יוֹבֵל (yo.vel)
yo.vel
jubilee/horn
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 25 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun yôḇel originally refers to a ram or, more specifically, its horn used as a trumpet. Its etymology likely mimics the continuous, resonant blast of the instrument itself, linking the sound directly to the object that produces it. In the narrative of Joshua 6, this horn signals the fall of Jericho, marking a moment of decisive divine intervention where the sound precedes victory.
By metonymy, the word shifts from the instrument to the event it announces: the Jubilee year. This usage appears almost exclusively in Leviticus and Numbers, where yôḇel designates the fiftieth year of release. The blowing of the horn on the Day of Atonement marked the beginning of this period, when land returned to ancestral families and debts were cancelled.
Translators often render yôḇel as "jubilee," a term that has entered modern language but loses the auditory weight of the original. The Hebrew word anchors the concept of freedom in a physical sound, reminding readers that this social reset was not merely a legal decree but a public proclamation heard across the land.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word yôḇel begins as a simple object: the horn of a ram. In ancient Israel, this instrument carried a powerful dual meaning. It announced the fall of Jericho, signaling God’s decisive intervention in history. More importantly, it proclaimed the Jubilee year, a time when debts were cancelled and land returned to its original owners. This sound was not just noise; it was a public declaration that freedom was coming.
For your faith, this reminds us that God cares about justice and restoration. The Jubilee was a social reset, ensuring that no family remained in poverty forever. It shows that God’s plan includes practical care for the vulnerable. When we hear of such release, it points to a world where burdens are lifted and relationships are healed.
We can trust that God hears our cries for relief. Just as the horn’s blast reached every corner of the land, God’s promise of restoration reaches us today. This hope anchors us in the belief that no situation is permanent and that grace always finds a way to restore what was lost.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 25 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ jubilee13×
- in the/ jubilee4×
- <the>/ rams' horns3×
- a jubilee2×
- the/ ram's horn1×
- rams' horns1×
- and/ in the/ jubilee1×
- [is] a jubilee1×
- <the>/ ram's horn1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל3×
- הַ/יֹּבֵ֑ל3×
- יוֹבֵ֣ל2×
- הַ/יּֽוֹבְלִים֙2×
- הַ/יֹּבֵל֮2×
- הַ/יֹּבֵ֔ל2×
- יוֹבֵ֥ל1×
- יוֹבְלִ֔ים1×
- וּ/בַ/יֹּבֵ֖ל1×
- הַ/יּוֹבֵל֙1×
- הַ/יּוֹבֵ֗ל1×
- הַ/יּוֹבֵ֖ל1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 25:10
You shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you; and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.
This verse defines the Jubilee as a time of proclaimed liberty, linking the horn’s sound directly to social freedom and land restoration.
-
Joshua 6:5
It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the city wall will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him.”
Here the ram’s horn signals divine victory at Jericho, showing how the instrument marks moments of God’s powerful intervention.
-
Leviticus 25:13
“‘In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his property.
The Jubilee ensures that every family returns to their ancestral property, preserving identity and preventing permanent poverty.