3104. yobel
Lexical Summary
yobel: Jubilee, ram's horn, trumpet

Original Word: יוֹבֵל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: yowbel
Pronunciation: yoh-BAYL
Phonetic Spelling: (yo-bale')
KJV: jubile, ram's horn, trumpet
NASB: jubilee, rams' horns, ram's, ram's horn
Word Origin: [apparently from H2986 (יָבַל - bring)]

1. the blast of a horn (from its continuous sound)
2. specifically, the signal of the silver trumpets
3. (hence) the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
jubile, ram's horn, trumpet

Or yobel {yob-ale'}; apparently from yabal; the blast of a horn (from its continuous sound); specifically, the signal of the silver trumpets; hence, the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced -- jubile, ram's horn, trumpet.

see HEBREW yabal

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from yabal
Definition
a ram, ram's horn (a wind instrument)
NASB Translation
jubilee (21), ram's (1), ram's horn (1), rams' horns (4).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
יוֺבֵל, יֹבֵל noun masculineNumbers 36:4 ram, ram's horn, cornet (Phoenician יבל ram; compare Di Leviticus 25:10 DlPr 124) — absolute יוֺבֵל Joshua 6:5 7t.; יֹבֵל Exodus 19:13 13t.; plural יוֺבְלִים Joshua 6:4 2t.; יֹבְלִים Joshua 6:13; —

1 ram, only in combination: ׳בִּמְשֹׁךְ בְּקֶרֶן הַיּ Joshua 6:5 the ram's horn, as wind-instrument; so שׁוֺפְרוֺת(ה)י(ו)בלים Joshua 6:4,6,8,13 rams' horns (see BenzArchäol. 276); יֹבֵל alone, בִּמְשֹׁךְ הַיֹּבֵל Exodus 19:13 at the sounding of the ram ('s horn).

2 designation of 50th year, marked by blowing of cornets, AV 'jubile' (so Late Hebrew יוֺבֵל, ᵑ7 יובֵילָא, as loan-word); originally no doubt שְׁנַת הַיּוֺבֵל year of the ram ('s horn), as Leviticus 25:13,28,40,50,52,54 (all H), Leviticus 27:17,18,23,24 (all P), but then, without שׁנת, as יוֺבֵל הִוא תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם Leviticus 25:10 a ram ('s horn blowing) shall it be to you; so Leviticus 25:11; Leviticus 25:12; Leviticus 25:15; Leviticus 25:28; Leviticus 25:30; Leviticus 25:31; Leviticus 25:33 (all H), Leviticus 27:18; Numbers 36:4 (both P).

Topical Lexicon
Ram’s Horn Usage

Exodus 19:13 introduces yōvēl as the specific ram’s horn whose prolonged blast summoned Israel to the foot of Mount Sinai: “When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up the mountain”. Unlike the general term shophar, yōvēl highlights the horn as a herald of covenant revelation. In Joshua 6 the same instrument marked the victorious entry into the land (Joshua 6:4-13). Seven priests carried “seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the ark of the LORD,” and at the final blast the walls of Jericho fell. Thus yōvēl bookends deliverance—first at Sinai, then at the first conquered city of Canaan—underlining that triumph belongs to the LORD who speaks and acts for His people.

The Year of Jubilee

Leviticus 25 employs yōvēl fourteen times to delineate the fiftieth year, the climactic sabbatical cycle. On the Day of Atonement “you shall sound the ram’s horn throughout your land” (Leviticus 25:9). The same horn that once summoned Israel to covenant now announces a nation-wide reset.

Key provisions:
• Release: Israelite debt-slaves returned home (Leviticus 25:40, 54).
• Restoration: Ancestral land that had been sold reverted to the original clan (Leviticus 25:28, 33).
• Rest: Fields lay fallow; the people lived on what the land produced freely (Leviticus 25:11-12).

Leviticus 27:17-24 links the Jubilee to vows and valuations, ensuring that consecrated property could not be permanently removed from tribal inheritance. Numbers 36:4 shows the social ripple: dowry lands transferred by marriage would also return at the Jubilee so that tribal boundaries remained intact.

Ministry Principles

1. Divine ownership. “The land is Mine; you are but foreigners and sojourners with Me” (Leviticus 25:23). Jubilee reminded Israel that stewardship, not unrestricted possession, governed life.
2. Social mercy. Jubilee institutionalised compassion without eroding personal responsibility; redemption was encouraged before the fiftieth year (Leviticus 25:25-28).
3. Faith in providence. Observing two fallow years consecutively (the seventh-year Sabbath plus Jubilee) required trust that “I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year” (Leviticus 25:21).

Historical Observance

Scripture never records a national Jubilee actually kept, and Israel’s later exile is tied to sabbatical neglect (2 Chronicles 36:21). The prophetic literature laments debt slavery (Jeremiah 34:8-17; Nehemiah 5) and land monopolies (Isaiah 5:8; Micah 2:2), suggesting failure to implement Jubilee ideals. Yet Ezekiel 40:1 notes a vision dated “in the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year,” language many scholars see as Jubilee allusion, offering hope of future restoration.

Christological Fulfilment

Isaiah 61 weaves Jubilee imagery—liberty, return, and proclamation—into messianic hope. Jesus read this passage in Nazareth and declared, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). In Him the spiritual realities underlying Jubilee reach their goal:
• Liberation from sin’s debt (John 8:36).
• Restoration of inheritance as co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
• Eternal rest (Hebrews 4:9-10).

The Jericho narrative also prefigures this fulfilment: seven trumpets, seven days, and a climactic blast echo the consummation imagery of Revelation 8-11 where trumpet series heralds the final victory of God’s kingdom.

Contemporary Application

• Preaching: Like the Sinai horn, Gospel proclamation summons hearers to approach God through the Mediator.
• Community life: Churches embody Jubilee principles through generous charity, debt relief, and advocacy for the oppressed.
• Eschatology: The “last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52) assures believers that definitive release and restoration await Christ’s return.

Summary

Yōvēl unites instrument and institution. The ram’s horn heralds decisive acts of God, while the Jubilee year embeds those acts in Israel’s calendar, pointing beyond itself to the perfect redemption accomplished and yet to be fully manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations
בַּיֹּבֵ֑ל בַּיֹּבֵ֔ל בַּיֹּבֵֽל׃ בַיֹּבֵ֗ל ביבל ביבל׃ הַיֹּבְלִ֗ים הַיֹּבֵ֑ל הַיֹּבֵ֔ל הַיֹּבֵ֖ל הַיֹּבֵל֮ הַיּֽוֹבְלִים֙ הַיּוֹבֵ֑ל הַיּוֹבֵ֔ל הַיּוֹבֵ֖ל הַיּוֹבֵ֗ל הַיּוֹבֵל֙ היבל היבלים היובל היובלים וּבַיֹּבֵ֖ל וביבל יוֹבְלִ֔ים יוֹבֵ֣ל יוֹבֵ֥ל יובל יובלים baiyoVel bay·yō·ḇêl ḇay·yō·ḇêl bayyōḇêl ḇayyōḇêl haiyoeLim haiyoVel haiyovLim hay·yō·ḇə·lîm hay·yō·ḇêl hay·yō·w·ḇêl hay·yō·wḇ·lîm hayyōḇêl hayyōḇəlîm hayyōwḇêl hayyōwḇlîm ū·ḇay·yō·ḇêl ūḇayyōḇêl uvaiyoVel vaiyoVel yō·w·ḇêl yō·wḇ·lîm yoVel yovLim yōwḇêl yōwḇlîm
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 19:13
HEB: יִחְיֶ֑ה בִּמְשֹׁךְ֙ הַיֹּבֵ֔ל הֵ֖מָּה יַעֲל֥וּ
NAS: he shall not live.' When the ram's horn sounds a long blast,
KJV: it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long,
INT: live sounds horn they shall come

Leviticus 25:10
HEB: לְכָל־ יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָ יוֹבֵ֥ל הִוא֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה
NAS: its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each
KJV: unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return
INT: to all inhabitants jubilee he become

Leviticus 25:11
HEB: יוֹבֵ֣ל הִ֗וא שְׁנַ֛ת
NAS: year as a jubilee; you shall not sow,
KJV: A jubile shall that fiftieth year
INT: A jubilee he year

Leviticus 25:12
HEB: כִּ֚י יוֹבֵ֣ל הִ֔וא קֹ֖דֶשׁ
NAS: For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy
KJV: For it [is] the jubile; it shall be holy
INT: is a jubilee it shall be holy

Leviticus 25:13
HEB: בִּשְׁנַ֥ת הַיּוֹבֵ֖ל הַזֹּ֑את תָּשֻׁ֕בוּ
NAS: year of jubilee each
KJV: In the year of this jubile ye shall return
INT: year of jubilee of you shall return

Leviticus 25:15
HEB: שָׁנִים֙ אַחַ֣ר הַיּוֹבֵ֔ל תִּקְנֶ֖ה מֵאֵ֣ת
NAS: after the jubilee, you shall buy
KJV: after the jubile thou shalt buy
INT: of years after the jubilee shall buy your friend

Leviticus 25:28
HEB: עַ֖ד שְׁנַ֣ת הַיּוֹבֵ֑ל וְיָצָא֙ בַּיֹּבֵ֔ל
NAS: the year of jubilee; but at the jubilee
KJV: it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile
INT: until the year of jubilee shall revert the jubilee

Leviticus 25:28
HEB: הַיּוֹבֵ֑ל וְיָצָא֙ בַּיֹּבֵ֔ל וְשָׁ֖ב לַאֲחֻזָּתֽוֹ׃
NAS: of jubilee; but at the jubilee it shall revert,
KJV: of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out,
INT: of jubilee shall revert the jubilee back to his property

Leviticus 25:30
HEB: לֹ֥א יֵצֵ֖א בַּיֹּבֵֽל׃
NAS: it does not revert in the jubilee.
KJV: it shall not go out in the jubile.
INT: does not revert the jubilee

Leviticus 25:31
HEB: תִּהְיֶה־ לּ֔וֹ וּבַיֹּבֵ֖ל יֵצֵֽא׃
NAS: and revert in the jubilee.
KJV: and they shall go out in the jubile.
INT: redemption have the jubilee and revert

Leviticus 25:33
HEB: וְעִ֥יר אֲחֻזָּת֖וֹ בַּיֹּבֵ֑ל כִּ֣י בָתֵּ֞י
NAS: reverts in the jubilee, for the houses
KJV: shall go out in [the year of] jubile: for the houses
INT: the city possession the jubilee for the houses

Leviticus 25:40
HEB: עַד־ שְׁנַ֥ת הַיֹּבֵ֖ל יַעֲבֹ֥ד עִמָּֽךְ׃
NAS: with you until the year of jubilee.
KJV: thee unto the year of jubile:
INT: until the year of jubilee shall serve shall then

Leviticus 25:50
HEB: עַ֖ד שְׁנַ֣ת הַיֹּבֵ֑ל וְהָיָ֞ה כֶּ֤סֶף
NAS: himself to him up to the year of jubilee; and the price
KJV: to him unto the year of jubile: and the price
INT: up to the year of jubilee shall correspond and the price

Leviticus 25:52
HEB: עַד־ שְׁנַ֥ת הַיֹּבֵ֖ל וְחִשַּׁב־ ל֑וֹ
NAS: the year of jubilee, he shall so calculate
KJV: unto the year of jubile, then he shall count
INT: until the year of jubilee calculate proportion

Leviticus 25:54
HEB: וְיָצָא֙ בִּשְׁנַ֣ת הַיֹּבֵ֔ל ה֖וּא וּבָנָ֥יו
NAS: out in the year of jubilee, he and his sons
KJV: in the year of jubile, [both] he, and his children
INT: go the year of jubilee he and his sons

Leviticus 27:17
HEB: אִם־ מִשְּׁנַ֥ת הַיֹּבֵ֖ל יַקְדִּ֣ישׁ שָׂדֵ֑הוּ
NAS: as of the year of jubilee, according to your valuation
KJV: from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation
INT: If of the year of jubilee consecrates his field

Leviticus 27:18
HEB: וְאִם־ אַחַ֣ר הַיֹּבֵל֮ יַקְדִּ֣ישׁ שָׂדֵהוּ֒
NAS: after the jubilee, however, then the priest
KJV: after the jubile, then the priest
INT: If after the jubilee consecrates his field

Leviticus 27:18
HEB: עַ֖ד שְׁנַ֣ת הַיֹּבֵ֑ל וְנִגְרַ֖ע מֵֽעֶרְכֶּֽךָ׃
NAS: the year of jubilee; and it shall be deducted
KJV: even unto the year of the jubile, and it shall be abated
INT: until the year of jubilee shall be deducted your valuation

Leviticus 27:21
HEB: הַשָּׂדֶ֜ה בְּצֵאת֣וֹ בַיֹּבֵ֗ל קֹ֛דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָ֖ה
NAS: and when it reverts in the jubilee, the field
KJV: when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy
INT: the field reverts the jubilee shall be holy to the LORD

Leviticus 27:23
HEB: עַ֖ד שְׁנַ֣ת הַיֹּבֵ֑ל וְנָתַ֤ן אֶת־
NAS: up to the year of jubilee; and he shall on that day
KJV: [even] unto the year of the jubile: and he shall give
INT: up to the year of jubilee give your valuation

Leviticus 27:24
HEB: בִּשְׁנַ֤ת הַיּוֹבֵל֙ יָשׁ֣וּב הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה
NAS: In the year of jubilee the field
KJV: In the year of the jubile the field
INT: the year of jubilee shall return the field

Numbers 36:4
HEB: וְאִם־ יִהְיֶ֣ה הַיֹּבֵל֮ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒
NAS: When the jubilee of the sons
KJV: And when the jubile of the children
INT: When comes the jubilee of the sons of Israel

Joshua 6:4
HEB: שִׁבְעָ֨ה שׁוֹפְר֤וֹת הַיּֽוֹבְלִים֙ לִפְנֵ֣י הָאָר֔וֹן
NAS: trumpets of rams' horns before
KJV: trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh
INT: seven trumpets of rams' before the ark

Joshua 6:5
HEB: בִּמְשֹׁ֣ךְ ׀ בְּקֶ֣רֶן הַיּוֹבֵ֗ל [בְּשָׁמְעֲכֶם כ]
NAS: It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn,
KJV: And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram's horn,
INT: make horn the ram's listen the sound

Joshua 6:6
HEB: שִׁבְעָ֤ה שֽׁוֹפְרוֹת֙ יוֹבְלִ֔ים לִפְנֵ֖י אֲר֥וֹן
NAS: trumpets of rams' horns before
KJV: trumpets of rams' horns before
INT: seven trumpets of rams' before the ark

27 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3104
27 Occurrences


bay·yō·ḇêl — 3 Occ.
hay·yō·ḇə·lîm — 1 Occ.
hay·yō·ḇêl — 15 Occ.
hay·yō·wḇ·lîm — 2 Occ.
ū·ḇay·yō·ḇêl — 1 Occ.
ḇay·yō·ḇêl — 1 Occ.
yō·w·ḇêl — 3 Occ.
yō·wḇ·lîm — 1 Occ.

3103
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