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בָּר

𐤁𐤓

bâr

H1250 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ברר to select, to purify, to cleanse, to separate by winnowing

Definition

Edible grain, especially of cereal crops such as wheat or barley; used to refer both to grain as food and the kernels harvested from the field. In poetic and metaphorical usage, 'bar' can also signify abundance, produce, or nourishment. In rare cases, the word can metonymically denote the open, cultivated fields where grain is grown, emphasizing fertile or productive land.

Semantic Range

grain; cereal crop; edible kernels; purified/grain separated by winnowing; produce or yield of the land; (poetic/figurative) fertility or abundance of fields; open country (rare, poetic)

Root / Etymology

Root: בָּרַר (barar), meaning to select, choose, purify, or cleanse by separating grain from chaff—i.e., by winnowing. The noun בָּר develops from this root, designating something 'selected' or 'clean'—hence, clean, usable grain separated from the husk.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בָּר (bâr) appears primarily in poetic or formal language, particularly in Psalms (e.g., Ps 65:14; 72:16), Proverbs, and Job. The term is less common in prose narratives, where דָּגָן (dagan) is the usual word for 'grain' or 'cereal.' בָּר emphasizes the quality of the grain as clean and fit for consumption, often in the context of divine provision or agricultural bounty. In rare contexts, it refers more broadly to open, arable land, but such use is poetic and not the regular term for fields. The English term 'corn' in historical translations can cause confusion, as it originally meant cereal grain of any kind, not maize. בָּר (bâr) should not be confused with בֵּן (ben, 'son') or with Aramaic בַּר (bar, 'son'). Later, in Rabbinic Hebrew and Aramaic, 'bar' can have different meanings, but these are unrelated to its biblical Hebrew use. In the post-exilic and Second Temple periods, references are almost always to agricultural produce rather than land itself. Modern translations render the term as 'grain,' 'wheat,' or 'produce,' depending on context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or בַּר; from בָּרַר (in the sense of winnowing); grain of any kind (even while standing in the field); by extension the open country; corn, wheat.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ברר (b-r-r) — to select, purify, cleanse, separate by winnowing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1247 בַּר winnowed grain
H1248 בַּר winnowed grain
H1249 בַּר winnowed grain
H1252 בֹּר in purity
H1253 בֹּר in cleansing-lye

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1250-01 בָּ֛ר bar HNcmsa grain purified grain 10
H1250-04 בָ֞ר var HNcmsa grain winnowed grain 2
H1250-02 הַ/בָּ֖ר habar HTd/Ncmsa the wheat the purified grain 1
H1250-03 בַ/בָּ֑ר vabar HRd/Ncmsa in the open field winnowed grain 1

Occurrences in Scripture

14 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1250-04 Genesis 41:35 בָ֞ר var HNcmsa grain winnowed grain
H1250-01 Genesis 41:49 בָּ֛ר bar HNcmsa grain purified grain
H1250-01 Genesis 42:3 בָּ֖ר bar HNcmsa grain purified grain
H1250-01 Genesis 42:25 בָּר֒ bar HNcmsa grain purified grain
H1250-01 Genesis 45:23 בָּ֣ר bar HNcmsa grain purified grain
H1250-02 Jeremiah 23:28 הַ/בָּ֖ר habar HTd/Ncmsa the wheat the purified grain
H1250-01 Joel 2:24 בָּ֑ר bar HNcmsa grain purified grain
H1250-01 Amos 5:11 בַּר֙ bar HNcmsa of grain purified grain
H1250-01 Amos 8:5 בָּ֑ר bar HNcmsa wheat purified grain
H1250-01 Amos 8:6 בַּ֖ר bar HNcmsa of grain purified grain
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