Lexicon
יָצַר
ya.tsar
H3335
H:V Hebrew

to form: formed

63
Occurrences
12
Books
Hebrew
Language

ya.tsar describes forming creatures, people, the world, and crafted objects, including a potter's work.

The predominant use describes forming or fashioning living beings, peoples, and aspects of the created world; the same term also occurs for the work of potters and makers of images, and in a smaller set of clauses for shaping an intended outcome or trouble.

Senses in use

  1. Forming creatures, persons, and the world · dominant

    Qal verbal forms and participles identify the one who forms people, animals, and the earth. In Genesis 2:7 the APB renders the clause "the LORD God formed the man from dust of the ground," while Genesis 2:19 places the forming of field animals and birds before their being brought to the man; Isaiah 45:18 speaks of forming the earth to be inhabited.

  2. A potter or artisan shaping material · common

    Active participles occur in scenes of pottery and hands-on making. In Jeremiah 18:3 the APB renders the potter as making work on the wheels, and Jeremiah 18:4 describes a clay vessel remade into another vessel; Isaiah 41:25 compares trampling mud with the action of one forming.

  3. Making an image or object for worship · occasional

    The term is used where a made object is an idol or molten calf. Exodus 32:4 says that gold was fashioned with a stylus before a molten calf was made, while Isaiah 44:10 asks who has formed a god; Isaiah 44:9 refers to those who form an idol.

  4. Shaping a planned outcome or trouble · rare

    A smaller group places the form in clauses about an outcome rather than a tangible object. In 2 Kings 19:25 the APB renders a long-established determination and its fulfillment in ruined fortified cities; Jeremiah 18:11 renders "I am forming evil against you and devising a plot against you."

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB uses wording such as "formed," "forms," "fashioned," "Maker," and "potter." Those renderings confirm the clauses' forming contexts without assigning every English expression directly to this term.

Passages featuring this word

Across Scripture