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שֵׂעִיר

𐤔𐤏𐤉𐤓

Seir

H8165 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׂער to be hairy, to be rough, to be shaggy

Definition

Proper noun designating a mountainous region (Seir) located primarily southeast of the Land of Israel, as well as the region's indigenous population. The term also appears as a toponym associated with a prominent hill country and, by extension, its inhabitants. In some contexts, the word is used more generically for rugged, wooded terrain or mountainous territory. The lexical meaning relates to 'hairy' or 'rough,' echoing the typical root sense, but in this proper name it designates a place rather than describing texture or appearance.

Semantic Range

Seir (mountainous region southeast of Israel), inhabitants of Seir (Edomites; pre-Edomite peoples), rough or wooded terrain, (rarely) a northern Judean hill region

Root / Etymology

From the triliteral root שׂער (ś-ʿ-r) meaning 'to be hairy, rough.' The noun form שֵׂעִיר (sēʿîr) in common usage means 'he-goat' or 'hairy one,' which refers to the animal's rough, shaggy hair. As a proper noun, Seir designates a mountainous region associated with a rugged, wild landscape, metaphorically described as 'hairy' or 'rough.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, Seir refers most prominently to the region inhabited by the Edomites (descendants of Esau) south and southeast of the Dead Sea, forming the core of Edomite territory. Seir is also mentioned as the home of pre-Edomite peoples. The association between Seir and 'hairiness' is paralleled by Esau's description as 'hairy,' further linking ethnicity, geography, and appearance in the narrative. Standard English translations typically render the term as 'Seir,' but sometimes do not make explicit the connotations of wildness or roughness implied by the root. The term is occasionally used generically for rugged terrain, but most frequently as a specific geographic designation. When referring to the land, its inhabitants are sometimes called 'the people of Seir.' In a few passages, 'Seir' also denotes a region in the north of Canaan (e.g., Joshua 15:10), but these are rare and less securely identified.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

formed like שָׂעִיר; rough; Seir, a mountain of Idumaea and its aboriginal occupants, also one in Palestine; Seir.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂער (ś-ʿ-r) — to be hairy, to be rough, to be shaggy

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8163 שָׂעִיר the shaggy male-goat
H8164 שָׂעִיר tempestuous downpours
H8166 שְׂעִירָה she-goat of
H8167 שְׂעִירָה to the Seirah
H8175 שָׂעַר was storm-tossed

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8165-03 שֵׂעִ֑יר seir HNp Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands 26
H8165-01 בְּ/שֵׂעִ֖יר beseir HR/Np in Seir in Seir 5
H8165-02 מִ/שֵּׂעִיר֙ miseir HR/Np from Seir from Seir 3
H8165-04 שֵׂעִֽירָ/ה seirah HNp/Sd to Seir Rough-Hill Seir 3
H8165-05 וּ/בְ/שֵׂעִ֞יר uveseir HC/R/Np and-in-Seir and in Seir 1
H8165-06 וְ/שֵׂעִ֔יר veseir HC/Np and Seir and Seir-Roughland 1

Occurrences in Scripture

39 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8165-03 Genesis 14:6 שֵׂעִ֑יר seir HNp Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands
H8165-03 Genesis 32:4 שֵׂעִ֖יר seir HNp Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands
H8165-04 Genesis 33:14 שֵׂעִֽירָ/ה seirah HNp/Sd Seir Rough-Hill Seir
H8165-04 Genesis 33:16 שֵׂעִֽירָ/ה seirah HNp/Sd to Seir Rough-Hill Seir
H8165-03 Genesis 36:8 שֵׂעִ֔יר seir HNp of Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands
H8165-03 Genesis 36:9 שֵׂעִֽיר seir HNp of Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands
H8165-03 Genesis 36:20 שֵׂעִיר֙ seir HNp Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands
H8165-03 Genesis 36:21 שֵׂעִ֖יר seir HNp Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands
H8165-03 Genesis 36:30 שֵׂעִֽיר seir HNp of Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands
H8165-03 Numbers 24:18 שֵׂעִ֖יר seir HNp Seir Seir, the Rough Highlands
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