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עָר

𐤏𐤓

ʻâr

H6145 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עוּר to be awake, to rouse, to stir up

Definition

A hostile opponent, adversary, or enemy—especially one who is actively engaged in opposition or conflict. Refers broadly to one who stands in an antagonistic relationship, commonly used of personal, national, or military foes. The term implies a readiness for action characteristic of someone who lies in wait or is vigilant in enmity, but does not inherently specify the scale (from individual to nation) or the means of opposition.

Semantic Range

enemy, foe, adversary, vigilant opponent, one lying in wait, one actively hostile

Root / Etymology

Root/Etymology: Derived from the root עוּר (ʿ-w-r), whose primary sense is 'to awaken, rouse, stir up.' The nominal formation indicates one who is roused or vigilant. The actual lexical meaning, 'enemy, foe,' reflects the idea of someone who is watchful, alert, or stirred up against another, often in a hostile capacity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word עָר is relatively rare in the Hebrew Bible, occurring chiefly in poetic or elevated speech, such as in Psalms or prophetic books. The concept of vigilance or alertness is integral to its meaning, drawing upon the underlying verbal idea of being awake or stirred. In most contexts, it denotes an enemy with a sense of readiness or deliberate antagonism. Unlike the more common words for enemy—such as אוֹיֵב (oyev), a straightforward foe/adversary, or צוֹרֵר (tzorer), one who harasses—the term עָר can emphasize the aspect of alertness or intentional hostility. Later translations sometimes render this with generic terms like 'enemy,' potentially losing the nuance of active vigilance, but the core rhetorical sense remains clear. There is no specific association with particular periods or political enemies, and the word is not used in later periods as a technical term for specific historical foes. Its usage does not overlap with later ethnic or religious designations such as 'Jew' or 'Judahite.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עוּר; a foe (as watchful for mischief); enemy.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עור (ʿ-w-r) — to be awake, to rouse, to stir up

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H216 אוֹר in the skin
H219 אוֹרָה skins of
H4589 מָעוֹר their exposed genitals
H5782 עוּר Let me rouse up
H5783 עוּר she will be roused

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6145-01 עָרֶֽ/ךָ arekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your enemy your vigilant foe 1
H6145-02 עָרֶֽי/ךָ areykha HNcmpc/Sp2ms your-enemies your cities 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6145-01 1 Samuel 28:16 עָרֶֽ/ךָ arekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your enemy your vigilant foe
H6145-02 Psalms 139:20 עָרֶֽי/ךָ areykha HNcmpc/Sp2ms your-enemies your cities
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