### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **yithrâh**, represented by `{{H3502}}`, denotes **excellence, wealth, abundance, or riches**. It is a rare term, appearing only **2 times** in **2 unique verses** in the Bible. In both instances, it refers to accumulated material wealth that is subject to loss.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The use of `{{H3502}}` is confined to prophetic judgments. In [[Isaiah 15:7]], it is translated as **abundance**, describing possessions that "they have gotten" which are being carried away. Similarly, in [[Jeremiah 48:36]], it appears as **riches** that have "perished," a loss which causes the prophet's heart to "sound for Moab like pipes." In both passages, the word signifies material wealth that is ultimately fleeting and swept away in a time of calamity.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the context of `{{H3502}}`:
* `{{H6213}}` **ʻâsâh** (to do or make): This verb, meaning to get or acquire, appears in both verses where `{{H3502}}` is found, describing how the **abundance** [[Isaiah 15:7]] and **riches** [[Jeremiah 48:36]] were obtained.
* `{{H6}}` **ʼâbad** (to perish): This word is used directly with `{{H3502}}` in [[Jeremiah 48:36]], stating that the riches "are **perished**." It underscores the theme of the complete loss of this wealth.
* `{{H6486}}` **pᵉquddâh** (that which...laid up): In [[Isaiah 15:7]], this word is used alongside "abundance," referring to "that which they have **laid up**." This pairing emphasizes the idea of stored or hoarded wealth that is now being confiscated.
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H3502}}` is tied to the impermanence of earthly wealth.
* **The Futility of Acquired Wealth:** Both occurrences of `{{H3502}}` are in the context of judgment where the accumulated riches and abundance are lost. The wealth that was "gotten" `{{H6213}}` ultimately "perished" `{{H6}}` or was carried away.
* **A Source of Sorrow:** The loss of these riches is a cause for deep mourning. In [[Jeremiah 48:36]], the heart makes a mournful sound like pipes specifically "because the riches that he hath gotten are perished."
* **Wealth in the Face of Judgment:** The word appears within prophecies of doom, highlighting that material abundance offers no security against divine judgment.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H3502}}` **yithrâh** provides a very specific and focused meaning of **riches** or **abundance**. Rather than being a term of blessing, its two biblical uses exclusively portray wealth that is transient and subject to being lost or destroyed. Found within prophetic judgments in [[Isaiah 15:7]] and [[Jeremiah 48:36]], it serves as a powerful reminder of the temporary nature of material possessions in the face of divine reckoning.
TRV