Lexical Summary
sheerith: Remnant, remainder, residue
Original Word:שְׁאֵרִית
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:sh'eriyth
Pronunciation:shay-ay-reeth'
Phonetic Spelling:(sheh-ay-reeth')
KJV: that had escaped, be left, posterity, remain(-der), remnant, residue, rest
NASB:remnant, rest, survivors, left, those who had escaped
Word Origin:[fromH7604 (שָׁאַר - left)]
1. a remainder or residual (surviving, final) portion
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
remainder or residual
Fromsha'ar; a remainder or residual (surviving, final) portion -- that had escaped, be left, posterity, remain(-der), remnant, residue, rest.
see HEBREWsha'ar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shaarDefinitionrest, residue, remnant, remainder
NASB Translationleft (1), remnant (55), rest (7), survivors (2), those who had escaped (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
( = ); — absolute
2 Samuel 14:7 +, construct
Ezekiel 36:3 +, (Ges
§ 23f)
1 Chronicles 12:39 (van d. H. v.1 Chronicles 12:38); suffix
Isaiah 14:30;
Ezekiel 5:10, -
Isaiah 44:17, -
Jeremiah 15:9; —
rest, what is left, of woodIsaiah 44:17, landIsaiah 15:9 ("" ),Jeremiah 47:4,5;Ezekiel 25:16;Psalm 76: difficult (Gr [compare Che] proposesHamath, Dutribes);rest of princesJeremiah 39:3, of nations ( = the other nations, Toy)Ezekiel 36:3,4,5; of Israel1 Chronicles 12:39 (van d. H. v.1 Chronicles 12:38), 2 Chronicles 34:9;Nehemiah 7:71 (van d. H.Nehemiah 7:72); = lastremnant of people, PhilistinesAmos 1:8 (compare We),Isaiah 14:30, EdomAmos 9:12, AnathothJeremiah 11:23, AshdodJeremiah 25:20, BabylonJeremiah 50:26, Amalek1 Chronicles 4:43(+ ), Israel2 Kings 21:14;Jeremiah 6:9;Jeremiah 15:9;remnant left after catastropheAmos 5:15;Jeremiah 8:3;Jeremiah 24:8;Jeremiah 40:11,15;Jeremiah 41:10,16;Jeremiah 42:2,15,19;Jeremiah 43:5;Jeremiah 44:12,14,28;Ezekiel 5:10;Ezekiel 9:8;Ezekiel 11:13;Haggai 1:12,14;Haggai 2:2, evenMicah 4:7 (as promise, "" compare GieBeiträge, 42f.); = survivorsJeremiah 44:7, 2Chronicles 36:20; = faithfulremnant of Israel or Judah (technical term of prophets, compare near the end),2 Kings 19:4=Isaiah 37:4;2 Kings 19:31 ("" ) =Isaiah 37:32 (""id.),Micah 2:12;Micah 5:6;Micah 5:7;Micah 7:18;Ezra 9:14 (""id.),Isaiah 46:3;Jeremiah 23:3;Jeremiah 31:7;Zephaniah 2:7,9 ("" ),Zephaniah 3:13;Zechariah 8:6,11,12.
remainder = descendants ( =Isaiah 14:22):Genesis 45:7,2 Samuel 14:7.
II. (√ of following; compare Assyrianšêru, Punic ,flesh, Arabic
blood-revenge, so Sabean , SabDenkmNo. 5, 1. 7; perhaps originallyblood (compareJeremiah 51:35), NöZMG xi (1886), 723 and IdM 101, who compare Mandean =
conscience, mind, etc., perhaps properlymidriff, compare Hoffmbelow).
Topical Lexicon
Concept and Theological CoreSheʾerit signifies the “remaining part,” a remnant preserved by God when judgment or calamity sweeps through the nation. The term moves beyond arithmetic residue to express covenantal faithfulness: what endures because the LORD chooses to keep it alive. Thus the word becomes a thread that ties together divine justice and mercy, threatening and promise.
Canonical Distribution
Approximately sixty-six occurrences span the Law, Former Prophets, Latter Prophets, and Writings. The heaviest concentration is in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah, but the term also punctuates Torah warnings (Deuteronomy 28:62), historical narratives (2 Kings 19:31), and post-exilic restoration texts (Ezra 9:14). This breadth signals an enduring theme rather than a momentary concern.
In the Pentateuch: Warning and Hope
The first appearances frame covenant consequences.Deuteronomy 28:62 cautions, “You will be left few in number, whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God”. Even here, judgment implicitly leaves “few” rather than “none,” preparing for grace.Genesis 45:7 offers the positive counterpoint when Joseph says God sent him ahead “to preserve for you a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” The principle: God’s saving plan is safeguarded through a surviving seed.
Historical Books: National Crisis and Deliverance
Sheʾerit surfaces during existential threats:
•Judges 21:17 wrestles with keeping alive a tribe on the brink of extinction.
•2 Samuel 14:7 speaks of extinguishing “my husband’s name and remnant on the face of the earth.”
• In Hezekiah’s day Assyria menaces Jerusalem, but Isaiah relays, “The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above” (2 Kings 19:30-31;Isaiah 37:31-32).
The historiographic message is clear: geopolitical survival hinges on Yahweh, not alliances.
Major Prophets: Remnant as Birthplace of Restoration
Isaiah employs the word in both oracles of doom and vistas of hope:
• Doom –Isaiah 10:19 predicts that after divine felling “the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child could write them down.”
• Hope –Isaiah 11:11 announces a second gathering: “In that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people.”
Jeremiah weaves the term into warnings against false security (Jeremiah 23:3) and laments over the survivors left in the land after exile (Jeremiah 40:11; 42:2). Yet the prophet also records God’s oath to bring them back (Jeremiah 23:3-8).
Ezekiel 6:8 breaks the relentless cadence of judgment with, “Yet I will leave a remnant, for some of you will escape the sword…” The preserved minority will testify against idolatry, showing that preservation serves missionary as well as genealogical purposes.
Minor Prophets: Purified Community
Micah 2:12 pictures a shepherd gathering the remnant like sheep in a fold.Micah 5:7-8 depicts that remnant as both “dew from the LORD” and “a lion among the beasts,” combining refreshment and irresistible strength.Zephaniah 3:13 envisions a refined remnant: “The remnant of Israel will no longer commit injustice or speak lies.”Haggai 1:12 andZechariah 8:6-12 extend the theme to the returned exiles who rebuild the temple and city.
Post-Exilic Narratives: Fragility and Fidelity
Ezra 9:14 poses the anguished question whether repeated unfaithfulness will obliterate “this remnant.”Nehemiah 1:2-3 reports the distress of survivors in Jerusalem. The remnant motif therefore underscores the second temple community’s identity: small, threatened, yet central in redemptive history.
Doctrinal Emphases
1. Sovereign Preservation: God alone defines and defends the remnant (Isaiah 1:9;Romans 11:5).
2. Moral Purification: Catastrophe winnows, leaving a repentant core (Zephaniah 3:13).
3. Missional Purpose: The remnant bears witness to nations (Micah 5:7;Isaiah 37:32).
4. Eschatological Horizon: A purified Israel anchors future global blessing (Zechariah 8:7-23).
Christological Fulfillment
Matthew 2:14-15 citesHosea 11:1, portraying Jesus as embodiment of Israel’s remnant story—called out of Egypt, passing through waters, tempted in wilderness yet without sin. In Him the remnant becomes one faithful Israelite whose obedience secures salvation for many. At Pentecost a remnant of Jews believes, forming the nucleus of a renewed people into which Gentiles are grafted.
New Testament Echoes
Romans 9:27 quotes Isaiah, stressing that even if Israel’s numbers are vast, “only the remnant will be saved.” Paul applies the principle of gracious election: “At the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5).Revelation 12:17 speaks of “the rest of her offspring, who keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus,” echoing the Old Testament pattern within apocalyptic vision.
Pastoral and Missional Implications
• Encouragement amid decline: Faithful believers may feel marginalized, yet history proves God works through small, consecrated minorities.
• Holiness and witness: The remnant’s survival is linked to repentance and trust, not cultural strength. Modern disciples likewise demonstrate covenant reality through distinct living.
• Hope for Israel and the nations: The remnant doctrine guards against replacement arrogance while affirming that Gentile inclusion arises from Israel’s preserved root (Romans 11:17-24).
• Assurance in judgment: Whether societal upheaval, persecution, or apostasy, God reserves for Himself those who have not bowed to idols (1 Kings 19:18; applied inRomans 11:4).
Summary
Sheʾerit encapsulates the paradox of Scripture: the Most High judges yet spares, diminishes yet multiplies. From Noah’s family through the post-exilic community and ultimately through Messiah, the remnant theme certifies the inviolability of divine promises, assuring the faithful that God always keeps a seed alive for His glory and the world’s salvation.
Forms and Transliterations
הַשְּׁאֵרִ֖ית הַשְּׁאֵרִ֣ית הַשְּׁאֵרִ֥ית הַשְּׁאֵרִית֙ השארית וְלִשְׁאֵרִ֖ית וּשְׁאֵ֣רִית֔וֹ וּשְׁאֵֽרִיתָ֗ם וּשְׁאֵרִ֕ית וּשְׁאֵרִ֖ית וּשְׁאֵרִיתֵ֖ךְ ולשארית ושארית ושאריתו ושאריתך ושאריתם לִשְׁאֵרִ֔ית לִשְׁאֵרִ֖ית לִשְׁאֵרִ֛ית לִשְׁאֵרִ֣ית לִשְׁאֵרִ֥ית לשארית שְׁאֵרִ֔ית שְׁאֵרִ֖ית שְׁאֵרִ֛ית שְׁאֵרִ֣ית שְׁאֵרִ֤ית שְׁאֵרִ֥ית שְׁאֵרִ֨ית שְׁאֵרִֽית׃ שְׁאֵרִית֙ שְׁאֵרִיתֵ֖ךְ שֵׁרִ֧ית שארית שארית׃ שאריתך שרית haš·šə·’ê·rîṯ hashsheeRit haššə’êrîṯ liš’êrîṯ liš·’ê·rîṯ lisheRit šə’êrîṯ šə’êrîṯêḵ šə·’ê·rî·ṯêḵ šə·’ê·rîṯ šê·rîṯ šêrîṯ sheeRit sheeriTech sheRit ū·šə·’ê·rî·ṯām ū·šə·’ê·rî·ṯêḵ ū·šə·’ê·rî·ṯōw ū·šə·’ê·rîṯ ūšə’êrîṯ ūšə’êrîṯām ūšə’êrîṯêḵ ūšə’êrîṯōw usheeRit usheeriTam usheeriTech usheEriTo velisheRit wə·liš·’ê·rîṯ wəliš’êrîṯ
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