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בַּר

𐤁𐤓

bar

H1247 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בר to be clear, pure (in Aramaic); to be a son, descendant (as a noun)

Definition

Male offspring, son; by extension, male descendant or member of a group. In Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, primarily denotes a biological son, but can also refer to a descendant, member, or, in certain constructions, a person characterized by a particular trait (e.g., 'son of old age,' i.e., elderly or aged person; 'sons of the exile,' i.e., those belonging to the group of returnees from exile).

Semantic Range

son, male child, descendant, member of a group, person of a particular quality or characteristic (in idioms), grandson, aged person (idiomatically as 'son of old age')

Root / Etymology

Aramaic noun בַּר (bar), from the Semitic root בר, which in Aramaic primarily means 'to be clear, pure' but has developed independently as the common word for 'son.' While its Hebrew cognate בֵּן (ben) is almost exclusively used for 'son' in Hebrew, בַּר (bar) functions as the regular Aramaic term. Occasionally, the Hebrew Bible uses בַּר in poetic or borrowed senses from Aramaic.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בַּר is the standard Aramaic term for 'son,' as used in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (notably in Daniel and Ezra), as well as in post-biblical Aramaic sources. During exilic and post-exilic periods, with increased Aramaic linguistic influence, names and phrases with בַּר become more prevalent, especially for people and legal formulas. In certain idiomatic Aramaic expressions, 'bar' plus an abstract noun forms an expression for a person characterized by that quality (e.g., 'bar nas,' literally 'son of man,' meaning 'a person, human being'), a usage later influential in both Jewish and early Christian literature. The word should not be confused with the Hebrew בַּר meaning 'grain' or 'clean/pure.' Standard English translations as 'son' generally capture the lexical meaning, but in Aramaic idiom, 'bar' can have broader applicability, including membership in a group or conveying characteristic traits.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to בֵּן; a son, grandson, etc.; [idiom] old, son.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בר (b-r) — son, descendant; (Aramaic) clarity, purity

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1248 בַּר my son
H1268 בֵּרוֹתָה Berothah

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1247-01 בַּר bar ANcmsc son of winnowed grain 3
H1247-03 כְּ/בַ֥ר kevar AR/Ncmsc like a son Kebar Canal 2
H1247-02 בְּרֵ/הּ֙ bereh ANcmsc/Sp3ms his son his son 1
H1247-04 לְ/בַר levar AR/Ncmsc a son of to a son of 1
H1247-05 בַר var ANcmsc son of son 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1247-04 Daniel 3:25 לְ/בַר levar AR/Ncmsc a son of to a son of
H1247-02 Daniel 5:22 בְּרֵ/הּ֙ bereh ANcmsc/Sp3ms his son his son
H1247-03 Daniel 6:1 כְּ/בַ֥ר kevar AR/Ncmsc as-son Kebar Canal
H1247-03 Daniel 7:13 כְּ/בַ֥ר kevar AR/Ncmsc like a son Kebar Canal
H1247-05 Ezra 5:1 בַר var ANcmsc son of son
H1247-01 Ezra 5:2 בַּר bar ANcmsc son of winnowed grain
H1247-01 Ezra 5:2 בַּר bar-2 ANcmsc son of winnowed grain
H1247-01 Ezra 6:14 בַּר bar ANcmsc son winnowed grain
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