2987. yebal
Lexical Summary
yebal: To bring, to carry, to produce

Original Word: יְבַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ybal
Pronunciation: yeh-BAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (yeb-al')
KJV: bring, carry
NASB: brought, bring
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H2986 (יָבַל - bring)]

1. to bring

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bring, carry

(Aramaic) corresponding to yabal; to bring -- bring, carry.

see HEBREW yabal

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to yabal
Definition
to bear along, carry
NASB Translation
bring (1), brought (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[יְבַל] verb Haph`el bear along, carry (see Biblical Hebrew); — Perfect3masculine singular הֵיבֵל, accusative of thing + ל location Ezra 5:14; Ezra 6:5; Infinitive לְהֵיבָלָה Ezra 7:15, accusative of thing.

Topical Lexicon
Canonical setting

יְבַל appears in the Aramaic portions of Ezra (Ezra 5:14; Ezra 6:5) and once in the Hebrew narrative that resumes in Ezra 7:15. All three occurrences belong to the post-exilic record that describes the rebuilding of the second temple under Persian patronage. The word is embedded in official memoranda and royal correspondence, highlighting how the providence of God employs even imperial edicts to accomplish covenant purposes.

Occurrences and immediate context

Ezra 5:14 presents a summary of Cyrus’s decree in which “the gold and silver articles of the house of God” are to be returned from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Ezra 6:5 restates the command under Darius, adding instructions for orderly transfer and placement “in the temple of God in Jerusalem.”
Ezra 7:15 records Artaxerxes’s authorization for additional offerings that Ezra himself is to convey to the temple: “and to bring silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem.”

In each verse the verb is attached to sacred objects or monetary gifts designated for the house of the LORD, and in each case the subject is a Persian sovereign or his appointed representative. The action is therefore both political and liturgical, bridging court policy with covenant worship.

Historical backdrop: Persian decrees and temple vessels

The Babylonian exile had removed Judah’s treasures (2 Kings 24:13; 2 Chronicles 36:18). Their return marked a visible reversal of judgment and a tangible sign of restoration. That reversal came through Cyrus the Great, whose policy of repatriating deported peoples harmonized with Isaiah’s earlier prophecy: “I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me” (Isaiah 45:4). The subsequent confirmations by Darius and Artaxerxes show successive administrations ratifying the same divine agenda. יְבַל therefore sits at the intersection of prophetic fulfillment and political continuity, demonstrating that “the king’s heart is a watercourse in the hand of the LORD; He directs it wherever He pleases” (Proverbs 21:1).

Theological themes

1. Divine sovereignty over nations: Pagan monarchs “bring” the very items their imperial predecessors had plundered. The empire’s coffers become resources for God’s house, illustrating that “the earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1).
2. Restoration of worship: The returned vessels are not museum pieces but instruments of liturgy. Their reinstatement legitimizes the rebuilt altar (Ezra 3) and temple (Ezra 6), permitting sacrifices to resume precisely as prescribed in the Torah.
3. Holiness and stewardship: Sacred objects are handled under strict inventories (Ezra 1:9-11; Ezra 8:33-34). The verb’s focus on conveyance underscores accountability; what is holy must be transported unharmed and returned to its rightful service.
4. Generosity and voluntary offerings: In Ezra 7:15 the king’s donation is “freely offered,” providing a model of cheerful giving that echoes Exodus 25:2 and anticipates 2 Corinthians 9:7. God’s people today are encouraged to channel worldly resources toward eternal purposes.

Implications for ministry today

• Partnership with civil authorities: The Ezra narrative cautions neither to idolize political power nor to ignore it. When God opens doors through secular structures, believers may walk through them without compromise, confident that He remains the ultimate mover.
• Integrity in handling funds and property: Detailed lists and recorded transfers call churches and ministries to comparable transparency. Faithfulness in “little things” (Luke 16:10) vindicates the mission before a watching world.
• Hope for spiritual renewal: Just as temple vessels once carried into exile were brought back, prodigal people and dormant gifts can be restored for service. The term quietly testifies that God specializes in retrieval and recommissioning.

Connections to the wider biblical narrative

The movement of holy things foreshadows the greater movement of the Son, who “having come into the world, is now returning to the Father” (John 16:28). As Cyrus’s decree liberated physical vessels, Christ’s redemptive work liberates living vessels—believers—so they may “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). In Revelation 21 the splendor of the nations is again “brought into” the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24-26), completing the trajectory first glimpsed in Ezra’s chronicles. Thus, יְבַל, though rare, contributes to Scripture’s larger portrayal of God gathering what is His into the place of His dwelling for the praise of His glory.

Forms and Transliterations
וְהֵיבֵ֣ל וּלְהֵיבָלָ֖ה והיבל ולהיבלה ū·lə·hê·ḇā·lāh ūləhêḇālāh uleheivaLah veheiVel wə·hê·ḇêl wəhêḇêl
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Englishman's Concordance
Ezra 5:14
HEB: דִּ֣י בִֽירוּשְׁלֶ֔ם וְהֵיבֵ֣ל הִמּ֔וֹ לְהֵיכְלָ֖א
NAS: in Jerusalem, and brought them to the temple
KJV: that [was] in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple
INT: whom Jerusalem and brought these to the temple

Ezra 6:5
HEB: דִי־ בִירוּשְׁלֶ֖ם וְהֵיבֵ֣ל לְבָבֶ֑ל יַהֲתִיב֗וּן
NAS: in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon,
KJV: which [is] at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon,
INT: which Jerusalem and brought to Babylon be returned

Ezra 7:15
HEB: וּלְהֵיבָלָ֖ה כְּסַ֣ף וּדְהַ֑ב
NAS: and to bring the silver and gold,
KJV: And to carry the silver and gold,
INT: bring the silver and gold

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2987
3 Occurrences


ū·lə·hê·ḇā·lāh — 1 Occ.
wə·hê·ḇêl — 2 Occ.

2986
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