בָּשָׂר
bâsâr · H1320 · Hebrew · 270 occurrences
Meanings
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flesh, meat
The soft substance in the body of humans and animals that consists of muscle tissue and fat
ExamplesGenesis 2:21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.
Genesis 2:23 Then the man said, “At last this is bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called ‘woman,’ Because she was taken out of man.”
Genesis 9:4 “But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
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body
The physical body of humans and animals, not including the mind and the inner person
ExamplesExodus 30:32 ‘It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.
Leviticus 16:4 “He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be wrapped about the waist with the linen sash and the linen turban wound around his forehead (these are holy garments). He shall bathe his body in water and put them on.
Leviticus 19:28 ‘You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.
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relative
A person connected by blood or marriage
ExamplesLeviticus 18:6 ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the LORD.
Leviticus 25:49 or his uncle, or his uncle’s son may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or if he prospers, he may redeem himself.
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flesh > penis
A euphemism for the male genitals as one specific part of the human body
ExamplesEzekiel 23:20 She lusted after their lovers, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose discharge is like the discharge of horses.
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flesh > mortal living creature
Living creature, including both humans and animals; conceived as an object that mainly consists of flesh; regarded as weak and passing
ExamplesGenesis 6:17 “Now behold, I Myself am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.
Genesis 6:19 “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
Genesis 7:16 Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the LORD closed the door behind him.
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heart of flesh, willingness, responsiveness, obedience
Literally: heart of flesh; hence: state of being willing to listen to advice from others, especially from God, in the same way as flesh is yielding and flexible as opposed to stone
ExamplesEzekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
Ezekiel 36:26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
140 occurrences in 34 groups
- הוּhis 43
- יmy 23
- הֶםtheir 13
- ךָyour 10
- עׇרְלָהforeskin 6
- כֶםyour 5
- Other words · 24 groups that occur once or twice (27) 27
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
14 occurrences in 10 groups
- חַיalive, living 5
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
Named alongside itApposition
6 occurrences in 6 groups
- אָחbrother 1
- טְרֵפָהprey 1
- עֹלָהburnt offering 1
- פְּרִיfruit, produce 1
- רָמַשׂto creep 1
- הֶםthem 1
What it doesIt is the subject
43 occurrences in 29 groups
- אָכַלto eat, to devour 4
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 4
- רָאָהto see 3
- שׁוּבto return, to turn back 3
- Other words · 25 groups that occur once or twice (29) 29
What is done to itIt is the object
85 occurrences in 25 groups
- אָכַלto eat, to devour 33
- רָחַץto wash, to bathe 11
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 7
- שָׂרַףto burn 5
- בָּשַׁלto boil, to cook 3
- Other words · 20 groups that occur once or twice (26) 26
Second object ofSecond object
6 occurrences in 2 groups
- אָכַלto eat, to devour 5
- לָבַשׁto put on, to clothe, to wear 1
What it is said to bePredicate
8 occurrences in 7 groups
- בָּשָׂרflesh 2
- חָצִירleek 1
- מִיwho? 1
- מָלֵאfull, filled 1
- נָחוּשׁbronze 1
- שֻׁלְחָןtable 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
15 occurrences in 9 groups
- אֲנַחְנוּwe 3
- אַתָּהyou 3
- Other words · 7 groups that occur once or twice (9) 9
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
65 occurrences in 10 groups
- מִןfrom 40
- בin/on/with 18
- לto/for 17
- עַלon, upon, over, against 15
- כlike/as 6
- אֵלto, toward 3
- Other words · 4 groups that occur once or twice (6) 6
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
33 occurrences in 20 groups
- עוֹרskin 9
- נֶפֶשׁsoul, life 3
- Other words · 18 groups that occur once or twice (21) 21
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.
In the other Testament 4 words
- σάρξ sárx · G4561 · flesh, body, physical body
- Hebrew בָּשָׂר (bâsâr, H1320) and Greek σάρξ (sárx, G4561) are direct translation equivalents denoting flesh/body in both literal physical and extended figurative senses (kinship, humanity, mortal nature), with σάρξ serving as the standard LXX rendering across the full semantic range of the Hebrew term.
- κρέας kréas · G2907 · meat
- Greek κρέας specifically denotes butcher's meat or flesh as food, representing a narrower culinary/dietary register of the broader Hebrew בָּשָׂר semantic range (body, flesh, kin, humankind); the Hebrew term encompasses both the edible meat sense and the wider anatomical/relational meanings, while the Greek term is restricted to the meat-as-food domain.
- σάρκινος sárkinos · G4560 · human, of people, natural
- σάρκινος (sárkinos, G4560) denotes the material quality or composition of flesh (fleshly/made of flesh), whereas בָּשָׂר (bâsâr, H1320) primarily denotes the substance itself (flesh/body); σάρκινος is the Greek adjectival form describing what is flesh-like or flesh-constituted.
- χρώς chrṓs · G5559 · skin, surface of the body
- Greek χρώς specifically denotes the surface aspect of the body (skin), while Hebrew בָּשָׂר has broader semantic range covering flesh, body, kinship relations, and human nature generally; χρώς captures the 'skin' and 'surface body' senses within בָּשָׂר's wider field.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Relatives001001003012
- בָּשָׂר can denote kinship or shared bodily descent, as in the man's declaration that the woman is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh in Genesis 2:23.
- Willing002001002028
- This code is inherited from the shared listing at this Strong's number and does not independently describe the physical-flesh sense attested in these citations.
Word family 5 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H1320. basar בָּשָׂר266 noun masculine flesh (compare Arabic skin, Syriac , Assyrian…
בָּשָׂר266 noun masculine flesh (compare Arabic skin, Syriac , Assyrian bišru, blood-relation, DlAssyrian Stud. i. 143, compare Pr. 170, Sabean תורם בשר flesh of bulls) — Gen 2:21 126t.; construct בְּשַׂר Gen 17:11 40t.; suffix בּשָׂרִי etc. Psa 16:9 96t.; plural בְּשָׂרִים Pro 14:30; — 1 of the body:
a. of animals Gen 41:2-19 Exo 21:28; Exo 22:30; Num 12:12 (E) Num 11:4-33 (JE) Gen 9:4 + (P 30 t.) Deu 12:15 + (D 9 t.) Jdg 6:19-21 1Sa 2:13, 1Sa 2:15; 1Ki 17:6; 1Ki 19:21; Job 31:31; Job 41:15; Psa 50:13; Pro 23:20; Isa 22:13; Isa 44:16, Isa 44:19; Isa 65:4; Isa 66:17; Jer 7:21; Jer 11:15; Eze 4:14 Eze 4:6t. Dan 10:3; Hos 8:13; Mic 3:3; Hag 2:12; Zec 11:9, Zec 11:16.
b. of men Gen 40:19 (E) Gen 2:21; Exo 4:7 (J) Lev 12:3; Lev 13:2 Lev 13:16t. Lev 26:29 (P) Deu 28:53, Deu 28:55; Deu 32:42; Jdg 8:7; 1Sa 17:44; 1Ki 4:34; 1Ki 5:10; 1Ki 5:14; 1Ki 6:30; 1 Kings 9:36; Job 2:5; Job 4:15; Job 6:12; Job 7:5; Job 10:11; Job 13:14; Job 19:20, Job 19:22; Job 21:6; Job 33:21, Job 33:25; Psa 27:2; Psa 38:4; Psa 38:8; Psa 79:2; Psa 102:6; Psa 109:24; Pro 4:22; Pro 5:11; Isa 9:19; Isa 17:4; Isa 49:26; Jer 19:9; Lam 3:4; Eze 32:5; Eze 37:6, Eze 37:8; Eze 39:17-18, Dan 1:15; Zec 14:12. The flesh of the body is contrasted with stone Eze 11:19; Eze 36:26.
2 flesh for the body itself (especially in P): ייסך לא אדם בשׂר על upon the body of man it shall not be poured Exo 30:32 (P); בשׂרו על ילבשׁ בד מכנסי linen drawers shall he put on his body Lev 6:3; Lev 16:4 (P); בשׂרו על שׂק וישׂם 1 Kings 2;:27; בשׂרו את ורחץ and he shall bath his body Lev 14:9; Lev 15:13, Lev 15:16; Lev 16:24, Lev 16:26, Lev 16:28; Lev 17:16; Lev 22:6; Num 19:7-8, (P); בכשׂרכם תתנו לא לנפשׁ שׂרט ye shall not put any cutting for any one in your body Lev 19:28 compare Lev 21:5 (P); בשׂרם כל על תער והעבירו and they shall pass a razor over all their body Num 8:7 (P). Ecclesiastes uses בשׂר only in this sense Ecc 2:3; Ecc 4:5; Ecc 5:5; Ecc 11:10; Ecc 12:12; elsewhere this usage only in poetry; the body antithetical to נפשׁ Job 14:22; Isa 10:18; Psa 63:2; לב Psa 16:9; Psa 84:3; Pro 14:30 (only here emphatic plural = entire body Bö§ 695, Leiblichkeit De); מִבְּשָׂרִי apart from my body, in disembodied state Job 19:26; בשׂרי מפחדך סמר my body trembleth for fear of thee Psa 119:120.
3 make organ of Generation (euphemism): עָרְלַתְכֶם בְּשַׂר Gen 17:11, Gen 17:14, Gen 17:23, Gen 17:24, Gen 17:25 (P); ערוה בשׂר Exo 28:42 (P), but בשׂר Gen 17:14; Lev 15:2-19 (P) Eze 16:26; Eze 23:20; Eze 44:7, Eze 44:9.
4 flesh for kindred, blood-relations: מבשׂרי ובשׂר מעצמי עצם bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh Gen 2:23 (J); אחד לבשׂר והיו and they shall become one flesh Gen 2:24 (J); ובשׂרי עצמי Gen 29:14 (J) Jdg 9:2; 2Sa 5:1; 2Sa 19:13; 2Sa 19:14; 1Ch 11:1; בשׂר with suffix in same sense Gen 37:27 (J) Neh 5:5; Isa 58:7, for which בשׂרו שְׁאֵר near of kin, man or woman Lev 18:6; Lev 25:49 (both H; Lev 25:49 || מִשְׁמָּחָה, compare RSk149).
5 man over against God as frail or erring Gen 6:3 (J) Psa 56:5; Psa 78:39; eyes of flesh Job 10:4; arm of flesh 2Ch 32:8; Jer 17:5; horses are flesh not spirit Isa 31:3
6 the phrase ׃כָּלבָּֿשָׂר
a. all living beings Gen 6:17, Gen 6:19; Gen 7:21; Gen 9:11, Gen 9:15, Gen 9:16, Gen 9:17; Lev 17:14; Num 18:15 (P) Job 34:15; Psa 136:25.
b. animals Gen 7:15-16, Gen 8:17 (P).
c. mankind Gen 6:12, Gen 6:18; Num 16:22; Num 27:16 (P) Deu 5:28; Psa 65:3; Psa 145:21; Isa 40:5-6, Isa 49:26; Isa 66:16, Isa 66:23, Isa 66:24; Jer 12:12; Jer 25:31; Jer 32:27; Jer 45:5; Eze 21:4; Eze 21:9; Eze 21:10; Joe 3:1; Zechariah 2:17; compare אישׁ בשׂר כל Job 12:10.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 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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