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Hebrew Word of the Day

יָפָה; יָפֶה

Meaning: Beautiful, pretty; handsome

Translit: ya•fa; ya•fe

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Today’s name is very nice, or actually pretty. Nothing has changed from the biblical times, it is still the same word in modern Hebrew, and it is still beautiful as always.

You may use this name to describe nouns or people. Just take note that not only people, but also nouns in Hebrew are pre-determined to be either masculine or feminine. With today’s word, we describe masculine nouns with ‘yafe,’ and feminine nouns with ‘yafa.’

The word ‘pretty,’ ‘yafe’ and ‘yafa,’ appears many times in the Old Testament, but there’s not even one occurrence in the New Testament, perhaps because the Old Testament is more epic in its nature. The grammatical rule about nouns that we mentioned above is kept throughout the Bible. However, the Biblical narrative is not compelled by the ‘politically correct’ rules that differentiate between pretty for women and handsome for men. In the Bible, ‘pretty’ is a qualitative, independent term by which both females and males are described.

Yafa, pretty, said to Sarai by Abraham:

“And it came to pass, when he came near to enter to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘Behold now, I know that you are a pretty woman to look upon'”

Genesis 12:11

Yafe, pretty, said about David:

“And when the Philistine looked around, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, red haired and good looking”

I Samuel 17:42

Yafe, pretty, said about a noun (mountain):

“Beautiful sight, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the northern side of the city of the great King”

Psalms 48:3

Today’s name is very nice, or actually pretty. Nothing has changed from the biblical times, it is still the same word in modern Hebrew, and it is still beautiful as always.

You may use this name to describe nouns or people. Just take note that not only people, but also nouns in Hebrew are pre-determined to be either masculine or feminine. With today’s word, we describe masculine nouns with ‘yafe,’ and feminine nouns with ‘yafa.’

The word ‘pretty,’ ‘yafe’ and ‘yafa,’ appears many times in the Old Testament, but there’s not even one occurrence in the New Testament, perhaps because the Old Testament is more epic in its nature. The grammatical rule about nouns that we mentioned above is kept throughout the Bible. However, the Biblical narrative is not compelled by the ‘politically correct’ rules that differentiate between pretty for women and handsome for men. In the Bible, ‘pretty’ is a qualitative, independent term by which both females and males are described.

Yafa, pretty, said to Sarai by Abraham:

“And it came to pass, when he came near to enter to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘Behold now, I know that you are a pretty woman to look upon'”

Genesis 12:11

Yafe, pretty, said about David:

“And when the Philistine looked around, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, red haired and good looking”

I Samuel 17:42

Yafe, pretty, said about a noun (mountain):

“Beautiful sight, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the northern side of the city of the great King”

Psalms 48:3