Lexical Summary
ba'ar: To burn, consume, remove, destroy
Original Word:בָּעַר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:ba`ar
Pronunciation:bah-AR
Phonetic Spelling:(baw-ar')
KJV: be brutish, bring (put, take) away, burn, (cause to) eat (up), feed, heat, kindle, set (on fire), waste
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to kindle
2. to consume (by fire or by eating)
3. (also, as denominative from H1198) to be(-come) brutish
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be brutish, bring put, take away, burn, cause to eat up, feed, heat, kindle,
A primitive root; to kindle, i.e. Consume (by fire or by eating); also (as denominative fromba'ar) to be(-come) brutish -- be brutish, bring (put, take) away, burn, (cause to) eat (up), feed, heat, kindle, set ((on fire)), waste.
see HEBREWba'ar
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] (
burn;
seek out, collect, glean; this apparently earlier meaning) —
Perfect3feminine singularNumbers 11:3 2t., consecutiveIsaiah 10:17 3t.,Judges 15:14 2t. +2 Samuel 22:13 (but compare De onPsalm 18), consecutiveIsaiah 1:31;ImperfectExodus 3:3;Psalm 2:12, etc.;ParticipleExodus 3:2 6t.,Isaiah 34:9,Hosea 7:4,Isaiah 30:33,Jeremiah 20:9,Ezekiel 1:13; —burn,
(intransitive) specificallybegin to burn, be kindledPsalm 18:8 followed by (subject ) =2 Samuel 22:9 (in2 Samuel 22:13 textual error compare above),Psalm 106:18 (subject ); figurativePsalm 2:12 (subject ) compareJeremiah 44:6 (subject );Isaiah 30:33 (with , subject ),Psalm 39:4 (subject figurative of grief, distress) compareJeremiah 20:9.
be burning, burn,Judges 15:14 (subject , with ),Exodus 3:2 (, with ),Exodus 3:3 (subjectid.);Deuteronomy 4:11;Deuteronomy 5:20;Deuteronomy 9:15 (all subject , with ), compareIsaiah 34:9 (), figurative of destructionIsaiah 1:31 (subject & ); of torchIsaiah 62:1; of ovenHosea 7:4,6 (i.e. heated by fire within it).
transitiveburn, consume (subject , etc., followed by )Numbers 11:1,3(),Job 1:16 (); in smileEzekiel 1:33 (),Psalm 83:15 (only here transitive with accusative; should be pointed as Pi`el ?); figurative (subject wrath of )Isaiah 42:25 compareLamentations 2:5 (subject fire = fiery trial)Isaiah 43:2.
active but absolute, figurative, subject wrath ofJeremiah 4:4;Jeremiah 7:20;Jeremiah 21:12;Psalm 89:47 compareIsaiah 10:17;Psalm 79:5;Isaiah 30:27 ( )Malachi 3:19 (); of human angerEsther 1:12; subject wickednessIsaiah 9:17.
Perfect1 Kings 22:47;2 Kings 23:24, consecutiveLeviticus 6:5, 2Chronicles 19:3,Deuteronomy 13:6 9t. in Deuteronomy; consecutiveEzekiel 39:9 (twice in verse) (9:a strike out Co after Vrss), etc.;Imperfect1 Kings 14:10; 2masculine singularDeuteronomy 21:9,Ezekiel 39:10; 2masculine pluralExodus 35:3, subordinateJudges 20:13;ParticipleJeremiah 7:18; —
kindle, literal with accusativeExodus 35:3;Jeremiah 7:18 compareEzekiel 39:9 (see above)Ezekiel 39:10; figurative of sending destructionEzekiel 21:4 compare of human schemesIsaiah 50:11;light, object lamps in temple 2 Chronicles 4:20; compare 2 Chronicles 13:11.
burn, literal with accusativeLeviticus 6:5,dung1 Kings 14:10; absoluteIsaiah 44:15; compareIsaiah 40:16;Nehemiah 10:35.
figurativeconsume, utterly remove, particular of evil and guilt, with accusative, especially in Deuteronomic phraseDeuteronomy 13:6;Deuteronomy 17:7,12;Deuteronomy 19:13,19;Deuteronomy 21:21 compareDeuteronomy 21:9;Deuteronomy 22:21,22,24;Deuteronomy 24:7, see alsoJudges 20:13; further,1 Kings 22:47;2 Kings 23:24; 2Chronicles 19:3; also of devoted (tabooed) thingsDeuteronomy 26:13,14; of persons (exterminate)2 Samuel 4:11; followed by pregnantly1 Kings 14:10;1 Kings 21:21; = devour, devastate, greedily enjoy the fruits of,Isaiah 3:14; absolutebe for destruction, be destroyedNumbers 24:22;Isaiah 5:5;Isaiah 6:13; compareIsaiah 4:4.
ParticipleJeremiah 36:22; —burn (i.e. be supplied with fire), of fire-jar, .
PerfectNahum 2:14;ImperfectJudges 15:5; 2Chronicles 28:3,Judges 15:5;Ezekiel 5:2;Participle1 Kings 16:3,Exodus 22:5; —
kindle (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb)Exodus 22:5, compareJudges 15:5caused fire to burn among the brands.
burn up, with accusativeJudges 15:5; 2Chronicles 28:3 (sacrifice of children )Ezekiel 5:2 ( but compare Co)Nahum 2:14 ().
consume =destroy (compare Pi`el)1 Kings 16:3 (followed by ).
II. [] —
ImperfectJeremiah 10:8 ("" )be stupid, dull-hearted, unreceptive; compare Participle pluralPsalm 94:8 ("" ); ofinhuman, cruel, barbarous menEzekiel 21:36.
PerfectJeremiah 10:14;Jeremiah 51:17,Jeremiah 10:21;ParticipleIsaiah 19:11; —brutish, stupidIsaiah 19:11 (, "" );dull-hearted, ignorant of GodJeremiah 10:14,21;Jeremiah 51:17. Jer 10:14 =Jeremiah 51:17 ratherstupefied (by spectacleJeremiah 10:13 =Jeremiah 51:16).
Perfect consecutiveExodus 22:4feed, graze ().
ImperfectExodus 22:4cause to be grazed over, followed by .
Topical Lexicon
Overviewבָּעַר (baʿar) describes the act of causing something to burn until it is consumed, whether literally or figuratively. Across roughly ninety-five Old Testament occurrences, the verb frames domestic life, sacrificial worship, covenantal obedience, royal reform, prophetic warning, and eschatological hope.
Literal Combustion in Ordinary Life
Baʿar often appears in everyday contexts: shepherds warming themselves, cooks preparing meals, farmers clearing fields. “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the whole field is consumed, the one who started the fire must make restitution” (Exodus 22:6). The verb carries the idea of total consumption, highlighting both the usefulness and the danger of fire in agrarian Israel.
The Sabbath Restriction
Exodus 35:3 commands, “You must not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” Baʿar therefore becomes a litmus test of covenant loyalty. Even a necessary, beneficial act like kindling domestic fire must yield to the sanctity of the seventh day. Later rabbinic debates on Sabbath boundaries trace to this single verb.
Sacrificial and Cultic Burning
Although the word for altar-burning is usually שָׂרַף, baʿar surfaces when the text stresses the initial kindling rather than the ongoing combustion.Leviticus 6:12-13 notes that the priest “shall burn wood on it every morning,” ensuring the fire never goes out. The verb thereby underlines human responsibility to sustain God-given fire, a pattern echoed when Solomon “burned incense on the high place” prior to the temple’s completion (1 Kings 3:3).
Cleansing Idolatry
When the covenant community repents, baʿar is the verb of purgation. Moses orders Israel to “burn their Asherah poles with fire” (Deuteronomy 7:5). Josiah fulfills the Deuteronomic vision, dismantling and burning idols, bones, and altars (2 Kings 23:4-20). Fire here is not mere destruction but purification, a visible declaration that no rival deity will stand.
Military and Judicial Judgment
Baʿar depicts the ruin that follows warfare or legal penalty. Samson “set the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up the shocks… and the olive groves” (Judges 15:5). Cities placed under the herem ban were “burned with fire” (Deuteronomy 13:16). The verb embodies covenant curses: what rebels kindle becomes the instrument of their own undoing.
Prophetic Imagery of Divine Wrath
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, and Zechariah employ baʿar to portray God’s righteous anger. “My anger is kindled like fire; it burns to the depths of Sheol” (Deuteronomy 32:22). The consuming blaze is never capricious; it is measured retribution against covenant breach, teaching successive generations the cost of idolatry and injustice.
Hope through Purging Fire
Yet the prophets also envision a remnant refined rather than annihilated.Zechariah 13:9, using the cognate noun, promises, “I will bring this third into the fire and refine them as silver is refined.” The destructive power of baʿar thus anticipates restoration: what is worthless is burned away so that holiness might flourish.
Christological and Redemptive Trajectory
The non-consuming flame ofExodus 3:2, where “the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed,” foreshadows the incarnation—full deity dwelling in fragile humanity without destroying it. The abiding fire on the altar (Leviticus 6) prefigures the final, once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose zeal “burned” (John 2:17 quotingPsalm 69:9) for the Father’s house. Pentecost’s tongues of fire complete the trajectory: the Spirit kindles but does not destroy, empowering witness rather than exacting wrath.
Pastoral and Ministerial Applications
1. Discipline of Desire: Just as unauthorized fire brought death to Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2), unregulated passions devastate God’s people.
2. Holiness through Removal: Churches must “burn” modern idols—habits, ideologies, technologies—that rival Christ’s lordship (compare2 Kings 23).
3. Sabbath Rest: Resisting the perpetual “kindling” of productivity honors God’s rhythm and teaches dependence (Exodus 35:3).
4. Evangelistic Fervor: Jeremiah’s word was a “fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9). The same spiritual combustion should energize gospel proclamation.
Summary
Baʿar binds together consumption and consecration, wrath and worship. Whether illuminating a shepherd’s camp, purging apostasy, or symbolizing the Spirit’s incoming power, the verb testifies that God is “a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24;Hebrews 12:29). Fire kindled by human hands must serve covenant purposes, or it becomes an agent of judgment. In Scripture’s unfolding story, every spark ultimately points to the holy love that both refines and indwells the redeemed people of God.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּֽעַרְתִּ֑יהָ בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֔ם בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֣ם בִּעֵ֖ר בִּעַ֧רְתִּי בִעַ֤רְתִּי בִעַ֤רְתָּ בָּֽעַר׃ בָּעֲר֖וּ בָּעֲר֣וּ בָּעֲר֥וּ בָּעֲרָ֥ה בָּעֵ֑ר בָּעֵֽר׃ בָעֲרָ֤ה בָעֲרָ֥ה בֹּֽעֲרִ֔ים בֹּֽעֲרוֹת֙ בֹּעֲרִ֣ים בֹּעֲרָ֖ה בֹּעֵ֖ר בֹּעֵ֖רָה בֹּעֵ֣ר בֹּעֵ֤ר בֹּעֵרָֽה׃ בֹּעֶ֔רֶת בֹעֵ֖ר בער בער׃ בערה בערה׃ בערו בערות בערים בערת בערתי בערתיה בערתם הַמַּבְעִ֖ר המבער וְהִבְעַרְתִּ֤י וַיִּבְעַ֤ר וַיַּבְעֵ֛ר וַיַּבְעֵ֤ר וַיַּבְעֶר־ וַתִּבְעַ֥ר וַתִּבְעַר֙ וַתִּבְעַר־ וּבִֽעַרְתִּי֙ וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֧ וּבִעֲר֡וּ וּבִעֲר֥וּ וּבִעֵ֖ר וּבִעֵ֨ר וּבִעַרְתִּ֖י וּבִעַרְתִּ֥י וּבָעֲר֧וּ וּבָעֲרָ֖ה וּבָעֲרָ֗ה וּבָעֲרָה֙ וּנְבַעֲרָ֥ה ובער ובערה ובערו ובערת ובערתי והבערתי ויבער ויבער־ ונבערה ותבער ותבער־ יְבַֽעֲרוּ־ יְבַעֵ֥ר יִבְעֲר֣וּ יִבְעַ֣ר יִבְעַ֥ר יִבְעָֽר׃ יַבְעֶר־ יבער יבער־ יבער׃ יבערו יבערו־ לְבַעֲרָ֧ם לְבַעֵ֗ר לְבָ֣עֵֽר לְבָעֵ֑ר לְבָעֵ֔ר לְבָעֵר֙ לבער לבערם מְבַעֲרִ֣ים מְבֹעָֽרֶת׃ מַבְעִ֛יר מבעיר מבערים מבערת׃ נִבְעֲרוּ֙ נִבְעַ֤ר נִבְעָרָ֑ה נבער נבערה נבערו תְּבַעֵ֛ר תְבַעֲר֣וּ תִּבְעַ֖ר תִּבְעַ֥ר תִּבְעַר־ תִבְעַר־ תַּבְעִיר֙ תבעיר תבער תבער־ תבערו bā‘ar bā‘ărāh ḇā‘ărāh bā‘ărū bā‘êr bā·‘ă·rāh ḇā·‘ă·rāh bā·‘ă·rū bā·‘ar bā·‘êr Baar baaRah baaRu baEr ḇi‘artā bi‘artem bi‘artî ḇi‘artî bi‘artîhā bi‘êr ḇi·‘ar·tā bi·‘ar·tem bi·‘ar·tî ḇi·‘ar·tî bi·‘ar·tî·hā bi·‘êr biarTem biArti biarTiha biEr bō‘ărāh bō‘ărîm bō‘ărōwṯ bō‘êr ḇō‘êr bō‘êrāh bō‘ereṯ bō·‘ă·rāh bō·‘ă·rîm bō·‘ă·rō·wṯ bō·‘ê·rāh bō·‘e·reṯ bō·‘êr ḇō·‘êr boaRah boaRim boarOt boEr boeRah boEret ham·maḇ·‘ir hammaḇ‘ir hammavIr lə·ḇa·‘ă·rām lə·ḇa·‘êr lə·ḇā·‘êr ləḇa‘ărām ləḇa‘êr ləḇā‘êr levaaRam leVaer maḇ‘îr maḇ·‘îr mavIr mə·ḇa·‘ă·rîm mə·ḇō·‘ā·reṯ məḇa‘ărîm məḇō‘āreṯ mevaaRim mevoAret niḇ‘ar niḇ‘ārāh niḇ‘ărū niḇ·‘ā·rāh niḇ·‘ă·rū niḇ·‘ar nivAr nivaRah nivaRu taḇ‘îr taḇ·‘îr tavIr ṯə·ḇa·‘ă·rū tə·ḇa·‘êr ṯəḇa‘ărū təḇa‘êr tevaaRu tevaEr tiḇ‘ar tiḇ‘ar- ṯiḇ‘ar- tiḇ·‘ar tiḇ·‘ar- ṯiḇ·‘ar- tivar ū·ḇā·‘ă·rāh ū·ḇā·‘ă·rū ū·ḇi·‘ă·rū ū·ḇi·‘ar·tā ū·ḇi·‘ar·tî ū·ḇi·‘êr ū·nə·ḇa·‘ă·rāh ūḇā‘ărāh ūḇā‘ărū ūḇi‘artā ūḇi‘artî ūḇi‘ărū ūḇi‘êr ūnəḇa‘ărāh unevaaRah uvaaRah uvaaRu uviarTa uviarTi uviaRu uviEr vaaRah vaiyaver vaiyivAr vattivar vehivarTi viArta viArti voEr wat·tiḇ·‘ar wat·tiḇ·‘ar- wattiḇ‘ar wattiḇ‘ar- way·yaḇ·‘êr way·yaḇ·‘er- way·yiḇ·‘ar wayyaḇ‘êr wayyaḇ‘er- wayyiḇ‘ar wə·hiḇ·‘ar·tî wəhiḇ‘artî yaḇ‘er- yaḇ·‘er- yaver yə·ḇa·‘ă·rū- yə·ḇa·‘êr yəḇa‘ărū- yəḇa‘êr yevaaru yevaEr yiḇ‘ar yiḇ‘ār yiḇ‘ărū yiḇ·‘ă·rū yiḇ·‘ar yiḇ·‘ār yivAr yivaRu
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