jubilee hebrew lexicon

Jubilee in Hebrew comes from the word יובל, usually transliterated yovel or yovel/yobel , and originally referred to a “ram’s horn” or “ram’s horn trumpet.”

Quick Scoop: “Jubilee” in the Hebrew Lexicon

• In Biblical Hebrew , יובל (yōvel / yōḇel) is the technical term behind the “Jubilee” year in Leviticus 25.

• The Jubilee Year is the 50th year after seven cycles of seven years (49 years), marked by: release of certain Hebrew slaves, return of family land, and rest for the land.

• The word’s root sense is tied to the ram’s horn whose blast announces that special year on Yom Kippur.

Core Lexical Meaning

If you opened a solid Hebrew lexicon under יובל, you’d typically see senses like:

1. Ram / ram’s horn – the physical horn used as a trumpet.

2. Ram’s horn trumpet / signal blast – especially in a cultic or ceremonial setting.

3. Jubilee year – the 50th year of emancipation and restoration in Israelite law (land back to original families, slaves freed, debts adjusted).

Over time, this concrete “ram’s horn / trumpet blast” meaning became the name of the entire festival-year it announced, which is why English “jubilee” now means a major anniversary celebration.

Biblical Background Snapshot

• Key passage: Leviticus 25:8–13 describes counting seven “weeks of years” and then sounding the trumpet in the 50th year to proclaim “liberty” throughout the land.

• That year is when:
  • Land that had been sold returns to the original clan.
  • Hebrew debt-slaves go free.
  • Fields are not cultivated; the land rests.

So in a lexicon-style note, you could summarize:

Jubilee (יובל / yōvel) – from “ram’s horn (trumpet),” hence the 50th year in Israel marked by a trumpet blast, release of slaves, return of land, and cessation of cultivation.

Modern and General Usage

• In Jewish and general English use , “jubilee” can mean a big anniversary or milestone celebration (often the 50th, but sometimes other round numbers).

• The association with joyful celebration gives us words like “jubilation.”

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Aspect	Hebrew / Lexical Detail	Notes
Hebrew form	יובל (yōvel / yōḇel)	Consonants: yod–vav–bet–lamed.
Basic sense	Ram’s horn, ram’s horn trumpet	Instrument used for ritual announcements.
Legal- religious sense	Jubilee year, 50th year of liberty	Land and slaves restored; land rests.
English development	Jubilee = major anniversary, celebration	Derived from the biblical concept.

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