בְּ/מִדְבַּר
𐤁/𐤌𐤃𐤁𐤓
bemidebar
in 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.
Numbers 33:11 · Word #5
Lexicon H4057
| Lemma | מִדְבָּר |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤃𐤁𐤓 |
| Transliteration | midbâr |
| Strong's | H4057 |
| In-context | in the wilderness |
Morphology HR/Ncmsc
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 | c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word |
SIBI-P1 H4057-02
in the driven pasture-land of
| Root | דבר (d-b-r) |
| Core Meanings | to drive, lead, guide; to arrange words, speak |
| Semantic Range | pasture-land, open range, steppe, wilderness, desert, uninhabited region; occasionally associated conceptually with speech through the shared root דבר |
| Conceptual Significance | The מִדְבָּר is the formative space of Israel’s testing, provision, and covenant encounter. It is both a place of desolation and divine guidance—where YHWH drives, leads, and shepherds His people, shaping them into a covenant nation. |
| Morphological Notes | Preposition בְּ ("in") + masculine singular noun מִדְבָּר in construct state (Ncmsc). The construct form links the noun to a following genitive relationship ("… of"). |
| Rendering Rationale | מִדְבָּר derives from the root דבר in its older sense of "driving" or "leading" (as livestock), referring to open land where flocks are driven. Rendering it "driven pasture-land" preserves this pastoral root sense rather than only the later sense "desert." The prefixed בְּ is reflected by "in," and the construct singular form is marked by "of," indicating it governs a following noun. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root דבר (to drive, lead, guide; to arrange words, speak)
| 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 |