Original Word: יֵצֶר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: yetser
Pronunciation: yay'-tser
Phonetic Spelling: (yay'-tser)
KJV: frame, thing framed, imagination, mind, work
NASB: intent, formed, frame, handiwork, mind, what
Word Origin: [from H3335 (יָצַר - formed)]

1. a form
2. (figuratively) conception (i.e. purpose)

frame, thing framed, imagination, mind, work

From yatsar; a form; figuratively, conception (i.e. Purpose) -- frame, thing framed, imagination, mind, work.

see HEBREW yatsar

Word Origin
from yatsar
Definition
a form, framing, purpose
NASB Translation
formed (1), frame (1), handiwork (1), intent (4), intentions* (1), mind (1), what (1).

I. יֵ֫צָר noun masculine^{Isaiah 26:3} form, framing, purpose; — ׳י Genesis 6:5 5t.; יִצְדוֺ Deuteronomy 31:21; Habakkuk 2:18; יִצְרֵנוּ Psalm 103:14; —

1 pottery, formed by the potter Isaiah 29:16.

2 form of a graven image Habakkuk 2:18.

3 form of man as made of the dust Psalm Hab 103:14.

4 of what is framed in the mind (compare יָצַר

1c, 2 b), imagination, device, purpose: יצר מחשׁב(ו)ת לב(בׅ Genesis 6:5 (J), 1 Chronicles 29:18; מחשׁבות ׳י 1 Chronicles 28:9; לב ׳י Genesis 8:21 (J); יֵצֶר alone Deuteronomy 31:21 (J); יֵצֶר סָמוּךְ Isaiah 26:3 a stedfast purpose (or frame of mind). (In Late Hebrew יֵצֶר is common in sense of impulse: יצר הטוב and יצר הרע of good and bad tendency in man.)

Semantic Profile

יֵצֶר spans the idea of “what is formed” and “what is purposed.” It can denote a physical shaping (as a potter molds clay) or the inward bent of the heart and mind that directs conduct. Scripture employs the term in both directions to reveal (1) God’s sovereign role as Former of all things and (2) humanity’s moral inclination, whether toward rebellion or devotion.

Occurrences and Thematic Clusters

1. Moral Inclination to Evil
• Genesis 6:5; 8:21 expose the universal corruption of mankind before and after the flood: “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5).
• Deuteronomy 31:21 anticipates Israel’s future apostasy: “I know the inclination they are forming today.”

Together these texts establish that sin is rooted not merely in outward acts but in the inward יֵצֶר that must be regenerated.

2. Willing Devotion in Covenant Service
• 1 Chronicles 28:9 urges Solomon to serve the LORD “with a whole heart and a willing mind,” presenting יֵצֶר as a faculty that can be surrendered to God.
• 1 Chronicles 29:18 petitions God to “keep this desire and thought in the hearts of Your people forever,” affirming that God can preserve a righteous inclination.

3. Human Frailty and Divine Compassion
• Psalm 103:14 grounds God’s mercy in His intimate knowledge of our frame: “For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.” The term highlights created limitation rather than moral evil, underscoring grace.

4. Perfect Peace for the Steadfast Mind
• Isaiah 26:3 promises, “You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast mind, because he trusts in You.” A rightly oriented יֵצֶר enjoys security that flows from trust in God’s character.

5. The Potter-Clay Motif
• Isaiah 29:16 rebukes those who invert Creator-creature relations: “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘He did not make me’?”
• Habakkuk 2:18 ridicules idolatry by exposing the impotence of humanly formed gods. The irony is stark: fallen man worships what his own יֵצֶר has fashioned instead of the One who formed him.

Doctrinal and Historical Significance

The early chapters of Genesis ground the doctrine of total depravity in יֵצֶר, demonstrating that sin is congenital and pervasive. Yet Chronicles and Isaiah reveal that the same inner faculty can be oriented toward God, indicating the necessity of divine renewal. Post-exilic prophets exploited the potter imagery to comfort Israel with God’s authority over history while warning against self-made religion.

Jewish tradition later coined the phrases יֵצֶר הַטּוֹב (good inclination) and יֵצֶר הָרָע (evil inclination), reflecting the biblical tension. New Testament theology echoes the concept in its teaching on the flesh versus the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17), though יֵצֶר itself is absent in Greek.

Pastoral Application

• Preaching: Expose the heart level of sin (Genesis 6:5) while heralding new-covenant transformation (Jeremiah 31:33).
• Counseling: Encourage believers that God “understands the intent of every thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9) and supplies grace for a steadfast mind (Isaiah 26:3).
• Worship: Guard against idolatry of the work of our own hands (Habakkuk 2:18) by exalting the true Former.

Christological Perspective

The incarnation answers both dimensions of יֵצֶר. In taking on a human frame, the Son embodies perfect obedience at the deepest level of intention, and through His atoning work He promises a Spirit-wrought redirection of every redeemed inclination “to will and to act on behalf of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

וְיֵ֛צֶר ויצר יִצְר֗וֹ יִצְרֵ֑נוּ יֵ֙צֶר֙ יֵ֣צֶר יֵ֥צֶר יֹֽצְר֔וֹ יצר יצרו יצרנו לְיֵ֥צֶר ליצר lə·yê·ṣer ləyêṣer leYetzer veYetzer wə·yê·ṣer wəyêṣer yê·ṣer yêṣer yetzer yiṣ·rê·nū yiṣ·rōw yiṣrênū yiṣrōw yitzRenu yitzRo yō·ṣə·rōw yōṣərōw yotzeRoInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts