יֵשׁ

1. substance, only Ord 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, 1 Mos 28,16 במקום הזה ׳אכן ישׁ י surely Y. is (emphatic) in this place! 1 Mos 44,26 אִם יֵשׁ אָחִינוּ אִתְּכֶם; 2 Mos 17,7 הֲיֵשׁ יהוה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם אַיִן, 4 Mos 22,29 לו ישׁ חרב בידי Oh, that there were a sword in my hand! 5 Mos 13,4 הֲיִשְׁכֶם אֹהֲבִים whether you do love, 5 Mos 29,17 פן ישׁ בכם אישׁ, v.5 Mos 29,18; 1 Sam 9,11f. and they said, Is the seer here? and they said יֵשׁ He is, 1 Sam 20,8; 1 Sam 23,23; Jer 27,18. Alone, in answer to a question (asked with יֵשׁ), He (it) is: 1 Sam 9,12; 2 Kong 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), 1 Mos 18,24 אולי ישׁ חמשׁים צדיקים בעיר perhaps there are fifty righteous in the city, 1 Mos 24,23 הישׁ בית אביך מקום לנו ללון, 1 Mos 42,1 כי ישׁ שׁבר ׳במצ that there was corn in Egypt, Dom 4,20 הישׁ פה אישׁ, 2 Sam 9,1; 2 Kong 5,8 he shall know that there is (emphatic) a prophet in Israel, Rut 3,12 there is a kinsman nearer than I, Sl 58,12 surely there are gods judging on the earth: so in aphorisms, asserting the existence of a particular character, quality, etc., Ord 11,24 ישׁ מפזר ונוסף עוד, Ord 12,18; Ord 13,7; Ord 13,23; Ord 14,12; Ord 16,25; Ord 18,24; Ord 20,15; Praed 2,21; Praed 4,8; Praed 5,12; Praed 6,1; Praed 6,11; Praed 7,15 (twice in verse); Praed 8,14 (3 t. in verse); Praed 10,5. In questions, or protestations, יֵשׁ often implies a doubt whether what is asked about is to be found or exists: 1 Kong 18,10; Jer 5,1 and see אם ישׁ אישׁ if there is (emphatic) a man doing justice, etc. (compare Sl 14,2), Sl 14,22; Es 44,8 הישׁ אלהים is there a god beside me? Sl 7,4 אם ישׁ עול בכפי if there is iniquity in my hands! Sl 73,11 is there knowledge in the Most High? Job 5,1; Job 6,30; Klg 1,2.
\ \ c. special phrases: —
\ \ \ (a) after אִם and a participle, where an abiding intention is to be emphasized, 1 Mos 24,42 אםיֿשׁךנֿא מצליח דרכי if thou art (really), prospering my way, v1 Mos 24,49; 1 Mos 43,4; Dom 6,36 (compare II. אין 2 b).
\ \ \ (b) יֵשׁ לְ = has (had), especially with pronouns יֵשׁ לִי, יֵשׁ לְךָ; etc., 1 Mos 33,9 יֶשׁלִֿי רָב I have plenty, v1 Mos 33,11; 1 Mos 43,7 הישׁ לכם אח, 1 Mos 44,20 ישׁ לנו אב זקן, 1 Sam 17,40 that they may know כי ישׁ אלהים לישׂראל that Israel has (emphatic) a god, 2 Kong 4,2 מַהיֶּֿשׁלָֿכְי what hast thou ? Job 14,7 for a tree has (emphatic) hope (compare Rut 1,12), Rut 25,3; Rut 28,1; Rut 38,28 ׃הישׁ למטר אב 1 Mos 39,5 (twice in verse); 1 Mos 39,8, * F f כל אשׁר יֶשׁלֿו all that had (1 Mos 39,4 without אשׁר, probably error).
\ \ \ (c) with infinitive and לְ, is it possible to... ? 2 Kong 4,13 הישׁ לדברלֿך can (1) speak for thee to the king? 2 Kron 25,9 so אִשׁ לְ 2 Sam 14,19 (compare אֵין לְ, below II. אַיִן 5).
\ \ \ (d)... יֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר (if) it was that... 4 Mos 9,20; 4 Mos 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 1 Mos 31,29 and elsewhere; see II. אֵל 7, p. 43.
\ \ \ (f) 2 Kong 10,15 וָיֵשׁ and (if) it be... (compare וָלֹא 2 Kong 5,17; 2 Sam 13,26); so Dom 6,13 אִתָּנוּ ׳וְיֵשׁ י.
\ \ \ (g) pleonastic אֵין יֵשׁ Sl 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: 1 Mos 24,23; 1 Mos 43,7 הֲיֵשׁ לָכֶם אָח, 1 Mos 44,19; 1 Mos 44,20; 1 Sam 20,8 etc.); but occasionally, for greater emphasis, this is prefixed: 1 Sam 21,5 כי אם לחם קדשׁ ישׁ but holy bread there is! Es 43,8 the blind people, ועינים ישׁ though it has eyes, Dom 19,19 לחם ויין ישׁ לי (compare אַיִן 2 c).