Bible HebrewTo Be: הָיָה and יִהְיֶה
“Was”, “will be”, “and it came to pass”, “let there be”: the verb הָיָה, five forms at a time.
“Was”: הָיָה
Hebrew uses הָיָה for “was” and “will be”, but hardly ever for “is”: in the present it leaves “is” unsaid. This first form tells what was, a finished fact. Its ending tells who: no ending for “he”, ־ְתָה “-thā” for “she”, ־ִיתָ “-īthā” for “you”, ־ִיתִי “-īthī” for “I” and ־וּ “-ū” for “they”. The letters ה י ה stay, and the י shows up before most endings.
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| הָיָה | hāyā | he was, it was the plain form, with no ending: “he was” or “it was”. It is also the dictionary form, so הָיָה is the word you look up for “to be”. וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם “and the serpent was crafty” (Genesis 3:1) |
| הָיְתָה | hāythā | she was, it was (a feminine word) the ending ־ְתָה “-thā” is “she”, or a word that is feminine in Hebrew, such as אֶרֶץ “earth”: וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ “and the earth was formless and empty” (Genesis 1:2) |
| הָיִיתָ | hāyīthā | you were (said to a man) the ending ־ִיתָ “-īthā” is “you”, said to a man. You can hear אַתָּה “attā” in it |
| הָיִיתִי | hāyīthī | I was the ending ־ִיתִי “-īthī” is “I”. You can hear the “ī” at the end of אֲנִי “I” in it |
| הָיוּ | hāyū | they were the ending ־וּ “-ū” is “they”, men or women: הַנְּפִלִים הָיוּ בָאָרֶץ “the Nephilim were on the earth” (Genesis 6:4) |
וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ “And the earth was formless and empty” (Genesis 1:2)
כִּי־עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם “that you were a slave in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 5:15)
נַעַר הָיִיתִי גַּם־זָקַנְתִּי “I was young, and now I am old” (Psalm 37:25)
“Will be”: יִהְיֶה
The second form looks ahead: “will be”, “shall be”, and in God’s laws “you shall be”. This time a letter in front tells who: י for “he”, ת for “she” or “you”, א for “I”, and ־וּ at the end for more than one. The ה at the end is said “-e”: yihye, tihye, ʾehye.
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| יִהְיֶה | yihye | he will be, it will be, there will be the י in front means “he” or “it”. With nothing else it often means “there will be”: לֹא יִהְיֶה־לְךָ “there shall not be to you”, you shall have no … (Exodus 20:3) |
| תִּהְיֶה | tihye | she will be, or you will be (said to a man) the ת in front is “she”, or “you” said to one man. The words around it tell you which: וְאַתָּה תִּהְיֶה נָגִיד “and you will be ruler” (1 Chronicles 11:2) |
| אֶהְיֶה | ʾehye | I will be the א in front is “I”, like the א of אֲנִי. God says to Moses כִּי־אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12) |
| תִּהְיוּ | tihyū | you will be (said to many) ת in front and ־וּ at the end: “you all will be”. קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ “you shall be holy” (Leviticus 19:2) |
| יִהְיוּ | yihyū | they will be י in front and ־וּ at the end: “they will be”. וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ־לִי לְעָם “and they will be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33) |
אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה “I will be what I will be” (Exodus 3:14)
כִּי־אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12)
קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם “You shall be holy, for I, yəḥawwe your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2)
“And it came to pass”: וַיְהִי
Two forms you have met, now on הָיָה. A story verb starts with וַ and tells what happened next: וַיְהִי “and it was”. The “was” form with וְ looks ahead: וְהָיָה “and it will be”. The little word in front, וַ or וְ, turns past into future. וַיְהִי is one of the most common words in the whole Bible.
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִי | wayhī | and it was, and it came to pass (in a story) the story form you met in Story Verbs: וַ and then the verb. Hundreds of stories begin with it: וַיְהִי בִּימֵי שְׁפֹט הַשֹּׁפְטִים “and it was in the days when the judges judged” (Ruth 1:1). Older English Bibles say “and it came to pass” |
| וַתְּהִי | wattəhī | and she was, and she became (in a story) the story form with ת for “she”. Lot’s wife looked back, וַתְּהִי נְצִיב מֶלַח “and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26) |
| וַיִּהְיוּ | wayyihyū | and they were (in a story) the story form for “they”: וַיִּהְיוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם עֲרוּמִּים “and the two of them were naked” (Genesis 2:25) |
| וְהָיָה | wəhāyā | and it will be, and it shall come to pass וְ on the “was” form looks ahead, as in And You Shall: וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים “and it shall come to pass in the last days” (Isaiah 2:2) |
| וִהְיִיתֶם | wihyīthem | and you shall be (said to many) the same look-ahead form with ־ִיתֶם “you all”: a promise. וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־בְּרִיתִי וִהְיִיתֶם לִי סְגֻלָּה “and you keep my covenant, you shall be my treasure” (Exodus 19:5) |
וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד “And there was evening, and there was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5)
וַיְהִי יְהוָה אֶת־יוֹסֵף “Yəḥawwe was with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2)
וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה “And these words shall be” (Deuteronomy 6:6)
“Let there be” and “be!”: יְהִי
הָיָה gives commands and wishes too, as you saw in Commands and Wishes. יְהִי “let there be” is the word God spoke at creation. הֱיֵה is “be!” to one man and הֱיוּ “be!” to many. לִהְיוֹת is “to be”: לְ “to”, the letters ה י ה, and the ending ־וֹת.
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| יְהִי | yəhī | let there be, may it be a wish or a word of command for “it”: יְהִי אוֹר “let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). Also a blessing: יְהִי שֵׁם יְהוָה מְבֹרָךְ “may the name of yəḥawwe be blessed” (Job 1:21) |
| הֱיֵה | hĕyē | be! (said to a man) the command to one man: הֱיֵה אַתָּה לָעָם מוּל הָאֱלֹהִים “you be for the people before God” (Exodus 18:19) |
| הֱיוּ | hĕyū | be! (said to many) the command to many ends in ־וּ. At Sinai Moses says to the people הֱיוּ נְכֹנִים “be ready” (Exodus 19:15) |
| וֶהְיֵה | wehyē | and be! (said to a man) וְ “and” joined to הֱיֵה. God says to Abram וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה “and be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2) |
| לִהְיוֹת | lihyōth | to be לְ “to” with הָיָה: “to be”, after another verb or to say what for. לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹהִים “to be God to you” (Genesis 17:7) |
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי־אוֹר “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Genesis 1:3)
וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה “and be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2)
יְהִי שֵׁם יְהוָה מְבֹרָךְ “May the name of yəḥawwe be blessed” (Job 1:21)
What הָיָה says: reading it in real verses
You know twenty forms of הָיָה now. Here they are together, then six things they show in real verses.
| In English | Hebrew | In English | Hebrew |
|---|---|---|---|
| he was, it was | הָיָה | he will be, there will be | יִהְיֶה |
| she was | הָיְתָה | she will be, you will be | תִּהְיֶה |
| I was | הָיִיתִי | I will be | אֶהְיֶה |
| and it came to pass | וַיְהִי | and it shall come to pass | וְהָיָה |
| let there be | יְהִי | to be | לִהְיוֹת |
1. No “is”. In the present, Hebrew leaves “is” unsaid: יְהוָה רֹעִי “Yəḥawwe is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). הָיָה is there when the time matters: וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ “The earth was formless and empty” (Genesis 1:2).
2. With לְ it means “become”. הָיָה with לְ “to, for” is to become something. In Genesis 2:7 God breathes into the man, and he becomes a living being: word for word “and the man was for a living soul”. And a psalm says of “the stone the builders rejected”: הָיְתָה לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָּה “it has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). Jesus quotes this verse about himself (Matthew 21:42), and Peter does too (Acts 4:11).
3. וַיְהִי starts a scene. Many stories open with it: וַיְהִי בִּימֵי שְׁפֹט הַשֹּׁפְטִים “In the days when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1). Older English Bibles say “And it came to pass”; newer ones often leave it out. When you see וַיְהִי at the start of a verse, a new scene is beginning.
4. “I will be”, and the Name. At the burning bush God promises Moses כִּי־אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). Moses asks for his name, and God answers אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה “I will be what I will be” (Exodus 3:14). In the next verse he gives his Name, יְהוָה, which we say yəḥawwe (Exodus 3:15). Exodus ties the Name to this verb: he is the God who is, and who will be with his people. Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).
5. “You shall be holy.” Many of God’s commands use הָיָה. קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם “You shall be holy, for I, yəḥawwe your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). Peter gives this same command to the followers of Jesus (1 Peter 1:16). To Abram God says “Walk before me, and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1), with וֶהְיֵה “and be!”. And of the commandments Moses says וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם עַל־לְבָבֶךָ “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6).
6. “I will be their God.” Through Jeremiah God promises a new covenant: “I will put my law (תּוֹרָה) within them, and write it on their hearts”, and then, with two forms of הָיָה, וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ־לִי לְעָם “I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). The letter to the Hebrews quotes this promise of the new covenant in Jesus (Hebrews 8:10). God’s law is not thrown away; it is written on the heart.
Check yourself
Psalm 23:1 says יְהוָה רֹעִי “Yəḥawwe is my shepherd”. Which Hebrew word says “is”?
✓ none: Hebrew leaves “is” unsaid · רֹעִי · יְהוָה · the ending ־ִי
In the present Hebrew leaves “is” unsaid. הָיָה comes in for “was” and “will be”: וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה “and the earth was”.
Psalm 118:22 says the rejected stone הָיְתָה לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָּה. What does הָיְתָה with לְ mean here?
✓ has become: “it has become the cornerstone” · has had · has gone to · has said to
הָיָה with לְ is to become something: הָיְתָה לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָּה, word for word “it has been for the head of a corner”.
Which form means “I will be”, as in God’s answer to Moses (Exodus 3:14)?
✓ אֶהְיֶה · הָיִיתִי · יִהְיֶה · הָיָה
The א in front is “I”, and it looks ahead: אֶהְיֶה “I will be”. הָיִיתִי is “I was”, יִהְיֶה “he will be”, הָיָה “he was”.
Ruth 1:1 begins וַיְהִי בִּימֵי שְׁפֹט הַשֹּׁפְטִים. What does וַיְהִי do at the start of a verse?
✓ it starts a new scene: “and it came to pass” · it asks a question · it gives a command · it means “he lives”
וַיְהִי, the story form of הָיָה, opens many scenes. Older English Bibles say “And it came to pass”.
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