Lexical Definition

‎יָבֵשׁ‎ yâbêsh (yaw-bashe') to wither ^H:V
a primitive root

be ashamed, clean, be confounded, (make) dry (up), (do) shame(-fully), [idiom] utterly, wither (away).

• to be ashamed, confused or disappointed
• also (as failing) to dry up (as water) or wither (as herbage)

1) to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be dry, be dried up, be without moisture
1a2) to be dried up
1b) (Piel) to make dry, dry up
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to dry up, make dry
1c1a) to dry up (water)
1c1b) to make dry, wither
1c1c) to exhibit dryness

See Greek: ἐξαίρω · μαραίνω · ξηραίνω

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. ‎יָבֵשׁ‎ verb be dry, dried up, withered (Late Hebrew id. (rare), ᵑ7 ‎יְבֵישׁ‎, chiefly Pa`al, Ithpe`el, Syriac ; Sabean, Palmyrene derivatives; Arabic ; Ethiopic ) —

Qal Perfect 3 masculine singular ‎יָבֵשׁ‎ Josh 9:5 + 8 t.; ‎וְיָבֵשׁ‎ consecutive Isa 19:5+ 4 t.; 3 feminine singular ‎יָ˜בְשָׁה‎ Gen 8:14 3 plural ‎יָ˜בְשׁוּ‎ Jer 23:10 + 2 t.; ‎יָבֵ֑שׁוּ‎ Jer 50:38 + 2 t.; Imperfect 3 masculine singular ‎יִבַשׁ‎ Isa 19:7 ‎יִיבָ֑שׁ‎ Jer 12:4; Job 8:12 ‎וַיִּיבַשׁ‎ 1Kgs 17:7 ‎וַיִּיבָ֑שׁ‎ Jonah 4:7 3 feminine singular ‎תִּיבַשׁ‎ Ezek 17:10 ‎תִּיבָ֑שׁ‎ vEzek 17:10 + 3 t., etc.; Infinitive construct ‎(בִּ)יבשׁ‎ Isa 27:11 ‎יְבשֶׁת‎ Gen 8:7 absolute ‎יָבוֺשׁ‎ Zech 11:17 ‎יָבשׁ‎ Eccl 17:10 —

1. be dry, dried up without moisture:
a. of bread Josh 9:5; Josh 9:12 (JE).
b. of ground lacking rain Amos 4:7, compare Amos 1:2 (of Carmel at utterance of ‎׳‎‎י‎'s voice), Jer 23:10.
c. of earth after the flood Gen 8:14 (P), compare ‎חָרֵב‎
d. of grass, herbage, trees and crops (already implied in
b. = wither Isa 15:6; Isa 19:7; Isa 27:11; Jer 12:4; Job 8:12; Joel 1:12; Jonah 4:7 in simile of shortness of life Ps 90:6; Ps 102:12*; Ps 129:6, see also Isa 40:7; Isa 40:8 (in these two || ‎נָבֵל‎); of heart under figure of grass Ps 102:5* of Judah under figure of vine Ezek 17:9 (twice in verse); Ezek 17:10 (3 t. in verse), compare Ezek 19:12 of princes under figure of tree Isa 40:24 of roots of Ephraim under figure of tree Hos 9:16, so of roots of wicked Job 18:16.
e. of hand, arm, dry up, wither, as judgment from ‎׳‎‎י‎, 1Kgs 13:4; Zech 11:17 (twice in verse); in distress ‎יָבֵשׁ כַּחֶרֶשׁ כֹּחִי‎ Ps 22:16* my strength is dried up like the potsherd; of skin Lam 4:8, and (figurative) of bones Ezek 37:11.

2. be dried up: of water Gen 8:7 (J), Isa 19:5; 1Kgs 17:7; Jer 50:38; Joel 1:20; Job 12:15; Job 14:11. Pi`el make dry, dry up, only Imperfect 3 masculine singular suffix ‎וַיַּבְּשֵׁהוּ‎ Nah 1:4 and hath made it dry (‎׳‎‎י‎, the sea); 3 feminine singular ‎תְּיַבֵּשׁ‎ Job 15:30 the flame shall dry up his branches (figurative of wicked); figurative ‎תְּיַבֶּשׁנָּֿ֑רֶם‎ Prov 17:22 a broken spirit maketh dry (the) bones. Hiph`il Perfect 3 masculine singular ‎הוֺבִישׁ‎ Josh 2:10 + 3 t. + Joel 1:10 (see below); ‎חֹבִישׁ‎ Ezek 19:12 + 2 t. Joel (see below); 3 feminine singular ‎הוֺבִישָׁה‎ Joel 1:12 (see below); 2 masculine singular ‎הוֺבַשְׁתָּ‎ Ps 74:15 1 singular ‎הוֺבַשְׁתִּי‎ Ezek 17:24 ‎וְהוֺבַשְׁתִּ֫י‎ Jer 51:36 3 plural ‎וְהֹבִישׁוּ‎ consecutive Zech 10:11 Imperfect 1 singular ‎אוֺבִישׁ‎ Isa 42:15 (twice in verse); Isa 44:27 — dry up, make dry:

1. dry up water, ‎׳‎‎י‎ subject, Josh 2:10; Josh 4:23 (twice in verse); Josh 5:1 (all D), Jer 51:36 (|| ‎הֶחֱרִיב‎), Isa 42:15; Isa 44:27 (‎חֳרָבִי‎ in || clause), Ps 74:15.

2. make dry, wither: herbage, trees, crops, etc., of ‎׳‎‎י‎, Isa 42:15 (|| ‎החריב‎); object Babylon under figure of tree Ezek 17:24 of east wind's drying up Judah's fruit Ezek 19:12.

3. exhibit dryness: of river-deeps laid bare Zech 10:11. — In like manner might be taken Joel 1:10; Joel 1:12 (twice in verse); Joel 1:17, if from ‎יבשׁ‎; but the sense would be difficult, especially in vJoel 1:10 vJoel 1:12, and ‎הֹבִישׁוּ‎ vJoel 1:11 must be from ‎בּוֺשׁ‎, to which all these cases in Joel may be consistently assigned; see ‎בּוֺשׁ‎.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References