לַ/מִּדְבָּ֑ר
𐤋/𐤌𐤃𐤁𐤓
lamidebar
of the wilderness
from דָבַר in the sense of driving; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs); desert, south, speech, wilderness.
2 Chronicles 20:24 · Word #5
Lexicon H4057
| Lemma | מִדְבָּר |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤃𐤁𐤓 |
| Transliteration | midbâr |
| Strong's | H4057 |
| In-context | of the wilderness |
Morphology HRd/Ncmsa
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
| State | a — Absolute — The noun stands independently |
SIBI-P1 H4057-07
to the driving-wilderness
| Root | דבר (d-b-r) |
| Core Meanings | to drive, to lead, to speak, to order |
| Semantic Range | pastureland, open rangeland, steppe, wilderness, desert, uninhabited region; by extension a place of isolation or testing |
| Conceptual Significance | The מִדְבָּר is the formative space of Israel’s testing, dependence, and divine encounter. It evokes both physical barrenness and the ordered leading of a flock, highlighting YHWH as shepherd who drives and guides His people through desolation toward covenant faithfulness. |
| Morphological Notes | Preposition לְ ("to") with assimilated definite article (lamed + ha- > לַ) prefixed to a masculine singular absolute noun (Ncmsa). The dagesh in מ reflects assimilation of the article. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun מִדְבָּר derives from the root דבר in its sense of driving or leading, originally referring to open land where flocks are driven. Rendering it as "driving-wilderness" preserves this pastoral root imagery rather than treating it as a generic desert. The prefixed לַ indicates "to the," and the form is masculine singular absolute with the definite article assimilated, hence "to the driving-wilderness." |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root דבר (to drive, to lead, to speak, to order)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H1696-01 |
adaber | I will declare |
H1696-02 |
adaberah | Let me speak forth |
H1697-01 |
badavar | in the word |
Word Usage (271 occurrences of H4057)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 14:6 | הַ/מִּדְבָּֽר | hamidebar | the wilderness |
| Genesis 16:7 | בַּ/מִּדְבָּ֑ר | bamidebar | in the wilderness |
| Genesis 21:14 | בְּ/מִדְבַּ֖ר | bemidebar | in the wilderness |