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שְׁאֵר

𐤔𐤀𐤓

shᵉʼêr

H7607 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שאר to remain, to be left over, to be spared

Definition

flesh, body, or physical substance of a living being; by extension, blood relative or kin. Primarily denotes the physical body or substance of a person or animal, but also serves as a designation for a close family member or kin, emphasizing corporeal connectedness and shared lineage. In some contexts, may simply refer to bodily flesh or, rarely, as food in a general sense.

Semantic Range

flesh, body, physical substance, kin, blood relative, close family, (rarely) food or provisions

Root / Etymology

From the root שאר (sheʼr), traditionally associated with the meaning 'to remain, to be left over.' The noun שְׁאֵר most likely derives from the idea of what remains (the body or flesh as that which remains or is left). Relationship to food or kin is secondary, developing from the primary sense of the physical body and, by extension, those who share the same flesh (i.e., kin).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שְׁאֵר is used to denote the physical, tangible flesh or body, as well as a metaphor for familial closeness and kinship, especially referencing blood relatives (Lev 18:6, 18, indicating prohibitions against marrying close kin). In post-exilic and later periods, the semantic focus on kinship persists, and the term comes to represent close family relations and extended family (as opposed to other terms for blood relatives, such as גּוֹאֵל 'redeemer', which connotes a legal familial role). In rabbinic literature and translation traditions, particularly in the Septuagint, it is sometimes rendered as 'flesh' or 'body,' and at times as 'relative,' but the nuance of physical and kin-related closeness is maintained. Standard English translations often render the word as 'flesh,' 'body,' or 'kin,' but may obscure the overlap between physicality and kinship inherent in the term. The idea of 'food' is marginal and occurs only in a few instances (e.g., as meat or provisions), but this sense is not predominant in biblical usage. The word is distinct from בָּשָׂר (basar), which broadly means 'flesh' or 'meat' and is the primary biblical term for physical flesh as food.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁאַר; flesh (as swelling out), as living or forfood; generally food of any kind; figuratively, kindred by blood; body, flesh, food, (near) kin(-sman, -swoman), near (nigh) (of kin).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שאר (sh-ʾ-r) — remain, be left over, be spared

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4863 מִשְׁאֶרֶת their kneading-troughs
H7603 שְׂאֹר leavening remnant
H7604 שָׁאַר the remaining one
H7606 שְׁאָר in remainder-of
H7608 שַׁאֲרָה female blood-kin

Word Forms

9 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7607-03 שְׁאֵ֣ר sheer HNcmsc flesh flesh-of 6
H7607-01 לִ/שְׁאֵר֔/וֹ lisheero HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms for his kin for his flesh 2
H7607-06 שְׁאֵר֛/וֹ sheero HNcmsc/Sp3ms his flesh his flesh 2
H7607-07 וּ/שְׁאֵרָ֖/ם usheeram HC/Ncmsc/Sp3mp and their flesh and their flesh 1
H7607-08 וּ/שְׁאֵרֶֽ/ךָ usheerekha HC/Ncmsc/Sp2ms and your body and your flesh 1
H7607-09 וּ/שְׁאֵרִ/י֙ usheeri HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs and my flesh and my flesh 1
H7607-02 מִ/שְּׁאֵ֧ר misheer HR/Ncmsc from his from flesh of 1
H7607-05 שְׁאֵרִ֗/י sheeri HNcmsc/Sp1cs and my heart my flesh 1
H7607-04 שְׁאֵרָ֛/הּ sheerah HNcmsc/Sp3fs her food her flesh 1

Occurrences in Scripture

16 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7607-04 Exodus 21:10 שְׁאֵרָ֛/הּ sheerah HNcmsc/Sp3fs her food her flesh
H7607-03 Leviticus 18:6 שְׁאֵ֣ר sheer HNcmsc relative flesh-of
H7607-03 Leviticus 18:12 שְׁאֵ֥ר sheer HNcmsc close relative flesh-of
H7607-03 Leviticus 18:13 שְׁאֵ֥ר sheer HNcmsc flesh flesh-of
H7607-06 Leviticus 20:19 שְׁאֵר֛/וֹ sheero HNcmsc/Sp3ms his near kin his flesh
H7607-01 Leviticus 21:2 לִ/שְׁאֵר֔/וֹ lisheero HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms for his kin for his flesh
H7607-02 Leviticus 25:49 מִ/שְּׁאֵ֧ר misheer HR/Ncmsc from his from flesh of
H7607-01 Numbers 27:11 לִ/שְׁאֵר֞/וֹ lisheero HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms to his relative for his flesh
H7607-09 Jeremiah 51:35 וּ/שְׁאֵרִ/י֙ usheeri HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs and my flesh and my flesh
H7607-07 Micah 3:2 וּ/שְׁאֵרָ֖/ם usheeram HC/Ncmsc/Sp3mp and their flesh and their flesh
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