עָבַר

𐤏𐤁𐤓

ʻâbar

H5674 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To pass over, cross, or traverse a physical or conceptual boundary; to proceed beyond or through, whether literally (crossing a river, territory, or threshold) or figuratively (overcoming, transgressing, or passing a point of time or action). Used in a wide variety of contexts, including: moving from one side to another, the passing of years or time, the act of transgressing a command or limit, removal or taking away, experiencing or enduring an event, causing something or someone to cross or move, and in specific idioms such as proclaiming (as in 'to make something pass over the lips') and in euphemisms for sexual intercourse (to cover or enter).

Semantic Range

to cross (a river, road, boundary), to traverse a distance, to go through, to pass by, to pass away (cease to exist), to make something or someone cross, to transfer, to remove, to escape, to transgress a law or command, to proclaim (cause to be proclaimed), to cover sexually, to incite anger, to alter, to travel, to change condition, to be delivered or handed over

Root / Etymology

Root ע-ב-ר (עָבַר); core meaning: to cross, pass over. The verb derives directly from the root, with the base idea of movement from one side to another, whether physical, temporal, or metaphorical. Its various stems (Qal, Piel, Hiphil, etc.) express simple, intensive, and causative nuances of 'passing over' or 'causing to pass over.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

עָבַר is one of the most widely used and polyvalent verbs in Biblical Hebrew, covering literal, spatial movement (crossing a river, entering a land), temporal transitions (passing days or years), as well as metaphorical senses (transgression of laws, removal, transferal, changing status). In legal and prophetic contexts, it often refers to transgressing commandments or authority, hence developments such as 'transgressor.' The act of proclaiming (e.g., Jubilees, announcements) involves the idiomatic use 'to make pass over' the land or people. In some texts, the root also forms the basis for terms for 'traveller' or 'wayfarer' (עֹבֵר דֶּרֶךְ). The term also appears in sexual euphemism and in idioms for causing things to cease or be removed. In later Hebrew/Judean usage, related nouns came to denote 'Hebrew' (עִבְרִי), likely referring to one 'from beyond' (the river). English translations vary widely; no single rendering captures all uses. Differentiated from other motion verbs (e.g., בּוֹא 'to come', יָצָא 'to go out', חלף 'to pass by'). Frequency and breadth of use remain constant from early biblical to late Second Temple periods, while post-biblical usage increasingly narrows towards the idea of 'transgress.'

Translation Consistency

primary "cross" 34 occurrences

The primary and most natural sense across contexts is to go or carry something/someone over a boundary or from one side to another. Corpus frequency favors "cross/crossed," and this verb covers literal crossings (rivers, roads, thresholds) and the common figurative senses (passing beyond limits, traversing time or states). Less common senses (transgress, pass away, proclaim, sexual euphemism) will be handled by context-specific wording, but a single consistent base verb of "cross" best matches the typical usage and yields natural English inflections.

Alternatives (16 occurrences):
"pass" (3x) "pass through" (2x) "passes over" (2x) "spirit passed over" (2x) "passed" (1x) "pass on" (1x) "current" (1x) "passing" (1x) "caused to pass" (1x) "pass over" (1x) "passes" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in copulation); alienate, alter, [idiom] at all, beyond, bring (over, through), carry over, (over-) come (on, over), conduct (over), convey over, current, deliver, do away, enter, escape, fail, gender, get over, (make) go (away, beyond, by, forth, his way, in, on, over, through), have away (more), lay, meddle, overrun, make partition, (cause to, give, make to, over) pass(-age, along, away, beyond, by, -enger, on, out, over, through), (cause to, make) [phrase] proclaim(-amation), perish, provoke to anger, put away, rage, [phrase] raiser of taxes, remove, send over, set apart, [phrase] shave, cause to (make) sound, [idiom] speedily, [idiom] sweet smelling, take (away), (make to) transgress(-or), translate, turn away, (way-) faring man, be wrath.

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

עבר (Avar) — to pass over, to cross, to traverse

Root עבר to cross, pass over, go beyond
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5668 עָבוּר for the sake of
H5675 עֲבַר he crossed over
H5678 עֶבְרָה overflowing rages
H5679 עֲבָרָה the crossing-place
H5680 עִבְרִי the crosser-over

Word Forms

130 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5674-61 עֹבֵ֥ר over HVqrmsa passing by one crossing over one crossing over 49
H5674-88 וַ/יַּעֲבֹ֣ר vayaavor HC/Vqw3ms and he passed through and he crossed over and he crossed over 38
H5674-02 עָבַ֧ר avar HVqp3ms crossed he crossed over he crossed over 30
H5674-63 עֹבְרִ֗ים overim HVqrmpa passing over the crossing-ones the crossing-ones 29
H5674-126 יַעֲבֹ֧ר yaavor HVqi3ms pass he will cross over he will cross over 27
H5674-15 עָבְר֤וּ averu HVqp3cp passed over they crossed over they crossed over 26
H5674-94 וְ/עָבָ֑ר veavar HC/Vqp3ms and passed and he crossed over and it crossed over 24
H5674-81 וַ/יַּעַבְר֤וּ vayaaveru HC/Vqw3mp and they crossed and they crossed over and they crossed over 21
H5674-45 לַֽ/עֲבֹר֙ laavor HR/Vqc to cross over to cross over to cross over 14
H5674-40 עִבְר֣וּ iveru HVqv2mp pass over Cross over! Cross over 13

Occurrences in Scripture

562 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5674-80 Genesis 8:1 וַ/יַּעֲבֵ֨ר vayaaver HC/Vhw3ms and caused to pass and he caused to cross and he caused to cross
H5674-88 Genesis 12:6 וַ/יַּעֲבֹ֤ר vayaavor HC/Vqw3ms and he passed through and he crossed over and he crossed over
H5674-02 Genesis 15:17 עָבַ֔ר avar HVqp3ms passed he crossed over passed
H5674-69 Genesis 18:3 תַעֲבֹ֖ר taavor HVqj2ms pass by may you cross over may you cross over
H5674-71 Genesis 18:5 תַּעֲבֹ֔רוּ taavoru HVqi2mp you shall pass on you will cross over you will pass on
H5674-05 Genesis 18:5 עֲבַרְתֶּ֖ם avaretem HVqp2mp you have passed you all crossed over you all crossed over
H5674-61 Genesis 23:16 עֹבֵ֖ר over HVqrmsa current one crossing over current
H5674-24 Genesis 30:32 אֶֽעֱבֹ֨ר eevor HVqi1cs I will pass through I will cross over I will cross
H5674-88 Genesis 31:21 וַ/יַּעֲבֹ֣ר vayaavor HC/Vqw3ms and crossed over and he crossed over and he crossed over
H5674-24 Genesis 31:52 אֶֽעֱבֹ֤ר eevor HVqi1cs will pass I will cross over I will cross
H5674-69 Genesis 31:52 תַעֲבֹ֨ר taavor HVqi2ms will pass may you cross over cross over
H5674-06 Genesis 32:11 עָבַ֨רְתִּי֙ avareti HVqp1cs I crossed I crossed over I crossed over
H5674-40 Genesis 32:17 עִבְר֣וּ iveru HVqv2mp pass over Cross over! Cross over
H5674-79 Genesis 32:22 וַ/תַּעֲבֹ֥ר vataavor HC/Vqw3fs and he crossed and she crossed over and it crossed over
H5674-88 Genesis 32:23 וַֽ/יַּעֲבֹ֔ר vayaavor HC/Vqw3ms he crossed and he crossed over and he crossed over
H5674-83 Genesis 32:24 וַ/יַּֽעֲבִרֵ֖/ם vayaavirem HC/Vhw3ms/Sp3mp and brought them across and he caused them to cross over and he caused them to cross over
H5674-80 Genesis 32:24 וַֽ/יַּעֲבֵ֖ר vayaaver HC/Vhw3ms and he took across and he caused to cross and he caused to cross
H5674-02 Genesis 32:32 עָבַ֖ר avar HVqp3ms he passed over he crossed over he crossed over
H5674-02 Genesis 33:3 עָבַ֣ר avar HVqp3ms passed over he crossed over crossed over
H5674-118 Genesis 33:14 יַעֲבָר yaavar HVqj3ms pass on let him cross over let him cross over
H5674-81 Genesis 37:28 וַ/יַּֽעַבְרוּ֩ vayaaveru HC/Vqw3mp passed by and they crossed over and they crossed over
H5674-90 Genesis 41:46 וַֽ/יַּעְבֹ֖ר vayaevor HC/Vqw3ms and went through and he crossed over and he crossed over
H5674-34 Genesis 47:21 הֶעֱבִ֥יר heevir HVhp3ms he removed/transferred he caused to cross over he caused to cross over
H5674-81 Genesis 50:4 וַ/יַּֽעַבְרוּ֙ vayaaveru HC/Vqw3mp When they had passed and they crossed over and they crossed over
H5674-97 Exodus 12:12 וְ/עָבַרְתִּ֣י veavareti HC/Vqq1cs and I will pass through and I will cross over and I will pass through
H5674-94 Exodus 12:23 וְ/עָבַ֣ר veavar HC/Vqq3ms and will pass through and he crossed over and it will pass through
H5674-100 Exodus 13:12 וְ/הַעֲבַרְתָּ֥ vehaavareta HC/Vhq2ms you shall cause to pass over and you caused to cross over and you shall cause to cross over
H5674-126 Exodus 15:16 יַעֲבֹ֤ר yaavor HVqi3ms pass over he will cross over passes over
H5674-126 Exodus 15:16 יַעֲבֹ֖ר yaavor-2 HVqi3ms pass over he will cross over passes over
H5674-16 Exodus 17:5 עֲבֹר֙ avor HVqv2ms pass Cross over Cross over
H5674-30 Exodus 30:13 הָ/עֹבֵר֙ haover HTd/Vqrmsa who passes over the one crossing over the one crossing over
H5674-30 Exodus 30:14 הָ/עֹבֵר֙ haover HTd/Vqrmsa who passes the one crossing over the one crossing over
H5674-40 Exodus 32:27 עִבְר֨וּ iveru HVqv2mp go through Cross over! Cross over
H5674-01 Exodus 33:19 אַעֲבִ֤יר aavir HVhi1cs will make pass I will cause to pass over I will cause to cross
H5674-18 Exodus 33:22 בַּ/עֲבֹ֣ר baavor HR/Vqc in passing in crossing over in passing
H5674-13 Exodus 33:22 עָבְרִֽ/י averi HVqc/Sp1cs I have passed my crossing over my crossing over
H5674-88 Exodus 34:6 וַ/יַּעֲבֹ֨ר vayaavor HC/Vqw3ms and passed by and he crossed over and he crossed over
H5674-85 Exodus 36:6 וַ/יַּעֲבִ֨ירוּ vayaaviru HC/Vhw3mp and they caused to pass and they caused to cross over and they caused to pass
H5674-30 Exodus 38:26 הָ/עֹבֵ֜ר haover HTd/Vqrmsa who passed over the one crossing over the one crossing over
H5674-48 Leviticus 18:21 לְ/הַעֲבִ֣יר lehaavir HR/Vhc to pass through to make pass over to cause to cross
H5674-100 Leviticus 25:9 וְ/הַֽעֲבַרְתָּ֞ vehaavareta HC/Vhq2ms and you shall cause to pass and you caused to cross over and you shall cause to pass over
H5674-68 Leviticus 25:9 תַּעֲבִ֥ירוּ taaviru HVhi2mp you shall cause to pass you will cause to cross over you will cause to cross
H5674-69 Leviticus 26:6 תַעֲבֹ֥ר taavor HVqi3fs shall pass may you cross over shall pass
H5674-126 Leviticus 27:32 יַעֲבֹ֖ר yaavor HVqi3ms passes he will cross over passes
H5674-94 Numbers 5:14 וְ/עָבַ֨ר veavar HC/Vqp3ms and passes and he crossed over and a spirit passed over
H5674-02 Numbers 5:14 עָבַ֨ר avar HVqp3ms passes he crossed over a spirit passed over
H5674-69 Numbers 5:30 תַּעֲבֹ֥ר taavor HVqi3fs comes over may you cross over may cross over
H5674-126 Numbers 6:5 יַעֲבֹ֣ר yaavor HVqi3ms shall pass he will cross over shall pass
H5674-106 Numbers 8:7 וְ/הֶעֱבִ֤ירוּ veheeviru HC/Vhq3cp and-they-shall-cause-to-pass and they caused to pass over and they shall cause to pass
H5674-03 Numbers 13:32 עָבַ֨רְנוּ avarenu HVqp1cp we have passed through we crossed over we crossed over