Lexical Definition

‎יָם‎ yâm (yawm) sea ^H:N-M
from an unused root meaning to roar

sea ([idiom] -faring man, (-shore)), south, west (-ern, side, -ward).

• a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water
• specifically (with the article), the Mediterranean Sea
• sometimes a large river, or an artifical basin
• locally, the west, or (rarely) the south

1) sea
1a) Mediterranean Sea
1b) Red Sea
1c) Dead Sea
1d) Sea of Galilee
1e) sea (general)
1f) mighty river (Nile)
1g) the sea (the great basin in the temple court)
1h) seaward, west, westward

See Greek: δυσμή · θάλασσα · παράλιος

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Aramaic form: יָם
‎יָם‎₃₉₀ noun masculine^{Exod 14:27} sea (Phoenician ‎ים‎; Arabic ; Palmyrene ‎בימא‎ on the sea, Vog^{No. 79}; on Assyrian iâmu, (¹mu), sea, see Dl^{HWB 307} M-A^{CD 52} Hpt^{BAS i. 171 n}.) — absolute ‎יָם‎ 1Sam 13:5 +; ‎יָ֫מָּה‎ Gen 28:14 +; construct ‎יָם‎ Gen 14:3 + 23 t., also ‎יָ֫מָּה סוּף‎ Exod 10:19, but always ‎יַםסֿוּף‎ Exod 13:18 + 22 t.; suffix ‎יַמָּהּ‎ Jer 51:36 plural ‎יַמִּים‎ Judg 5:17 + 29 t.; — sea: especially

1. Mediterranean Num 13:29 (E), Num 34:5 (P), Deut 1:7; Josh 5:1; 1Kgs 5:23* (twice in verse); Jonah 1:4 (twice in verse) + often; the Mediterranean is called also ‎הַיָּם הַגָּדוֺל‎ Num 34:6; Num 34:7; Josh 15:12; Josh 15:47; Ezek 48:28 +, compare ‎וּרְחַב יָדַיִם‎ ‎׳‎‎גּ‎ ‎׳‎‎הַיּ‎ Ps 104:25 ‎מְבוֺא‎ ‎׳‎‎הַיָּם חַגּ‎ ‎הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ‎ Josh 1:4; Josh 23:4 (see Assyrian name of Mediterranean tiamtu rabitu ša sulmu šamši, etc., Schr^{Namender Meere. 171 ff.}); ‎אֶלמֿוּל הַלְּבָנוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎הַגּ‎ ‎׳‎‎הַיּ‎ Josh 9:1 ‎הָאַחֲרוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎הַיּ‎ the hinder sea Deut 11:24; Deut 34:2; Zech 14:8; Joel 2:20 (in the last two opposed to ‎הַקַּדְמֹנִי‎ ‎׳‎‎הַיּ‎, see below); of Mediterranean in particular part ‎יָם פְּלִשְׁתִּים‎ Exod 23:31 (JE); ‎יָם יָפוֺ‎ 2Chr 2:15* = ‎יָם יָפוֺא‎ Ezra 3:7. **Of Mediterranean in plural Dan 11:45 [compare 8 d] Hi Ke Meinh Bev Dr (world-encircling seas Behrm).

2. ‎יַםסֿוּף‎ 'Red Sea' (see ‎סוּף‎) Exod 13:18 (compare Exod 10:19), Exod 15:4; Num 14:25; Deut 1:40; Josh 2:10; Judg 11:16 + often; also ‎הַיָּם‎ Exod 14:2 (twice in verse); Exod 14:9; Isa 51:10 (twice in verse); Isa 63:11 +; probably also ‎יָםמִֿצְרַיִם‎ Isa 11:15 'Red Sea' named or referred to approximately 66 t.; ‎יִםסֿוּף‎ clearly of lanitic Gulf 1Kgs 9:26 (compare 2Chr 8:17).

3. Dead Sea, ‎יָם‎ ‎מֶלַח‎ sea of salt Gen 14:3; Num 34:3; Num 34:12; Deut 3:17; Josh 3:16; Josh 12:3; Josh 15:2; Josh 15:5; Josh 18:19 ‎יָם הָעֲרָבָה‎ Deut 3:17; Deut 4:49; Josh 3:16; Josh 12:3; 2Kgs 14:25 ‎הַקַּדְמֹנִי‎ ‎׳‎‎הַי‎ Ezek 47:18; Zech 14:8; Joel 2:29 (see above); simply ‎יָם‎ Isa 16:8; Jer 48:32 — in ‎יָם יַעְזֵר‎ Jer 48:32 ‎יָם‎ is textual error, strike out with Gf Gr Che Gie.

4. Sea of Galilee ‎יָם כִּנֶּרֶת‎ Num 34:11; Josh 13:27 ‎יָם כִּנְּרוֺת‎ Josh 12:3 simply ‎יָם‎ Deut 33:23.

5. more generally sea, opposed to earth and (or) sky Gen 1:26; Gen 1:28; Gen 9:2 (P), Exod 20:11 (E), Hag 2:6 + often Job, Psalms, Isa² etc.; Amos 6:12 read ‎בַּבָּקָר יָם‎ for ‎בקרים‎ (see ‎בָּקָר‎); sea as under earth Ps 24:2 (compare Gen 1:10; Gen 6:11; Exod 20:5 = Deut 5:3); figurative of flood of invaders, ‎עָלָה עַלבָּֿבֶל הַיָּם‎ Jer 51:42.

6. of a mighty river, the Nile Nah 3:8 (twice in verse); Isa 19:5 (|| ‎נָהָר‎); compare ‎הַתַּנִּין אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם‎ Isa 27:1 and ‎כַּתַּנִּים בַּיַּמִּים‎ Ezek 32:2 (simile of Pharaoh); of Euphrates Isa 21:1; Jer 51:36 (according to Che Gf and others; Isa 21:1 perhaps better of Persian Gulf, see Di).

7. the great basin in temple-court, called the sea: ‎וַיַּעַשׂ אֶתהַֿיָּם מוּצָק‎ 1Kgs 7:23 = 2Chr 4:2 ‎יָם הַנְּחשֶׁת‎ 2Kgs 25:13; 1Chr 18:8; Jer 52:17 ‎הַיָּם‎ alone 1Kgs 7:24; 1Kgs 7:25 + 10 t. Kings Chronicles + Jer 52:20.

8. combinations are:
a. shore of sea, sea-shore ‎שְׂפַת הַיָּם‎ Josh 11:4; 1Kgs 5:9*, and in simile Gen 22:17; Judg 7:12; 1Sam 13:5 ‎׳‎‎חוֺף הַי‎ Josh 9:1; Ezek 25:16 ‎חוֺף יַמִּים‎ Gen 49:13; Judg 5:17 compare ‎חֶבֶל הַיָּם‎ Zeph 2:5 region by the sea; so vZeph 2:6 but dubious, see I. ‎חֶבֶל‎

3. b. sand of the sea (shore) ‎חוֺל הַיָּם‎ (in simile) Gen 32:13*; Gen 41:49; Hos 2:1*; Isa 10:22 + often (see ‎חוֺל‎); ‎חוֺל גְּבוּל לַיָּם‎ Jer 5:22.
c. ‎לְשׁוֺן‎ ‎הַיָּם‎ tongue (arm or gulf) of sea Josh 15:5; Josh 18:19; Isa 11:5.
d. ‎מִיָּם עַדיָֿם‎ Amos 8:12; Zech 9:10; Ps 72:8, compare Mic 7:12; Zech 14:8 (twice in verse); Joel 2:20 (twice in verse); Dan 11:45.

9. = (west, west-word (originally sea-ward, from position of Mediterranean with reference to Palestine, and this sense still often perceptible): with other three points of compass Gen 13:14; Gen 28:14 (J), Num 2:18; Num 35:5 (P), Deut 3:27; 1Kgs 7:25; 1Chr 9:24; 2Chr 4:4; Ezek 42:19 + 6 t. Ezekiel; Zech 14:4; Dan 8:4; Ps 107:3 (‎מִמִּזְרָח וּמִמַּעֲרָב מִצָּפוֺן וּמִיָּם‎; but read perhaps ‎וּמִיָּמִן‎ from the south, Hu Pe Bi Che); opposed to east Josh 11:2; Josh 16:6 + 16 t. Ezek 48 west alone Gen 12:8 (J); ‎רוּהַ יָם‎ Ezek 10:19 (J) west wind; ‎מִיָּם לְ‎ westward Josh 8:9; Josh 8:12; Josh 8:13 +; ‎יָ֫מָּה‎ westward, often of tabernacle Exod 26:22; Exod 26:27; Num 3:23 + (all P), and of land Josh 5:1; Josh 15:8; Josh 15:10 etc., + often Ezekiel; ‎דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּם‎ = westward Ezek 41:12 ‎גְּבוּל יָם‎ western border Num 34:6 (twice in verse); Josh 15:2 ‎פְּאַתיָֿם‎ west side Exod 27:12; Exod 38:12; Num 35:5; Josh 18:14 ‎פְּאַת דרך‎ ‎הים‎ Ezek 41:12 (see further ‎פאה‎).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References