Day 26 of 75 · Perception and response

Y-H-B

yahb: give

ויהב

ܘܝܰܗ݈ܒ݂

The feel

Y-H-B is the root of giving, of moving something from one hand to another. In the Gospels bread, money, responsibility, secrets, and authority all change hands. The verb appears 264 times, and often the giver is not named, as in "it is given."

The root family

Form	Pattern	Transliteration	Script	Standard	Qala rendering
Imperative (sg)	Peal	hab	הב ܗܰܒ݂	give!	Give us the bread (Mt 6:11)
Imperative (pl)	Peal	habw	הבו ܗܰܒ݂ܘ	give! (you all)	You give them something to eat (Mt 14:16)
Passive participle	Peal	yihib	יהיב ܝܺܗܺܝܒ݂	is given	to you it is given (Mt 13:11)
Passive imperfect	Ethpeel	netiheb	נתיהב ܢܶܬ݂ܺܝܗܶܒ݂	it will be given	more will be given (Mt 13:12)

Note how the imperative sheds the initial y: hab, not yhab.

In the Gospels the verb appears in the Peal, yhab or hab, to give (Matthew 6:11; 13:11; 14:16), and in its passive, the Ethpeel ʾetiheb, to be given (Matthew 7:7; 13:12); in classical Syriac its future, he will give, is supplied by nettel, from a separate root, N-T-L.

In his voice

Matthew 6:11

Give us the bread we need for today.

hab, "give." The bare imperative, one syllable, with the root's y dropped. It stands at the center of the prayer Yeshua taught, and it is asked daily.

Matthew 14:16

But Yeshua said to them, "They don't need to go. You give them something to eat."

habw, "you give." The same imperative in the plural, now spoken to the students. The verb of the prayer becomes their own task.

Matthew 13:12

For whoever has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but whoever has not, even what he has will be taken from him.

netiheb, "will be given." The Ethpeel passive, with no giver named. The source of the gift goes unsaid, out of reverence.

Practice

Give one thing today (time, food, or attention) without letting anyone know it came from you. Before a meal, say hab lan, give us, slowly and aloud.

Connections

Q-B-L: receive Sh-ʾ-L: ask yahb: give

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