בֶּסֶר
𐤁𐤎𐤓
beçer
H1154 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Unripe fruit, especially an immature grape that has not yet reached full sweetness; the term primarily denotes fruit in an early stage of development, notably when still tart or sour.
Semantic Range
unripe grape, immature grape, tart/unripe fruit, sour grape, fruit before ripening
Root / Etymology
Hebrew root uncertain; likely related to notions of 'being unripe' or 'sour', but the root is not attested elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible or in securely related cognates. The form בֶּסֶר (beṣer) itself occurs only in the sense of unripe fruit.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term בֶּסֶר (beṣer) appears in the Hebrew Bible in contexts describing early-stage fruits, particularly grapes, that have not yet matured. Its usage (e.g., Isaiah 18:5) emphasizes the incomplete or undeveloped state of the fruit, distinguishing it from fully ripe produce. There is no evidence to support its use for fermented or fully developed fruit. Unlike the common Hebrew term עֵנָב (ʿēnāb, 'grape'), בֶּסֶר highlights immaturity and sourness and is distinct from terms for firstfruits (e.g., בִּכּוּרִים bikkurim), which refer to the first ripe specimens. The word is rare and appears only in poetic or descriptive settings. Later rabbinic Hebrew preserves the term, particularly in agricultural and legal discussions about when grapes are considered mature regarding ritual or tithing obligations. English translations often render it as 'unripe grape,' but this may obscure the broader sense of 'unripe/tart fruit.' In post-biblical usage, the word sometimes refers more generally to unripeness beyond grapes. No evidence suggests it had the technical or symbolic significance of other firstfruit terminology.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to be sour; an immature grape; unripe grape.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בסר (b-s-r) — to be sour, to be unripe
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1155 | בֹּסֶר | the unripe grape |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1154-01 |
בִּסְר֑/וֹ | bisero | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
its unripe grape | his unripe grape | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1154-01 |
Job 15:33 | בִּסְר֑/וֹ | bisero | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
its unripe grape | his unripe grape |