Lexical Summary
shaar: To remain, be left over, survive
Original Word:שָׁאַר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:sha'ar
Pronunciation:shaw-ar'
Phonetic Spelling:(shaw-ar')
KJV: leave, (be) left, let, remain, remnant, reserve, the rest
NASB:left, leave, remained, remain, remains, survived, left behind
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to swell up, i.e. be (causatively, make) redundant
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
leave, be left, let, remain, remnant, reserve, the rest
A primitive root; properly, to swell up, i.e. Be (causatively, make) redundant -- leave, (be) left, let, remain, remnant, reserve, the rest.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto remain, be left over
NASB Translationbereft (1), have a left (1), have...left (1), leave (12), leave as a remnant (1), leaves (1), left (73), left behind (2), remain (10), remained (11), remains (6), remnant (2), reserved (1), rest (2), survive (1), survived (4), surviving remnant (2), survivor (1), survivors (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (Synonym (Late Hebrew
id.; ; Sabean
remaining Hom
Chr 124; Arabic
,
be left over, Lane, compare Lane, compare Lag
GGN 1889, 297; Old Aramaic
remainder, Nabataean , see Lzb
371 SAC
110); —
Perfect3masculine singular1 Samuel 16:11 the youngest stillremains.
93Perfect3masculine singularGenesis 47:18 +; 3 feminine singularJoshua 13:1;Daniel 10:8, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularIsaiah 11:11,16,Genesis 7:23, etc.; ,ParticipleGenesis 32:9 +,Ezekiel 9:8 (read Hi Toy Krae, Sm; strike out Hi Co Siegf Berthol); feminine2 Kings 19:30 =Isaiah 37:31,Exodus 10:5; 2Chronicles 30:6,Joshua 13:2, etc.; —
be left over (sometimes "")Exodus 8:27;Exodus 10:19;Exodus 14:28 (all J),Joshua 11:22 (D),Judges 7:3;2 Samuel 14:7 +; in restrictive clause2 Kings 24:14there were left only, etc.,Genesis 47:18 (J); followed by accusative adverb (Ges§ 118q), or appositive,Deuteronomy 4:27;Ezra 9:15, compareDeuteronomy 28:62 (Ges§ 119i); sometimes with locationExodus 8:5;Exodus 8:7 (J),Jeremiah 38:22 +; with (preposition local)Joshua 23:7,12 (D); with =be left from (of)Exodus 10:5 (J),Deuteronomy 3:11;Joshua 13:12 (D),Isaiah 11:11,16;Jeremiah 8:3a (participle; vb strike out {abbrev} Hi Gf Gie Co),Nehemiah 1:2,3,Jeremiah 42:2; withto orfor,2 Kings 10:11,17 (participle),Zechariah 9:7; 2Chronicles 21:17,Exodus 10:5, compare 2Chronicles 30:6 and ( location for )Jeremiah 21:7; within, among, of,1 Samuel 11:11;Isaiah 17:6;Jeremiah 34:7;Jeremiah 37:10;Leviticus 26:36,39 (H; participle),Leviticus 25:52 (P; of years), evenLeviticus 5:9 (P)the rest of the blood; with1 Samuel 5:4; with infinitiveJoshua 13:1 (D); =be left alive, survive,Genesis 7:23 (J),Ezekiel 9:8 (but on text see above); =the survivors,Genesis 14:10;1 Samuel 11:11;Ezekiel 17:21; participle as technical term =the (purified)remainder, remnant (compare , )Isaiah 4:3 ( location; ""), 2 Chronicles 34:21 ( location). —1 Samuel 9:24 is dubious;what is left over, in polite depreciation, Bu; read HPS.
be left behind,Exodus 10:26 (E),Numbers 11:26 (JE); withGenesis 42:38 (J), compareIsaiah 49:21;Daniel 10:8; of widowRuth 1:3 + of the deadRuth 1:5.
Perfect3masculine singularExodus 10:12 +, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularDeuteronomy 28:51, 1plural1 Samuel 14:36 (Ges§ 48g; 109d Köp. 466 f.), etc.;Infinitive constructEzra 9:8, see also below; —
leave over, spare, with accusativeExodus 10:12(E),2 Kings 25:22;Jeremiah 49:9 = Obadiah 5;Joshua 11:14 (D),Judges 6:4;Jeremiah 50:20; especiallyleave no survivor,Joshua 10:28, cfJoshua 10:30;Joshua 10:37;Joshua 10:39;Joshua 10:40 (all D), so (sometimes with person)Numbers 21:35(E) =Deuteronomy 3:3, compareDeuteronomy 2:34;Joshua 8:22;Joshua 11:8 (both J E),Joshua 10:33(D),2 Kings 10:11, and Deuteronomy 28:55 (in all these readInfinitive construct , see DrDeuteronomy 3:3; 7:24); with ,among, of,1 Samuel 14:36, location1 Kings 19:18;Zephaniah 3:12 (in both of preserving a pious remnant, compare , ), also2 Kings 3:25 (Bur reads for , Kit , compare Klo Benz); with personDeuteronomy 28:51;1 Kings 15:29;1 Kings 16:11;2 Kings 13:7;Ezra 9:8; with ,from, of,2 Kings 10:14, particle1 Samuel 25:22;2 Kings 25:12 =Jeremiah 52:16;Jeremiah 39:10.
,leave orkeep over ( particle) till morningNumbers 9:12 (P).
Amos 5:3 the cityshall have100left, compare vAmos 5:3.
leave as a gift,Joel 2:14. — We Now readMalachi 2:15, see . below
Topical Lexicon
General Meaning and Range of UseThe root שָׁאַר occurs roughly 133 times and portrays what remains after an event that might otherwise have brought total loss. It casts a wide semantic net: surviving persons (Genesis 45:7), spared nations (Deuteronomy 4:27), leftover produce and objects (Numbers 26:65;2 Kings 4:7), years added to life (Isaiah 38:5), and even enduring moral qualities (Ecclesiastes 2:9). The subject can be the Lord who keeps, human agents who leave, or an impersonal situation that simply “has something left over.”
Earliest Canonical Patterns
1. Pre-Flood and Patriarchal Narratives
• “Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark” (Genesis 7:23).
• Lot pleads, “Your servant has found favor… so I can live—otherwise calamity will overtake me and I will die” (Genesis 19:19, cp. 19:17).
• Joseph interprets his own suffering: “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth and to save your lives” (Genesis 45:7).
2. Sinai and the Wilderness
• The term conveys agricultural leftovers kept for the poor and the alien (Leviticus 19:10;Ruth 2:18).
• National survival after divine judgment is stressed inDeuteronomy 4:27 and 28:62.
The Doctrine of the Remnant
The prophetic corpus forges a theology of שָׁאַר around covenant faithfulness and eschatological hope.
Isaiah 10:20-22:
“On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer rely on him who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD… ‘Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return.’”
Key features:
• Divine initiative: the remnant is “what the LORD has called” (Joel 2:32).
• Moral identity: it is “the remnant of Judah who have survived this great calamity” yet are exhorted to obey (Jeremiah 42:2-6).
• Eschatological preservation:Zechariah 8:11-12 promises prosperity to “the remnant of this people,” echoing earlier exile-return motifs (Ezra 9:8).
Judgment and Survival
Occurrences are often paired with catastrophe—war (2 Kings 19:30-31), famine (Jeremiah 24:8-10), plague (Amos 4:9), or cosmic upheaval (Haggai 2:3). The same verb that marks devastation simultaneously signals hope; something or someone is always “left” for future redemptive work.
Covenant Preservation and Hope
In Kings and Chronicles, royal accounts attach שָׁאַר to dynastic continuity.2 Kings 25:11-12 records Nebuzaradan leaving “some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields,” a seedbed for later restoration (Nehemiah 1:3). The Chronicler interprets the survival of a small company as proof that “the LORD his God was gracious and merciful” (2 Chronicles 30:9).
Messianic Implications
Micah 5:3-4 pictures Messiah’s advent framed by a protected remnant: “The rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel… Then He will stand and shepherd His flock.” This union of King and remnant feeds New Testament citations such asRomans 9:27 andRevelation 12:17, where believers persevere amid tribulation.
Key Occurrences by Period
• Conquest:Joshua 10:20;Judges 1:21.
• Monarchic Decline:1 Kings 19:18;2 Kings 19:4.
• Exile:Ezekiel 6:8-10;Obadiah 17.
• Post-exile:Haggai 1:14;Zechariah 13:8-9.
Poetic and Wisdom Literature
Psalm 79:11 treats prisoners “doomed to die” yet still existing as a sacred trust.Ecclesiastes 2:9 uses the verb of wisdom assets “remaining” with the speaker, showing that the idea spans spiritual, social, and personal realms.
Intertextual Echoes in the New Testament
While the Greek New Testament employs different vocabulary (λοιπός, κατάλειμμα), the concept flows untouched:Romans 11:5 speaks of a “remnant chosen by grace,” drawing directly from1 Kings 19:18 (LXX) where שָׁאַר underlies the assurance to Elijah.
Applications for Church Ministry
1. Perseverance and Assurance: God’s people may feel marginal, yet the verb assures continued existence under divine custody.
2. Missions Strategy: Scripture’s trajectory moves from a spared few (Genesis 6:8) toward a “great multitude” no one can count (Revelation 7:9). Evangelism participates in gathering that remnant.
3. Discipleship and Holiness: Isaiah couples remnant identity with dependence on “the Holy One of Israel,” encouraging churches to wed orthodoxy with purity.
Liturgy and Worship
The Psalms of the exiles (Psalms 79, 137) and later synagogue readings embedded the remnant motif in Israel’s worship, reminding congregants that their very existence was an act of mercy. Christian hymnody (e.g., “A Few More Years Shall Roll”) inherits this accent by celebrating the saints who are “kept” for glory.
Summary
שָׁאַר threads through Scripture as the vocabulary of survival and grace. It balances warnings of judgment with the certainty that God always preserves a people and purpose. From the Flood to the final consummation, the root testifies that divine wrath never annihilates covenant mercy, and that out of what is left, the Lord fashions new beginnings for His redemptive plan.
Forms and Transliterations
אַשְׁאִ֧יר אַשְׁאִֽיר׃ אשאיר אשאיר׃ הִשְׁאִ֔יר הִשְׁאִ֕יר הִשְׁאִ֖יר הִשְׁאִ֖ירוּ הִשְׁאִ֛יר הִשְׁאִ֣יר הִשְׁאִ֥יר הִשְׁאִ֧יר הִשְׁאִ֨יר הִשְׁאִֽיר־ הִשְׁאַ֖רְנוּ הַֽנִּשְׁאָרִ֞ים הַֽנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים ׀ הַֽנִּשְׁאָרִים֮ הַנִּשְׁאֶ֣רֶת הַנִּשְׁאֶ֤רֶת הַנִּשְׁאָ֑רֶת הַנִּשְׁאָ֔ר הַנִּשְׁאָ֖ר הַנִּשְׁאָ֗ר הַנִּשְׁאָ֣ר הַנִּשְׁאָר֔וֹת הַנִּשְׁאָר֙ הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֑ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֔ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֖ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֗ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֛ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֤ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֥ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֧ים הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙ הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֩ הַנִּשְׁאָרָ֖ה הנשאר הנשארה הנשארות הנשארים הנשארת השאיר השאיר־ השאירו השארנו וְהִשְׁאִ֤יר וְהִשְׁאַרְתִּ֣י וְהִשְׁאַרְתִּ֥י וְהַ֨נִּשְׁאָר֔וֹת וְהַנִּשְׁאָ֣ר וְהַנִּשְׁאָר֙ וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֖ים וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים וְנִ֨שְׁאֲרוּ וְנִשְׁאַ֥ר וְנִשְׁאַרְתֶּם֙ וְנִשְׁאַר־ וְנֵֽאשֲׁאַ֖ר וַיִּשָּׁאֲר֣וּ וַיִשָּׁ֧אֶר וַתִּשָּׁאֵ֥ר וַתִּשָּׁאֵר֙ והנשאר והנשארות והנשארים והשאיר והשארתי וישאר וישארו ונאשאר ונשאר ונשאר־ ונשארו ונשארתם ותשאר יִֽשָּׁאֲרוּ֮ יִשָּׁאֵ֖ר יִשָּׁאֵר֩ יַשְׁאִ֖רוּ יַשְׁאִ֜יר יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ יַשְׁאִ֥ירוּ ישאיר ישאירו ישאר ישארו לְהַשְׁאִ֥יר להשאיר נִשְׁאֲר֛וּ נִשְׁאֲר֤וּ נִשְׁאֲר֥וּ נִשְׁאֲרָ֥ה נִשְׁאֲרָה־ נִשְׁאֲרוּ֙ נִשְׁאֲרוּ־ נִשְׁאַ֔ר נִשְׁאַ֖ר נִשְׁאַ֣ר נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי נִשְׁאַ֤רְנוּ נִשְׁאַ֥ר נִשְׁאַ֥רְנוּ נִשְׁאַ֧ר נִשְׁאַר֙ נִשְׁאַר֮ נִשְׁאַר־ נִשְׁאָ֔רָה נִשְׁאָ֗ר נִשְׁאָֽרוּ׃ נַשְׁאֵ֤ר נשאר נשאר־ נשארה נשארה־ נשארו נשארו־ נשארו׃ נשארנו נשארתי שָׁאַ֣ר שאר תִּשָּׁאַֽרְנָה׃ תִשָּׁאֵר֙ תַּשְׁאִ֣יר תַּשְׁאִ֥יר תשאיר תשאר תשארנה׃ ’aš’îr ’aš·’îr ashIr han·niš·’ā·rāh han·niš·’ā·reṯ han·niš·’ā·rîm han·niš·’ā·rō·wṯ han·niš·’ār han·niš·’e·reṯ hanniš’ār hanniš’ārāh hanniš’āreṯ hanniš’ārîm hanniš’ārōwṯ hanniš’ereṯ hannishAr hannishaRah hannishAret hannishaRim hannishaRot hannishEret hiš’arnū hiš’îr hiš’îr- hiš’îrū hiš·’ar·nū hiš·’î·rū hiš·’îr hiš·’îr- hishArnu hishIr hishIru lə·haš·’îr ləhaš’îr lehashIr naš’êr naš·’êr nashEr niš’ar niš’ār niš’ar- niš’ărāh niš’ārāh niš’ărāh- niš’arnū niš’artî niš’ărū niš’ārū niš’ărū- niš·’ă·rāh niš·’ā·rāh niš·’ă·rāh- niš·’ă·rū niš·’ā·rū niš·’ă·rū- niš·’ar niš·’ār niš·’ar- niš·’ar·nū niš·’ar·tî nishAr nishaRah nishArnu nishArti nishAru šā’ar šā·’ar shaAr taš’îr taš·’îr tashIr tiš·šā·’ar·nāh ṯiš·šā·’êr tishshaArnah tishshaEr tiššā’arnāh ṯiššā’êr vaiyishshaaRu vattishshaEr vayishShaer vehannishAr vehannishaRim veHannishaRot vehisharTi vehishIr veneshaAr venishar venisharTem veNisharu wa·yiš·šā·’er wat·tiš·šā·’êr wattiššā’êr way·yiš·šā·’ă·rū wayiššā’er wayyiššā’ărū wə·han·niš·’ā·rîm wə·han·niš·’ā·rō·wṯ wə·han·niš·’ār wə·hiš·’ar·tî wə·hiš·’îr wə·nê·šă·’ar wə·niš·’ă·rū wə·niš·’ar wə·niš·’ar- wə·niš·’ar·tem wəhanniš’ār wəhanniš’ārîm wəhanniš’ārōwṯ wəhiš’artî wəhiš’îr wənêšă’ar wəniš’ar wəniš’ar- wəniš’artem wəniš’ărū yaš’îr yaš’irū yaš’îrū yaš·’i·rū yaš·’î·rū yaš·’îr yashIr yashIru yiš·šā·’ă·rū yiš·šā·’êr yishshaaRu yishshaEr yiššā’ărū yiššā’êr
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