יֶ֫רֶק (ye.req)
ye.req
green
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun yereq denotes green coloration or vegetation in the Hebrew Bible. It appears in six verses, primarily within Genesis, Psalms, and Numbers. The term describes the vivid hue of fresh plants, grasses, and leafy growth.
Its usage often contrasts with dryness or decay. In Genesis 1:30, it refers to green plants as food for animals. Psalm 104:14 mentions God causing grass to grow for livestock, highlighting yereq’s association with life-sustaining nourishment. Numbers 6:5 uses it metaphorically for uncut hair during a Nazirite vow, symbolizing separation and vitality.
This word carries no abstract or theological weight beyond its literal sense. It simply marks the presence of living, green vegetation in the natural world. Translators render it as "green," "greenery," or "green plants" depending on context. Its rarity suggests a focused descriptive role rather than a symbolic one.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word yereq simply means green. In the Hebrew Bible, it describes the fresh, living color of plants and grass. It marks the presence of life in the natural world. When you see this word, think of new growth after rain or the vitality of healthy vegetation.
This term appears in stories about creation and provision. For example, God gives green plants as food for animals in Genesis 1:30. It reminds us that the earth is designed to sustain life. The color green signals hope and renewal in a dry landscape.
In daily reading, this word grounds your faith in physical reality. God cares about the grass that feeds livestock. He provides for the needs of creatures large and small. This simple description invites you to appreciate the beauty and order of creation around you.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- greenery2×
- like/ [the] greenery of1×
- greenery of1×
- and/ like/ [the] greenery of1×
- [the] greenery of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- כְּ/יֶ֣רֶק1×
- יֶ֧רֶק1×
- יֶ֥רֶק1×
- יֶ֣רֶק1×
- יֶ֖רֶק1×
- וּ/כְ/יֶ֥רֶק1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 1:30
To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
This verse establishes green plants as the primary food source for all land animals, showing God's provision at the start of creation.
-
Psalms 37:2
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
The psalmist uses withering green herbs to illustrate how quickly the prosperity of the wicked fades away.
-
Exodus 10:15
For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
The locusts remove every trace of green, leaving Egypt completely barren and highlighting the severity of the judgment.