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Home›Strong's concordance›H1961

הָיָה H1961

H1961 is the Hebrew word הָיָה, transliterated hâyâh and said haw-yaw. The King James Version most often renders it be.

Word: הָיָהTransliteration: hâyâhSaid: haw-yawLanguage: HebrewIn the KJV: 68 verses

What it means

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary).

Where it comes from

a primitive root (compare H1933 (הָוָא)).

How the King James Version translates it

Across 42 tagged occurrences, counted from this edition's word index.

be 19×was 4×done 4×had 2×been 2×am 2×is 2×were 2×art become 2×you it shall be 1×should be 1×come to pass 1×

Strong's own list of 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.

Verses using הָיָה

The first 40 of 68 verses, quoted in full.

Genesis 1:2 · KJV

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:3 · KJV

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Genesis 1:29 · KJV

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Genesis 2:18 · KJV

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Genesis 3:1 · KJV

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 4:14 · KJV

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

Genesis 9:26 · KJV

And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

Genesis 10:8 · KJV

And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

Genesis 11:3 · KJV

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Genesis 13:3 · KJV

And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

Genesis 13:8 · KJV

And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

Genesis 15:1 · KJV

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Genesis 24:60 · KJV

And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

Genesis 27:1 · KJV

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

Genesis 34:10 · KJV

And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

Genesis 41:40 · KJV

Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

Exodus 3:1 · KJV

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

Exodus 3:14 · KJV

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Exodus 5:13 · KJV

And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

Exodus 8:22 · KJV

And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

Exodus 9:3 · KJV

Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

Exodus 11:6 · KJV

And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.

Exodus 12:4 · KJV

And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

Exodus 18:19 · KJV

Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

Exodus 19:15 · KJV

And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

Exodus 25:15 · KJV

The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.

Leviticus 23:15 · KJV

And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

Leviticus 26:12 · KJV

And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

Numbers 10:2 · KJV

Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.

Numbers 15:40 · KJV

That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

Numbers 31:16 · KJV

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 4:32 · KJV

For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?

Deuteronomy 27:9 · KJV

And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the LORD thy God.

Joshua 22:20 · KJV

Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

Judges 12:2 · KJV

And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

Judges 14:17 · KJV

And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

Judges 18:19 · KJV

And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?

Judges 19:30 · KJV

And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

Judges 20:3 · KJV

(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

1 Samuel 2:11 · KJV

And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

Common questions

What does Strong's H1961 mean?

H1961 is the Hebrew word הָיָה (hâyâh), meaning to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary).

How is H1961 translated in the King James Version?

The King James translators rendered it be (19 times), was (4 times), done (4 times), had (2 times), been (2 times), among others.

How many times does H1961 appear in the Bible?

הָיָה (hâyâh) is tagged in 68 verses of the King James Version in this edition's word index.

Where does H1961 come from?

Strong's gives its derivation as: a primitive root (compare H1933 (הָוָא)).

Nearby entries

Strong's concordance →

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