Lexical Summary yaal: To profit, to benefit, to be of use Original Word: יָאַל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dote, be become, do foolishly A primitive root; properly, to be slack, i.e. (figuratively) to be foolish -- dote, be (become, do) foolish(-ly). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be foolish NASB Translation acted foolishly (2), become fools (1), foolish (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. [יָאַל] verb be foolish (compare I. אול) — Niph`al Perfect3masculine plural נוֺאֲלוּ Isaiah 19:3; Jeremiah 5:4; וְנֹאָ֑לוּ Jeremiah 50:36; 1plural נוֺאַלְנוּ Numbers 12:11; — do or act foolishly: — 1 shew wicked folly = sin חַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר נוֺאַלְנוּ וַאֲשֶׁר חָטָאנוּ Numbers 12:11 (J); in Jeremiah 5:4 an exhibition of this folly is ascribed to ignorance. 2 become fools, lacking insight and judgment: נוֺאֲלוּ שְׂרֵי צֹעַן Isaiah 19:13 the princes of Zoan have become fools ("" נִשְּׁאוּ שָׂרֵי נֹף, and, in Isaiah 19:11 אֱוִילִים שָׂרֵי צֹעַן, etc.); חֶדֶב אֶלהַֿבַּדִּים וְנֹאָ֑לוּ Jeremiah 50:36 a sword is against the praters, and they shall become fools — be shewn up as such ("" חָֽתּוּ ׃). Topical Lexicon Essential Idea and Motifיָאַל portrays the self-inflicted blindness that chooses a course without reference to God. The term does not describe intellectual deficiency but moral perversity that ignores revealed truth and therefore ends in ruin. In every occurrence the context contrasts human presumption with the fear of the LORD, exposing folly as sin rather than mere ineptitude. Canonical Occurrences • Numbers 12:11 – Aaron pleads, “O my lord, please do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed”. The verbal form highlights culpable rashness that provokes divine judgment. Historical Setting Numbers 12 belongs to Israel’s wilderness wanderings, where presumption against God-appointed leadership is immediately disciplined. Isaiah 19 addresses the late eighth-century political intrigues between Judah and Egypt. Jeremiah 5 condemns Judah shortly before the Babylonian siege, while Jeremiah 50 anticipates Babylon’s downfall generations later. Together these texts show that across nations and centuries יָאַל invariably accompanies national decay and divine retribution. Theological Significance 1. Wisdom begins with fear of the LORD; therefore folly is essentially unbelief (Proverbs 1:7). Ministry and Pastoral Application • Leadership Accountability – Spiritual and civic leaders who disregard Scripture guide their people into disaster. Churches and nations must therefore test every strategy against God’s word. Intertextual Echoes The Septuagint often renders יָאַל with moraino (“to become foolish”), a term picked up by Paul: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). This link underscores the unity of Scripture: human pride that rejects revelation is timeless, and so is God’s verdict upon it. Practical Prayer “Teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). By praying this verse believers consciously repudiate the spirit of יָאַל and embrace the wisdom that flows from humble obedience. Forms and Transliterations וְנֹאָ֑לוּ ונאלו נֽוֹאֲלוּ֙ נוֹאֲל֕וּ נוֹאַ֖לְנוּ נואלו נואלנו nō·w·’ă·lū nō·w·’al·nū noAlnu noaLu nōw’alnū nōw’ălū venoAlu wə·nō·’ā·lū wənō’ālūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 12:11 HEB: חַטָּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֥ר נוֹאַ֖לְנוּ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר חָטָֽאנוּ׃ NAS: to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which KJV: not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. INT: sin which have acted which have sinned Isaiah 19:13 Jeremiah 5:4 Jeremiah 50:36 4 Occurrences |
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