Lexical Summary
yaal: To profit, to benefit, to be of use
Original Word:יָאַל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:ya'al
Pronunciation:yah-ahl
Phonetic Spelling:(yaw-al')
KJV: dote, be (become, do) foolish(-ly)
NASB:acted foolishly, become fools, foolish
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to be slack, i.e. (figuratively) to be foolish
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dote, be become, do foolishly
A primitive root; properly, to be slack, i.e. (figuratively) to be foolish -- dote, be (become, do) foolish(-ly).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto be foolish
NASB Translationacted foolishly (2), become fools (1), foolish (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] (compare I. ) —
Perfect3masculine pluralIsaiah 19:3;Jeremiah 5:4;Jeremiah 50:36; 1pluralNumbers 12:11; —do oract foolishly: —
shew wicked folly = sinNumbers 12:11 (J); inJeremiah 5:4 an exhibition of this folly is ascribed to ignorance.
become fools, lacking insight and judgment:Isaiah 19:13the princes of Zoan have become fools ("" , and, inIsaiah 19:11 , etc.);Jeremiah 50:36a sword is against the praters, and they shall become fools — be shewn up as such ("" ).
Topical Lexicon
Essential Idea and Motifיָאַל portrays the self-inflicted blindness that chooses a course without reference to God. The term does not describe intellectual deficiency but moral perversity that ignores revealed truth and therefore ends in ruin. In every occurrence the context contrasts human presumption with the fear of the LORD, exposing folly as sin rather than mere ineptitude.
Canonical Occurrences
•Numbers 12:11 – Aaron pleads, “O my lord, please do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed”. The verbal form highlights culpable rashness that provokes divine judgment.
•Isaiah 19:13 – “The princes of Zoan have become fools”. Egypt’s political counselors are pictured as having lost all discernment because they resisted the LORD’s purposes.
•Jeremiah 5:4 – “They are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD”. Social collapse in Judah is traced to spiritual ignorance; יָאַל pinpoints rebellion masquerading as simplicity.
•Jeremiah 50:36 – “A sword is against her false prophets, and they will become fools”. Babylon’s religious elite are unmasked as deluded because they trusted their own visions instead of the word of God.
Historical Setting
Numbers 12 belongs to Israel’s wilderness wanderings, where presumption against God-appointed leadership is immediately disciplined.Isaiah 19 addresses the late eighth-century political intrigues between Judah and Egypt.Jeremiah 5 condemns Judah shortly before the Babylonian siege, whileJeremiah 50 anticipates Babylon’s downfall generations later. Together these texts show that across nations and centuries יָאַל invariably accompanies national decay and divine retribution.
Theological Significance
1. Wisdom begins with fear of the LORD; therefore folly is essentially unbelief (Proverbs 1:7).
2. Folly spreads from leaders to people (Isaiah 19:13;Jeremiah 50:36), illustrating corporate responsibility.
3. The LORD actively frustrates foolish counsel, vindicating His sovereignty (Job 5:12–13;1 Corinthians 3:19).
4. Repentance is the antidote. Aaron’s confession inNumbers 12:11 shows that acknowledgement of folly opens the door to mercy.
Ministry and Pastoral Application
• Leadership Accountability – Spiritual and civic leaders who disregard Scripture guide their people into disaster. Churches and nations must therefore test every strategy against God’s word.
• Confession over Concealment – Aaron models how prompt admission of folly averts deeper judgment; the same principle governs church discipline and personal sanctification (1 John 1:9).
• Discernment in a Culture of Noise – Modern “experts” can repeat the pattern of Egypt’s counselors. Believers must evaluate counsel by the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
• Gospel Contrast – The cross, viewed as “foolishness” by the world, is God’s wisdom and power (1 Corinthians 1:18–25). True wisdom therefore begins at Calvary, reversing the curse of יָאַל.
Intertextual Echoes
The Septuagint often renders יָאַל with moraino (“to become foolish”), a term picked up by Paul: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). This link underscores the unity of Scripture: human pride that rejects revelation is timeless, and so is God’s verdict upon it.
Practical Prayer
“Teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). By praying this verse believers consciously repudiate the spirit of יָאַל and embrace the wisdom that flows from humble obedience.
Forms and Transliterations
וְנֹאָ֑לוּ ונאלו נֽוֹאֲלוּ֙ נוֹאֲל֕וּ נוֹאַ֖לְנוּ נואלו נואלנו nō·w·’ă·lū nō·w·’al·nū noAlnu noaLu nōw’alnū nōw’ălū venoAlu wə·nō·’ā·lū wənō’ālū
Links
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Englishman's Greek Concordance •
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