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Exodus 13:15

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.” (KJV)

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Lexical meaning

הָיָהhâyâh · haw-yaw
H1961 · Hebrew
Definition
to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
Derivation
a primitive root (compare H1933 (הָוָא));
KJV renderings
beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.
Grammar
  • וַ — conjunction
  • יְהִ֗י — verb Qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular
Code HC/Vqw3ms
Usage
Occurs 3,575 times in the Hebrew Bible.Genesis 1:2Genesis 1:3Genesis 1:3Genesis 1:5Genesis 1:5

Theological interpretation (AI)

The card on the left shows lexical data from published sources. Interpretation is separate: ask the Companion to explain how traditions read הָיָה here.

Verse 14Verse 16

Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain). Morphology & lemmas: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, CC BY 4.0 (hb.openscriptures.org). Lexicon: Strong's Hebrew Dictionary (1894, public domain; JSON edition © Open Scriptures, CC BY-SA). Verse numbers follow the Hebrew text, which occasionally differs from English Bibles.