Properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell , to remain ; causatively, to settle , to marry
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יָשַׁב (yashav) is a common Hebrew verb for sitting, remaining, dwelling, or inhabiting. The local Hebrew index currently counts about 1,092 H3427 uses across ordinary residence, life in a land, civic sitting, royal enthronement, and selected descriptions of the LORD's dwelling.
Reader summary
Full entry for יָשַׁב (H3427) · Open the biblical lexicon
יָשַׁב (yashav) is a common Hebrew verb for sitting, remaining, dwelling, or inhabiting. The local Hebrew index currently counts about 1,092 H3427 uses across ordinary residence, life in a land, civic sitting, royal enthronement, and selected descriptions of the LORD's dwelling.
The BSB source-word alignment has 1,078 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include lived (45), the people (27), the inhabitants (26), who lived (23), Live (20).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 4:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (148), Genesis (71), Judges (71), Isaiah (68).
This entry includes 6 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
יָשַׁב (yashav) is a common Hebrew verb for sitting, remaining, dwelling, or inhabiting. The local Hebrew index currently counts about 1,092 H3427 uses across ordinary residence, life in a land, civic sitting, royal enthronement, and selected descriptions of the Lord's dwelling. Its theological weight comes from particular passages, not from turning every occurrence into a devotional metaphor.
Psalm 27:4 voices the psalmist's one request: to dwell in the house of the Lord all his days, behold the Lord's beauty, and inquire in his temple. In that immediate setting yashav expresses sustained access to worship and divine presence. It can invite reflection on spiritual desire without implying that ordinary work or public obedience is inferior.
Psalm 2:4 depicts the One seated in heaven laughing at rebellious rulers. The verb contributes to a royal scene of unthreatened divine authority. The claim belongs to the psalm's contrast between earthly conspiracy and the Lord's rule rather than to a general promise that believers will never feel threatened.
Psalm 9:11 summons praise to the Lord who dwells in Zion and calls his deeds to be proclaimed among the peoples. This is an H3427 divine-dwelling use. Exodus 25:8 instead uses the related H7931 verb shakan, so tabernacle language can serve as a canonical neighbor but not as an H3427 occurrence.
Psalm 132:13-14 presents Zion as the Lord's chosen resting place and says, 'here I will dwell.' The text joins divine choice, place, and Davidic worship. It should not be generalized into a claim that God is confined to Jerusalem or that every later dwelling text uses this lexeme.
Psalm 91:1 describes the person who dwells in the shelter of the Most High and abides in the Almighty's shadow. The poetry commends trusting refuge while the psalm's imagery must not be converted into an unconditional guarantee against suffering.
For the preacher, יָשַׁב (yashav) can open themes of residence, authority, worship, shelter, and covenant place when the chosen passage supports them. The application should preserve concrete spatial and civic senses as well as selected relational ones.
יָשַׁב (yashav) appears in the local Hebrew index about 1,092 times. It is a common verb covering sitting, remaining, residence, inhabiting land, royal enthronement, and divine dwelling. Representative uses include ordinary residence (Gen 37:1), the Lord enthroned in heaven (Ps 2:4), the Lord dwelling in Zion (Ps 9:11; 132:14), the psalmist's desire to dwell in the Lord's house (Ps 27:4), and Israel dwelling in the land (Deut 12:10).
Related H7931 shakan language belongs to the wider dwelling theme but remains lexically distinct.
One thing I have asked of the Lord; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple.
The singular desire: to yashav in the house of YHWH all the days of my life. Psalm 27 is a psalm of bold confidence ('the Lord is my light and salvation,' v. 1) grounded in a single desire: the continual yashav before YHWH. Not just visits or worship services but yashav — dwelling, remaining, abiding. The two purposes of the yashav are to see YHWH's beauty (lacha-zot benoam YHWH) and to inquire in his temple (levaqer behekhalo).
The yashav is not passive residence but active contemplation and seeking. This is the psalm behind Mary's 'sitting at the feet of Jesus' (Luke 10:39) — the one thing necessary.
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.
YHWH's sovereign yashav in the heavens: 'he who yashav in the heavens laughs.' While the nations rage and the kings plot against YHWH and his anointed (v. 1-3), YHWH yashav — enthroned, unmoved, sovereign. The divine yashav is the posture of absolute sovereignty: nothing in human rebellion disturbs the enthronement of the one who yashav in the heavens. The laugh of YHWH is not amusement but the sovereign's response to what is ultimately futile. The yosev in the heavens cannot be threatened by the ones below.
Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim His deeds among the nations.
The participial form describes the Lord as dwelling in Zion. The verse immediately turns divine dwelling into a summons to praise and proclamation among the peoples. This is a direct H3427 anchor, unlike Exodus 25:8, which uses H7931 shakan.
“This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired this home.
YHWH's yashav-choice of Zion: 'here I will yashav, for I have desired it.' Psalm 132's covenant between David and YHWH culminates in YHWH's choice of Zion as his dwelling. YHWH has looked at the earth and chosen to yashav in Zion — not because Zion is impressive but because YHWH has desired it (chavav). The divine yashav in Zion is the fulfillment of YHWH's promise to David and the ground of Zion-theology throughout the Psalms and the prophets.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
The participle describes one who dwells in the Most High's shelter and abides in the Almighty's shadow. The opening image frames the psalm's promises of refuge, while the temptation narrative warns against turning those promises into a test of God. The verse supports habitual trust without guaranteeing immunity from every danger.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Hebrew word. To sit stably encompasses judicial authority, habitation, and covenantal establishment of presence and permanence.
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 1,092 lexical occurrence verses.
יָשַׁב is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Portrays the Lord’s sovereign reign above the cherubim. Isaiah 37:8-20
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
יָשַׁב (yashav) can name an ordinary seated position, settled residence, life in a land, royal enthronement, or divine dwelling. Psalm 2:4 portrays the One seated in heaven as unthreatened by rebellious rulers; Psalm 9:11 calls for praise to the Lord who dwells in Zion; Psalm 27:4 voices a desire to dwell in the Lord's house; Psalm 91:1 describes dwelling in the Most High's shelter; and Psalm 132:14 speaks of Zion as the Lord's chosen dwelling.
These passages support preaching presence, sovereignty, shelter, and covenant place while most H3427 occurrences remain concrete rather than contemplative. Exodus 25:8 and Revelation 21:3 use shakan or tabernacle vocabulary, not H3427, so they belong as canonical neighbors rather than lexical fulfillments of this verb.
Ps.27.4
יָשַׁב (yashav) is a common verb for sitting, remaining, dwelling, or inhabiting. שָׁכַן (shakan, H7931) also means dwell and supplies tabernacle-related vocabulary, while גּוּר (gur, H1481) often concerns sojourning. These terms overlap and should not be reduced to a rigid permanent-versus-temporary scheme; stem and context control the sense. Greek meno can provide a relational abiding comparison in some NT settings, and skenoo supplies tabernacle imagery, but neither is an automatic lexical equivalent for every H3427 occurrence.
John 15:4-7 uses Greek meno for abiding in Christ and can be compared canonically with selected H3427 dwelling texts such as Psalm 27:4. John 1:14 and Revelation 21:3 use tabernacle vocabulary related more directly to H7931 shakan and mishkan, yet they share the broader biblical theme of God dwelling with his people. Hebrews repeatedly cites Psalm 110:1's command to sit at God's right hand when describing Christ's royal authority.
These connections should preserve the different Hebrew and Greek verbs rather than treating every sitting or dwelling scene as a direct fulfillment of H3427.
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