Lexical Summary
ya: To appoint, to designate, to meet, to assemble
Original Word:יָע
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:ya`
Pronunciation:yah-ad'
Phonetic Spelling:(yaw)
KJV: shovel
NASB:shovels
Word Origin:[fromH3261 (יָעָה - sweep away)]
1. a shovel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
shovel
Fromya'ah; a shovel -- shovel.
see HEBREWya'ah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yaahDefinitiona shovel
NASB Translationshovels (9).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (
JerExodus 27:3) — plural
Exodus 38:3 7t.;
Exodus 27:3; — utensils for cleaning altar,
shovelsExodus 27:3;
Exodus 38:3;
Numbers 4:14 (all P),
1 Kings 7:40,45;
2 Kings 25:14; 2Chronicles 4:11,16;
Jeremiah 52:18 (only in lists of utensils).
Topical Lexicon
Object and PurposeThe יָע (shovel or firepan) was a handheld bronze utensil used by priests to gather and remove ashes or live coals from the altar of burnt offering and, at times, to transfer coals for incense service. Its construction in bronze suited it for direct contact with fire, while its dedicated use underlined the holiness of everything associated with the sacrificial system.
Pentateuch Foundations
Exodus 27:3 introduces the implement among the essential altar tools: “Make all the utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its meat forks, and its firepans; make all their utensils of bronze”. The verse links the shovel to cleansing—the continual clearing away of ash so that fresh sacrifices could be offered without impediment.Numbers 4:14 stresses its portability when the Kohathites carried sanctuary furnishings through the wilderness, showing that orderly worship required both movement and meticulous attention to purity.
Tabernacle to Temple Continuity
Solomon retained the same pattern. “Then Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls” (1 Kings 7:40). Their inclusion among the temple’s “gold and bronze” instruments (1 Kings 7:45;2 Chronicles 4:11, 16) demonstrates continuity with Mosaic worship and the permanency of God-ordained procedure. The shovel’s modest profile did not diminish its necessity; without its daily use the altar would quickly become defiled and unusable.
Priestly Ministry and Sanctity
Because the יָע touched both blood-soaked ashes and live coals, it typified the priestly calling to mediate between death and life. Handling the residue of consumed offerings, the priest removed what sin had symbolically left behind, making way for ongoing fellowship between God and His people. Its exclusive, sanctuary-bound function illustrates how even ordinary actions—scooping and carrying—are sanctified when performed in obedience to divine command.
Judgment and Loss
Twice the biblical record notes the Babylonian confiscation of these shovels (2 Kings 25:14;Jeremiah 52:18). Their seizure signified more than plunder; it marked the suspension of legitimate sacrifice and public communion with God. The disappearance of so small an object underscored the magnitude of covenant breach—when Israel was exiled, even the means of removing ashes lay in foreign hands.
Typological Insights
1. Cleansing: The shovel foreshadows the decisive removal of sin’s debris accomplished by Christ, “who offered Himself unblemished to God” and “cleanses our consciences” (compareHebrews 9:14).
2. Continuity: Its unaltered design from wilderness to temple witnesses to the unchanging holiness of God and the enduring principles of worship.
3. Servanthood: The priest’s routine task reminds believers that faithfulness in seemingly menial duties sustains the public glory of corporate worship.
Ministry Applications
• Pastoral oversight must include the “ashes” of unresolved sin; confession and restoration keep the church altar clear.
• Worship teams and facility caretakers emulate the ancient priests when they prepare and maintain environments that honor God’s presence.
• Small, faithful acts done for the Lord possess eternal value, for without them greater acts cannot proceed.
Summary
The יָע, though humble, played a vital role in maintaining sacrificial worship. Its biblical trail—from Sinai instructions, through Solomonic splendor, to exilic lament—traces themes of holiness, service, judgment, and hope. By removing ashes it prefigured the ultimate cleansing provided in the gospel, calling every generation to reverent, diligent ministry before the Lord.
Forms and Transliterations
הַיָּעִ֖ים הַיָּעִ֜ים הַיָּעִ֣ים הַיָּעִ֤ים הַיָּעִ֨ים הַיָּעִים֙ היעים וְיָעָיו֙ ויעיו haiyaIm hay·yā·‘îm hayyā‘îm veyaAv wə·yā·‘āw wəyā‘āw
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