Original Word: אִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: iy
Pronunciation: ee
Phonetic Spelling: (ee)
KJV: country, isle, island
NASB: coastlands, islands, coastland
Word Origin: [from H183 (אָוָה - desire)]

1. (properly) a habitable spot (as desirable)
2. dry land, a coast, an island

country, isle, island

From 'avah; properly, a habitable spot (as desirable); dry land, a coast, an island -- country, isle, island.

see HEBREW 'avah

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
coast, region
NASB Translation
coastland (4), coastlands (26), islands (6).

I. אִי noun masculine^{Isaiah 20:5} ( feminine^{Isaiah 23:2}) coast, region₃₃₉ (contracted from אֱוִי so Ol^{§ 152 b}; place whither one betakes oneself for resting, etc., originally from mariner's standpoint) — אִי absolute Isaiah 20:6 +; construct Jeremiah 47:4; (Job 22:30 see below IV. אִי compare Di) plural אִיִּים Psalm 72:10 +; אִיִּן Ezekiel 26:18 (Co איים) אִיֵּי Genesis 10:5 +; — coast, border, region (mostly late), of Philistia & Phenicia with adjacent country Isaiah 20:6; Isaiah 23:2,6; so of Caphtor (= Crete) Jeremiah 47:4; מַלְכֵי הָאִי אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיָּם Jeremiah 25:22; elswhere plural, coasts of Chittim Jeremiah 2:10; Ezekiel 27:6, of Elishah Ezekiel 27:7; different countries (on or in sea) Ezekiel 27:3; Ezekiel 27:15; Ezekiel 27:35; Ezekiel 26:15,18 (twice in verse) (last strike out Co compare ᵐ5) compare Ezekiel 39:6, so also אִיֵּי הַגּוֺיִם Genesis 10:5 (P); particular אִיֵּי הַיָּם = coast-lands & islands Isaiah 11:11; Isaiah 24:15, "" הָאָרֶץ Esther 10:1; see (without הַיָּם) Daniel 11:18, & Psalm 72:10; so often Isa² including inhabitants, Psalm 41:1,5; Psalm 42:4,10 (אִיִּים וְישְׁבֵיהֶם "" הַיָּם וּמְלֹאוֺ) Isaiah 42:12; Isaiah 49:1; Isaiah 51:5; Isaiah 59:18; Isaiah 60:9; Isaiah 66:19; compare Jeremiah 31:10; Psalm 97:1; Zephaniah 2:11 (אִיֵּי הַגּוֺיִם); islands, distinctly (taken up by ׳א as little things) Isaiah 40:15; coasts, banks, i.e. habitable lands Isaiah 42:15 ("" נְהָרוֺת).

I. אִי noun masculine isle, coast, see I. אָוָה.

Semantics and Image

אִי (’î) evokes the picture of islands and distant coastlands—territories bounded by the sea and, to an Israelite audience, situated at the very edge of the known world. The word carries geographical, cultural, and theological freight: it signals remoteness, the mystery of seafaring peoples, and the universal reach of the Lord’s purposes.

Distribution in the Old Testament

Approximately thirty-six occurrences appear across thirteen canonical books. Usage clusters in Isaiah (particularly 40–66), but the term is already present in Genesis 10:5, threads through prophetic oracles (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zephaniah), Psalms, and Job, and resurfaces in historical reflection (Esther 10:1). The concentration in Isaiah underscores the prophet’s panoramic vision—from Zion to the farthest maritime fringe.

Geographical Horizons of Israel’s World

1. Mediterranean Islands (Cyprus, Crete, and beyond)
2. Aegean seafaring regions tied to Javan (Genesis 10:4-5)
3. Arabian and Red Sea coasts (Isaiah 42:10,12)
4. Distant western coasts symbolizing the limits of habitation (Zephaniah 2:11)

Though specific locales shift, the term consistently expands Israel’s mental map, reminding readers that Yahweh’s dominion spans sea and land alike.

Prophetic Significance

• Summons to Listen: “Be silent before Me, you islands, and let the peoples renew their strength” (Isaiah 41:1). The coastlands are commanded to attend the courtroom scene where the Lord proves His uniqueness.
• Recipients of Judgment: “The coastlands see and fear” (Isaiah 41:5); “I will send fire upon Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands” (Ezekiel 39:6).
• Objects of Messianic Hope: “The islands will wait for His law” (Isaiah 42:4); “He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:11).
• Agents of Praise: “From the ends of the earth we hear singing: ‘Glory to the Righteous One’” (Isaiah 24:15-16).

In every strand the islands are never peripheral to God’s plan; they stand either as spectators to His justice or partners in His redemption.

Theological Themes

1. Universal Sovereignty: The term stretches God’s rule beyond Israel’s borders.
2. Missionary Impulse: Prophecies envision proclamation reaching the remotest lands; the very word אִי becomes shorthand for Gentile inclusion.
3. Eschatological Gathering: Restoration promises often move from the nations to Zion and back out again, spotlighting the coastlands as both destination and origin of the redeemed (Isaiah 60:9).
4. Judgment and Mercy in Tandem: The same islands that tremble at divine wrath are invited to hope in the Servant.

New Testament Connections

While Greek νη̂σος (“island”) occurs, the broader idea surfaces when Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14). Paul’s voyages to Cyprus, Crete, and Malta demonstrate the prophetic trajectory: the word of the Lord literally lands on the islands. Revelation’s “every island fled” (Revelation 16:20) recalls Old Testament scenes where coastlands quake before divine majesty.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Global Missions: Isaiah 49:1—“Listen to Me, O islands”—frames evangelism as God’s initiative toward the world’s margins.
• Intercessory Scope: Prayer meetings modeled after Isaiah 24:15 broaden petitions from local concerns to far-flung peoples.
• Cultural Sensitivity: The maritime communities of Scripture remind believers to contextualize the gospel for distinct cultures without diluting its core.

Church History and Missions

Early monastic missions to Iona and Patrick’s evangelization of Ireland mirror Old Testament themes: God reaches literal islands. Modern movements—from Tahiti’s nineteenth-century revivals to recent work in the Maldives—continue the pattern anticipated in Isaiah.

Hymnody and Liturgy

Phrases such as “Isles of the sea, rejoice!” draw directly from אִי texts (compare Isaiah 42:10). Mission festivals often incorporate Isaiah 49:1-6, reaffirming the church’s mandate.

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 339 gathers the Bible’s maritime horizon into a single word. It reminds readers that no corner of creation lies outside God’s hearing, judgment, or saving grace. From Genesis to Isaiah, through Ezekiel and the Psalms, the coastlands stand as witnesses and beneficiaries of the unfolding redemption that culminates in Jesus Christ and propels the church to the ends of the earth—and the islands beyond.

אִ֑י אִ֥י אִֽי׃ אִיִּ֔ים אִיִּ֖ים אִיִּ֣ים אִיִּ֥ים אִיִּים֙ אִיֵּ֤י אִיֵּ֥י אי אי׃ איי איים בְּאִיֵּ֣י בָּאִיִּ֥ים בָאִיִּ֖ים באיי באיים הָֽאִיִּ֔ן הָאִ֔י הָאִ֣י הָאִיִּ֔ים הָאִיִּ֖ים הָאִיִּ֣ים הָאִיִּ֥ים הָאִיִּֽים׃ האי האיים האיים׃ האין וְ֭אִיִּים וְאִיֵּ֥י וּמֵאִיֵּ֖י ואיי ואיים ומאיי לְאִיִּ֖ים לָֽאִיִּ֔ים לָאִיִּ֖ים לאיים מֵאִיֵּ֖י מֵאִיֵּ֥י מאיי ’î ’î·yê ’î·yîm ’îyê ’îyîm bā’îyîm ḇā’îyîm bā·’î·yîm ḇā·’î·yîm baiYim bə’îyê bə·’î·yê beiYei hā’î hā’îyîm hā’îyin hā·’î hā·’î·yîm hā·’î·yin haI haiYim haiYin I iYei iYim lā’îyîm lā·’î·yîm laiYim lə’îyîm lə·’î·yîm leiYim mê’îyê mê·’î·yê meiYei ū·mê·’î·yê ūmê’îyê umeiYei vaiYim veiYei Veiyim wə’îyê wə’îyîm wə·’î·yê wə·’î·yîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts