יַם (yam)
yam
sea
A:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:N-M
Word Overview
The Aramaic noun yam simply means "sea." It is the direct equivalent of the Hebrew word yam, appearing in the same contexts to describe large bodies of water. In the biblical text, it functions as a standard geographical term without adding special theological nuance beyond its literal meaning.
This word appears only twice in Scripture, both times in the book of Daniel. These occurrences are found in chapters 7 and 12, where the visions describe beasts rising from the sea or the angel speaking to Daniel near the Tigris river. In these passages, yam refers to the actual Mediterranean Sea or the coastal waters adjacent to Israel, grounding the apocalyptic imagery in a real physical location known to the original audience.
Its rarity in the Hebrew Bible contrasts with its appearance in Aramaic sections of Daniel. This reflects the linguistic shift in the book, where Aramaic is used for international or imperial contexts. The word carries no hidden symbolism here; it is simply the name of the sea, serving as a backdrop for the visions of world empires and end-time events.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word yam simply means sea. In the book of Daniel, it appears only twice in Aramaic sections. These verses describe beasts rising from the great sea during visions of future empires. The sea here is a real place, likely the Mediterranean, grounding ancient dreams in physical geography.
For your faith, this reminds us that God sees history clearly. He knows the rise and fall of nations before they happen. When you face uncertainty about the world around you, remember that the same God who ordered the seas also orders events. You can trust His plan even when things seem chaotic.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- sea/ the1×
- <obj.>/ sea/ the1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לְ/יַמָּ֥/א1×
- יַמָּ֑/א1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 7:2
Daniel spoke and said, “I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the sky broke out on the great sea.
The sea serves as the source from which turbulent winds and future empires emerge in Daniel's vision.
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Daniel 7:3
Four great animals came up from the sea, different from one another.
This verse explicitly links the chaotic sea to the origin of four distinct great beasts representing worldly powers.