יָשׁוּב
Jashub, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Yashub (יָשׁוּב) is a proper name meaning 'he will return' or 'he will restore,' derived from the Hebrew verb 'shuv' (to return). In the Old Testament, it refers to two distinct individuals. First, it identifies a son of Issachar, the head of the Jashubite clan, as recorded in the census of Numbers 26:24 and the genealogy of 1 Chronicles 7:1. Second, it names a man among those who had married foreign wives during the post-exilic period, as listed in Ezra 10:29. In both genealogical contexts, the name carries the inherent meaning of its root, signifying a hope or declaration of restoration.
Biblical Usage
The name Yashub appears exclusively in genealogical lists within three Old Testament books. It is used to identify lineage and clan affiliation in the tribal census of Numbers 26:24 and the chronicler's record in 1 Chronicles 7:1. Its final occurrence is in the list of those who pledged to dissolve marriages with foreign women to maintain covenant purity in Ezra 10:29. The usage is consistently as a personal identifier within historical and genealogical contexts.
Etymology
The name Yashub comes from the Hebrew root שׁוּב (shuv, H7725), meaning 'to turn back, return, or restore.' It is a Qal imperfect third-person masculine singular form of the verb, literally translating as 'he will return.' It is a theophoric name, implicitly expressing a hope or statement about God's action—that He will bring back or restore His people. A variant form, יָשִׁיב (yashiv), carries a similar meaning of 'he will cause to return.'
Semantic Range
While primarily a personal name, Yashub's etymology connects it to the profound biblical theme of repentance (teshuvah) and divine restoration. The root 'shuv' is central to God's call for His people to return to Him (e.g., Isaiah 55:7, Joel 2:12-13) and His promises to restore them from exile. In a post-exilic context like Ezra 10:29, bearing such a name while taking action to 'return' to covenant faithfulness adds a layer of symbolic resonance, highlighting the ongoing call to spiritual restoration.
In ancient Israelite culture, names were often descriptive or declarative, conveying hopes, circumstances, or attributes. Yashub, meaning 'he will return,' likely reflected parental hope—perhaps for a child's future, for the family's prosperity, or, more broadly, for God's restorative action on behalf of the nation. Its use in post-exilic Ezra suggests the name retained its meaningful connection to the community's experience of physical return from Babylon and their ongoing spiritual return to God's law.
שׁוּב (shuv, H7725) — the root verb meaning 'to return,' from which Yashub is derived. תְּשׁוּבָה (teshuvah, H8666) — the noun form meaning 'a return' or 'answer,' often translated as 'repentance.'
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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