Topical Encyclopedia
Etymology and Meaning: The term "Ish" is a Hebrew word (אִישׁ) that translates to "man" or "husband" in English. It is used throughout the Old Testament to denote an adult male or, in certain contexts, a husband in relation to his wife. The word is often used in contrast to "Ishah" (אִשָּׁה), which means "woman" or "wife."
Biblical Usage: The word "Ish" appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, serving as a generic term for a man. It is used in various contexts, from describing individuals to representing mankind in general. For example, in
Genesis 2:23, Adam refers to Eve as "Ishah" because she was taken out of "Ish," highlighting the relationship between man and woman: "The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘Woman,’ for out of Man she was taken.'"
Theological Significance: In the biblical narrative, "Ish" is not merely a descriptor of gender but also carries theological implications. It reflects the created order as described in Genesis, where God creates man in His own image (
Genesis 1:27). The term underscores the role of men within the family and society, as seen in various patriarchal narratives throughout the Old Testament.
Covenantal Context: The use of "Ish" in covenantal contexts often emphasizes the responsibilities and roles assigned to men. For instance, in the Abrahamic covenant, God calls Abraham to be the father of many nations, a role that underscores the significance of "Ish" as a leader and progenitor (
Genesis 17:4-5).
Cultural and Historical Context: In ancient Israelite society, the term "Ish" also carried social and legal connotations. Men were typically the heads of households and held primary responsibility for the welfare and spiritual leadership of their families. This is evident in passages such as
Deuteronomy 6:6-7, where men are instructed to teach God's commandments to their children.
Prophetic and Messianic References: While "Ish" is a common term, it also appears in prophetic literature with messianic overtones. In
Isaiah 53:3, the suffering servant is described as "a man of sorrows" (Ish mak'obot), pointing to the humanity and suffering of the Messiah: "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief."
New Testament Correlation: Although the New Testament is written in Greek, the concept of "Ish" is mirrored in the Greek word "aner" (ἀνήρ), which also means "man" or "husband." The New Testament continues to affirm the roles and responsibilities of men within the family and the church, as seen in passages like
Ephesians 5:25, where husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church.
Conclusion: The term "Ish" is foundational in understanding the biblical view of manhood, encompassing both the biological and theological dimensions of being a man. It serves as a reminder of the divine image in which men are created and the responsibilities they bear in accordance with God's design.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A suffix used to from adjectives from nouns and from adjectives. It denotes relation, resemblance, similarity, and sometimes has a diminutive force; as, selfish, boyish, brutish; whitish, somewhat white.
2. (n.) A verb ending, originally appearing in certain verbs of French origin; as, abolish, cherish, finish, furnish, garnish, impoverish.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ISH('ish): In the following Hebrew proper names, a prefix meaning "man of," or, collectively, "men of": Ish-bosheth, Ishhod, Ish-tob (but the Revised Version (British and American) correctly "the men of Tob").
See alsoESHBAAL;ESHBAN; ISCARIOT.
Greek
3474. moros -- dull, stupid, foolish... foolish. Probably from the base of musterion; dull or stupid (as if shut up), ie
Heedless, (morally) blockhead, (apparently) absurd -- fool(-
ish, X -ishness).
...878. aphron -- without reason, foolish
... and phren; properly, mindless, ie Stupid, (by implication) ignorant, (specially)
egotistic, (practically) rash, or (morally) unbelieving -- fool(-ish), unwise....
3516. nepios -- an infant, fig. a simple-minded or immature person
... ne- (implying negation) and epos; not speaking, ie An infant (minor); figuratively,
a simple-minded person, an immature Christian -- babe, child (+ -ish)....
453. anoetos -- not understanding
... foolish, unwise. From a (as a negative particle) and a derivative of noieo;
unintelligent; by implication, sensual -- fool(-ish), unwise. see GREEK a....
2469. Iskariotes -- Iscariot, surname of Judas and his father
... Word Origin of Hebrew origin, probablyish and qirya Definition Iscariot, surname
of Judas and his father NASB Word Usage Iscariot (11). Iscariot....
Strong's Hebrew
378.Ish-bosheth -- "man of shame," a son of Saul and king of Isr.Ish-bosheth. 377, 378.
Ish-bosheth. 379 . "man of shame," a son of
Saul and king of Isr. Transliteration:
Ish-bosheth Phonetic
...381.ish-chayil --Ish-chail, an Israelite -- a valiant man
ish-chayil. 380, 381.ish-chayil. 382 .Ish-chail, an Israelite -- a
valiant man. Transliteration:ish-chayil Phonetic Spelling...
377.ish -- show one self a man
...ish. 378 . show one self a man. Transliteration:ish Phonetic Spelling: (eesh)
Short Definition: man. Word Origin a denominative verb fromish, qv....ish. 378...
382a.ish-Tob -- "men of Tob," inhab. of a region East of the...
ish-Tob. 382, 382a.ish-Tob. 382b . "men of Tob," inhab. of a region East
of the Jordan. Transliteration:ish-Tob Short Definition: Tob....
786.ish -- a questionable reading found in Masoretic text.
... 785, 786.ish. 787 . a questionable reading found in Masoretic text.
Transliteration:ish Phonetic Spelling: (eesh) Short Definition: there....
376.ish -- man
... 375, 376.ish. 377 . man. Transliteration:ish Phonetic Spelling: (eesh) Short
Definition: man.... see HEBREW 'ishshah. 375, 376.ish. 377 . Strong's Numbers
382. Iysh-Towb -- "men of Tob," inhab. of a region East of the...
... "men of Tob," inhab. of a region East of the Jordan. Transliteration: Iysh-Towb
Phonetic Spelling: (eesh-tobe') Short Definition:Ish-tob.Ish-tob...
5036. nabal -- foolish, senseless
... foolish, vile person. From nabel; stupid; wicked (especially impious) -- fool(-ish,
-ish man, -ish woman), vile person. see HEBREW nabel. 5035b, 5036....
6430. Pelishti -- inhab. of Philistia
... inhab. of Philistia. Transliteration: Pelishti Phonetic Spelling: (pel-ish-tee')
Short Definition: Philistines. Word Origin from Pelesheth Definition inhab....
2572. chamishshim -- fifty
... 2571, 2572. chamishshim. 2573 . fifty. Transliteration: chamishshim Phonetic
Spelling: (kham-ish-sheem') Short Definition: fifty....
Library
"Abide with Me, Fast Falls the Eventide. "
... 2 Ka gah suh goo nindish quah be mah diz; Uh nooj ka goo tuhish quah uh yah wun
Kuh ke nuh goo tuhish quah nah gwuh doon; Keen dush Ta ba nin ga, we je we...
"For ever with the Lord. "
... ge wa yon. 3 Noos an daud,ish pe ming, Ka e zhe ge wa yon, Ta bwa yand'
mon ne wah bun don, Shoo ne yahish quon dam! 4 Nin je...
"There's a Land that is Fairer than Day. "
... Chorus." Tuh min wan . . dah gwud suh Nuh quash ko dah de yung pah mah pe Tuh
min wan . . dah gwud suh Nuh quash ko dah de yungish pe ming....
"While Shepherds Watch'd their Flocks by Night. "
... duh che yaig. 3 "Noong oom ke nee ge tuh mah goom, Da vid Wa gwe se jin,
Ish pe ming tuh zhe Mun e doo, Na non duh we e wa: 4 "E...
"Nearer, My God, to Thee. "
... 3 Wah bun duh 'shinish pe- Ming, a nuh moog; Kuh ke nuh ne se non, Mah zhe yun
nin; An ge nug,ish pe ming, Nun doo me wod pa sho; Che be non ze koo non, Ta...
"Come, Ye who Love the Lord. "
... na bwah kah jig. 3 Sha wan dah goo ze jig Oo ke kan dah nah wah, A zhe
oo ne zhe shin e nig E we deish pe ming. 4 Che bwah tuh...
Elucidations.
... original epigrammatic force, "Vocabitur Vir-ago, quoniam de Vir-o sumpta est." The
late revised English gives us, in the margin, Isshah andIsh, which marks...
"Jerusalem, My Happy Home. "
... Nuhguhmoowin 30. CM "Jerusalem, my happy home.". Je ru sa lem ing, nin guh dah,
Nin ge che zah ge toon, Uh peish quah uh no kee yon, Nin guh bah pe nan dum....
Nuhguhmoowin 16. CM (Advent. )
... mah goo min. 2 Um ba moo je ge da a dah, Be mah je e wa win Ke we kush
ke tuh mah goo naun Owhish pe ming wan jeed. 3 Oo we ne...
Chapter iv
... rendering on the score that 'eth, being the sign of the definite object, sets the
definite object Yahweh by the side of the very indefinite object 'ish, "a man...
Thesaurus
Ish-bosheth (14 Occurrences)Ish-bosheth. Ishbosheth,
Ish-bosheth.
Ish-bo'sheth . Easton's Bible Dictionary
Man
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
ISH-BOSHETH.
ish...La'ish (5 Occurrences)
La'ish. Laish, La'ish. Laishah . Multi-Version Concordance
La'ish (5 Occurrences). Judges 18:14 Then the five men who...
Ish
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.ISH. ('ish): In the following Hebrew proper
names, a prefix meaning "man of," or, collectively, "men...
Ish-sechel (1 Occurrence)
Ish-sechel. Ishsechel,Ish-sechel. Ishshiah . Int. Standard Bible
EncyclopediaISH-SECHEL.ish'-se-kel ('ish sekhel, "man...
Ish-tob (2 Occurrences)
Ish-tob. Ishtob,Ish-tob. Ishua . Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ISH-TOB.ish'-tob ('ish Tobh, the American Standard...
Ish-bo'sheth (13 Occurrences)
Ish-bo'sheth.Ish-bosheth,Ish-bo'sheth.Ish-bosheth's . Multi-Version
ConcordanceIsh-bo'sheth (13 Occurrences). 2 Samuel 2:8 Now...
Ish'maelites (6 Occurrences)
Ish'maelites. Ishmaelites,Ish'maelites. Ishmael's . Multi-Version
ConcordanceIsh'maelites (6 Occurrences). Genesis...
Ish-hod (1 Occurrence)
Ish-hod. Ishhod,Ish-hod. Ishi . Multi-Version Concordance
Ish-hod (1 Occurrence). 1 Chronicles 7:18 And his sister...
Ish'merai (1 Occurrence)
Ish'merai. Ishmerai,Ish'merai. Ishod . Multi-Version Concordance
Ish'merai (1 Occurrence). 1 Chronicles 8:18 and Ishmerai...
Ish'maelite (3 Occurrences)
Ish'maelite. Ishmaelite,Ish'maelite. Ishmaelites . Multi-Version
ConcordanceIsh'maelite (3 Occurrences). 2 Samuel...
Resources
What is the story of David and Ish-Bosheth? | GotQuestions.orgWho were Rechab and Baanah? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the story of Abner and Joab? | GotQuestions.orgIsh: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
