Lexical Definition

‎יֵשׁ‎ yêsh (yaysh) there ^H:A
perhaps from an unused root meaning to stand out, or exist; entity; used adverbially or as a copula for the substantive verb (‎הָיָה‎)

(there) are, (he, it, shall, there, there may, there shall, there should) be, thou do, had, hast, (which) hath, (I, shalt, that) have, (he, it, there) is, substance, it (there) was, (there) were, ye will, thou wilt, wouldest.

• there is or are (or any other form of the verb to be, as may suit the connection)

1) being, existence, substance, there is or are
1a) substance
1b) existence
1c) there is or are

See Greek: αἴρω · ἀποκρίνομαι · διαλείπω · ἐκπορεύομαι · ἔχω · καταβαίνω · κατοικέω · παρέρχομαι · ὕπαρξις · ὑπάρχω

Extended Information

• Aramaic equivalent: i.tay (‎א‎ִ‎ית‎ַ‎י‎ "there is" אִיתַי)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎יֵשׁ‎₁₈₇ substantive being, substance, existence (on etymology see 2) — ‎יֵשׁ‎ Gen 18:24 etc.; ‎יֶשֿׁ‎ Gen 31:29 + often; ‎הֲיֵשׁ‎ Gen 24:23 + 18 t. (so ‎אִשׁ‎ 2Sam 14:19 , ‎הַאִשׁ‎ Mic 6:10 ), with suffix ‎יֶשְׁךָ‎ vGen 24:42 + 2 t.; ‎יֶשְׁכֶם‎ vGen 24:49 ; ‎הֲיִשְׁכֶם‎ Deut 13:4* ; ‎יֶשְׁנוֺ‎ (Ol^{§ 97 b} Sta^{§ 370 b}) Deut 29:14*; 1Sam 14:39 (+ v1Sam 14:41 ᵐ5 We Dr), 1Sam 23:23; Esth 3:8 ; —

1. substance, only Prov 8:21 ‎לְהַנְחִיל אֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ‎ to cause them that love me to inherit substance (so Sir 42:3).

2. elsewhere (properly as a substantive in the stative construct), it asserts existence, and so corresponds to the verb substantive, is (are, was, were, will be), literally the being, presence of... (so Biblical Aramaic ‎אִתַי‎; Aramaic ‎איתא‎, ‎אית‎, [whence (self-) existent, essence, substance], with ‎לָא‎ contracted ‎לַיִת‎, ‎לֵית‎, ; Mandean ‎עת‎, ‎עית‎, ‎לאיית‎; Arabic [with irregular ] (inflected as a verb, , , etc.; W^{AG i. § 182, ii. § 42}) is not ( is known only in two proverbial sayings, as a secondary form Fl^{Kl. Schr. i. 146 f.}); Assyrian išû, be, have Dl^{HWB 310}; with affix 1 singular la-a i-ša-a-ku, I have not, TP^{i. 57 f.}. On this word, see especially Nö^{M. § 213}, who exemplifies its different constructions in Semitic, and shews how it tends to pass into a verb; — (1) in Biblical Aramaic, Syriac, Babylonian ᵑ7, with possessive suffix; (2) in later Palestinian dialects, Jerusalem ᵑ7, Jerusalem Talmud, sometimes also in Babylonian ᵑ7 and Syriac, with independent personal pronoun (as ‎לית אנא‎, ‎לית הוא‎); (3) in Mandean, Babylonian Talmud, sometimes in Syriac and Arabic, and in Hebrew ‎יֶשְׁנוֺ‎, with object. (verbal) suffix; (4) in Arabic, as a true verb. In Ethiopic literally therein, German es gibt, is similar in use (Di^{Gr. § 167, l}), though not of course in origin. In Hebrew the corresponding negative is ‎אַיִן‎, q. v., the construction of which is quite similar) — is, are, was, were, etc., not, however, as a mere copula, but implying existence with emphasis (hence in English to be often represented by the substantive verb in italics):
a. with a predicate following, Gen 28:16 ‎במקום הזה‎ ‎׳‎‎אכן ישׁ י‎ surely Y. is (emphatic) in this place! Gen 44:26 ‎אִם יֵשׁ אָחִינוּ אִתְּכֶם‎; Exod 17:7 ‎הֲיֵשׁ יהוה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם אַיִן‎, Num 22:29 ‎לו ישׁ חרב‎ ‎בידי‎ Oh, that there were a sword in my hand! Deut 13:4* ‎הֲיִשְׁכֶם אֹהֲבִים‎ whether you do love, Deut 29:17* ‎פן ישׁ בכם אישׁ‎, v.Deut 29:18*; 1Sam 9:11f. and they said, Is the seer here? and they said ‎יֵשׁ‎ He is, 1Sam 20:8; 1Sam 23:23; Jer 27:18. Alone, in answer to a question (asked with ‎יֵשׁ‎), He (it) is: 1Sam 9:12; 2Kgs 10:15; Jer 37:17. But Jer 23:26 (where ‎ישׁ‎ has no substantive or suffix) text must be corrupt: compare Gie.
b. absolutely, there is (es. gibt, il y a), Gen 18:24 ‎אולי ישׁ חמשׁים צדיקים‎ ‎בעיר‎ perhaps there are fifty righteous in the city, Gen 24:23 ‎הישׁ בית אביך מקום לנו ללון‎, Gen 42:1 ‎כי ישׁ שׁבר‎ ‎׳‎‎במצ‎ that there was corn in Egypt, Judg 4:20 ‎הישׁ‎ ‎פה אישׁ‎, 2Sam 9:1; 2Kgs 5:8 he shall know that there is (emphatic) a prophet in Israel, Ruth 3:12 there is a kinsman nearer than I, Ps 58:12* surely there are gods judging on the earth: so in aphorisms, asserting the existence of a particular character, quality, etc., Prov 11:24 ‎ישׁ מפזר ונוסף עוד‎, Prov 12:18; Prov 13:7; Prov 13:23; Prov 14:12; Prov 16:25; Prov 18:24; Prov 20:15; Eccl 2:21; Eccl 4:8; Eccl 5:12*; Eccl 6:1; Eccl 6:11; Eccl 7:15 (twice in verse); Eccl 8:14 (3 t. in verse); Eccl 10:5. In questions, or protestations, ‎יֵשׁ‎ often implies a doubt whether what is asked about is to be found or exists: 1Kgs 18:10; Jer 5:1 and see ‎אם ישׁ אישׁ‎ if there is (emphatic) a man doing justice, etc. (compare Ps 14:2), Ps 14:22; Isa 44:8 ‎הישׁ אלהים‎ is there a god beside me? Ps 7:4* ‎אם ישׁ עול בכפי‎ if there is iniquity in my hands! Ps 73:11 is there knowledge in the Most High? Job 5:1; Job 6:30; Lam 1:2.
c. special phrases: —
(a) after ‎אִם‎ and a participle, where an abiding intention is to be emphasized, Gen 24:42 ‎אםיֿשׁךנֿא מצליח דרכי‎ if thou art (really), prospering my way, vGen 24:49; Gen 43:4; Judg 6:36 (compare II. ‎אין‎ 2 b).
(b) ‎יֵשׁ לְ‎ = has (had), especially with pronouns ‎יֵשׁ לִי‎, ‎יֵשׁ לְךָ‎; etc., Gen 33:9 ‎יֶשׁלִֿי רָב‎ I have plenty, vGen 33:11; Gen 43:7 ‎הישׁ לכם אח‎, Gen 44:20 ‎ישׁ לנו אב זקן‎, 1Sam 17:40 that they may know ‎כי ישׁ אלהים לישׂראל‎ that Israel has (emphatic) a god, 2Kgs 4:2 ‎מַהיֶּֿשׁלָֿכְי‎ what hast thou ? Job 14:7 for a tree has (emphatic) hope (compare Ruth 1:12), Ruth 25:3; Ruth 28:1; Ruth 38:28 ‎׃הישׁ למטר אב‎ Gen 39:5 (twice in verse); Gen 39:8, * F f ‎כל אשׁר יֶשׁלֿו‎ all that had (Gen 39:4 without ‎אשׁר‎, probably error).
(c) with infinitive and ‎לְ‎, is it possible to... ? 2Kgs 4:13 ‎הישׁ לדברלֿך‎ can (1) speak for thee to the king? 2Chr 25:9 so ‎אִשׁ לְ‎ 2Sam 14:19 (compare ‎אֵין לְ‎, below II. ‎אַיִן‎ 5).
(d)... ‎יֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר‎ (if) it was that... Num 9:20; Num 9:21 there were some who... (with participle) Neh 5:2; Neh 5:3; Neh 5:4 (compare Syriac for ὃ μὲν... ὃ δὲ ... Matt 13:8 PS¹⁷²).
(e) ‎יֶשׁלְֿאֵל יָדִי‎ Gen 31:29 and elsewhere; see II. ‎אֵל‎ 7, p. 43.
(f) 2Kgs 10:15 ‎וָיֵשׁ‎ and (if) it be... (compare ‎וָלֹא‎ 2Kgs 5:17; 2Sam 13:26); so Judg 6:13 ‎אִתָּנוּ‎ ‎׳‎‎וְיֵשׁ י‎.
(g) pleonastic ‎אֵין יֵשׁ‎ Ps 135:17.
(h) ‎לֹא יֵשׁ‎ Job 9:33 (compare , : but ᵐ5 ᵑ6 Me and others ‎לֻא‎). — As a rule, ‎יֵשׁ‎ precedes its substantive (from which, however, like ‎אין‎, it may be separated: Gen 24:23; Gen 43:7 ‎הֲיֵשׁ לָכֶם‎ ‎אָח‎, Gen 44:19; Gen 44:20; 1Sam 20:8 etc.); but occasionally, for greater emphasis, this is prefixed: 1Sam 21:5* ‎כי‎ ‎אם לחם קדשׁ ישׁ‎ but holy bread there is! Isa 43:8 the blind people, ‎ועינים ישׁ‎ though it has eyes, Judg 19:19 ‎לחם ויין ישׁ לי‎ (compare ‎אַיִן‎ 2 c).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References