יָבֵשׁ (ya.vesh)
ya.vesh
dry
H:AQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:A
Word Overview
The Hebrew adjective yabesh describes a state of being dry or dried up. It appears in only five verses across the Old Testament, primarily in Numbers, Lamentations, and Job. The word captures the physical reality of moisture leaving something, whether it is land, vegetation, or the body.
In Lamentations 4:8 and Job 6:5, yabesh illustrates the harshness of drought and suffering. It conveys a sense of brittleness and lifelessness that comes from the absence of water. This physical dryness often serves as a metaphor for spiritual desolation or the fragility of human existence in the face of hardship.
Translators typically render yabesh simply as "dry" or "dried." The term lacks the complex theological layers found in some other biblical words, focusing instead on a tangible condition. Its rarity in Scripture highlights specific moments where physical aridity mirrors emotional or spiritual distress.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life feels arid, the word yabesh reminds us that dryness is a real, tangible experience. In Job, it describes stubble blown by the wind, capturing how fragile we can feel when pressure mounts. This honest acknowledgment of our physical and emotional state is not a failure of faith but a recognition of our human condition.
Yet this word also points to connection. Isaiah uses the image of a dry tree for those who might feel excluded from God’s people. The message is clear: spiritual vitality does not depend on your background or physical wholeness. You are invited into the community of faith regardless of how withered you may feel.
Even in the strictest vows, like the Nazirite in Numbers, avoiding dried grapes signifies a deliberate focus on God over earthly comforts. Whether you are enduring hardship or seeking simplicity, this word invites you to bring your dryness to God. He sees the reality of your situation and offers presence where water seems absent.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- dry3×
- and/ dried1×
- [is] dry1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יָבֵֽשׁ\׃\ \ס1×
- יָבֵ֣שׁ1×
- יָבֵ֖שׁ1×
- יְבֵשָׁ֖ה1×
- וִ/יבֵשִׁ֖ים1×
Key Verses
-
Job 13:25
Will you harass a driven leaf? Will you pursue the dry stubble?
This verse uses the word to describe how fragile a person feels when facing relentless pressure, comparing them to dry stubble.
-
Isaiah 56:3
Let no foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh speak, saying, “Yahweh will surely separate me from his people.” Do not let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
Here the term identifies those who might feel excluded from God's community, offering a promise of inclusion despite their status.
-
Lamentations 4:8
Their appearance is blacker than a coal. They are not known in the streets. Their skin clings to their bones. It is withered. It has become like wood.
The word illustrates the extreme physical devastation of famine, showing how drought can reduce human life to a brittle state.