H3318 — יָצָא (yâtsâʼ)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H3318
Original: יָצָא
Transliteration: yâtsâʼ
Pronunciation: yaw-tsaw'
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Occurrences: 1,069 tokens across 990 unique verses in the OT
Books: 37 (every OT book except Song of Songs and Ruth in this dataset)
First Occurrence: Gen 1:12 — "And the earth brought forth (תּוֹצֵא, Hiphil) grass…"
Hapax Legomenon: No (very high-frequency verb — 14th most frequent verb in the HB)

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximate: — after, appear, assuredly, bear out, begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, still, surely, take forth (out), at any time, to (and fro), utter.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Function
Qal	784	Intransitive — "go out, come out, proceed" (the actor exits)
Hiphil	279	Causative — "bring out, lead out, cause to come forth"
Hophal	5	Passive causative — "be brought out, be led out"
Shaphel	1	Marginal / textual anomaly

The verb is overwhelmingly Qal or Hiphil; the Qal/Hiphil contrast carries the core semantic load (exit vs. bringing-out). No Niphal, Piel, Pual, or Hithpael attested.

Participle Forms (Qal)¶

Form	Count
ms Absolute	51
mp Absolute	25
mp Construct	14
fs Absolute	13
ms Construct	12
fp Absolute	5

Hiphil participles add another ~23. The participle functions substantively (“the one who goes out / what goes out / those coming out”) and in relative constructions (הַיֹּצֵא, “that which goes out”).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

The verb is rendered by an extraordinarily wide spread of phrasal English equivalents. Top translations by unique-verse count:

Translation	Verses	%
went out	83	8.4%
forth	36	3.6%
out	36	3.6%
came out	32	3.2%
go out	27	2.7%
went forth	27	2.7%
and went out	23	2.3%
go forth	21	2.1%
came forth	17	1.7%
shall go forth	14	1.4%
that were able to go forth	13	1.3%
come out	12	1.2%
come forth	11	1.1%
brought / brought forth	20	2.0%
proceedeth / shall proceed	10	1.0%

Beyond the above, ~400 additional low-frequency renderings (1–5v each) cover nuances: "depart," "escape," "issue," "spring out," "pluck out," "shoot forth," "utter," "break out," "exact," "begotten," "be risen," "fail." The sheer dispersion reflects a verb whose core meaning (boundary-crossing motion outward) is realized through dozens of English idioms.

Distribution by Book (top by density)¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Zechariah	18	8.5
Judges	50	8.1
Micah	8	7.6
Exodus	88	7.3
Joshua	47	7.1
Habakkuk	4	7.1
Deuteronomy	64	6.7
2 Kings	48	6.7
2 Samuel	38	5.5
Numbers	66	5.1
Jeremiah	68	5.0
Genesis	75	4.9
Ezekiel	63	4.9
Leviticus	38	4.4
Isaiah	39	3.0

Narrative and prophetic books dominate. Exodus is densest in absolute count (the verb is the backbone of the Exodus-from-Egypt motif — "brought out" recurs as a theological signature). Poetry (Psalms, Proverbs) is lower density.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Literal Physical Exit from a Bounded Space¶

Gen 8:16 — "Go forth (צֵא) of the ark, thou, and thy wife"
Gen 8:19 — "went forth out of the ark"
Ex 12:41 — "all the hosts of the LORD went out (יָצְאוּ) from the land of Egypt"
Jos 6:1 — "none went out, and none came in" (besieged Jericho)
Jdg 1:24 — "a man come forth (יוֹצֵא) out of the city"

2. Going Out to Battle / Military Muster¶

Num 1:3 — "all that are able to go forth (יֹצֵא) to war in Israel"
1 Sam 11:7 — "Whosoever cometh not forth (יֹצֵא) after Saul"
1 Sam 17:20 — "the host was going forth (הַיֹּצֵא) to the fight"
2 Chr 25:5 — "three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth (יוֹצֵא) to war"

3. Offspring / Progeny Issuing from the Body (euphemism)¶

Gen 15:4 — "he that shall come forth (יֵצֵא) out of thine own bowels (מֵעֶיךָ) shall be thine heir"
Gen 17:6 — "kings shall come out (יֵצֵאוּ) of thee"
1 Ki 8:19 — "thy son that shall come forth (הַיֹּצֵא) out of thy loins"
2 Chr 6:9 — "thy son which shall come forth (הַיּוֹצֵא) out of thy loins"

4. Words/Speech Proceeding from the Mouth¶

Num 30:2 [H 30:3] — "all that proceedeth (הַיֹּצֵא) out of his mouth"
Num 32:24 — "that which hath proceeded (הַיֹּצֵא) out of your mouth"
Deu 23:23 — "that which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep"
Job 37:2 — "the sound that goeth out (יֵצֵא) of his mouth"

5. YHWH Going Forth (theophanic / judgment motif)¶

Isa 26:21 — "the LORD cometh out (יֹצֵא) of his place to punish"
Mic 1:3 — "the LORD cometh forth (יֹצֵא) out of his place"
Zec 14:3 — "then shall the LORD go forth, and fight"
Ex 11:4 — "About midnight will I go out (יוֹצֵא) into the midst of Egypt"

6. Hiphil: Exodus and Deliverance Formula ("brought out")¶

Ex 20:2 — "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out (הוֹצֵאתִיךָ) of the land of Egypt"
Deu 5:15 — "the LORD thy God brought thee out (וַיֹּצִאֲךָ) thence"
Ps 105:37 — "he brought them forth (וַיּוֹצִיאֵם) also with silver and gold"
This Hiphil usage becomes the signature Exodus formula (~70+ occurrences).

7. Natural/Physical Issuing (water, plants, fire, light)¶

Gen 1:12 — "the earth brought forth (תּוֹצֵא) grass"
Gen 2:10 — "a river went out (יֹצֵא) of Eden"
Num 21:13 — "Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out (הַיֹּצֵא) of the coasts of the Amorites"
Eze 1:13 — "out of the fire went forth (יוֹצֵא) lightning"
Psa 19:5–6 — the sun "goeth forth (יֹצֵא) from the end of the heaven"

8. Property/Possession Reverting or Released (legal usage)¶

Lev 25:28 — "in the jubile it shall go out (יָצָא), and he shall return unto his possession"
Lev 25:30–33, 54 — similar "going out" of sold land/slaves at Jubilee
Ex 21:2–11 — Hebrew slave "shall go out (יֵצֵא) free" in seventh year

Referent Distribution of the Masculine-Singular Qal Participle (הַיּוֹצֵא / יֹצֵא)¶

Surveying all 51 Qal ms absolute + 12 Qal ms construct occurrences (63 total) by referent:

Referent Class	Count	Representative Verses
Human individual (named person exiting a place)	~14	Ex 4:14 (Aaron), Ex 7:15 (Pharaoh), 1 Sam 9:14 (Samuel), 1 Sam 17:20 (David), 2 Sam 16:5 (Shimei), 2 Sam 19:8, Jdg 1:24 (man of Luz), Jer 37:4 (Jeremiah), Eze 33:30
Human collective (military/civic "going out to war or out/in the city")	~20	Num 1:3, 1:20–45 (12×), Num 26:2, Jos 5:4, 1 Ki 15:17, 2 Chr 25:5, Jer 21:9, Jer 38:2, Zec 8:10, Neh 3:25–27
Offspring from the body/loins (euphemism, always human)	4	Gen 15:4, Gen 17:6, 1 Ki 8:19, 2 Chr 6:9
YHWH/divine agent going forth	5	Isa 26:21, Mic 1:3, Zec 2:7 (2×), Dan 10:20
Inanimate/natural (river, border, lightning, sun, field-produce, word-from-mouth)	~15	Gen 2:10, Num 21:13, Num 22:11, Num 30:3, Num 32:24, Deu 14:22, Eze 1:13, Psa 19:6, 2 Chr 15:5, 2 Chr 16:1
Animal subject	0 direct	(See note below)

Note on animals: In the ms Qal participle corpus, no instance has an animal as its grammatical subject. Jer 5:6 uses הַיּוֹצֵא for "every one that goeth out thence" (from the besieged city) — the threat is a lion, but the participle refers to the human who exits. Animal referents for the root do occur (Gen 8:19, Gen 9:10 יֹצְאֵי — masc. plural construct, "those going out of the ark," covering every living creature), but the masculine-singular substantival participle across the HB is distributed almost exclusively over human individuals, human groups, human offspring, deity, and inanimate natural/abstract phenomena.

Formulaic frame "whosoever cometh forth of the doors of X": Jdg 11:31 (Jephthah) is the only OT instance of הַיּוֹצֵא + "doors of my house" to-meet-me. The closest idiomatic neighbors are: - 1 Sam 2:33 — "the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age" (context: family) - Prov 7:15 — harlot: "I came forth (יָצָאתִי) to meet thee" - Phrases of the type "he that goeth out and cometh in" (Num 27:17, Deu 28:6, 1 Ki 3:7, 2 Chr 1:10) invariably describe human leadership/civic life, not livestock movement.

The grammatical pattern יוֹצֵא + לִקְרָאתִי ("coming out to meet me") is itself strongly human — meeting (קָרָא I / לִקְרַאת) is a social act performed by persons, not animals, across its ~100 OT occurrences.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה	H3068	252× (25%)	"the LORD brought/went out…" (Exodus/judgment formula)
אֲשֶׁר	H834	248× (25%)	relative — "that which went forth…"
אָמַר	H559	231× (23%)	speech-frame surrounding departure/command
כֹּל	H3605	194× (20%)	"all who went out / all that came forth"
בֵּן	H1121	164× (17%)	sons going out to war / offspring formula
אֶרֶץ	H776	161× (16%)	"out of the land of…" (esp. Egypt)
בּוֹא	H935	150× (15%)	antonym pair — "go out and come in" idiom
מִצְרַיִם	H4714	130× (13%)	Exodus formula
מֶלֶךְ	H4428	128× (13%)	kings going out to battle
בַּיִת	H1004	123× (12%)	exiting/exiting from a house or dynastic "house"
מִן	H4480	122× (12%)	prepositional — source of exit
יִשְׂרָאֵל	H3478	119× (12%)	Israel going out / being brought out
אִישׁ	H376	116× (12%)	"a man came forth…"
עַם	H5971	112× (11%)	people/troops going out
פָּנִים	H6440	103× (10%)	"went out before…" / "from before"

Word Family / Cognates¶

H4161 מוֹצָא (motsaʼ) — nominal derivative: "going forth, source, spring, issue, utterance"
H4163 מוֹצָאָה (motsaʼah) — feminine: "origin, descent, privy, draught-house"
H6631 צֶאֱצָא (tseʼetsaʼ) — "that which issues," offspring, produce (reduplicated form)
H3329 יָצִיא (yatsiyʼ) — "issue, offspring" (rare)
H8444 תּוֹצָאָה (totsaʼah) — "outgoing, boundary, issue" (esp. in Joshua's territorial lists)

Synonyms¶

H1980 הָלַךְ (halak) — go, walk; broad motion verb overlapping yatsaʼ when the emphasis is simply movement away or onward.
H1540 גָּלָה (galah) — uncover, remove, carry away; overlaps in "bring out / remove from a place" settings, especially displacement or exile.
H8085 שָׁמַע (shama) — hear/heed; surfaced by search_relationships.py as a secondary overlap in proclamation/response contexts where something "goes forth" and is heard.

Antonyms¶

H935 בּוֹא (bo) — come in, enter; the natural mirror verb to yatsaʼ in "go out / come in" pairs throughout narrative and legal Hebrew.

Easily Confused Words (via KJV / LXX overlap)¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
בּוֹא (bôʼ)	H935	"came out," "go forth" occasionally	bôʼ = come/go in/arrive; yâtsâʼ = specifically outward exit. Paired as antonyms
הָלַךְ (hâlak)	H1980	"went out," "go forth"	hâlak = generic walk/go; yâtsâʼ = directional exit from a source
עָלָה (ʻâlâh)	H5927	"brought" overlaps	ʻâlâh = go up/ascend; Hiphil of yâtsâʼ = bring out (horizontal)
נָסַע (nâçaʻ)	H5265	"go forth"	nâçaʻ = pull up stakes / journey; yâtsâʼ = exit through a boundary
יָלַד (yâlad)	H3205	"bring forth" (children)	yâlad = bear, give birth; Hiphil yâtsâʼ = cause to issue forth (broader)
נְפַק (nᵉphaq, Aramaic)	H5312	"came forth," "brought forth"	Aramaic cognate, same semantic field

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
002002001012	Move	Core motion domain: go out, come out, depart, proceed.
002002002003	Birth	Matches offspring and emergence uses where persons or things "come forth."
002004001009008	Speak	Fits the formulas for what "goes out" from the mouth or lips.
002002001008	Flow	Captures natural issuing of water, rivers, fire, or other substances from a source.
002003002012	Free	Covers release formulas where slaves, property, or persons "go out" free.

search_relationships.py returns a wider UBS cloud for H3318 because it is such a high-frequency, polysemous verb. The rows above are the clearest matches to the semantic categories already documented in this study.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ἐξέρχομαι (exerchomai)	G1831	489	4.42	Primary equivalent (~50% of LXX renderings)
ἐξάγω (exagō)	G1806	177	4.39	Causative "lead out" — matches Hiphil
ἐκπορεύομαι (ekporeuomai)	G1607	123	4.34	"Proceed, go out" — similar domain
ἐκφέρω (ekpherō)	G1627	62	4.28	"Bear out, carry forth"
Αἴγυπτος (Aigyptos)	G125	125	2.48	Colocation artifact — "brought out of Egypt" formula
συνάντησις (synantēsis)	G4877	24	3.42	Collocation — "going out to meet"
ἀπάντησις (apantēsis)	G529	17	3.67	Collocation — "to meet"
ἔξω (exō)	G1854	31	2.99	Adverbial rendering
ἔξοδος (exodos)	G1841	22	3.24	Nominal — "exit, departure"

The LXX bridge is dominated by ἐξέρχομαι and its family; the prefix ἐκ- + motion-verb mirrors Hebrew yâtsâʼ's directional semantics almost perfectly.