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בָּרָא

𐤁𐤓𐤀

bârâʼ

H1254 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To create, especially referring to the origination of something new or bringing into existence that which did not exist before, typically in reference to the acts of deity in shaping the cosmos or significant realities. In rare non-divine contexts, to select or shape. Denotes the act of forming by creating, not by manufacturing from pre-existing materials, but rather by an act of will or decree. Also attested in select contexts as to make fat or to select.

Semantic Range

to create (especially by divine act), to bring into existence, to shape or form, to select or choose, to clear (as in cutting down forest), to make fat

Root / Etymology

From the root ברא, whose primary meaning is to create, shape, or fashion. Although the root occurs most commonly in the Pi‘el stem in later Hebrew with senses related to 'clearing' or 'cutting down,' in Biblical Hebrew the Qal stem is unique in denoting 'to create'—especially divine creation. The lexical meaning is thus somewhat specialized and diverges from related Semitic roots.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Biblical Hebrew, בָּרָא occurs almost exclusively with deity as the subject, and the act of 'creation' unambiguously refers to the bringing into existence of something fundamentally new or transformative (e.g., Gen 1:1; Isa 45:7). While other verbs (e.g., עשה 'to make,' יצר 'to form') can denote forming or shaping materials that already exist, ברא uniquely connotes an act of origination, with a strong association with divine power. Its use in relation to non-divine creation (such as Ps 51:12—'create in me a pure heart') is still often implicitly linked with divine agency. The Pi‘el stem occasionally bears the agricultural sense 'to clear, cut down (wood),' reflected elsewhere in Semitic languages, but this is rare in the biblical corpus. Later Hebrew (Rabbinic, Modern) broadened the term's semantic field to include 'to create' by humans in some contexts, but in the Bible, creative action is virtually always attributed to deity. The sense 'make fat' (as in a formative process, notably in Ezekiel 21:30 [Eng. 21:25]) is rare and context specific. English translations such as 'create' generally reflect the core biblical meaning, but may not sufficiently distinguish between 'creating from nothing' and 'forming from chaos,' both encompassed by the biblical conception of ברא. English renderings do not consistently capture the nuance distinguishing ברא from other creation verbs.

Translation Consistency

primary "create" 37 occurrences

The dominant and prototypical sense of בָּרָא in biblical usage is divine origination — bringing something into existence by will or decree — best captured by "create." "Create" is natural English, aligns with the majority P2 renderings (e.g. "created"), and can cover related senses (form/shape, bring into existence) better than the more general "make." Rare peripheral senses (select, fatten, clear) are exceptions and can be handled contextually, but for consistency across all forms "create" is the most accurate and natural choice.

Alternatives (17 occurrences):
"creating-one" (8x) "clear" (2x) "creator" (2x) "prepare" (2x) "being-created" (1x) "fatten yourselves" (1x) "cut down" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes); choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).

Bantu Hebrew

Language Bantu Word Transliteration Meaning
Akan dɔ to create, form, shape (sometimes more often with 'bɔ' for create, but 'dɔ' is also attested in certain dialects for forming or shaping)
Ewe dɔ to create, to form
Yoruba Dá create
+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

ברא (b-r-ʾ) — to create, to shape, to bring into existence, to form

Root ברא to create, to shape, to bring into existence, to form
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1251 בַּר he created
H1256 בְּרָאיָה and Yahweh has created
H1277 בָּרִיא robust, well-fed
H1278 בְּרִיאָה a created thing
H7451 רַע he created

Word Forms

35 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1254-13 בּוֹרֵא֙ bore HVqrmsa Creator the creating-one the creating-one 5
H1254-01 בָּרָ֣א bara HVqp3ms he created he created he created 5
H1254-03 בָּרָ֨אתִי֙ barati HVqp1cs have created I created I created 3
H1254-26 וּ/בוֹרֵ֣א uvore HC/Vqrmsa and creating and creating-one and creating-one 3
H1254-33 בוֹרֵ֛א vore HVqrmsa create creating one am creating 3
H1254-10 בְּרָאתִ֑י/ו berativ HVqp1cs/Sp3ms have created it I created him I created him 2
H1254-04 בָּרֵ֔א bare HVpa prepare shaping into being prepare 2
H1254-29 וַ/יִּבְרָ֣א vayivera HC/Vqw3ms and created and he created and he created 2
H1254-27 בָרָ֣א vara HVqp3ms created bad created 2
H1254-21 נִבְרְא֥וּ nivereu HVNp3cp have been done were created were created 2

Occurrences in Scripture

54 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1254-01 Genesis 1:1 בָּרָ֣א bara HVqp3ms created he created he created
H1254-29 Genesis 1:21 וַ/יִּבְרָ֣א vayivera HC/Vqw3ms and created and he created and he created
H1254-29 Genesis 1:27 וַ/יִּבְרָ֨א vayivera HC/Vqw3ms and he created and he created and he created
H1254-01 Genesis 1:27 בָּרָ֣א bara HVqp3ms he created he created he created
H1254-01 Genesis 1:27 בָּרָ֥א bara-2 HVqp3ms he created he created he created
H1254-01 Genesis 2:3 בָּרָ֥א bara HVqp3ms [God] had created he created he created
H1254-05 Genesis 2:4 בְּ/הִבָּֽרְאָ֑/ם behibaream HR/VNc/Sp3mp when they were created in their being created in their being created
H1254-11 Genesis 5:1 בְּרֹ֤א bero HVqc created to create to create
H1254-08 Genesis 5:2 בְּרָאָ֑/ם beraam HVqp3ms/Sp3mp He created them he created them he created them
H1254-17 Genesis 5:2 הִבָּֽרְאָֽ/ם hibaream HVNc/Sp3mp they were created their being-created their being-created
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