As Lehi “prayed unto the Lord,
there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him.” (1 Nephi 1:6)
The use of the verb “dwelt” rather than the usual “sat” may seem peculiar to
those unacquainted with the fact that one word, yšb, in Hebrews, has both the
meaning of “dwell” and of “sit.” (John A. Tvedntes, “Hebraisms
in the Book of Mormon: A Preliminary Survey,” BYU Studies 11, no. 1
[1970]: 59)
Clines:
1. sit (e.g. Gn 18:1; 19:1; 31:34; 38:14; Ex 2:15; 11:5; 17:12; Lv
15:4 Dt 6:7; 17:18; Jg 3:20; 1 S 1:9; 20:5; 2 S 18:24; 1 K 1:13; 13:20; 2 K
1:8; 4:20; Is 3:26; Jr 32:12; Ezk 2:6; Jl 4:12; Mc 4:4; Zc 3:8; Ps 1:1; Est
1:2; Si 34:12).
2. sit down* (e.g. Gn 21:16; Ex 32:6; Dt 23:14; 1 S 28:23; Jon 4:5;
Ru 4:2).
3. sit on throne, be enthroned,* of king (e.g. Dt 17:18; Si 40:3(B)
4QCommGenA 52 perh. Is 10:13), of Babylon as queen (Is 47:8), of Y.
(e.g. 1 S 4:4; 2 S 6:2‖1 C 13:6; 2 K 19:15‖Is 37:16; 40:22; Ps 2:4; 9:11; 22:3;
29:10, 10; 47:9; 55:20 [or em.; see Subj.] 80:2; 99:1; 102:13; 113:5; 123:1; Lm
5:19).
4. lie down, rest (e.g. Ps 127:2).
5. remain, stay, of persons (e.g. Gn 22:5; 27:44; 44:33; Ex 16:29;
Lv 8:35; 12:4; Nm 22:8; Dt 1:6; 9:9; Jos 2:22; Jg 6:18; 2 S 1:1; 2 K 2:2; Jr
37:16), of objects (e.g. Gn 49:24 [or em.; see Subj.] 1 S 5:7; 2 S 6:11; Jr
30:18; Ps 125:1).
6. dwell, inhabit* (e.g. Gn 19:29, 30; Ex 23:33; Lv 20:22; 25:18;
Nm 13:18; Dt 2:4; 23:17; Jos 6:25; 7:7; 15:63; Jg 1:21; 6:10; 1 S 27:5; 2 S
7:5; 1 K 2:36; 3:17; 2 K 6:1; 25:24‖Jr 40:9; Is 6:5; 10:24; Jr 2:6; 27:11;
35:9; Ezk 12:2; 28:25; 36:17; Ho 4:3; Am 3:12; Na 1:5; Hg 1:4; Ps 9:12; 101:7;
Jb 15:28; Pr 21:19; Lm 1:3; Est 9:19; Ezr 2:70‖Ne 7:72; Ne 3:26; 1 C 4:28; 2 C
19:4).
7. settle* (e.g. Gn 4:16; 11:2, 31; 13:12, 18; 19:30; 20:1, 15;
26:6; 34:10, 21, 23; 35:1; 36:8; 37:1; 45:10; 47:4; Dt 12:29). (The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, ed. David J. A. Clines, 8 vols.
(Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998), 4:317-18)
HALOT:
ישׁב
(1090 times): basic form yṯb: MHeb.;
Ug. yṯb (impf. 1st. sg. ʾṯb = *ʾaṯibu; inf. ṯbt, UT
§9:48; §19:1177), Can. nišab (EA, E
21; Dhorme Receuil 503f.); Moabite,
Ph. OArm. Yaud. ישׁב; EgArm. Pehl. Nab. (מותב)
Palm. Uruk יתב (Jean-H. Dictionnaire 111f.), JArm. Sam. CPArm. Syr. Mnd. (Drower-M. Dictionary 193b) יְתֵב;
Arb. waṯaba to jump up (→ Barr Philology 174), OSArb. wṯb IV to put down, Himyaritic to sit,
Eth. ʾawsaba to marry; Akk. (w)ašābu.
qal (ca. 770 times): pf. יָשַׁב/שָׁב, יָשַׁבְתָּ;
יָֽשְׁבוּ/שָֽׁבוּ; impf. (Bauer-L. Heb. 378p, r) יֵשֵׁב,
יֵ֫שֶׁב, וַיֵּ֫שֶׁב/שֵֽׁב, וָאֵשְׁבָה/שֵֽׁבָה,
יֵשְׁבוּ/שֵֽׁבוּ, *תֵּישַׁבְנָה
Ezk 35:9K (Q תָּשׁוֹבְנָה root שׁוב);
impv. שֵׁב, שֶׁב־, שְׁבָה,
שְׁבוּ, שֵׁבוּ; inf. cj. *שֵׁבָה Is 30:15, (לָ)שֶׁבֶת, cs. לְשֶׁבֶת
(Gn 16:3), שִׁבְתִּי, abs. יָשֹׁב־
1S 20:5 (text error ?); pt. יֹ(וֹ)שֵׁב, הַיֹּשְׁבִי
Ps 123:1 (Bauer-L. Heb. 526l; 11Q DJD
3, iii:15 היושב), fem. יֹשְׁבָה,
יֹ(וֹ)שֶׁבֶת, יֹ(וֹ)שָֽׁבֶת, cs. *יוֹשַׁבְתִּי
K, Q יוֹשֶׁבֶת Jr 10:17 and Lam 4:21 (Bauer-L. Heb. 526l), יֹשְׁבִים,
יֹ(וֹ)שְׁבֵי (1C 2:55, K *יֳשְׁבוּ
relative), יֹ(וֹ)שְׁבוֹת.
—1. to sit down Gn 27:19; with לְ, on Lam 2:10, with לְ,
at Pr 9:14, with עַל, on 1K 2:19, with לְ,
waiting for Ex 2424, cj. Nu 10:36 (rd. שְׁבָה: RSmend FRLANT 84:5810;
JMaie Ladeheiligtum 10f); with ethic
dat. וַתֵּשֶׁב־לָהּ she sat down Gn 21:16.
—2. to sit Dt 6:7 (:: הלך) Ps 1:1 (:: הלך
and עמד) Ps 139:2 (:: קום),
to be in session Jr 39:3 (Eissfeldt Kl.
Schr. 4:187) Ezr 10:16 (יְשִׁיבָה MHeb. NHeb. session,
academy); Sir 51:29; with place Gn 18:1 (פֶּתַח,
Bauer-L. Heb. §22a), with בְּ, in 19:1, with עַל, on 1K 22:10, with אֶל־הַשֻּׁלְחָן
at the table 13:20; doves perching Song 5:12; of יהוה:
יֹשֵׁב הַכְּרֻבִים: who sits (is
enthroned) on the cherubim 1S 4:4; with לְ of place Ps 9:5 29:10 Is 3:26 47:1; יָשַׁב עַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּט to preside at court Is 28:6.
—3. misc.: a) יָשַׁב עַל כִּסֵּא
מְלוּכָה (Akk. ina kussē šarrūti
ašābu) to ascend the royal throne 1K 1:46 2:12 Jr 22:4 Est 1:2, הַיֹּשְׁבִים those sitting on thrones Is 10:13 Ex 15:14f. (:: Cross-F. JNES
14:248f: usu. inhabitants); b) lions lurking Ps 17:12; with אֹרֵב
Ju 16:9 and בַּמַּאְרָב Ps 10:8 to sit in ambush; c): to sit ready
(זוֹנָה) Jr 3:2; עִם
to sit with Ps 26:4; with לִפְנֵי to be a disciple 2K
4:38; with בְּ and n.loc. to encamp in 1S 13:16, 1K
11:16; with לְחוֹף to sit idly beside the sea Ju 5:17; d):
abs. to sit there Jr 8:14, הַיֹּשְׁבִים those present Ru 4:4
(Rudolph 59); שִׁבְתּוֹ Ex 21:19 (forced) idleness (Sept., ::
Cazelles 53f.; Fensham VT 10:333f.).
—4. to remain sitting: to remain at home Lv 12:4f 2K 14:10 Hos 3:3; to
remain Gn 24:55, (things) 49:24; יָשַׁב לוֹ he remains 22:5; with
לְ to wait
for Ex 24:14; with מִן to keep far from Pr 20:3.
—5. to dwell: Gn 13:6, cj. Hos 14:8 (rd. יֵשְׁבוּ)
Ps 133:1; to dwell securely Mi 5:3, יוֹשֵׁב collective
inhabitants Gn 4:20 34:30, pl. 36:20; יֹשְׁבֵי בְּאֶרֶץ Is 9:1 and יֹשְׁבֵי־בָהּ, Jr 12:4 (→ Gesenius-K. §130a); יֹשֶׁבֶת population (Brockelmann Heb.
Syn. §16f.) Jr 46:9 48:18f, יֹשְׁבוֹת 1S 27:8 (→ Wellhausen
Sam. 139f.).
—6. to be inhabited (:: I חרב): a) city Is 13:20 Jr 17:25 Ezk 26:20 (cj.
תָּשֻׁבִי) Zech 7:7 9:5; b) territory Jl 4:20 Jr
17:6 Ezk 29:11; c) house Job 15:28.
—Emendations: Gn 49:24 rd. וַתִּשָּׁבֵר (Sept.); Jos 17:7 rd. with Sept. n.loc. יָשׁוּב
(Noth 103f.); Is 30:7 for הֵם שֶׁבֶת ? rd. הַמָּשְׁבָּת
the silenced Rahab (Gunkel Schöpfung 38f. :: Fohrer: the one
brought to a standstill); Am 6:3 rd. שְׁנַת Ps 50:20 rd. בֹּשֶׁת; 1C 4:22 rd. Q וַיָּשֻׁבוּ.
nif: pf. נוֹשָֽׁבָה, נוֹשְׁבוּ/שָֽׁבוּ (Jr 22:6 נוֹשָֽׁבֻה, K 3rd. fem. sg., rd. Q pl., Bergsträsser 2:15; Beer-M. 2:14);
pt. נוֹשָֽׁבֶת, נוֹשָׁבוֹת: to be inhabited, land Ex 16:35 Jr 6:8,
city Jr 22:6 Ezk 12:20 26:19 36:10, ruins Ezk 38:12; pt. נושבת
inhabited territory Sir 43:4.
—Emendations: Ezk 26:17 rd. נִשְׁבַּתְּ (Sept. שׁבת, nif. 2f). †
pi. (Jenni 93f): pf. יִשְּׁבוּ: טִירוֹת
to set up (camps) Ezk 25:4. †
hif. (ca. 40 times): pf. הֹשִׁיב, הוֹשַׁבְתִּי,
הוֹשִׁבַנִי, הוֹשַׁבְתִּיכָ/תִּים; impf. וַיּוֹשִׁיבֵינִי
1K 2:24 Bomberg ־בַנִי, rd. with Q ־בֵנִי
(Bauer-L. Heb. 384c), אוֹשִׁיבְךָ,
וַיֹּשִׁבוּם, וַנּוֹשֶׁב; impv. הוֹשֵׁב;
inf. הוֹשִׁיב; pt. מוֹשִׁיב,
cs. מוֹשִׁיבִי Ps 113:9 (Bauer-L. Heb. 526l).
—1. to set, cause to sit: a) 1K 21:9f, 12 Ps 113:8 (rd. לְהוֹשִׁיבוֹ)
Job 36:7; b) king on the throne 1K 2:24 Job 36:7 2C 23:20.
—2. to inhabit (city) Is 54:3 Ezk 36:33.
—3. to cause to dwell (Mesha 13) Gn 47:6, 11 Lv 23:43 1S 2:8 (עִם with) 1S 12:8 2K 17:6, 24, 26 Jr 32:37 Ezk 26:20 36:11 Hos
12:10 Ps 4:9 107:36 143:3 Lam 3:6 2C 8:2; → n.m. יוֹשִׁבְיָה.
—4. to leave behind 1S 30:21 (rd. וַיֹּשִׁיבֵם).
—5. (Jenni 85) a) to cause to set up home (בַּיִת)
the unmarried Ps 68:7, the barren woman Ps 113:9 (Albright Fschr. Mowinckel 2f.); b) to give a dwelling to a foreign woman, marry (see above Eth.) Ezr 10:2, 10,
14, 17f Neh 13:23, 27.
—Emendations: Hos 11:11 עַל = אֶל and Zech 10:6 rd. וַהֲשִׁבוֹתִים.
hof: pf. הוּשַׁבְתֶּם Is 5:8 (1QIsa Versions qal);
impf. תּוּשַׁב (1QIsa תשב).
—1. to be inhabited Is 44:26, cj (תּוּשַׁבְנָה) Ezk 35:9.
—2. denominative of יוֹשֵׁב to be old-established, be
a landowner Is 5:8 (Alt ZÄS 75:19). †
Der. מוֹשָׁב,
שֶׁבֶת, תּוֹשָׁב; n.m. יוֹשִׁבְיָה,
יֶֽשֶׁבְאָב; II יָשׁוּב.
