ירה

Hebrew

Root
י־ר־ה (y-r-h)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic, and possibly Proto-Afroasiatic. Cognate with Akkadian 𒉿𒊒 (warû, “to show the way, to direct”), Amharic ወረወረ (wäräwärä, “to throw”) and Arabic روى (rawā, “to relate from memory, cause to memorize, to refer to a source”). Compare with Tigrinya ወረ (wärä, “news”), related to Somali war (“news”), from Proto-Cushitic *war (“report, news”). Akkadian 𒁀𒊒 (barû, “to oversee, to convey, to fortune tell”) and 𒉿𒊒 (warû) could have both evolved from an earlier root shared by ירה, encompassing the meanings “to relate, to oversee, to teach” and so on. Compare Somali bar (“to teach”).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

(Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jaˈʁa/
(Tiberian Hebrew) IPA(key): [jɔːˈʀ̟ɔː]
Audio: (file)

Verb

יָרָה • (yará) (pa'al construction, infinitive לִירוֹת, future יִירֶה, passive counterpart נוֹרָה)

To flow as water (that is, to rain).
To lay or throw; especially, to shoot, as an arrow or gun.
(obsolete) To establish.
- Tanach, Genesis 31:51, with translation of the New International Version:
  וַיֹּאמֶר לָבָן לְיַעֲקֹב; הִנֵּה הַגַּל הַזֶּה, וְהִנֵּה הַמַּצֵּבָה אֲשֶׁר יָרִיתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ.
  vayyomér laván ləya'qóv; hinnḗ haggál hazzé, vəhinnḗ hammattzevá ashér yaríti bēní uvēnécha.
  Laban also said to Jacob; Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me.

Conjugation

Conjugation of יָרָה (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

finite forms		singular		plural
non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לִירוֹת action noun: יְרִיָּה passive participle: יָרוּי
finite forms		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	יָרִיתִי		יָרִינוּ
	second	יָרִיתָ	יָרִית	יְרִיתֶם¹	יְרִיתֶן¹
	third	יָרָה	יָרְתָה	יָרוּ
present		יוֹרֶה	יוֹרָה	יוֹרִים	יוֹרוֹת
future	first	אִירֶה		נִירֶה
	second	תִּירֶה	תִּירִי	תִּירוּ	תִּירֶינָה²
	third	יִירֶה	תִּירֶה	יִירוּ	תִּירֶינָה²
imperative		יְרֵה	יְרִי	יְרוּ	יְרֶינָה²
notes		Pronounced יָרִיתֶם and יָרִיתֶן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

References

H3384 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
Widder, Wendy L. (2014) “To Teach” in Ancient Israel. A Cognitive Linguistic Study of a Biblical Hebrew Lexical Set (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft; 456), Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 32 seqq.