3006. yabbesheth

Lexical Summary

yabbesheth: Dryness, dry ground

Original Word: יַבֶּשֶׁת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: yabbesheth
Pronunciation: yab-besheth
Phonetic Spelling: (yab-beh'-sheth)
KJV: dry land
NASB: dry ground, dry land
Word Origin: [a variation of H3004 (יַבָּשָׂה - dry land)]

1. dry ground

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

dry land

A variation of yabbashah; dry ground -- dry land.

see HEBREW yabbashah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from yabesh
Definition
dry land, dry ground
NASB Translation
dry ground (1), dry land (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

יַבֶּ֫שֶׁת noun feminine id., made by God's hands Psalm 95:5; water shall become blood בַּיַּבָּ֑שֶׁת Exodus 4:9 (J).

יִגְאָל see below I. גאל above

Topical Lexicon

Concept and Range of Meaning

Yabbesheth conveys the idea of parched, solid ground as opposed to water. While the word itself occurs only twice, the motif of “dry land” permeates Scripture, highlighting God’s sovereign power to create, preserve, judge, and redeem.

Canonical Occurrences

1. Exodus 4:9 – A sign to authenticate Moses before Israel. Water from the Nile becomes blood “on the dry ground,” demonstrating that even the soil of Egypt will witness Yahweh’s supremacy over its river-deities.
2. Psalm 95:5 – A call to worship grounded in creation theology: “The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.” Dry land and sea, the two great domains of Genesis 1, are cited as evidence that the covenant God is worthy of allegiance.

Historical Setting

• Exodus 4 is set in Midian as Moses wrestles with his commission. Turning Nile water to blood on dry soil foreshadows the first plague (Exodus 7:17) and signals judgment on Egypt’s life-source.
• Psalm 95 is a post-Exodus liturgical psalm, likely used at the temple to exhort Israel to faithful worship by recalling the Creator-Redeemer.

Theological Emphases

1. Creator-Lordship. By pairing sea and dry land, Scripture affirms total divine ownership of the cosmos (Genesis 1:9-10; Jonah 1:9).
2. Revelation through Signs. The transformation of water on yabbesheth is a visible sermon: the God who controls elements also controls nations.
3. Covenant Assurance. Dry land evokes memories of salvation history—Noah’s ark resting on Ararat (Genesis 8:14), Israel crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14:29) and the Jordan (Joshua 3:17). Each event reinforces trust in God’s promises.
4. Judgment and Mercy. Water turned to blood on dry ground prefigures ultimate judgment (Revelation 16:3-6) while simultaneously urging repentance (Exodus 7:23).
5. Worship Response. Psalm 95 situates the congregation before the majesty of the One who shaped both marine and terrestrial realms, moving them from praise (verses 1-7) to obedient hearing (verses 8-11).

Typological and Christological Insights

• Just as the dry ground in Exodus receives blood as a sign, Calvary’s earth receives the blood of the Lamb, providing the definitive authentication of God’s deliverer (Hebrews 12:24).
• The Creator who formed the dry land takes on flesh and walks upon it (John 1:3, 14), calming seas and calling disciples from their boats, proving mastery over both domains.

Ministry Applications

• Apologetics: Use the sea-land polarity to argue for a purposeful creation and refute naturalistic cosmologies.
• Preaching: Trace the theme of “dry land” from creation to new creation (Revelation 21:1) to show God’s unbroken redemptive narrative.
• Pastoral Care: Remind believers that the God who held back chaotic waters for Israel holds back whatever threatens them today (Isaiah 43:2).
• Missions: Like Moses, servants of God may feel inadequate, but divine signs—now the gospel itself—validate their message (Mark 16:20).

Related Biblical Themes

Creation (Genesis 1:9-10), Flood and Restoration (Genesis 8:13-14), Red Sea Crossing (Exodus 14:16-29), Jordan Crossing (Joshua 3:13-17), Elijah and the rainless years (1 Kings 17:1), Jesus stilling the storm (Mark 4:39), New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1).

In its sparse yet strategic appearances, yabbesheth summons readers to behold the Lord who fashions earth, commands waters, judges idols, and invites humanity into covenantal worship and mission.

Forms and Transliterations

בַּיַּבָּֽשֶׁת׃ ביבשת׃ וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת ויבשת baiyabBashet bay·yab·bā·šeṯ bayyabbāšeṯ veyabBeshet wə·yab·be·šeṯ wəyabbešeṯ

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 4:9
HEB: וְהָי֥וּ לְדָ֖ם בַּיַּבָּֽשֶׁת׃
NAS: will become blood on the dry ground.
KJV: shall become blood upon the dry [land].
INT: will become blood the dry

Psalm 95:5
HEB: וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ׃
NAS: it, And His hands formed the dry land.
KJV: formed the dry [land].
INT: who made the dry and his hands formed

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3006
2 Occurrences

bay·yab·bā·šeṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·yab·be·šeṯ — 1 Occ.