יָם

Sea

YAM

Meanings

SeaOcean

About “Sea” in Hebrew

Israel's relationship with the sea is central to its geography and history—from the splitting of Yam Suf (the Red/Reed Sea) to the Mediterranean coast that defines modern Tel Aviv. The Dead Sea (Yam HaMelach—Sea of Salt) is the lowest point on Earth and a famous tourist destination. In Hebrew, 'west' is literally 'yam-ward,' since the Mediterranean lies to the west of Israel.

Example

הָלַכְנוּ לַיָּם הַתִּיכוֹן.
We went to the Mediterranean Sea.

Gematria of “Sea” (ים)

In Hebrew numerology (gematria), each letter has a numerical value. The word ים (YAM) has a gematria value of 610.

10י+
600ם
 =
total610

Sea” in the Bible

Verses from the Torah and Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) mentioning “sea”.

Amos 5:8עמוס 5:8

עשה כימה וכסיל והפך לבקר צלמות ויום לילה החשיך הקורא למי הים וישפכם על פני הארץ יהוה שמו

Who made the Pleiades and Orion, Who turns deep darkness into dawn And darkens day into night, Who summons the waters of the sea And pours them out upon the earth— Whose name is GOD !

Amos 8:12עמוס 8:12

ונעו מים עד ים ומצפון ועד מזרח ישוטטו לבקש את דבר יהוה ולא ימצאו

People shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east to seek the word of GOD, but they shall not find it.

Amos 9:3עמוס 9:3

ואם יחבאו בראש הכרמל משם אחפש ולקחתים ואם יסתרו מנגד עיני בקרקע הים משם אצוה את הנחש ונשכם

If they hide on the top of Carmel, There I will search them out and seize them; And if they conceal themselves from My sight At the bottom of the sea, There I will command The serpent to bite them.

English translation: THE JPS TANAKH, Revised Edition (2023) © Jewish Publication Society, via Sefaria. CC BY-NC 4.0

This word starts with the Hebrew letter yod.

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