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
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.
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
| 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 |