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H5906 · Hebrew · Old Testament
עַיִשׁ
Ayish
Noun, masculine
Great Bear (constellation), Arcturus

Definition

The Hebrew word ayish (עַיִשׁ) refers to a constellation, traditionally identified as the Great Bear (Ursa Major) or Arcturus. It appears in Job 9:9 and 38:32, in contexts where God's cosmic sovereignty is displayed through the ordering of the heavens.

Usage & Theological Significance

When God speaks to Job from the whirlwind, He asks: "Canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?" (Job 38:32). These rhetorical questions are theological declarations: the One who named and marshaled the constellations is infinitely beyond human comprehension. The stars become icons of divine sovereignty — the unanswerable argument against human presumption.

Key Bible Verses

Job 9:9
Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
Job 38:32
Canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
Psalm 147:4
He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things.
Amos 5:8
Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion.

Related Words

External Resources

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