2985. Yabin
Lexical Summary
Yabin: Jabin

Original Word: יָבִין
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yabiyn
Pronunciation: yah-VEEN
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-bene')
KJV: Jabin
NASB: Jabin, Jabin's
Word Origin: [from H995 (בִּין - understand)]

1. intelligent
2. Jabin, the name of two Canaanitish kings

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Jabin

From biyn; intelligent; Jabin, the name of two Canaanitish kings -- Jabin.

see HEBREW biyn

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from bin
Definition
"one who is intelligent," two Canaanite kings
NASB Translation
Jabin (7), Jabin's (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
יָבִין proper name, masculine (one who is intelligent, discerning) two Canaanite kings of Hazor; —

1 Joshua 11:1.

2 Judges 4:2,7,17,23,24 (twice in verse); Psalm 83:10. (But compare Be Judges 4:2 BuRS 66 f f.)

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Profile

Yabin is the royal name assigned to two Canaanite kings of the northern city–state of Hazor. The first opposes Joshua during the Conquest (Joshua 11:1), while the second dominates Israel in the era of the judges (Judges 4). Their shared title underscores Hazor’s enduring prominence and the repeated challenge it posed to the covenant people.

Hazor’s First Yabin and the Conquest Generation

Joshua 11 records a sweeping coalition led by Yabin that rallies “kings and their armies— a vast multitude, as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (adapted from Joshua 11:4). The Lord directs Joshua to strike decisively at the waters of Merom. Hazor is burned, its military might broken, and its leader put to the sword. The victory establishes Israel’s northern frontier and exhibits the pattern of total devotion to God’s command.

Historical note: Archaeology confirms a massive Late Bronze Age destruction layer at Tel Hazor, aligning with the biblical timeframe. The defeat of this powerful center served as a public testimony to the surrounding nations that “the Lord fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:42).

The Second Yabin and the Era of the Judges

Centuries later Hazor rises again. The book of Judges chronicles a cyclical apostasy in which “the Lord sold them into the hand of Yabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor” (Judges 4:2). This monarch, allied with Sisera and his 900 iron chariots, oppresses Israel for twenty years.

1. Military Supremacy: Iron chariots symbolize technological superiority, yet they cannot nullify divine deliverance (Judges 4:3–7).
2. Instruments of Deliverance: God summons Deborah the prophetess and Barak, and ultimately employs Jael, a Kenite woman, to bring Sisera down (Judges 4:17–22).
3. Lasting Collapse: “On that day God subdued Yabin king of Canaan before the Israelites” (Judges 4:23). Verse 24 confirms a sustained campaign until Hazor is once more eliminated as a threat.

Psalmic Reflection

Psalm 83:9 recalls the events: “Do to them as You did to Midian, as to Sisera and Yabin at the River Kishon.” The psalmist cites the defeat to encourage faith in God’s ongoing protection. Yabin becomes shorthand for oppressive powers toppled by the Lord’s intervention.

Theological Themes

• Divine Sovereignty over Nations: Whether through Joshua’s armies or the unlikely trio of Deborah, Barak, and Jael, the Lord governs history to accomplish His redemptive purposes.
• Covenant Faithfulness and Human Responsibility: Israel’s disobedience invites oppression; repentance and obedience invite deliverance.
• God’s Choice of Instruments: Gender, social standing, or military technology do not limit divine selection. The narratives spotlight a prophetess, a hesitant general, and a tent-dwelling wife.
• The Memory of Salvation: Scripture repeatedly evokes Yabin’s downfall to strengthen later generations facing hostility.

Lessons for Ministry

1. Pray and act: Deborah models intercession coupled with decisive leadership.
2. Encourage hesitant leaders: Barak’s need for Deborah’s presence demonstrates mentoring rather than condemnation.
3. Expect God to work through the marginalized: Jael teaches that hospitality, courage, and decisive action can intersect in surprising ways.
4. Remember past victories: Recounting Yabin’s defeats helps the church trust God when confronted by cultural or spiritual adversaries.

Geographical and Archaeological Note

Hazor sat astride major trade routes north of the Sea of Galilee. Its size—ten times larger than contemporary Jerusalem—made it a strategic prize. Excavations reveal religious and administrative buildings destroyed by intense fire, matching both Joshua’s and Judges’ accounts and reinforcing the historicity of the narratives.

Intertextual Echoes

Later prophetic threats against foreign powers (for example, Jeremiah 49:30) echo the pattern first established in Yabin’s fall: prideful nations laid low when confronting God’s purposes. New Testament writers likewise assure believers of ultimate victory over oppressive forces through Christ (compare Revelation 19:11–16).

Summary

Yabin, though a single lexical entry, encompasses two historical kings whose rise and fall frame pivotal moments in Israel’s national story. Their defeats affirm God’s supremacy, highlight the necessity of covenant fidelity, and inspire confidence that no earthly power can withstand the purposes of the Lord.

Forms and Transliterations
יָבִ֔ין יָבִ֣ין יָבִ֥ין יבין כְ֝יָבִ֗ין כיבין cheyaVin ḵə·yā·ḇîn ḵəyāḇîn yā·ḇîn yāḇîn yaVin
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Joshua 11:1
HEB: וַיְהִ֕י כִּשְׁמֹ֖עַ יָבִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־ חָצ֑וֹר
NAS: Then it came about, when Jabin king
KJV: And it came to pass, when Jabin king
INT: came heard Jabin king of Hazor

Judges 4:2
HEB: יְהוָ֗ה בְּיַד֙ יָבִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־ כְּנַ֔עַן
NAS: them into the hand of Jabin king
KJV: them into the hand of Jabin king
INT: and the LORD the hand of Jabin king of Canaan

Judges 4:7
HEB: שַׂר־ צְבָ֣א יָבִ֔ין וְאֶת־ רִכְבּ֖וֹ
NAS: the commander of Jabin's army,
KJV: the captain of Jabin's army,
INT: the commander army of Jabin's his chariots and his many

Judges 4:17
HEB: שָׁל֗וֹם בֵּ֚ין יָבִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־ חָצ֔וֹר
NAS: between Jabin the king
KJV: for [there was] peace between Jabin the king
INT: for peace between Jabin the king of Hazor

Judges 4:23
HEB: הַה֔וּא אֵ֖ת יָבִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־ כְּנָ֑עַן
NAS: on that day Jabin the king
KJV: on that day Jabin the king
INT: day he Jabin the king of Canaan

Judges 4:24
HEB: וְקָשָׁ֔ה עַ֖ל יָבִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־ כְּנָ֑עַן
NAS: and heavier upon Jabin the king
KJV: and prevailed against Jabin the king
INT: and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan

Judges 4:24
HEB: הִכְרִ֔יתוּ אֵ֖ת יָבִ֥ין מֶֽלֶךְ־ כְּנָֽעַן׃
NAS: they had destroyed Jabin the king
KJV: until they had destroyed Jabin king
INT: they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan

Psalm 83:9
HEB: כְּמִדְיָ֑ן כְּֽסִֽיסְרָ֥א כְ֝יָבִ֗ין בְּנַ֣חַל קִישֽׁוֹן׃
NAS: As with Sisera [and] Jabin at the torrent
KJV: as [to] Sisera, as [to] Jabin, at the brook
INT: Midian Sisera Jabin the torrent of Kishon

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2985
8 Occurrences


ḵə·yā·ḇîn — 1 Occ.
yā·ḇîn — 7 Occ.

2984
Top of Page
Top of Page