BIBLE HEBREW WORD STUDY
Yām (H3220) — Sea in the Hebrew Bible
יָם (yām) is a common Hebrew noun meaning sea, large body of water, or artificial basin; with direction it can mean west.
Meaning of the word
The lemma יָם (yām) refers to a body of water — a sea or large expanse of water — and is a frequent noun in the Hebrew Bible. It functions as a general term for sizable waters as well as specific bodies such as the Mediterranean Sea.
In the Hebrew text yām can also denote an artificial basin, and by extension a direction (west), because the sea lies to the west of the land of Israel. The plural form יַמִּים (yammiym) appears in Genesis 1–2 and means seas (plural).
Usage in Scripture
In Genesis 1, yām appears in the creation account: God gathers the waters and names them Seas (yammiym, Genesis 1:10, 1:22), and grants humanity dominion over the fish of the sea (yām, Genesis 1:26, 1:28). These verses establish the sea as part of the ordered creation over which humanity is given rule.
In Genesis 12:8, the noun is used with the sense west: Beth-el is described as being on the sea (west) of Abram's encampment. In Exodus 14, yām is the sea at the edge of which Israel is encamped and through which God brings deliverance at the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 14:2, 14:9, 14:16, 14:21).
The word in detail
- H3220 Hebrew lemma יָם (yām). The plural appears as יַמִּים (yammiym), seen in Genesis 1:10 and 1:22 with the gloss seas.
Example verses
- Genesis 1:10 The gathered waters are called Seas (yammiym) — the plural form of yām in the creation account.
- Genesis 1:26 Humanity is given dominion over the fish of the sea (yām); the noun here is singular.
- Exodus 14:21 Moses stretches out his hand over the sea (yām), and the waters are divided — the Exodus deliverance at the sea.
Common questions
Is the lemma yām the same as the plural yammiym?
They are the same noun in singular and plural. The lexeme is יָם (yām); יַמִּים (yammiym) is its plural, used in Genesis 1:10 and 1:22 with the meaning seas.
When does yām mean west?
In contexts of direction, where the sea lies to the west of the land. Genesis 12:8 uses yām with the sense west to describe the position of Beth-el relative to Abram's camp.