Hebrew word · H3447

יָשַׁט

vaiyooshet

to extend

Hold out, extend, stretch out. In the Hebrew Bible it occurs only in Esther (4:11; 5:2; 8:4), always of the king extending the scepter.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Hiphil) to hold out, extend

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Esther 5:2

Range of meaning

Hold out, extend, stretch out. In the Hebrew Bible it occurs only in Esther (4:11; 5:2; 8:4), always of the king extending the scepter.

Against the English

'Held out' (KJV, WEB) and 'extended' (BSB) are both accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

The verb is common in later Aramaic and rabbinic Hebrew for stretching out the hand. Its appearance here is one of many signs of the late Persian-era Hebrew of Esther.

Where it appears

Esther · 3

  1. Esther 4:11 יֽוֹשִׁיט־ he extends

    “All the royal officials and the people of the king’s provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned—that he be put to death. Only if the king extends the gold scepter may that person live. But I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the past thirty days.”

  2. Esther 5:2 וַיּ֨וֹשֶׁט and he extended

    As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she found favor in his sight. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

    Here: A rare verb found in the Bible only in Esther (4:11; 5:2; 8:4). It belongs to later Hebrew and Aramaic. Its use here echoes 4:11 exactly: the one gesture that spares a trespasser's life.

  3. Esther 8:4 וַיּ֤וֹשֶׁט and he extended

    The king extended the gold scepter toward Esther, and she arose and stood before the king.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.