H3384 — יָרָה (yarah)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H3384
Original: יָרָה
Transliteration: yarah
Pronunciation: yaw-raw'
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Root: Primitive root — properly "to flow as water (i.e. to rain)"; transitively "to throw/cast (especially an arrow)"; figuratively "to point out, direct, teach"
Occurrences: 75 unique verses (93 tokens) across 21 books
First Occurrence: Gen 31:51 — "Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast (yarah) betwixt me and thee"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach. KJV renderings: archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach(-er, -ing), through.

Alternate form: יָרָא (yara') in 2 Chronicles 26:15.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Hiphil	64	to teach, instruct, direct; to shoot (arrows)
Qal	16	to cast, throw, shoot; to lay (foundations)
Niphal	1	to be shot through (Exo 19:13)

The Hiphil dominates at 79% of all occurrences, carrying the causative sense "to cause to see/point out" — which yields "to teach, instruct, direct." The Qal retains the physical sense of throwing/casting/shooting. This stem distribution demonstrates that the "teaching" sense is the primary biblical usage, not a secondary development.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
teach / taught / teaching / teacher(s)	~45	60%
shoot / shot / archer(s) / shooter(s)	~18	24%
cast	~5	7%
direct / instruct / inform / shew	~5	7%
rain / water	~2	3%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Habakkuk	2	3.6
Micah	2	1.9
Hosea	2	1.0
Job	9	0.8
2 Kings	5	0.7
Proverbs	6	0.7
Exodus	7	0.6
1 Samuel	5	0.6
2 Chronicles	4	0.5
Isaiah	6	0.5
Psalms	11	0.4
Deuteronomy	4	0.4
2 Samuel	2	0.3
Leviticus	2	0.2
Joshua	1	0.2
Judges	1	0.2
Genesis	2	0.1
Numbers	1	0.1
1 Chronicles	1	0.1
1 Kings	1	0.1
Ezekiel	1	0.1

Spread broadly across narrative, wisdom, Torah, and prophetic literature. Job has the highest raw count (9), reflecting the didactic dialogue genre. Psalms (11) shows frequent use in prayer/worship as petitions to God for instruction. The absence from post-exilic books (Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel) is notable — towrah (the noun derived from this root) largely replaces the verb in later literature.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Divine and Authoritative Instruction (Hiphil — "teach, direct")¶

The dominant usage. God, priests, or wisdom figures direct others in the right path. - Exo 4:12 — "Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" - Psa 25:8 — "Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way" - Psa 25:12 — "What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose" - Psa 86:11 — "Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth"

2. Priestly Torah-Instruction¶

The designated priestly function of rendering authoritative rulings and teaching the law. - Lev 10:11 — "And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes" - Deu 33:10 — "They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law" - 2Ki 17:27–28 — "let him teach them the manner of the God of the land... and taught them how they should fear the LORD" - Eze 44:23 — "And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane"

3. Shooting / Archery (Qal and Hiphil)¶

The physical sense of casting or propelling an arrow. - 1Sa 20:20 — "I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark" - 2Sa 11:24 — "And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants" - 2Ch 35:23 — "And the archers shot at king Josiah" - Psa 64:4 — "That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not"

4. Casting / Throwing / Laying (Qal)¶

The basic physical sense of hurling or placing something. - Gen 31:51 — "this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee" - Exo 15:4 — "Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea" - Exo 15:25 — "the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters" - Job 38:6 — "or who laid the corner stone thereof"

5. Wisdom Instruction (Hiphil — proverbial/dialogic)¶

Teaching within the wisdom tradition, from parent to child or sage to learner. - Pro 4:4 — "He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words" - Pro 4:11 — "I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths" - Job 6:24 — "Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred" - Job 36:22 — "Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?"

6. Rain / Watering (Qal/Hiphil — literal "flow as water")¶

The original concrete sense preserved in a few passages. - Hos 6:3 — "he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth" - Hos 10:12 — "it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you" - Pro 11:25 — "he that watereth shall be watered also himself"

7. Prophetic Direction / Pointing Out¶

Directing or indicating (the "pointing the finger" sense). - Gen 46:28 — "he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen" - Exo 15:25 — "the LORD shewed him a tree" (God pointing out/indicating) - Isa 28:26 — "For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (Yehovah)	H3068	22x (29%)	YHWH as subject who teaches, or one taught by YHWH
דֶּרֶךְ (derek)	H1870	12x (16%)	"teach [someone] the way" — yarah + derek formulaic pair
תּוֹרָה (towrah)	H8451	7x (9%)	Teaching-law nexus — the noun derived from this root
חֵץ (chets)	H2671	6x (8%)	Arrow collocate in archery contexts
כֹּהֵן (kohen)	H3548	6x (8%)	Priest as authorized teacher — priestly yarah function
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat)	H4941	6x (8%)	"teach judgments" — instruction content is juridical norms
אֱלֹהִים (elohiym)	H430	8x (11%)	God as ultimate teacher
דָּבָר (dabar)	H1697	7x (9%)	"word" as content of instruction

The derek collocation (16%) reveals the figurative core: yarah = pointing out the right road. The kohen + mishpat + towrah cluster reflects the priestly teaching mandate.

Word Family / Cognates¶

H8451 תּוֹרָה (towrah) — feminine noun: law, instruction, direction (219v). The most important derivative. From the Hiphil infinitive construct of yarah, literally "the pointing/directing."
H4175 מוֹרֶה (moreh) — Hiphil participle used as noun: teacher, "early rain" (also place name). Dual meaning preserves both the teaching and rain senses.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
לָמַד (lamad)	H3925	"teach"	lamad = learn/train by practice (root: "goad"); yarah = direct/point out authoritatively
יָדַע (yada)	H3045	"teach" (Hiphil)	yada = make known, experiential knowledge; yarah = guide along a path
שָׂכַל (sakal)	H7919	"instruct"	sakal = cause to act wisely/prudently; yarah = show the authoritative direction
חָכַם (chakam)	H2449	"teach"	chakam = make wise (skill/competence); yarah = point the right way
יָדָה (yadah)	H3034	"shoot" (one occurrence)	yadah = throw/cast (rare for shooting); yarah = standard term for shooting arrows

Synonyms (from SDBH)¶

H1653 גֶּשֶׁם (geshem) — rain (the "watering" sense)
H4456 מַלְקֹושׁ (malqosh) — latter rain

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
νομοθετέω (nomotheteo) G3549	7	16.42	"to legislate" — highest PMI; reflects authoritative instruction sense
διδάσκω (didasko) G1321	8	11.01	"to teach" — highest count; standard rendering of Hiphil teaching
βέλος (belos) G956	6	11.20	"dart/arrow" — renders the shooting sense
φωτίζω (photizo) G5461	5	10.35	"to illuminate" — renders the "pointing out/showing" sense
συμβιβάζω (symbibazo) G4822	4	11.41	"to instruct, prove" — renders didactic contexts
κατατοξεύω (katatoxeuo) G2700	3	10.43	"to shoot down with arrows" — renders military archery
νόμος (nomos) G3551	8	7.52	"law" — the LXX noun from yarah's derivative towrah
ὁδός (hodos) G3598	12	6.36	"way/road" — translates derek in yarah + derek collocations

The LXX spread mirrors the semantic range: nomotheteo/didasko for teaching, belos/katatoxeuo for shooting, photizo for illumination/revealing. The νομοθετέω correspondence is particularly significant: the LXX translators saw yarah as "to give authoritative direction" — the act that produces nomos/towrah.