Lexical Summary
bar: field
Original Word:בַּר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:bar
Pronunciation:bahr
Phonetic Spelling:(bar)
KJV: field
NASB:field
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) corresponding toH1250 (בָּר בַּר - grain)]
1. a field
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
field
(Aramaic) corresponding tobar; a field -- field.
see HEBREWbar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
barDefinition(an open) field
NASB Translationfield (8).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — emphatic , in (= Biblical Hebrew ),
Daniel 2:38;
Daniel 4:9;
Daniel 4:18;
Daniel 4:20;
Daniel 4:22;
Daniel 4:29;
Daniel 4:12;
Daniel 4:20.
Topical Lexicon
Linguistic and Contextual OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 1251 (בַּר, bar) is an Aramaic noun that denotes the open countryside or field, and by extension the untamed creatures that inhabit it (“beasts of the field”). All eight occurrences lie in the Aramaic sections of the Book of Daniel (Daniel 2:38; 4:12; 4:15; 4:21; 4:23 [twice]; 4:25; 4:32). Each text reinforces one of Daniel’s central motifs: God’s absolute sovereignty over kingdoms, nature, and history.
Occurrences in Daniel
1.Daniel 2:38 places “the beasts of the field” under Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, illustrating the breadth of imperial dominion granted by God.
2.Daniel 4:12, 4:21 and the double reference in 4:23 describe the beasts sheltering beneath the colossal tree of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, highlighting how royal prosperity provides for all creation—until pride brings judgment.
3.Daniel 4:15 portrays the stump of the felled tree “amid the tender grass of the field,” anticipating humbling.
4.Daniel 4:25 and 4:32 depict the king’s exile: “You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field”. Here bar draws a sharp contrast between cultivated palace life and feral existence.
Theological Themes
Dominion and Dependence
Bar frames mankind’s authority as delegated and finite. When Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges God, the field and its creatures thrive under his empire (Daniel 4:12). When he exalts himself, he is cast out to the very field he once controlled (Daniel 4:32). The word thus serves as a narrative boundary marker between human pride and divine prerogative.
Reversal and Humiliation
Bar marks the place of reversal. The field, normally associated with provision (Genesis 2:5;Psalm 104:14), becomes a setting of humiliation when the highest monarch eats grass like cattle. This reversal foreshadows later biblical patterns in which the proud are abased and the lowly exalted (Luke 1:52).
Creation under God’s Care
Repeated mention of “beasts of the field” reminds readers that God sustains every level of creation. Nebuchadnezzar’s vision shows a single tree providing “food for all” (Daniel 4:12), echoing Edenic imagery and anticipating prophetic pictures of messianic blessing where even the wild beasts dwell securely (Isaiah 11:6–9).
Messianic and New Testament Echoes
Though bar in Daniel is Aramaic for “field,” Hebrew bar elsewhere can denote “son” (Psalm 2:12) and “grain” (Psalm 65:13). While distinct lexically, these overlapping sounds create literary resonance. In Jesus’ parables the field becomes a metaphor for the world (Matthew 13:38), and the Son of Man claims authority over that field (Matthew 9:38). Daniel’s bar scenes prefigure Christ’s triumph: the true King humbled (Philippians 2:6–8) and then enthroned (Daniel 7:13–14).
Historical Setting
The Babylonian exile exposed Israel to Aramaic, the lingua franca of the empire. Bar’s appearance in Daniel anchors the text in that multilingual environment. The field outside Babylon’s walls—home to grazing livestock—would have been a visible reminder of Nebuchadnezzar’s forced sojourn and eventual repentance recorded inDaniel 4:34–37.
Practical Ministry Implications
Humility Before Sovereignty
Bar challenges believers to recognize God’s lordship. The moment Nebuchadnezzar glorifies himself, he is thrust into the bar; the moment he glorifies God, his kingdom is restored. Leaders today must remain humble stewards, aware that authority is a trust, not a right.
Care for Creation
God’s provision for “beasts of the field” encourages responsible stewardship of the environment. Human flourishing and creation’s well-being are intertwined; when rulers honor God, both people and creatures benefit.
Trust Amid Exile
Daniel’s audience, displaced from their homeland, needed assurance that God ruled even foreign fields. Bar testifies that no location lies outside divine control. Modern believers scattered by circumstance can find comfort in the same truth.
Summary
Bar in Daniel is more than a geographical term; it is a theological signpost. It reminds readers that the God who reigns over palaces also reigns over pastures, that pride leads to degradation while humility invites restoration, and that every corner of creation—city or field—ultimately serves His redemptive purposes.
Forms and Transliterations
בָּרָ֔א בָּרָ֗א בָּרָ֣א בָּרָ֤א בָּרָא֙ בָּרָא֩ בָרָ֑א ברא bā·rā ḇā·rā baRa bārā ḇārā vaRa
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