Lexical Summary
barar: To purify, select, choose, polish, cleanse
Original Word:בָּרַר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:barar
Pronunciation:baw-RAHR
Phonetic Spelling:(baw-rar')
KJV: make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse (be clean), clearly, polished, (shew self) pure(-ify), purge (out)
NASB:choice, chosen, pure you show, purge, show yourself pure, cleanse, purged
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to clarify (i.e. brighten), examine, select
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse be clean, clearly, polished, purify, purge out
A primitive root; to clarify (i.e. Brighten), examine, select -- make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse (be clean), clearly, polished, (shew self) pure(-ify), purge (out).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto purify, select
NASB Translationchoice (2), chosen (2), cleanse (1), pure you show (2), purge (2), purged (1), purified (1), purify (1), select (1), sharpen (1), show yourself pure (2), sincerely (1), tested (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (compare Assyrian
barâru,
be shining, in derivatives Zim
BP 46. 73 Belser
BAS ii. 154; Arabic
pious, kind, true;
he was pious, good, virtuous, honest) —
PerfectEzekiel 20:38;Infinitive suffixEcclesiastes 3:18, Ges§ 67 R, 3; compareEcclesiastes 9:1 (si vera lectio) as metaplastic form, but on text see above;Participle passive masculineJob 33:3 4t.; feminineNehemiah 5:18;Zephaniah 3:9; —
purge out, purify:and I will purge out from among you the rebelsEzekiel 20:38;a purified lipZephaniah 3:9;utter in a pure, sincere mannerJob 33:3.
choose, select, onlyParticiple and in Chronicler: chosen, valiant men1 Chronicles 7:40; porters1 Chronicles 9:22; musicians1 Chronicles 16:41; sheepNehemiah 5:18.
cleanse, make shining, polish, passive participlepolished arrowIsaiah 49:2 (compare De &Jeremiah 51:11 below)
test, proveEcclesiastes 3:18that God may prove them (RV); — onEcclesiastes 9:1 see .
Isaiah 52:11;Participle2 Samuel 22:27 (=Psalm 18:27); —purify oneself:
Isaiah 52:11.
2 Samuel 22:27 =Psalm 18:27.
InfinitiveDaniel 11:35purify ("" , ).
InfinitiveJeremiah 4:11purify, cleanse.
ImperativeJeremiah 51:11polish arrows (see above).
ImperfectDaniel 12:10purify oneself.
Psalm 18:27 =2 Samuel 22:27shew oneself pure, just, kind.
Topical Lexicon
Overview of Themesבָּרַר moves along two interwoven axes: (1) purification or refinement and (2) careful selection or sifting. Whether God is purifying hearts, choosing servants, refining a remnant, or polishing weapons, the verb always implies an intentional process that removes what is inferior so that what remains is fit for His purposes.
Purification and Moral Refinement
David twice sings, “to the pure You show Yourself pure” (2 Samuel 22:27;Psalm 18:26). Here barar frames purity as a prerequisite for perceiving the pure character of God. Job echoes the idea when he speaks “with a pure heart” (Job 33:3), and Ecclesiastes observes that God “tests them” (Ecclesiastes 3:18), exposing what lies beneath appearances. Isaiah commands the returning exiles, “Depart… purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord” (Isaiah 52:11). In each setting the verb underscores holiness as a divine requirement, not a human option.
Divine Selection and Testing of People
Genealogical and temple records repeatedly employ barar to highlight individuals whom God or His leaders have “chosen”:
• “Heads of families, choice men, mighty warriors” (1 Chronicles 7:40).
• “Those chosen to be gatekeepers” (1 Chronicles 9:22).
• “The rest of those chosen… to give thanks to the Lord” (1 Chronicles 16:41).
Selection here is qualitative, not merely numerical. The same principle surfaces eschatologically: “Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and made spotless … until the time of the end” (Daniel 11:35; cf.Daniel 12:10). Trials are God’s winnowing fan, separating wheat from chaff within His professing people.
Administrative and Liturgical Discernment
Nehemiah records that he provided “one ox, six choice sheep” (Nehemiah 5:18), reflecting discernment even in civic hospitality.Jeremiah 51:11 enlists soldiers and weapons: “Sharpen the arrows,” literally, make them polished—fit for judgment against Babylon.Isaiah 49:2 speaks prophetically of the Servant whose mouth is a “sharp sword” and Himself a “polished arrow.” Liturgical service, civil duty, and messianic mission alike require tools that have been barar—made ready for holy objectives.
Prophetic Warnings of Purging
Jeremiah 4:11 pictures a scorching wind “not for winnowing or cleansing.” When cleansing is withheld, judgment intensifies.Ezekiel 20:38 foretells a harsher solution: “I will purge the rebels from among you.” God’s sifting is never aimless—rebels are removed so that covenant purity may be restored.
Eschatological Restoration
Zephaniah 3:9 looks beyond judgment: “Then I will restore pure speech to the peoples, so that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord.” The verb anticipates a universal refinement that reverses Babel’s confusion and unites worshipers in unblemished praise.Daniel 12:10 reinforces the same end-time hope: “Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined.”
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Personal Sanctification: Barar calls believers to submit to the Spirit’s refining fire, echoing New Testament exhortations such as “let us purify ourselves from everything that defiles” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
2. Leadership Selection: Elders, deacons, and ministry teams must be “tested first” (1 Timothy 3:10); the chronicler’s “choice men” supply an Old Testament pattern.
3. Corporate Discipline: Ezekiel and Daniel remind congregations that God will remove persistent rebels for the health of the body.
4. Worship and Word Ministry: Like the polished arrow ofIsaiah 49:2, preaching and teaching should be honed instruments, piercing hearts with precision.
5. Mission and Unity: Zephaniah’s “pure speech” anticipates Spirit-empowered proclamation that unites diverse peoples around the gospel.
Christological and New Covenant Considerations
Jesus embodies the ultimate barar. His flawless obedience reveals the Father’s purity; His cross sifts humanity, gathering the redeemed while exposing unbelief; His Spirit continues the refining work until the Church is presented “without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). Thus every Old Testament occurrence of בָּרַר finds its telos in Him who purifies for Himself “a people for His own possession, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).
Forms and Transliterations
בְּרֻר֤וֹת בְּרוּרִים֙ בְרוּרָ֑ה בָּר֔וּר בָּר֥וּר ברור ברורה ברורים בררות הִבָּ֕רוּ הַבְּרוּרִ֔ים הַבְּרוּרִים֙ הָבֵ֣רוּ הברו הברורים וּבָרוֹתִ֣י וּלְבָרֵ֥ר וברותי ולברר יִ֠תְבָּֽרֲרוּ יתבררו לְבָרָ֖ם לְהָבַֽר׃ לברם להבר׃ נָבָ֖ר נָבָ֥ר נבר תִּתְבָּרָ֑ר תִּתָּבָ֑ר תתבר תתברר bā·rūr baRur bārūr ḇə·rū·rāh bə·rū·rîm bə·ru·rō·wṯ ḇərūrāh beruRim bərūrîm beruRot bərurōwṯ hā·ḇê·rū hab·bə·rū·rîm habberuRim habbərūrîm hāḇêrū haVeru hib·bā·rū hibBaru hibbārū lə·ḇā·rām lə·hā·ḇar ləḇārām ləhāḇar lehaVar levaRam nā·ḇār nāḇār naVar tiṯ·bā·rār tit·tā·ḇār titbaRar tiṯbārār tittāḇār tittaVar ū·ḇā·rō·w·ṯî ū·lə·ḇā·rêr ūḇārōwṯî ūləḇārêr ulevaRer uvaroTi veruRah yiṯ·bā·ră·rū Yitbararu yiṯbārărū
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