I. Name

The noun עישׁ occurs in the Bible in Job 38.32, vocalized ʿayiš. The term ʿāš, which appears in Job 9.9, is generally considered a variant reading or a less correct form of ʿayiš; it has also been considered a dittography of ʿśh, which immediately precedes it (B. Duhm, Das Buch Hiob erklärt [KHAT; Tübingen 1897] ad loc.). The context of both occurrences in Job clearly shows that ʿayiš is the name of a star or constellation. Its etymological parallels Jewish Aramaic yûtāʾ and Syr. ʿyûtoʾ and ʿiyûtoʾ …