes
יָשֵׁשׁ is a rare poetic or literary term in Biblical Hebrew, attested in contexts emphasizing human mortality, frailty, or the physical marks of old age (such as gray hair or stooped posture). It appears in parallel with other Hebrew terms for elders (e.g., זָקֵן, zaqen), but is more descriptive of visible senescence rather than formal social status. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, its usage is largely restricted to poetic texts, serving as a vivid image of human decline rather than simply denoting chronological age. Later periods favored other terms (like זָקֵן) for describing elders in legal or social contexts. English translations may render it as 'aged,' 'very old,' or 'stooped with age,' but these sometimes obscure the concrete imagery of graying hair or physical deterioration present in the Hebrew term.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to blanch; gray-haired, i.e. an aged man; stoop for age.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
יששׁ (y-š-š) — to become pale, to grow old
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3486-01 |
וְ/יָשֵׁ֑שׁ | veyashesh | HC/Aamsa |
and-feeble | and gray-haired man | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3486-01 |
2 Chronicles 36:17 | וְ/יָשֵׁ֑שׁ | veyashesh | HC/Aamsa |
and-feeble | and gray-haired man |