בְּשַׁר
𐤁𐤔𐤓
bᵉshar
H1321 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Flesh, the soft tissue of humans or animals as distinct from bone or skin; by extension, the body as a whole or an individual person; occasionally a euphemism for the genital area. In Aramaic, בְּשַׁר (bᵉshar) retains a primary reference to living tissue, but its usage extends to physical embodiment and, less frequently, to the concept of a living being or person.
Semantic Range
flesh (living tissue), body (of a person or animal), individual person, genitalia (euphemistically), living being
Root / Etymology
From the root בשר, which in Hebrew carries the core meaning 'to be fresh, to announce good news' but in Aramaic most directly denotes 'flesh' or 'body.' The word בְּשַׁר in Aramaic is directly cognate to its Hebrew counterpart בָּשָׂר, but the Hebrew verb form meaning 'to bring news' is not present in Aramaic; here, the root's physical meaning predominates.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בְּשַׁר appears in Biblical Aramaic texts, such as Daniel and Ezra, typically in reference to the physical body: either individual 'flesh', 'body', or in expressions signifying a person or living being. The usage parallels that of בָּשָׂר in Hebrew but lacks some of the extended or metaphorical senses prevalent in biblical Hebrew, such as the contrast between 'flesh' and 'spirit'. The term can also function as a polite euphemism for the genital organs, as in some post-biblical texts, though this is rare. English translations often use 'flesh' or 'body,' which generally captures the meaning but sometimes obscures nuances such as the reference to a whole person versus mere tissue. In the context of exile and post-exilic Aramaic literature, the word is more physically descriptive and less spiritually or theologically loaded than its usage later in religious contexts. Cf. Hebrew בָּשָׂר (bāsār), which can include related meanings but also serves as the root for 'to bring good news' in Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to בָּשָׂר; {flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of aman}; flesh.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בשר (b-š-r) — freshness, fleshiness, soft bodily substance
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1308 | בְּשׂוֹר | the Wadi Besor |
| H1319 | בָּשַׂר | Proclaim glad news! |
| H1320 | בָּשָׂר | the flesh |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1321-02 |
בִּשְׂרָ֖/א | bisera | ANcmsd/Td |
flesh | the flesh | 2 |
H1321-01 |
בְּשַׂ֥ר | besar | ANcmsa |
flesh | flesh-of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1321-02 |
Daniel 2:11 | בִּשְׂרָ֖/א | bisera | ANcmsd/Td |
flesh | the flesh |
H1321-02 |
Daniel 4:9 | בִּשְׂרָֽ/א | bisera | ANcmsd/Td |
flesh-the | the flesh |
H1321-01 |
Daniel 7:5 | בְּשַׂ֥ר | besar | ANcmsa |
flesh | flesh-of |