eRhema Explore
Word

יָשַׁר

yâshar · H3474 · Hebrew · 25 occurrences

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Meanings

  1. to make straight, to make smooth, to make level, to make even

    Causative action by which humans or deities cause objects to be without curve or bend and/or have an even or regular surface

    Examples

    1 Kings 6:35 He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold plated on the carved work.

    Isaiah 40:3 The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

    Isaiah 45:2 “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.

  2. to go straight ahead

    Action by which animals move forward without deviating to the left or the right

    Examples

    1 Samuel 6:12 Now the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went on the same road, bellowing as they went, and did not turn off to the right or to the left. And the governors of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

  3. to make straight one's way > to walk straight ahead

    Literally: to make one's way straight; action by which humans move forward without deviating to the right or to the left; with the possible connotation of minding one's own affairs

    Examples

    Proverbs 9:15 Calling to those who pass by, Who are going straight on their paths:

  4. to look straight ahead

    Literally: to make straight one's eyelids; action by which humans look forward without being distracted by things visible on the left or on the right

    Examples

    Proverbs 4:25 Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

  5. Literally: to make someone else's way straight; causative action by which deities cause the actions and endeavors of humans to be prosperous and successful (to make straight (someone's) way)

    Examples

    Psalm 5:8 LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before me.

    Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

    Proverbs 11:5 The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

  6. Literally: to make straight; causative action by which humans cause an action to be performed in a morally and ethically acceptable way (to make straight (an event) > to (perform an event) right)

    Examples

    Proverbs 15:21 Foolishness is joy to one who lacks sense, But a person of understanding walks straight.

  7. to direct, to channel

    Causative action by which humans cause water to flow in a certain direction

    Examples

    2 Chronicles 32:30 It was Hezekiah who stopped the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah was successful in everything that he did.

  8. to be upright, to be just

    State in which humans are morally and ethically right

    Examples

    Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, as for the impudent one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous one will live by his faith.

  9. Literally: to be straight in the eyes of someone; hence: state/process by which humans consider someone or something good (to be straight in the eyes (of someone) > to be accepted, to be approved, to please)

    Examples

    Numbers 23:27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.”

    Judges 14:3 But his father and his mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” Yet Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, because she is right for me.”

    Judges 14:7 So he went down and talked to the woman; and she looked pleasing to Samson.

  10. to consider right, to approve

    State/process by which humans consider something morally and ethically right

    Examples

    Psalm 119:128 Therefore I carefully follow all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.

How it’s used In 6 roles

Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.

the word studied the word it goes with

Who or what does itSubject

25 occurrences in 13 groups

What it acts on, or what is saidObject

9 occurrences in 7 groups

With prepositionsPrepositional phrases

16 occurrences in 13 groups

With adverbsAdverbs

2 occurrences in 1 groups

Named alongside itApposition

1 occurrences in 1 groups

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

2 occurrences in 2 groups

When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.

MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Near synonyms 4 words
כָּשֵׁר kâshêr · H3787 · to be right, to be proper, to succeed
יָשַׁר (yâshar, H3474) and כָּשֵׁר (kâshêr, H3787) share genuine semantic overlap in the "direct/right" sense domain.
טוֹב ṭôwb · H2895 · to be good
Both words are near-synonyms in contexts where something is judged appropriate or pleasing, in an evaluative sense.
תָּכַן tâkan · H8505 · to measure, to weigh out, to weigh
Both words overlap in the sense of making straight or direct and of "right," in both physical and moral or judicial senses; יָשַׁר (yâshar, H3474) emphasizes rightness and straightness itself, while תָּכַן (tâkan, H8505) emphasizes the act of measuring, weighing or setting straight; they are near-synonyms in contexts of directing, making right or judging uprightly.
יָטַב yâṭab · H3190 · to tend, to adorn, to improve
יָטַב (yâṭab, H3190) emphasizes evaluation of goodness/benefit (117×, domains include "Good," "Better," "Rejoice"); יָשַׁר (yâshar, H3474) emphasizes rightness/uprightness and straightness (25×, domains include "Shape," "Straight," "Upright," "Innocent").
Semantic domains 7 entries
Shape002001001052
The verb describes making something straight, shaping a path or course to be direct rather than crooked, as in its glossed sense "bring... straight (way)."
Move002002001012
The verb describes going or moving in a straight, direct course, as when the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh without turning aside in 1 Samuel 6:12.
See002004001005
The verb describes something appearing right or pleasing in someone's sight, as when Samson's chosen wife looked pleasing to him in Judges 14:7.
Right002001003013
The verb's core sense is being right, fitting, or agreeable, as with what seemed right or agreeable to Balak and to God throughout its occurrences.
Flow002002001008
The verb describes a direct, unimpeded course of travel, as with the cows going straight along the road without diverging, in 1 Samuel 6:12.
Innocent002003003015
The verb's sense of moral uprightness or doing what is right associates it with innocence and integrity of conduct.
Willing002001002028
The verb describes something being pleasing or agreeable to one's will, as when it seemed good to Balaam's party to seek a pleasing outcome with God in Numbers 23:27.
Word family 6 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

יָשַׁרyâshar · H3474יָשָׁר yâshâr · H3477 · straight, "straight way" = safe journey · 119×מִישׁוֹר mîyshôwr · H4334 · plain, plateau, tableland · 23×מֵישָׁר mêyshâr · H4339 · smooth, smoothness, peace · 19×יֹשֶׁר yôsher · H3476 · uprightness, honesty, sincereness · 14×יִשְׁרָה yishrâh · H3483 · uprightness, honesty, sincereness · 1×
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H3474. yashar יָשַׁר verb be smooth, straight, right (Late Hebrew id., and derivatives;…
H3474. yashar
יָשַׁר verb be smooth, straight, right (Late Hebrew id., and derivatives; Arabic be Gentle, tractable easy, II. make easy; manageable, easy, but Sabean יתֿרן אהל הותֿר, ותֿר, OsZMG 1865, 270 CISiv, 29, 2; Assyrian Išâu, be or go straight, right, mêšêru, justice, mêšêriš, righteously, DlHWB 310) —
Qal Perfect יָשַׁר Jer 18:4 Jer 18:2t.; 3 feminine יָשְׁרָה Jdg 14:3; Hab 2:4; Hab 2:3masculine plural יָָֽשְׁרוּ 1Ki 9:12; Imperfect יִישַׁר Num 23:27 Num 23:2t.; יִשַׁר 1Sa 18:20, 1Sa 18:26; 1Sa 18:3feminine singularתִּישַׁר Jdg 14:7; Jdg 14:3feminine plural יִשַּׁרְנָה 1Sa 6:12 (Ges§ 47, n. 3; 71) —
1 go straight, בַּדֶּרֶךְ in the way 1Sa 6:12.
2 figurative, be pleasing, agreeable, right (בְּעֵינֵי in the yees of); said of a woman Jdg 14:3, Jdg 14:7; a man Jer 27:5; of matters and things (הַדָּבָר) 1Sa 18:20, 1Sa 18:26; 2Sa 17:4; 1Ch 13:4; 2Ch 30:4; of cities 1Ki 9:12; a place הָאֱלֹהִים בְּעֵינֵי Num 23:27 (E); with כַּאֲשֶׁר Jer 18:4.
3 in ethical sense, straightforward, upright; בּוֺ נַפְשׁוֺ לֹאיָָֽשְׁרָה Hab 2:4 his soul is not upright in him (opposed to עֻמְּלָה swollen).
Pi`el Perfect1׳יִשָּׁ֑רְתִּ Psa 119:128 (יִשְׁרֵהוּ Job 37:3, Job 37:3masculine suffix Thes; but < Ew Di Hi De Da, Imperfect from שָׁרָה); Imperfect יְיַשֵּׁר Pro 3:6; יְיַשֶּׁרֿ Pro 15:21; suffix וַיְיַשְּׁרֵם (Masoretes abbreviated וַיַּשְּׁרֵם) 2Ch 32:30; 2Ch 32:3 feminine singular תְּיַשֵּׁר Pro 11:4; Pro 11:1singular אֲיַשֵּׁר Isa 45:13; אֲיַשֵּׁר Isa 45:2 Qr (Kt Hiph`il אוֺשִׁר Ges§ 70, 2 doubtless copyist's error); Imperative plural יַשְּׁרוּ Isa 40:3; Participle plural מְיַשְּׁרִים Pro 9:15; —
1 make smooth, straight, accusative מְסִלָּה Isa 40:3; הֲדוּרִים Isa 45:2; figurative, with דֶּרֶךְ make smooth or straight, i.e. free from obstacles, successful Isa 45:13; Pro 11:5, אֹרַח Pro 3:5; in ethical sense, אָרְחוֺתָם הַמְיַשְּׁרִים Pro 9:15 those making straight their paths, going straightforward on their paths; יְיַשֶּׁרלָֿ֑כֶת Pro 15:21 maketh straight his going, goeth straightforwards.
2 lead straight along direct, waters of an aqueduct 2Ch 32:30; (of the thunder Job 37:3 according to some; but see rather שָׁרָה)
3 esteem right, approve Psa 119:128 (read יִשָּׁ֑רְתִּי לי פקודיך כל).
Pu`al Participle מְיֻשָּׁר זָהָב 1Ki 6:35 gold made level, laid smoothly out, upon the graven work.
Hiph`il Imperfect3plural נֶגְדֶּ֑ךָ יַיְשִׁרוּ עַפְעַמֶּיךָ Pro 4:25 let thine eyelids look straight before thee; Imperative דַּרְכֶּךָ הַיְ֯שַׁר make thy way even Psa 5:9 Qr (Kt הוֺשַׁר; see Ges70 (2)).

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

Topical studies with this word 7 entries
Shape3 occurrencesWilling12 occurrencesRight5 occurrencesFlow1 occurrenceMove2 occurrencesInnocent1 occurrenceSee1 occurrence

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Sources

eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0

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