Lexical Summary
yabesh: dry, dried, gone
Original Word:יָבֵשׁ
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:yabesh
Pronunciation:yah-BAYSH
Phonetic Spelling:(yaw-bashe')
KJV: dried (away), dry
NASB:dry, dried, gone, withered
Word Origin:[fromH3001 (יָבֵשׁ - dried)]
1. dry
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dried away, dry
Fromyabesh; dry -- dried (away), dry.
see HEBREWyabesh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yabeshDefinitiondry, dried
NASB Translationdried (1), dry (6), gone (1), withered (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. or
, so, masculine singular absoluteNahum 1:10 4t.; feminine singularNumbers 11:6; masculine pluralNumbers 6:3; feminine pluralEzekiel 37:2,4; —
dried, literal onlyNumbers 6:3dried grapes (P; opposed to ); figurativeNumbers 11:6 (JE)our soul (i.e. our appetite)is dried up, namely, for want of fresh, juicy meat.
dry, of chaff,Nahum 1:10 in simile of Ninevites under impending judgment; compare in figure of Job,Job 13:25; of treeEzekiel 17:24 (figurative of Davidic house; opposed to ),Ezekiel 21:3 (in prediction of Judah's devastation by Babylon, opposed toid.);Isaiah 56:3 figurative of eunuch; of the bonesin Ezekiel's visionEzekiel 37:2,4.
Topical Lexicon
Definition and ScopeStrong’s Hebrew 3002, yāvēš, conveys the state of being dried up, withered, or sapless. Whether it describes produce, vegetation, human hope, or bone, the term always points to the absence of life-giving moisture. Its nine occurrences form a carefully placed thread through Law, Narrative, Wisdom, Prophecy, and Apocalyptic vision, allowing Scripture to employ literal dryness in service of rich theological imagery.
Occurrences in Canonical Context
Numbers 6:3
Numbers 11:6
Job 13:25
Isaiah 56:3
Ezekiel 17:24
Ezekiel 20:47
Ezekiel 37:2
Ezekiel 37:4
Nahum 1:10
Cultic Purity and Self-Denial (Numbers 6:3)
Within the Nazirite vow, abstaining from “fresh or dried grapes” underscores consecration by foregoing every stage of the fruit. Dryness marks a deliberate withdrawal from ordinary pleasures so that the worshiper might be wholly separated to the LORD. Ministry application: voluntary deprivations, when Scripturally ordered, nurture devotion by reminding believers that life is sustained not by sweetness of earth but by communion with God.
Wilderness Hardness and Discontent (Numbers 11:6)
Israel laments, “our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!” Their palates feel literally dried out. Here yāvēš captures the citizens’ perceived barrenness even while daily bread falls from heaven. The narrative warns that spiritual dryness can be self-inflicted when hearts lose gratitude for providence. Pastoral counsel must direct dissatisfied saints to recount mercies already given.
Human Frailty before the Almighty (Job 13:25)
Job protests, “Will You chase after dry chaff?” The withered debris of threshing floors pictures his own vulnerability under divine scrutiny. Dryness becomes emblematic of mortality. Yet the same God who knows how light chaff is blown away will later speak through Ezekiel to re-animate the driest bones. The juxtaposition prepares readers for hope beyond human frailty.
Inclusion of the Marginalized (Isaiah 56:3)
“Nor let the eunuch say, ‘Look, I am a dry tree.’” Barrenness, symbolized by dryness, once excluded such men from covenant joy. The prophetic invitation reverses the verdict: foreigners and eunuchs receive “a name better than sons and daughters.” Theologically, God turns the sentence of yāvēš into promise of fruitfulness, prefiguring Gentile inclusion in Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit on “all flesh.”
Judgment and Reversal of Fortunes (Ezekiel 17:24; 20:47;Nahum 1:10)
“I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish,” declares the LORD (Ezekiel 17:24). The metaphor explains political upheavals: proud powers are withered, the humble revitalized. In 20:47 the prophet warns that impending fire will consume “every green tree and every dry tree,” an indiscriminate judgment that none may escape apart from repentance. Nahum intensifies the image: Nineveh’s enemies will be “like dry stubble fully dry.” Dryness figures total vulnerability to the consuming fire of God’s holiness.
Vision of National Resurrection (Ezekiel 37:2, 4)
Bones “very dry” lie scattered in the valley—a dramatic superlative stressing utter hopelessness. Into this scene God commands, “Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!” By Word and Spirit sinews re-form and breath returns. The passage weds dryness to death and reversal to life, portraying Israel’s exile and future restoration. In Christ, this motif blossoms into promise of bodily resurrection and spiritual regeneration for the church (Romans 8:11;Ephesians 2:1-6).
Old Testament Theology of Dryness
1. Absence of Life and Vitality
Dryness connotes lifelessness, whether physical (produce, trees) or existential (hopes, identity).
2. Divine Sovereignty
The LORD both withers and revives, displaying absolute authority over creation and nations.
3. Covenant Faithfulness
The promise to make the “dry tree” flourish reveals a redemptive trajectory: God keeps covenant even when His people appear beyond recovery.
4. Eschatological Hope
The valley of dry bones sets the stage for New Testament assurances that death itself will yield to resurrection power.
Practical Ministry Significance
• Diagnosing Spiritual Desiccation
Congregations may echo Israel’s complaint inNumbers 11. Addressing ingratitude, rehearsing testimonies, and restoring disciplines of grace re-hydrate the soul.
• Encouraging the Barren and Overlooked
Isaiah 56 empowers pastoral care for singles, childless couples, and the marginalized, assuring them of an inheritance “better than sons and daughters.”
• Preaching Repentance and Warning
Prophetic uses of yāvēš underline the certainty of judgment; yet even the dried stump can sprout at God’s decree. Balanced proclamation must hold both truths.
• Celebrating Resurrection Power
Baptism, Easter liturgies, and funeral services all draw uponEzekiel 37 to proclaim that no condition is too dry for the Spirit’s life-giving breath.
Christological Fulfillment and New Covenant Echoes
Dryness ascends from symbol to substance in the crucifixion: “I am poured out like water… my strength is dried up like a potsherd” (Psalm 22:14-15, prophetically fulfilled inJohn 19:28). Yet three days later, what was dead sprang forth incorruptible, forever validating Ezekiel’s vision. The risen Christ, giver of “living water,” ensures that whoever believes in Him “will never thirst” (John 4:14). Thus yāvēš finds its antithesis and resolution in the gospel.
Conclusion
From Nazirite discipline to eschatological resurrection, yāvēš threads through Scripture as a vivid emblem of lifelessness that God alone can reverse. The word stands as both warning and promise: apart from the LORD, all flourishing withers; under His creative word and regenerating Spirit, even the driest bones and hearts live again.
Forms and Transliterations
הַיְבֵשׁ֔וֹת היבשות וִיבֵשִׁ֖ים ויבשים יְבֵשָׁ֖ה יְבֵשׁ֥וֹת יָבֵ֑שׁ יָבֵ֖שׁ יָבֵ֣שׁ יָבֵ֤שׁ יָבֵֽשׁ׃ יבש יבש׃ יבשה יבשות hay·ḇê·šō·wṯ hayḇêšōwṯ hayveShot viveShim wî·ḇê·šîm wîḇêšîm yā·ḇêš yāḇêš yaVesh yə·ḇê·šāh yə·ḇê·šō·wṯ yəḇêšāh yəḇêšōwṯ yeveShah yeveShot
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