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אֲשֶׁר

𐤀𐤔𐤓

ʼăsher

H834 particle

SILEX Entry

Definition

A relative pronoun introducing dependent clauses, referring to persons, things, places, or concepts, often translated as 'who,' 'which,' 'that,' or 'what.' In some syntactic environments, it functions adverbially ('where,' 'when,' 'how') or as a conjunction ('because,' 'since,' 'in order that'). The particle thus serves to connect modifying or explanatory clauses to their referents in main clauses. Its usage encompasses both restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses, as well as a variety of idiomatic extensions in context.

Semantic Range

relative pronoun (who, which, that, what); adverbial marker (when, where, how, whence); conjunction (because, in order that, since); idiomatic uses (as soon as, until, though, if, whithersoever, whensoever)

Root / Etymology

From the root אשר (א-ש-ר), whose base meaning is 'to go straight, be right, be happy/blessed.' The particle אֲשֶׁר is likely derived from this root, suggesting an original sense of 'that which is straight/right,' developing semantically to mark or introduce clauses that further define or identify.

Historical & Contextual Notes

אֲשֶׁר is the primary relative marker in Biblical Hebrew, used with antecedents of all genders and numbers, and is indeclinable. In early Israelite (pre-exilic) texts, אֲשֶׁר predominates over later alternatives (e.g., שֶׁ in Late Biblical Hebrew). Its frequency and syntactic flexibility have encouraged its expansion into causal (‘because’), consecutive, and adverbial roles, though the sense is always derivable from its core relative function. In poetic texts, אֲשֶׁר sometimes carries extended or elliptical meanings, especially in parallelism. In some idiomatic contexts, traditional English rendering as 'which,' 'that,' or 'who' is insufficient, failing to capture its broader nuance (e.g., temporal or causal functions). Rabbinic Hebrew and later texts tend to replace it increasingly with שֶׁ, marking a diachronic transition. English translations sometimes mask the syntactic role of אֲשֶׁר by rendering it according to target-language requirements rather than its underlying grammatical function.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.; [idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever, when, where ([phrase] -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, [phrase] whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

אשר (Ashur) — to go straight, to be happy, to be blessed

Root אשר to go straight, be right, be happy/blessed
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H804 אַשּׁוּר Ashshur
H835 אֶשֶׁר his happinesses
H837 אֹשֶׁר in my prosperity
H839 אֲשֻׁר straight conifers
H8391 תְּאַשּׁוּר upright-growing tree

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H834-01 אֲשֶׁ֨ר asher HTr that that-which that which 4808
H834-04 כַּֽ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר kaasher HR/Tr as as that which as 489
H834-12 וַ/אֲשֶׁ֧ר vaasher HC/Tr and who and that-which and that-which 107
H834-07 לַ/אֲשֶׁ֧ר laasher HR/Tr to the one who to that-which to that-which 23
H834-02 בַּ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר baasher HR/Tr where in that-which in that-which 15
H834-08 מֵ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר measher HR/Tr than from that-which from that-which 15
H834-13 וְ/כַ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר vekhaasher HC/R/Tr and as and as/that which and as 15
H834-14 וְ/לַ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר velaasher HC/R/Tr and to those who and to that which and to those who 15
H834-05 כַ/אֲשֶׁר khaasher HR/Tr when just as just as 6
H834-11 וּ/בַ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר uvaasher HC/R/Tr and-in-that and in which and where 4

Occurrences in Scripture

5503 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H834-01 Genesis 1:7 אֲשֶׁר֙ asher HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 1:7 אֲשֶׁ֖ר asher-2 HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 1:11 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr in which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 1:12 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr in which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 1:21 אֲשֶׁר֩ asher HTr that that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 1:29 אֲשֶׁר֙ asher HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 1:29 אֲשֶׁר asher-2 HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 1:30 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 1:31 אֲשֶׁ֣ר asher HTr that that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 2:2 אֲשֶׁ֣ר asher HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 2:2 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher-2 HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 2:3 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 2:8 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr whom that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 2:11 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr where that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 2:19 אֲשֶׁ֨ר asher HTr that that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 2:22 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 3:1 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr which that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 3:3 אֲשֶׁ֣ר asher HTr which that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 3:11 אֲשֶׁ֧ר asher HTr which that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 3:12 אֲשֶׁ֣ר asher HTr whom that-which whom
H834-01 Genesis 3:17 אֲשֶׁ֤ר asher HTr which that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 3:23 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 4:11 אֲשֶׁ֣ר asher HTr which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 5:5 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr that that-which that
H834-01 Genesis 5:29 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr which that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 6:2 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr whom/which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 6:4 אֲשֶׁ֨ר asher HTr when that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 6:4 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher-2 HTr who that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 6:7 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr whom that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 6:15 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr [is] how that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 6:17 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr in which that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 6:17 אֲשֶׁר asher-2 HTr that that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 6:21 אֲשֶׁ֣ר asher HTr that that-which that
H834-01 Genesis 6:22 אֲשֶׁ֨ר asher HTr that that-which that
H834-01 Genesis 7:2 אֲ֠שֶׁר asher HTr that that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 7:4 אֲשֶׁ֣ר asher HTr that / which that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 7:5 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr that that-which that
H834-01 Genesis 7:8 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr that that-which that
H834-01 Genesis 7:8 אֲשֶׁר asher-2 HTr that that-which that
H834-04 Genesis 7:9 כַּֽ/אֲשֶׁ֛ר kaasher HR/Tr as as that which as that which
H834-01 Genesis 7:15 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr in which that-which that which
H834-04 Genesis 7:16 כַּֽ/אֲשֶׁ֛ר kaasher HR/Tr as as that which as
H834-01 Genesis 7:19 אֲשֶׁר asher HTr that that-which that
H834-01 Genesis 7:22 אֲשֶׁר֩ asher HTr that that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 7:22 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher-2 HTr that that-which that which
H834-01 Genesis 7:23 אֲשֶׁ֣ר asher HTr that that-which that which
H834-12 Genesis 7:23 וַֽ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר vaasher HC/Tr and those and that-which and that-which
H834-01 Genesis 8:1 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr that that-which that
H834-01 Genesis 8:6 אֲשֶׁ֥ר asher HTr which that-which which
H834-01 Genesis 8:17 אֲשֶֽׁר asher HTr that that-which that
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