Lexical Summary
yeor: River, Stream, Nile
Original Word:יְאֹר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:y`or
Pronunciation:yeh-ore'
Phonetic Spelling:(yeh-ore')
KJV: brook, flood, river, stream
NASB:Nile, rivers, river, streams, canals, channels, Nile canals
Word Origin:[of Egyptian origin]
1. a channel, e.g. a fosse, canal, shaft
2. specifically the Nile, as the one river of Egypt, including its collateral trenches
3. also the Tigris, as the main river of Assyria
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
brook, flood, river, stream
Of Egyptian origin; a channel, e.g. A fosse, canal, shaft; specifically the Nile, as the one river of Egypt, including its collateral trenches; also the Tigris, as the main river of Assyria -- brook, flood, river, stream.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof foreign origin
Definitionstream (of the Nile), stream, canal
NASB Translationcanals (1), channels (1), Nile (44), Nile canals (1), river (5), rivers (10), streams (3).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
,
Exodus 7:21 of the Nile, (Egyptian loan-word = Egyptian
°iotr, °io°r,
watercourse, Coptic
eioor, ior; also
°iotr±o, °io°r±o, Coptic
eiero, iaro,
Nile, Steind
BAs i. 612; in Assyrian
ia°uru,
stream,
°Iaru°û,
river Nile, Id
ib., Hpt
ib. 171 Jäger
ib 466) — absolute
Genesis 41:1 37t.;
Isaiah 19:8;
Exodus 1:22;
Isaiah 19:7 (3 t. in verse) + 2t.; (err. for )
Amos 8:8; construct
Amos 9:5;
Amos 8:8; suffix
Ezekiel 29:3b (Co , compare
Ezekiel 29:9 and ); plural
Exodus 8:1 4t.; construct
Isaiah 7:18 2t.;
2 Kings 19:24; suffix
Ezekiel 29:4 (twice in verse);
Ezekiel 29:5 +
Ezekiel 29:4 (strike out Co) +
Ezekiel 29:10 (Co );
Ezekiel 29:3;
Exodus 7:19;
Psalm 78:44; —
stream of the Nile,river Nile, usually with articleGenesis 41:1,2,3 (twice in verse);Genesis 41:18;Exodus 1:22;Exodus 2:3,5 (twice in verse);Exodus 4:9 (twice in verse);Exodus 7:15,17,18 (3 t. in verse);Exodus 7:20 (twice in verse);Exodus 7:21 (3 t. in verse);Exodus 7:24 (twice in verse);Exodus 7:28;Exodus 8:5;Exodus 8:7;Exodus 17:5 (all J E),Amos 8:8;Amos 9:5;Isaiah 19:7 (3 t. in verse);Isaiah 19:8;Isaiah 23:3 ("" ),Isaiah 23:10;Jeremiah 46:7,8 (simile of Egyptian invasion),Ezekiel 29:3b (read , see above),Ezekiel 29:9;Zechariah 10:11; more fullyAmos 8:8;Amos 9:5.
plural:
Nile-arms, Nile-canals,Isaiah 7:18;Isaiah 19:6 ("" ),Isaiah 37:25 =2 Kings 19:24; see alsoNahum 3:8;Exodus 7:19;Exodus 8:1 (both P; "" , , etc.),Psalm 78:44 ("" ),Ezekiel 29:3,4 (twice in verse);Ezekiel 29:5,10 +Ezekiel 29:4 (but strike out Co),Ezekiel 30:12.
watercourses in General,Isaiah 33:21 ("" ; compare Late Hebrew , late Aramaic ).
shafts, made in miningJob 28:10 ().
, singular, ofTigris,Daniel 12:5 (twice in verse);Daniel 12:6,7 (compareDaniel 10:4).
Amos 8:8, see .
(√ of following, compare Sta§ 116, 3; meaning not wholly clear; Arabic
isroll threads into a ball,
ball of thread, but alsotroop of horses,band of men, etc.; Ethiopic
isin orbem circum-sistere,
orbis, circulus, etc.; hence perhapsstar, asround, or as collected inbands clusters, constellations; Assyriankabâbu =burn;kabâbê,shields, is written‡abâbê by DlHWB 578).
Topical Lexicon
OverviewYeʾor denotes the riverine waterways that sustained ancient civilizations, most conspicuously the Nile. Scripture employs the term about sixty-five times, concentrating on the Joseph narrative, the Exodus, and prophetic oracles against Egypt. Across genres it serves as a literary and theological marker of God’s sovereign rule over fertility, judgment, deliverance, and idolatrous powers.
Distribution of Occurrences
Genesis 7
Exodus 29
Psalms 4
Isaiah 10
Jeremiah 2
Ezekiel 9
Amos 1
Others 4
(The majority are inGenesis 41 andExodus 1–10.)
Historical Background: The Nile as Egypt’s Lifeline
Ancient Egypt owed its agricultural abundance to the annual inundation of the Nile. The river was deified (e.g., Hapi) and venerated in Pharaoh’s ideology of divine kingship. Biblical writers address this cultural reality by portraying Yeʾor as simultaneously gift and idol, thereby inviting comparison between Pharaoh’s powerless gods and the living God who “does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the dwellers of earth” (Daniel 4:35).
Narrative Usage in Genesis and Exodus
1. Joseph’s Dreams (Genesis 41:1–3, 17-24). Pharaoh’s vision of cows and heads of grain rising from Yeʾor testifies to the river’s centrality for Egypt’s prosperity and sets the stage for divine revelation through Joseph.
2. Preservation of Moses (Exodus 1:22–2:6). The mother’s ark placed “among the reeds by the bank of the river” (Exodus 2:3) transforms a site of state-sponsored death into a place of covenant preservation, prefiguring deliverance through water.
3. First Plague (Exodus 7:14-25). “So he raised the staff and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to blood” (Exodus 7:20). This judgment dismantles Egyptian deity-claims and illustrates that creation’s life-source can become an instrument of wrath under God’s hand.
4. Second Plague (Exodus 8:3). Frogs swarming “from the Nile” expose the impotence of Egypt’s magicians and the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart.
5. Seventh Plague Setting (Exodus 9:13-35). Moses again meets Pharaoh “in the morning, when he goes out to the water” (Exodus 9:13), recalling ritual visits to Yeʾor and underscoring the confrontation between covenant Lord and human sovereignty.
Yeʾor in the Prophets
Isaiah 19 portrays the drying of the Nile as a sign of Egypt’s humiliation: “The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty” (Isaiah 19:5).Jeremiah 46:7-8 likens Egypt’s army to “the river overflowing its banks,” only to be broken by Babylon.Ezekiel 29:3 records the oracle against Pharaoh—“the great monster lying in the midst of his rivers”—revealing Yeʾor as a stage on which God judges hubris and vindicates His name.
Poetic and Wisdom Literature
Psalms 78:44 and 105:29 recollect the plagues as testimonies to covenant faithfulness, whileJob 8:11 contrasts the flourishing of reeds in water with the fate of the godless, employing Yeʾor as a metaphor for apparent security that withers without righteous foundation.
Theological Themes
1. Sovereignty over Creation. Control of a mighty river demonstrates the Creator’s absolute authority over natural processes upon which empires rely.
2. Judgment and Salvation Through Water. From the ark of baby Moses to the bloodied Nile, water symbolizes both peril and preservation, anticipating baptismal imagery (1 Peter 3:20-21).
3. Idolatry Versus the Living God. Repeated prophetic refrains expose the futility of trusting economic and military might rooted in false worship.
4. Reversal Motif. Yeʾor changes from source of life to agent of death, highlighting the moral order that elevates the humble and brings down the proud.
Exegetical Insights
• Repeated mention of Pharaoh’s “standing at the river” (Genesis 41:1;Exodus 7:15) indicates ritual activity; God meets rulers within their own worship space to reveal His supremacy.
• Plague sequence begins and ends with the river (blood, darkness), framing the judgments as creation-undoing acts that reverseGenesis 1, yet sparing Israel to foreshadow new creation.
• Prophetic descriptions of canals (Isaiah 33:21) envision future abundance under Messiah, contrasting Egypt’s failing waters with Zion’s flourishing streams.
Ministry Reflections
1. Dependence. Modern believers, like ancient Egyptians, are tempted to ground security in economic systems. Yeʾor warns that only the Lord is an unfailing source.
2. Evangelism. The turning of the Nile to blood illustrates both judgment and the possibility of redemption through a greater blood—Christ’s atonement.
3. Social Justice. Isaiah’s lament over withering reeds challenges communities to recognize that oppression invites divine response; societal health flows from righteousness.
4. Spiritual Formation. Moses’ early experience with the river reminds families that faithful nurture amid hostile culture prepares servants whom God raises up for future deliverance.
Key References
Genesis 41:1-3, 17-24
Exodus 2:3-5; 4:9; 7:14-25; 8:3; 9:13
Psalms 78:44; 105:29
Isaiah 19:5-7; 33:21
Jeremiah 46:7-8
Ezekiel 29:3-9; 32:2; 34:13
Amos 8:8
Yeʾor thus stands in Scripture as both literal waterway and theological signpost, directing readers to the Lord who alone can transform rivers of judgment into streams of living water.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּיְאֹ֔ר בַּיְאֹ֖ר בַּיְאֹ֛ר בַּיְאֹ֥ר בַּיְאֹרִ֔ים בַיְא֖וֹר ביאור ביאר ביארים הַיְאֹ֑ר הַיְאֹ֔ר הַיְאֹ֖ר הַיְאֹ֗ר הַיְאֹ֙רָה֙ הַיְאֹֽר׃ הַיְאֹר֒ הַיְאֹר֮ הַיְאֹרִ֖ים היאר היאר׃ היארה היארים יְא֑וֹר יְא֔וֹר יְא֖וֹר יְאֹ֑ר יְאֹ֥ר יְאֹרִ֖י יְאֹרִ֖ים יְאֹרִ֣ים יְאֹרִים֙ יְאֹרֵ֣י יְאֹרֵ֥י יְאֹרֵיהֶ֑ם יְאֹרֵיהֶ֣ם יְאֹרֶ֑יךָ יְאֹרֶ֔יךָ יְאֹרֶ֖יךָ יְאֹרָ֑יו יאור יאר יארי יאריהם יאריו יאריך יארים כִּיא֥וֹר כִּיאֹ֥ר כַּיְאֹ֑ר כַּיְאֹ֣ר כַיְאֹר֙ כָאֹר֙ כאר כיאור כיאר bay’ōr bay’ōrîm ḇay’ōwr bay·’ō·rîm ḇay·’ō·wr bay·’ōr bayOr bayoRim chaOr chayOr hay’ōr hay’ōrāh hay’ōrîm hay·’ō·rāh hay·’ō·rîm hay·’ōr hayOr hayOrah hayoRim ḵā’ōr ḵā·’ōr kay’ōr ḵay’ōr kay·’ōr ḵay·’ōr kayOr kî’ōr kî’ōwr kî·’ō·wr kî·’ōr kior vayor yə’ōr yə’ōrāw yə’ōrê yə’ōrêhem yə’ōreḵā yə’ōrî yə’ōrîm yə’ōwr yə·’ō·rāw yə·’ō·rê yə·’ō·rê·hem yə·’ō·re·ḵā yə·’ō·rî yə·’ō·rîm yə·’ō·wr yə·’ōr yeor yeoRav yeoRei yeoReicha yeoreiHem yeoRi yeoRim
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