עֵבֶר
𐤏𐤁𐤓
ʻêber
H5676 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A region or side that is across or beyond, typically used in reference to a space or area on the far side of a boundary, river, or landmark—most often the side opposite the speaker’s location. Frequently designates the territory or peoples east of the Jordan River (i.e., 'the other side', especially from the perspective west of the Jordan), but can refer generally to any land, quarter, or boundary region lying across or beyond a given point. In some contexts, used adverbially or prepositionally to indicate directionality, opposition, or passage to another side.
Semantic Range
that which is across, the other/opposite side, region beyond, quarter/territory across, area on the far side of a boundary, east of the Jordan, directional use 'beyond' or 'across' in relation to the speaker's location
Root / Etymology
From the root ע-ב-ר (עבר), which means ‘to pass over, cross, go beyond’. The noun עֵבֶר ('êber) derives from this root, concretizing the idea of 'that which is across/passed over'—i.e., the region or space on the far side.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, עֵבֶר functions primarily as a geographical descriptor for places, tribes, or regions situated across a natural boundary (especially rivers). Notably, 'עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן' (“across the Jordan”) became a standard phrase for lands east of the Jordan River—the territory into which the Transjordanian tribes settled. Its usage is relative, depending on the speaker's location: from Canaan, עֵבֶר usually means the land east of the Jordan, but from the east, it could indicate the land to the west. The term also underlies the ethnonym עִבְרִי (Ivri, ‘Hebrew’), which originally identified individuals “from across” (the Euphrates or another significant boundary), distinguishing early Israelites from other local groups. Later English translations often obscure its relational and directional nuance, reducing it to 'beyond' or 'other side', which sometimes over-literalizes or abstracts the contextual meaning.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from עָבַר; properly, a region across; but used only adverbially (with or without a preposition) on the opposite side (especially of the Jordan; ususally meaning the east); [idiom] against, beyond, by, [idiom] from, over, passage, quarter, (other, this) side, straight.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
עבר (ʿ-b-r) — to pass over, to cross, to go beyond
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4569 | מַעֲבָר | the crossing-places |
| H5668 | עָבוּר | for the sake of |
| H5669 | עָבוּר | from carried-over grain of |
| H5674 | עָבַר | I will cause to pass over |
| H5675 | עֲבַר | he crossed over |
Word Forms
13 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5676-02 |
בְּ/עֵ֣בֶר | beever | HR/Ncmsc |
beyond | in the region beyond of | 32 |
H5676-09 |
מֵ/עֵ֤בֶר | meever | HR/Ncmsc |
beyond | from the far side of | 26 |
H5676-04 |
עֵ֥בֶר | ever | HNcmsc |
beyond | far side | 17 |
H5676-12 |
וּ/מֵ/עֵ֜בֶר | umeever | HC/R/Ncmsa |
and beyond | and from the far side | 3 |
H5676-07 |
לְ/עֵ֣בֶר | leever | HR/Ncmsa |
by-the-side-of | to the far side | 3 |
H5676-10 |
מֵ/הָ/עֵ֨בֶר֙ | mehaever | HR/Td/Ncmsa |
from-the-side | from the far side | 2 |
H5676-01 |
עֲבָרָ֖י/ו | avarayv | HNcmpc/Sp3ms |
his borders | his far sides | 2 |
H5676-03 |
בְּ/עֶבְרֵ֤י | beeverey | HR/Ncmpc |
from beyond | in the regions beyond | 2 |
H5676-08 |
לְ/עֶבְר/וֹ֙ | leevero | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
to-his-quarter | to his far side | 1 |
H5676-13 |
ב/עבר | vvr | HR/Ncmsc |
beyond | region across | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
92 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5676-02 |
Genesis 50:10 | בְּ/עֵ֣בֶר | beever | HR/Ncmsc |
beyond | in the region beyond of |
H5676-02 |
Genesis 50:11 | בְּ/עֵ֥בֶר | beever | HR/Ncmsc |
beyond | in the region beyond of |
H5676-04 |
Exodus 25:37 | עֵ֥בֶר | ever | HNcmsc |
side | far side |
H5676-04 |
Exodus 28:26 | עֵ֥בֶר | ever | HNcmsc |
side | far side |
H5676-05 |
Exodus 32:15 | עֶבְרֵי/הֶ֔ם | evereyhem | HNcmpc/Sp3mp |
their sides | their far-side regions |
H5676-04 |
Exodus 39:19 | עֵ֥בֶר | ever | HNcmsc |
side | far side |
H5676-09 |
Numbers 21:13 | מֵ/עֵ֤בֶר | meever | HR/Ncmsc |
on the other side of | from the far side of |
H5676-09 |
Numbers 22:1 | מֵ/עֵ֖בֶר | meever | HR/Ncmsa |
beyond | from the far side of |
H5676-09 |
Numbers 32:19 | מֵ/עֵ֥בֶר | meever | HR/Ncmsa |
from-beyond | from the far side of |
H5676-09 |
Numbers 32:19 | מֵ/עֵ֥בֶר | meever-2 | HR/Ncmsc |
from-beyond | from the far side of |