הבה

Hebrew[edit]

Root
י־ה־ב (y-h-b)

Compare Aramaic יְהַב (“to give”).

הָבָה • (háva) m sg (pa'al construction, feminine singular הָבִי, masculine plural הָבוּ)

Let's: used before first-person plural future-tense verbs to invite someone to join in an action
- Tanach, Genesis 11:14, with translation of the King James Version:
  הבה נבנה לנו עיר
  Go to, let us build us a city
- Exodus 1:10, with translation of the King James Version:
  הָבָה נִּתְחַכְּמָה לוֹ
  Come on, let us deal wisely with them
- c. 1918, Hava nagila:
  הבה נגילה ונשמחה
  Let's rejoice and be happy
Used before first-person singular future-tense verbs to indicate an intent to perform an action soon
give
- Tanach, Genesis 30:1:
  הָבָה לִּי בָנִים
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- Tanach, Genesis 29:21, with translation of the New International Version:
  וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב אֶל־לָבָן הָבָה אֶת־אִשְׁתִּי כִּי מָלְאוּ יָמָי וְאָבֹואָה אֵלֶֽיהָ׃
  Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”
- Judges 1:15:
  הָבָה לִּי בְרָכָה
  Give me a blessing

This is a defective irregular verb found only in the imperative (and for the masculine singular, especially the long imperative). The rare masculine singular short imperative form is הַב.
In the Bible, the stress in the bisyllabic forms varies between ultimate and penultimate. In modern usage, it is nearly always penultimate.