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שָׁשַׁר

𐤔𐤔𐤓

shâshar

H8350 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁרר to be firm, to be hard, to be intense

Definition

A pigment or dye of intense red hue, specifically referring to a bright red or vermilion color. Used in the Hebrew Bible to describe a striking, vivid red used for decoration or painting, especially in architectural and ceremonial contexts. Its primary lexical sense encompasses both the color quality (vividly red) and the material (red ochre, vermilion pigment).

Semantic Range

brilliant red pigment, vermilion, red ochre, material for decoration, color description; by extension, object colored in vivid red

Root / Etymology

The word is likely derived from the root שָׁרַר (sharar), meaning 'to be firm, to be hard,' possibly via a form associated with the vivid color of the ripe grape cluster (שָׂרֻק, saruq; 'red cluster'). The etymological connection suggests a semantic development from firmness or hardness (root idea) to the concentrated intensity of red pigment. However, the exact derivation is uncertain and has been the subject of scholarly debate.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שָׁשַׁר appears as a term for a specific kind of red pigment—vermilion or red ochre—used particularly in decorative painting. It is mentioned in the context of house decoration (e.g., the portrayal of painted walls, Ezekiel 23:14), reflecting practices of luxury and foreign artistic influence in later Israelite and Judahite periods. The word implies a manufactured mineral or perhaps imported pigment rather than a naturally occurring red earth. Its usage points to contact with wider Levantine and Near Eastern material culture, where vermilion was a luxury imported commodity. While many English translations use 'vermillion,' this choice sometimes narrows the term's possible reference, as it may have broadly included any bright red pigment. In the Septuagint and Vulgate, the term is generally rendered with words denoting a vivid red color. The association of שָׁשַׁר is almost always negative or neutral, often highlighting foreign, luxurious, or idolatrous practices rather than indigenous ritual uses. It is distinct from other Hebrew words for red (e.g.,אָדֹם, adom) in that it implies a high-quality pigment or dye rather than the generic color.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

perhaps from the base of שָׁרַר in the sense of that of שָׂרֻק; red ochre (from its piercing color); vermillion.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁרר (sh-r-r) — firmness, hardness, intensity

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8270 שֹׁר your umbilical cord
H8307 שְׁרִירוּת in hardened self-will of
H8324 שָׁרַר to my opponents
H8326 שֹׁרֶר your navel

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8350-01 בַּ/שָּׁשַֽׁר bashashar HRd/Ncmsa with vermilion intense red pigment 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8350-01 Jeremiah 22:14 בַּ/שָּׁשַֽׁר bashashar HRd/Ncmsa with vermilion intense red pigment
H8350-01 Ezekiel 23:14 בַּ/שָּׁשַֽׁר bashashar HRd/Ncmsa with vermilion intense red pigment
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