הוא

Aramaic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *šuʔa.

Pronoun

הוּא • (hū) m sg (feminine singular הִיא)

1. he, it
   • Tanach, Daniel 2:22, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     הוּא גָּלֵא עַמִּיקָתָא וּמְסַתְּרָתָא יָדַע מָה בַחֲשׁוֹכָא ונהירא (וּנְהוֹרָא) עִמֵּהּ שְׁרֵא׃

     hū gālē ʿammīqāṯā ūməsattərāṯā yāḏaʿ mā ḇaḥăšōḵā ūnəhōrā ʿimmēh šərē.

     He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.

2. (copulative) (he/it) is
   • Tanach, Daniel 2:47, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     עָנֵה מַלְכָּא לְדָנִיֵּאל וְאָמַר מִן־קְשֹׁט דִּי אֱלָהֲכוֹן הוּא אֱלָהּ אֱלָהִין וּמָרֵא מַלְכִין וְגָלֵה רָזִין דִּי יְכֵלְתָּ לְמִגְלֵא רָזָא דְנָה׃

     ʿānē malkā ləḏāniyyēl wəʾāmar min-qəšōṭ dī ʾĕlāhăḵōn hū ʾĕlāh ʾĕlāhīn ūmārē malḵīn wəḡālē rāzīn dī yəḵḗltā ləmiḡlē rāzā ḏənā.

     The king spoke unto Daniel, and said: ‘Of a truth it is, that your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret.’

   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud. Shabbat, 77a:

     דאמר רבא כל חמרא דלא דרי על חד תלת מיא לאו חמרא הוא

     As Rava says: Any wine that cannot bear [to be diluted] one part [of itself] to three parts water is not wine.

Synonyms

• (he/it): איהו (ʾīhū) (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic)
• (is): ניהו (nīhū) (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic)

Determiner

הוּא • (hū) m sg (feminine singular הִיא)

1. that (distal)
   • Tanach, Daniel 2:32-33, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     הוּא צַלְמָא רֵאשֵׁהּ דִּי־דְהַב טָב חֲדוֹהִי וּדְרָעוֹהִי דִּי כְסַף מְעוֹהִי וְיַרְכָתֵהּ דִּי נְחָשׁ׃ שָׁקוֹהִי דִּי פַרְזֶל רַגְלוֹהִי מנהון (מִנְּהֵן) דִּי פַרְזֶל ומנהון (וּמִנְּהֵן) דִּי חֲסַף׃

     hū ṣalmā rēšēh dī-ḏəhaḇ ṭāḇ ḥăḏṓhī ūḏərāʿṓhī dī ḵəsap̄ məʿṓhī wəyarḵātēh dī nəḥāš. šāqṓhī dī p̄arzel raḡlṓhī minnəhēn dī p̄arzel uminnəhēn dī ḥăsap̄.

     As for that image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay.

Etymology 2

Verb

הֲוָא • (hăwā)

1. to be, to exist

Alternative forms

• הֲוָה (hăwā)

Hebrew

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *šuʔa.

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /huːʔ/
• (Samaritan Hebrew) IPA^(key): /u.u/, [ˈʔuː.uˑ]
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈhuː/, [ˈhuː]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈhu/, [ˈhuː]
• (Persian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hu/
• (Iraqi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hu/
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hu/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hu/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(h)u/

• Audio:

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Pronoun

הוּא • (hu) m sg

1. (personal) he
2. Used as a copula: is.

Usage notes

• The received text of the Bible (the Masoretic Text) has many instances where the normally-masculine spelling הוא is used in a context where a feminine form is expected. The Masoretic tradition says to use the feminine pronunciation /hi/, normally spelled הִיא, in these cases. To indicate this pronunciation, it is written with the vowel diacritics of הִיא: ‎ הִוא. This is one of a few examples of a qere perpetuum in the Masoretic Text.

See also

Hebrew personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		אֲנִי (aní), אנוכי / אָנֹכִי (anokhí)	אֲנַחְנוּ (anákhnu), אָנוּ (ánu)
2nd person	m	אַתָּה (atá)	אַתֶּם (atém)
	f	אַתְּ (at)	אַתֶּן (atén)
3rd person	m	הוּא (hu)	הֵם (hem)
	f	הִיא (hi)	הֵן (hen)

Pronoun

הִוא • (hi) f sg

1. (Biblical Hebrew) Archaic spelling of הִיא.

Etymology 2

From הָוָה (havá, “to be”). Compare Arabic هَوَى (hawā)

Verb

הֱוֵא • (hevé)

1. (rare) Be: used as an imperative.
   • Tanach, Job 37:6, with translation of the King James Version:

     כִּי לַשֶּׁלַג ׀ יֹאמַר הֱוֵא אָרֶץ וְגֶשֶׁם מָטָר וְגֶשֶׁם מִטְרוֹת עֻזּוֹ׃

     ki lashélag yomár hevé áretz v'géshem matár v'géshem mitrót uzó.

     For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.

2. (rare) to fall, hence to befall; to take place; become

Usage notes

• Strong's Concordance treats *הָוָא (havá) together with הָוָה (havá).

Anagrams

• אוה