בָּעַר
bâʻar · H1197 · Hebrew · 94 occurrences
Meanings
-
to burn
Process by which someone or something is harmed or destroyed by fire
ExamplesExodus 3:2 Then the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed.
Deuteronomy 4:11 “You came forward and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire to the heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud, and thick gloom.
-
to burn
State in which an object such as an oven contains fire
ExamplesHosea 7:4 They are all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker, Who stops stoking the fire From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened.
-
Action by which someone produces fire (to kindle (fire), to light (a fire))
ExamplesExodus 35:3 “You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
Judges 15:5 When he had set fire to the torches, he released the jackals into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to both the bundled heaps and the standing grain, along with the vineyards and olive groves.
2 Chronicles 13:11 “Every morning and evening they burn to the LORD burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we perform our duty to the LORD our God, but you have abandoned Him.
-
to burn > to rage
Literally: to burn; hence: process by which events such as evil and anger happen with intensity and with consequences, as if it were fire
ExamplesEsther 1:12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s order delivered by the eunuchs. So the king became very angry, and his wrath burned within him.
Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, that He not be angry and you perish on the way, For His wrath may be kindled quickly. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
Psalm 79:5 How long, LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
-
to sweep away, to put away, to get rid of, to do away with, to remove, to clear out, to purge, to destroy
Action by which someone makes sure that a certain object is no longer found anywhere at all, as if it were completely consumed by fire
ExamplesDeuteronomy 26:13 “And you shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and have also given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, in accordance with all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not violated or forgotten any of Your commandments.
Deuteronomy 13:5 “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken falsely against the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 17:7 “The hands of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall eliminate the evil from your midst.
-
to graze bare, to devastate
Action by which animals graze a field or vineyard bare, or by which a place or people is laid waste
ExamplesExodus 22:5 “If someone lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another person’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
Isaiah 3:14 The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and leaders of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard; The goods stolen from the poor are in your houses.
Numbers 24:22 “Nevertheless Kain will suffer devastation; How long will Asshur keep you captive?”
-
to be dull, to be stupid, to be coarse, to be brutish
State in which someone lacks intelligence, refinement and culture
ExamplesPsalm 94:8 Pay attention, you stupid ones among the people; And when will you understand, foolish ones?
Isaiah 19:11 The officials of Zoan are mere fools; The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become stupid. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?
Jeremiah 10:8 But they are altogether stupid and foolish; The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
89 occurrences in 29 groups
- Not stated: he, she or it 16
- Not stated: you (one person) 12
- Not stated (infinitive) 8
- Not stated: I 6
- Not stated (participle) 6
- Not stated: they 5
- Other words · 20 groups that occur once or twice (26) 26
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
33 occurrences in 23 groups
- רַעevil, bad 10
- אֵשׁfire 5
- Other words · 21 groups that occur once or twice (23) 23
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
61 occurrences in 46 groups
- מִןfrom+ קֶרֶבmidst, among, inner parts 8
- בin/on/with+ אֵשׁfire 6
- מִןfrom+ יִשְׂרָאֵלIsrael 4
- מִןfrom+ אֶרֶץland, earth, ground 3
- מִןfrom+ וֹhim 3
- בin/on/with+ הֶםthem 3
- Other words · 39 groups that occur once or twice (43) 43
With adverbsAdverbs
5 occurrences in 3 groups
- לֹאnot 4
- יַחַדtogether 1
- מַדּוּעַwhy? 1
What it doesIt is the subject
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- שָׁלַםto repay, to make restitution, to complete 1
What is done to itIt is the object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- רָאָהto see 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
7 occurrences in 2 groups
- לto/for 5
- כlike/as 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- רוּחַspirit, wind 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 7 words
- נָשַׂק nâsaq · H5400 · to build a fire, to kindle a fire, to set on fire
- Both words denote burning and kindling, and their meanings overlap in the sense of setting something on fire.
- לָהַט lâhaṭ · H3857 · to burn, to flame, to kindle
- Both lexemes are genuine burning or kindling verbs, overlapping in their core senses of 'to burn,' 'to kindle,' or 'to set on fire' — two distinct Hebrew words for combustion that could substitute for one another in context.
- צוּת tsûwth · H6702 · to set on fire
- צוּת (tsûwth, H6702) (1 occurrence, gloss "burn") appears to be a genuine burning-verb that could serve as a near-synonym to בָּעַר (bâʻar, H1197)'s burning sense.
- דָּלַק dâlaq · H1814 · to burn, to flame, to be fiery
- Both lexemes denote burning or kindling actions. The target is the broader term (also covering senses of consuming or wasting), while דלק is narrower, more focused on pursuit or inflaming, but the two genuinely overlap in the sense of burning or kindling.
- קָדַח qâdach · H6919 · to kindle, to set ablaze
- Both words are verbs of burning with an overlapping core sense (burn, kindle). בָּעַר (bâʻar, H1197) has a broader range (also foolishness, consumption), but its burning sense overlaps with קָדַח (qâdach, H6919).
- יָקַד yâqad · H3344 · to burn, to keep burning
- בָּעַר (bâʻar, H1197) has the broader usage (94 occurrences, including the metaphorical “be brutish”), while יָקַד (yâqad, H3344) is rarer (9 occurrences) and more restricted to literal burning and furnace contexts; both denote burning.
- יָצַת yâtsath · H3341 · to set fire on, to set on fire, to kindle
- Both words denote burning or kindling actions, with overlapping senses of to burn, to kindle, and to set on fire.
In the other Testament 3 words
- ἐκκαίω ekkaíō · G1572 · to be inflamed with passion, to have a strong lust for, to be inflamed with lust
- Greek ἐκκαίω emphasizes intensive or complete burning (ἐκ- prefix intensifying καίω 'burn'), whereas Hebrew בָּעַר covers a broader semantic range including burning, consuming, and metaphorical senses of brutishness or destruction.
- καίω kaíō · G2545 · to burn, burning, to be on fire
- Greek καίω specifically denotes the process of burning/kindling fire, corresponding to the fire-related semantic subset of Hebrew בָּעַר's broader range that extends to brutishness and consumption; the overlap represents genuine translation equivalence in contexts of combustion and setting ablaze.
- καῦσις kaûsis · G2740 · to burn, burning, to be on fire
- καῦσις (kaûsis, G2740) specifically denotes the act or process of burning as a nominal concept, whereas בָּעַר (bâʻar, H1197) primarily functions as a verb for the action of burning/kindling itself; the Greek term captures the nominalized action-as-event that the Hebrew verb describes.
Semantic domains 5 entries
- Burn002001001009
- בָּעַר most directly describes fire burning, as in Exodus 3:2's account that "the bush was burning with fire" (הַסְּנֶה בֹּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ), naming the combustion itself.
- Happen002002003003
- The verb also describes an ongoing event or process unfolding, as reflected in the durative sense of the burning bush continuing "yet not being consumed," the verb marking the event's persistence rather than a single instant.
- Non-Exist002002002006
- בָּעַר carries a sense of consuming something out of existence, burning it away or utterly removing it, an extension of the fire-sense toward complete destruction or waste.
- End002003003010
- The verb likewise marks bringing something to an end through burning or clearing away, as in its use for grazing a field bare (Exodus 22:5's context) or purging something completely from a place.
- Foolish002001002010
- בָּעַר also carries a figurative sense of being brutish or senseless, describing a person's foolish or animal-like understanding, sharing its root with the adjective בַּעַר (baʻar, H1198) ("brutish, foolish").
Word family 4 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H1197. ba 'ar I. [בָּעַר] verb burn, consume (בְּעַר ᵑ7 burn; seek out, collect, glean;…
'ar I. [בָּעַר] verb burn, consume (בְּעַר ᵑ7 burn; seek out, collect, glean; this apparently earlier meaning) —
Qal Perfect3feminine singular בָּֽעֲרָה Num 11:3 Num 11:2t., וּבָֽעֲרָה consecutive Isa 10:17 Isa 10:3t., בָּֽעֲרוּ Jdg 15:14 Jdg 15:2t. + 2Sa 22:13 (but compare De on Psalm 18), וּבָֽעֲרוּ consecutive Isa 1:31; Imperfect יִבְעַר Exo 3:3; Psa 2:12, etc.; Participle בֹּעֵר Exo 3:2 Exo 3:6t., בֹּעֵרָ֑ה Isa 34:9, בּוֺעֵ֫רָה Hos 7:4, בֹּעֲרָ֫ה Isa 30:33, בֹּעֶ֫רֶת Jer 20:9, בֹּעֲרוֺת Eze 1:13; — burn,
1 (intransitive) specifically begin to burn, be kindled Psa 18:8 followed by מִן (subject גֶּחָלִים) = 2Sa 22:9 (in 2Sa 22:13 textual error compare above), Psa 106:18 (subject אֵשׁ); figurative Psa 2:12 (subject אַמּוֺ) compare Jer 44:6 (subject חֵמָה); Isa 30:33 (with בְּ, subject י ׳נִשְׁמַת), Psa 39:4 (subject אֵשׁ figurative of grief, distress) compare Jer 20:9.
2 be burning, burn, Jdg 15:14 (subject מִּשְׁתִּים, with בָּאֵשׁ), Exo 3:2 (הסנה, with בָּאֵשׁ), Exo 3:3 (subject id.); Deu 4:11; Deu 5:20; Deu 9:15 (all subject הר, with בָּאֵשׁ), compare Isa 34:9 (בערה זֶפֶת), figurative of destruction Isa 1:31 (subject חָסֹן & מֹּעֲלוֺ); of torch לַמִּיד Isa 62:1; of oven תַּנּוּר Hos 7:4, Hos 7:6 (i.e. heated by fire within it).
3 transitive burn, consume (subject להבה אשׁ, etc., followed by בְּ) Num 11:1, Num 11:3(י ׳אשׁ), Job 1:16 (אלהים אשׁ); in smile Ezekiel 1:33 (י אשׁ ׳גחלי), Psa 83:15 (only here transitive with accusative; should תבער be pointed as Pi`el ?); figurative (subject wrath of ׳י) Isa 42:25 compare Lam 2:5 (subject fire = fiery trial) Isa 43:2.
4 active but absolute, figurative, subject wrath of ׳י Jer 4:4; Jer 7:20; Jer 21:12; Psa 89:47 compare Isa 10:17; Psa 79:5; Isa 30:27 (י ׳שֵׁם אַמּוֺ בֹּעֵר ֗֗֗) Malachi 3:19 (בא היום); of human anger Est 1:12; subject wickedness Isa 9:17.
Pi`el Perfect בִּעֵר 1Ki 22:47; 2Ki 23:24, וּבִעֵר consecutive Lev 6:5, בִּעַ֫רְתָּ2Ch 19:3, ערְתָּ֫ וּבִַ Deu 13:6 Deu 13:9t. in Deuteronomy; וּבִעֲרוּ consecutive Eze 39:9 (twice in verse) (9:a strike out Co after Vrss), etc.; Imperfect יְבַעֵר 1Ki 14:10; 1Ki 14:2masculine singular תְּבַעֵר Deu 21:9, יְבַעֲרוּ Eze 39:10; Eze 39:2masculine plural תְּבַעֲרוּ Exo 35:3, וּנְבַעֲרָ֫ה subordinate Jdg 20:13; Participle מְבַעֲרִים Jer 7:18; —
1 kindle, literal with accusative אשׁ Exo 35:3; Jer 7:18 compare Eze 39:9 (see above) Eze 39:10; figurative of ׳י sending destruction Eze 21:4 compare of human schemes Isa 50:11; light, object lamps in temple 2Ch 4:20; compare 2Ch 13:11.
2 burn, literal with accusative עֵצִים Lev 6:5, גָּלָל dung 1Ki 14:10; absolute Isa 44:15; compare Isa 40:16; Neh 10:35.
3 figurative consume, utterly remove, particular of evil and guilt, with accusative, especially in Deuteronomic phrase (מישׂראלׅ מקרבך הרע ובערת Deu 13:6; Deu 17:7, Deu 17:12; Deu 19:13, Deu 19:19; Deu 21:21 compare Deu 21:9; Deu 22:21-22, Deu 22:24; Deu 24:7, see also Jdg 20:13; further, 1Ki 22:47; 2Ki 23:24; 2Ch 19:3; also of devoted (tabooed) things Deu 26:13-14, of persons (exterminate) 2Sa 4:11; followed by אחרי pregnantly 1Ki 14:10; 1Ki 21:21; = devour, devastate, greedily enjoy the fruits of, Isa 3:14; absolute לְבָעֵר היה be for destruction, be destroyed Num 24:22; Isa 5:5; Isa 6:13; compare בָּעֵר רוּחַ Isa 4:4.
Pu`al Participle מְבֹעָ֑רֶת Jer 36:22; — burn (i.e. be supplied with fire), of fire-jar, הָאָח.
Hiph`il Perfect וְהִבְעַרְתִּ֫י Nahum 2:14; Imperfect וַיַּבְעֵר Jdg 15:5; 2Ch 28:3, וַיַּבְעֶרֿ Jdg 15:5; תַּבְעִיר Eze 5:2; Participle מַבְעִיר 1Ki 16:3, מַבְעִר Exo 22:5; —
1 kindle (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb) Exo 22:5, compare Jdg 15:5 ׳ויב בלפידים אשׁ caused fire to burn among the brands.
2 burn up, with accusative Jdg 15:5; 2Ch 28:3 (sacrifice of children בָּאֵשׁ) Eze 5:2 (בָּאוּר but compare Co) Nahum 2:14 (בעשׁן).
3 consume = destroy (compare Pi`el) 1Ki 16:3 (followed by אַחֲרֵי).
II. [בָּעַר] verb denominative be brutish —
Qal Imperfect יִבְעֲרוּ Jer 10:8 (|| יכסלו) be stupid, dull-hearted, unreceptive; compare Participle plural בֹּעֲרִים Psa 94:8 (|| כסילים); of inhuman, cruel, barbarous men Ezekiel 21:36.
Niph`al Perfect נִבְעַר Jer 10:14; Jer 51:17, נִבְעֲרוּ Jer 10:21; Participle נִבְעָרָ֑ה Isa 19:11; — brutish, stupid Isa 19:11 (עצה, || אויל); dull-hearted, ignorant of God Jer 10:14, Jer 10:21; Jer 51:17. **Jer 10:14 = Jer 51:17 rather stupefied (by spectacle Jer 10:13 = Jer 51:16).
Pi`el Perfect וּבִעֵר consecutive Exo 22:4 feed, graze (אחר בשׂדה).
Hiph`il Imperfect יַבְעֶרֿ Exo 22:4 cause to be grazed over, followed by שׂדה.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 5 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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