בֹּאר
𐤁𐤀𐤓
bôʼr
H877 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A pit or cistern, typically an excavated or natural hole in the ground used to collect and store water. The term may also refer more broadly to a well, reservoir, or, in certain contexts, a prison or place of confinement. The primary lexical sense centers on its function as a receptacle for water collection, but can extend metaphorically or functionally to other physical or symbolic pits.
Semantic Range
cistern, water storage pit, artificial reservoir for water, well (rare in this form); by extension: any excavated receptacle for water
Root / Etymology
Likely derived from the root באר (Bʼ-ʼ-R), meaning 'to dig, to excavate' (especially relating to wells or water sources). While בֹּאר (bôʼr) structurally resembles the more common בּוֹר (bôr, H953 'pit, cistern'), the spelling with א is rare, and the relationship is debated among scholars. The root באר provides the semantic field for water sources: digging or hewing out a space for water collection.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בֹּאר (bôʼr) appears in only a couple of passages (notably Deuteronomy 6:11 and 2 Kings 18:31//Isaiah 36:16), where it refers specifically to water cisterns provided or owned within habitations. The term is cognate with, but distinct from, בּוֹר (bôr), which typically refers to a pit (sometimes used for imprisonment or grave), and from בְּאֵר (bəʼēr), the standard term for well (often referencing naturally occurring or perennial water sources). In the biblical context, cisterns were central to agricultural and domestic life, particularly in rain-fed environments. English translations often render the term as 'cistern,' but may not capture the particular nuance between a cut-out rock reservoir and a spring-fed well. The distinction is important in historical terms: cisterns were vulnerable to drought or enemy action (e.g., being stopped up), while wells offered a more secure, if rarer, water supply. Later periods saw the meanings of related terms sometimes overlap or merge in post-biblical Hebrew, but in the First Temple period, distinctions between בֹּאר, בּוֹר, and בְּאֵר were more acute. The spelling of בֹּאר is rare and possibly archaic, and is never used interchangeably with the common grave or prison sense of בּוֹר.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בָּאַר; a cistern; cistern.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
באר (b-ʾ-r) — to dig, to excavate, to create a well or pit
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H874 | בָּאַר | clearly explain |
| H875 | בְּאֵר | dug well |
| H876 | בְּאֵר | toward Well-place |
| H878 | בְּאֵרָא | Beera |
| H880 | בְּאֵרָה | Well-Spring |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H877-01 |
בֹּאר֔וֹת | borot | HNcmpa |
cisterns | excavated cisterns | 2 | |
H877-02 |
מִ/בֹּ֥אר | mibor | HR/Ncmsc |
from the well | from a water-cistern | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H877-02 |
2 Samuel 23:15 | מִ/בֹּ֥אר | mibor | HR/Ncmsc |
from the well | from a water-cistern | |
H877-02 |
2 Samuel 23:16 | מִ/בֹּ֤אר | mibor | HR/Ncmsc |
from the well | from a water-cistern | |
H877-01 |
Jeremiah 2:13 | בֹּאר֔וֹת | borot | HNcmpa |
cisterns | excavated cisterns | |
H877-01 |
Jeremiah 2:13 | בֹּארֹת֙ | borot-2 | HNcmpa |
cisterns | excavated cisterns |