בְּאֵ֥ר

𐤁𐤀𐤓

beer

of Beersheba

from בְּאֵר and שֶׁבַע (in the sense of שָׁבַע); well of an oath; Beer-Sheba, a place in Palestine; Beer-shebah.

H884

Genesis 21:14 · Word #20

Lexicon H884

Lemmaבְּאֵר שֶׁבַע
Lemma (Paleo)𐤁𐤀𐤓 𐤔𐤁𐤏
TransliterationBᵉʼêr Shebaʻ
Strong'sH884
In-contextof Beersheba

Morphology HNp All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype p — Proper Name — Proper name

SIBI-P1 H884-01

Well-of-the-Oath

Rootבאר (b-ʾ-r)
Core Meaningswell, spring, water-source, pit
Semantic RangeA physical well or spring; by extension, a named settlement centered on such a well; symbolically, a place of oath-making or covenantal agreement.
Conceptual SignificanceBeer-sheba marks a southern boundary of Israel and is associated with patriarchal covenant-making (Genesis 21; 26). Its name memorializes an oath sworn over a well, intertwining themes of provision (water-source) and sworn covenant fidelity.
Morphological Notesבְּאֵר is a feminine singular noun meaning "well"; in the compound בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע it appears in construct form. The term functions as a proper noun (HNp), designating a specific geographic location.
Rendering RationaleThe name בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע combines בְּאֵר ("well," feminine singular construct) with שֶׁבַע ("seven" or "oath," from the root meaning to swear). Rendering it "Well-of-the-Oath" preserves the concrete root sense of a water-source (באר) and reflects the covenantal nuance of שבע, while maintaining the singular place-name form indicated by the proper noun morphology (HNp; HNcfsc in construct).

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root באר (well, spring, water-source, pit)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H876-01 beerah Beer-ward
H882-01 beeri Well-Man
H875-01 beerot dug-wells of
H877-01 borot dug-cisterns
H875-02 habeer the dug-well
H886-01 habeeroti the Wells-man
H875-03 labeer to the dug-well
H884-05 uveer and Beʾer-Shevaʿ (Well-of-the-Oath)
H881-01 uveerot and Wells
H875-04 veer a dug well

Word Usage (68 occurrences of H884)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 21:14 בְּאֵ֥ר beer of Beersheba
Genesis 21:14 שָֽׁבַע shava of Beersheba
Genesis 21:31 בְּאֵ֣ר beer Beer