3246. yesud
Lexical Summary
yesud: Foundation

Original Word: יְסֻד
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ycud
Pronunciation: yeh-SOOD
Phonetic Spelling: (yes-ood')
KJV: X began
NASB: began
Word Origin: [from H3245 (יָסַד - founded)]

1. a foundation
2. (figuratively) beginning

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
began

From yacad; a foundation (figuratively, i.e. Beginning) -- X began.

see HEBREW yacad

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from yasad
Definition
foundation, beginning
NASB Translation
began (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
יְסֻד noun [masculine] foundation, beginning, Ezra 7:9 יְסֻד הַמַּעֲלָה, but read rather, with ᵐ5, יָסַד (הוּא = Ezra subject), see Ry.

Topical Lexicon
Form and Core Meaning

יְסֻד denotes the foundational moment or point of departure for an undertaking. In Ezra 7:9 the term pictures the secure, decisive setting in which Ezra’s great return to Jerusalem was set in motion.

Canonical Occurrence

Ezra 7:9 – “He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, because the gracious hand of his God was upon him.”

Literary Context in Ezra

Ezra 7 introduces a fresh section in the narrative, shifting from the rebuilding of the Temple (chapters 1–6) to the spiritual rebuilding of the people (chapters 7–10). The single use of יְסֻד punctuates this transition: the exodus-like departure of a priestly scribe whose mission centers on the Torah. The word frames Ezra’s journey as a divinely laid foundation, paralleling the earlier “foundation” of the Second Temple (Ezra 3:10–11). Thus, the physical and spiritual restorations are linked by a common motif of God-initiated foundations.

Historical Significance

1. Timing: The first day of the first month (Nisan) recalls the original Exodus departure (Exodus 12:2; Numbers 33:3). By using יְסֻד, the Chronicler aligns Ezra’s trek with Israel’s foundational redemption event.
2. Imperial Context: Artaxerxes’ decree (Ezra 7:12–26) provided legal authority, yet Scripture underscores that the true “foundation” was the “gracious hand of his God” (7:9). Divine sovereignty eclipses Persian sanction.
3. Community Renewal: Upon arrival, Ezra addresses intermarriage (Ezra 9–10). The narrative argues that lasting reform requires a beginning anchored (יְסֻד) in God’s word rather than in mere civic policy.

Theological Themes

• Divine Initiative: God establishes the starting point; human faithfulness responds.
• Continuity of Redemption: The term bridges the Exodus and the post-exilic return, affirming one cohesive redemptive storyline.
• Word-Centered Ministry: Ezra’s journey begins with study, practice, and teaching of the Law (Ezra 7:10). The foundation of any revival is Scripture.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Planning under Providence: Ministry ventures should be scheduled and executed with conscious dependence on God’s “gracious hand,” recognizing that He alone lays the true foundation.
• Scripture as Launch Point: Like Ezra, pastors and teachers begin effective service when their personal devotion to the Word undergirds every step.
• Covenant Memory: Congregations can mark new seasons (church plants, mission trips, building projects) on dates that recall prior acts of God, reinforcing collective identity.

Intertestamental and New Testament Echoes

Though יְסֻד itself is not reused in the New Testament, its concept resonates:
• Luke frames the ministry of John the Baptist as “preparing the way” (Luke 3:4), a foundational work preceding Messiah.
• Paul insists that “no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11), echoing Ezra’s conviction that authentic beginnings rest on divine provision.
• The author of Hebrews highlights the “foundation of repentance from dead works” (Hebrews 6:1), again coupling beginnings with covenant fidelity.

Summary

יְסֻד in Ezra 7:9 encapsulates the God-ordained outset of Ezra’s mission, rooting Israel’s post-exilic future in a moment deliberately patterned after past salvation history. For contemporary believers, it underscores that every fresh endeavor—personal or corporate—must commence on the secure ground God Himself sets, with Scripture as the blueprint and His gracious hand as the sustaining power.

Forms and Transliterations
יְסֻ֔ד יסד yə·suḏ yeSud yəsuḏ
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ezra 7:9
HEB: הָרִאשׁ֔וֹן ה֣וּא יְסֻ֔ד הַֽמַּעֲלָ֖ה מִבָּבֶ֑ל
NAS: month he began to go
KJV: month began he to go up
INT: of the first he began to go Babylon

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3246
1 Occurrence


yə·suḏ — 1 Occ.

3245
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