English · KJV
H2976

יָאַשׁ

yâʼash /yaw-ash'/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root
Meaningto desist, i.e. (figuratively) to despond
KJV usage(cause to) despair, one that is desperate, be no hope.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of yâʼash — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word yâʼash, represented by H2976, is a primitive root that means to desist or despond. It is used figuratively to convey a state of despair, hopelessness, or the condition of being desperate. It appears 7 times across 6 unique verses, illustrating a potent state of mind where hope is abandoned.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H2976 captures different facets of hopelessness. In a strategic sense, David H1732 hoped that Saul H7586 would despair of finding him if he fled to the Philistines 1 Samuel 27:1. In contrast, the people of Israel express a defiant hopelessness, declaring, "There is no hope," as a justification for following strangers and their own evil devices (Jeremiah 2:25, Jeremiah 18:12). The term also describes a state of personal anguish, as when Job refers to the speeches of "one that is desperate" Job 6:26. In Ecclesiastes, the Preacher actively chose "to cause my heart to despair" over the fruitlessness of all his labor H5999 Ecclesiastes 2:20.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help frame the context of despair:

  • H5999 ʻâmâl (toil, labour, trouble): This word for wearing effort is the direct cause for the speaker in Ecclesiastes to despair of everything he had worked for under the sun Ecclesiastes 2:20.
  • H8307 sherîyrûwth (imagination, obstinacy): The people's declaration that "There is no hope" is immediately followed by their decision to walk after the imagination of their own evil heart H3820 Jeremiah 18:12.
  • H3021 yâgaʻ (weary, labour): In Isaiah, the people are wearied in their sinful way, yet their false sense of security prevents them from saying, "There is no hope," which keeps them from being grieved H2470 and turning back Isaiah 57:10.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H2976 is significant, often highlighting the human condition in response to sin and toil.

  • A Declaration of Rebellion: The cry of "no hope" is used not as a lament but as a willful statement of intent to disobey. The people in Jeremiah's time embrace despair as a reason to continue loving H157 strangers and walking after their own evil imagination H8307 (Jeremiah 2:25, Jeremiah 18:12).
  • The Fruit of Worldly Toil: Despair is presented as a logical conclusion to a life lived "under the sun." The Preacher's decision to cause his heart H3820 to despair is a result of realizing the vanity of all his labor H5999 Ecclesiastes 2:20.
  • The Anguish of the Afflicted: The word describes the state of a person in deep suffering. Job's use of "one that is desperate" suggests that the words spoken from such a place of pain should be understood differently from reasoned arguments Job 6:26.

Summary

In summary, H2976 yâʼash encapsulates a profound loss of expectation. It can be a calculated outcome sought in an enemy, as with David and Saul, but more often it depicts a deep-seated spiritual condition. Whether arising from personal suffering, the perceived futility of human effort, or a hardened heart set on rebellion, to despair is to abandon hope and desist from seeking a better way.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 6 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • נוֹאָשׁ
  • נוֹאַשׁ
  • יַאֵשׁ

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H1732 דָּוִד rarely (fully); דָּוִיד; from the same as דּוֹד; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse; David. H7586 שָׁאוּל passive participle of שָׁאַל; asked; Shaul, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites; Saul, Shaul. H5999 עָמָל from עָמַל; toil, i.e. wearing effort; hence, worry, wheth. of body or mind; grievance(-vousness), iniquity, labour, mis H8307 שְׁרִירוּת from שָׁרַר in the sense of twisted, i.e. firm; obstinacy; imagination, lust. H3820 לֵב a form of לֵבָב; the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; like H3021 יָגַע a primitive root; properly, to gasp; hence, to be exhausted, to tire, to toil; faint, (make to) labour, (be) weary.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 6 verses across 5 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (2 verses); never once in the other 34.

1
1 Samuel
1
Job
1
Ecclesiastes
1
Isaiah
2
Jeremiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.