יָשַׁב (ya.shav)
ya.shav
to dwell
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 874 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb yashav primarily means to sit down, but it expands to cover dwelling, remaining, or taking up residence. Its basic image is one of settling into a place, whether that is a person sitting on a chair, a judge in session, or a family establishing their home in a new land. This physical act of sitting provides the foundation for its broader sense of staying put and making a location one’s abode.
While often translated as "dwell," the word retains a strong connection to posture and stability. In Genesis 13:18, Abram moves his tent and pitches it in the plain of Mamre, where he dwells; the verb captures the deliberate act of setting up camp and staying there. It is also used for cities being inhabited or people returning to their seats, emphasizing a state of settled existence rather than transient movement.
The word’s range includes causing others to dwell or settle, as seen when leaders establish populations in conquered territories. This causative use highlights the power to create habitation and order. Translators often render it simply as "dwelt" or "sat," but the underlying concept unites these meanings: yashav describes the transition from motion to a fixed, permanent place of rest or authority.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word yashav describes more than just sitting; it captures the act of settling into a place, making it your home. When Abram pitched his tent at Mamre, he was not merely resting but establishing a presence in the land. This verb reminds us that faith often involves finding stability and purpose in our current circumstances, whether we are moving to a new city or remaining where God has placed us.
Even when life feels unstable, as it did for Lot or Abraham, this word points to a deeper truth: God provides a place for His people to dwell. It is not about the perfection of our surroundings but about finding rest and authority in His provision. We can trust that He anchors us, giving us a firm footing even when the ground beneath us seems uncertain.
Ultimately, yashav invites us to see our daily lives as a place of residence under God’s care. It encourages us to settle into the present moment with gratitude, knowing that our true home is secure in Him. This sense of dwelling brings peace, allowing us to focus on what truly matters rather than constantly chasing after temporary comforts.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 874 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] inhabitants of101×
- and/ he dwelt38×
- and/ they dwelt27×
- [was] sitting23×
- [was] dwelling23×
- to/ dwell22×
- they dwelt21×
- and/ [the] inhabitants of21×
- and/ he sat18×
- and/ he remained16×
- and/ you will dwell15×
- inhabitants/ its14×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יֹשְׁבֵ֣י32×
- וַ/יֵּ֥שֶׁב24×
- יֹשְׁבֵ֥י23×
- יוֹשֵׁ֖ב19×
- יֹשֵׁ֥ב19×
- יֹשֵׁ֣ב17×
- וַ/יֵּ֖שֶׁב17×
- יוֹשֵׁ֣ב14×
- יֹשְׁבֵ֖י14×
- לָ/שֶׁ֣בֶת12×
- יוֹשֵׁ֥ב11×
- וַ/יֵּ֣שֶׁב11×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 13:18
Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahweh.
This verse shows Abram deliberately settling at Mamre to build an altar, linking the act of dwelling with worship and covenant relationship.
-
Genesis 4:16
Cain left Yahweh’s presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Cain’s departure to Nod illustrates a negative form of dwelling, where separation from God’s presence leads to a life of exile rather than communion.
-
Genesis 20:15
Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you.”
Abimelech’s offer to dwell anywhere in the land highlights how this word can signify granted permission and social stability for a foreigner.
-
Genesis 19:30
Lot went up out of Zoar, and lived in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to live in Zoar. He lived in a cave with his two daughters.
Lot’s move to the cave demonstrates dwelling as a response to fear, showing how instability can force people into precarious living conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does yashav mean in the Bible?
How is yashav different from other words for living?
Why is this word important for understanding biblical history?
Every Occurrence (874 verses across 36 books)
Genesis 63 verses
Cain left Yahweh’s presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Genesis 4:20Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
Genesis 11:2As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.
Genesis 11:31Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife.…
Genesis 13:6The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together; for their possessions were so great that they…
Genesis 13:7There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the…
Genesis 13:12Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
Genesis 13:18Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahweh.
Genesis 14:7They returned, and came to En Mishpat (also called Kadesh), and struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the…
Genesis 14:12They took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
Genesis 16:3Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and…
Genesis 18:1Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
Genesis 19:1The two angels came to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them. He bowed…
Genesis 19:25He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.
Genesis 19:29When God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle of the overthrow,…
Genesis 19:30Lot went up out of Zoar, and lived in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to live in Zoar.…
Genesis 20:1Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the South, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He lived as a foreigner in…
Genesis 20:15Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you.”
Genesis 21:16She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of…
Genesis 21:20God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and as he grew up, he became an archer.
Genesis 21:21He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.
Genesis 22:5Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there. We will worship, and come…
Genesis 22:19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Genesis 23:10Now Ephron was sitting in the middle of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the…
Genesis 24:3I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son…
Genesis 24:37My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose…
Genesis 24:55Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young lady stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she will go.”
Genesis 24:62Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he lived in the land of the South.
Genesis 25:11After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac, his son. Isaac lived by Beer Lahai Roi.
Genesis 25:27The boys grew. Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field. Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents.
Genesis 26:6Isaac lived in Gerar.
Genesis 26:17Isaac departed from there, encamped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.
Genesis 27:19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of…
Genesis 27:44Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away—
Genesis 29:14Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” Jacob stayed with him for a month.
Genesis 29:19Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.”
Genesis 31:34Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but…
Genesis 34:10You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it.”
Genesis 34:16then will we give our daughters to you; and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will…
Genesis 34:21“These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For behold, the land is large…
Genesis 34:22Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people, if every male among us is…
Genesis 34:23Won’t their livestock and their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let’s give our consent to them, and…
Genesis 34:30Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the…
Genesis 35:1God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you…
Genesis 36:7For their substance was too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their travels couldn’t bear them because…
Genesis 36:8Esau lived in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom.
Genesis 36:20These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
Genesis 37:1Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 37:25They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from…
Genesis 38:11Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown…
Genesis 38:14She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate…
Genesis 43:33They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men…
Genesis 44:33Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his…
Genesis 45:10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your…
Genesis 46:34that you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we, and our…
Genesis 47:4They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as foreigners in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’…
Genesis 47:6The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in…
Genesis 47:11Joseph placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in…
Genesis 47:27Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were…
Genesis 48:2Someone told Jacob, and said, “Behold, your son Joseph comes to you,” and Israel strengthened himself, and sat on the…
Genesis 49:24But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from…
Genesis 50:11When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous…
Genesis 50:22Joseph lived in Egypt, he, and his father’s house. Joseph lived one hundred ten years.