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" 42 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 (8 occurrences):
"crossing-ones" (5x) "go beyond" (1x) "pass" (1x) "angry" (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
H5674-03 Numbers 14:7 עָבַ֤רְנוּ avarenu HVqp1cp we passed through we crossed over we crossed over
H5674-63 Numbers 14:41 עֹבְרִ֖ים overim HVqrmpa transgress the crossing-ones the crossing-ones
H5674-60 Numbers 20:17 נַעְבְּרָה naeberah HVqh1cp let us pass let us cross over let us cross over
H5674-59 Numbers 20:17 נַעֲבֹר֙ naavor HVqi1cp we will pass we will cross over we will cross over
H5674-59 Numbers 20:17 נַעֲבֹ֖ר naavor-2 HVqi1cp we pass we will cross over we will cross over
H5674-69 Numbers 20:18 תַעֲבֹ֖ר taavor HVqi2ms you shall pass may you cross over shall you cross over
H5674-25 Numbers 20:19 אֶֽעֱבֹֽרָה eevorah HVqh1cs I will pass through let me cross over let me cross
H5674-69 Numbers 20:20 תַעֲבֹ֑ר taavor HVqi2ms you shall pass may you cross over may you cross over
H5674-16 Numbers 20:21 עֲבֹ֖ר avor HVqc passage Cross over Cross over
H5674-23 Numbers 21:22 אֶעְבְּרָ֣ה eeberah HVqh1cs Let me pass through Let me cross over Let me cross over
H5674-59 Numbers 21:22 נַעֲבֹ֖ר naavor HVqi1cp we have passed we will cross over we will cross over
H5674-16 Numbers 21:23 עֲבֹ֣ר avor HVqc to pass Cross over to cross over
H5674-45 Numbers 22:18 לַ/עֲבֹר֙ laavor HR/Vqc to go beyond to cross over to go beyond
H5674-16 Numbers 22:26 עֲב֑וֹר avor HVqc to pass Cross over Cross over
H5674-45 Numbers 24:13 לַ/עֲבֹר֙ laavor HR/Vqc to transgress to cross over to cross over
H5674-100 Numbers 27:7 וְ/הַֽעֲבַרְתָּ֛ vehaavareta HC/Vhq2ms and you shall cause to pass and you caused to cross over and you shall cause to pass
H5674-101 Numbers 27:8 וְ/הַֽעֲבַרְתֶּ֥ם vehaavaretem HC/Vhq2mp then you shall transfer and you shall cause to cross over and you shall cause to cross over
H5674-68 Numbers 31:23 תַּעֲבִ֤ירוּ taaviru HVhi2mp you shall make pass you will cause to cross over you will cause to cross
H5674-68 Numbers 31:23 תַּעֲבִ֥ירוּ taaviru-2 HVhi2mp you shall make pass you will cause to cross over you will cause to cross
H5674-67 Numbers 32:5 תַּעֲבִרֵ֖/נוּ taavirenu HVhj2ms/Sp1cp make us cross make us cross over make us cross over
H5674-54 Numbers 32:7 מֵֽ/עֲבֹר֙ meavor HR/Vqc from crossing over from crossing over from crossing over
H5674-94 Numbers 32:21 וְ/עָבַ֨ר veavar HC/Vqq3ms and cross over and he crossed over and cross over
H5674-121 Numbers 32:27 יַֽעַבְר֜וּ yaaveru HVqi3mp will pass over they will cross over they will cross
H5674-121 Numbers 32:29 יַעַבְר֣וּ yaaveru HVqi3mp they cross over they will cross over they will cross
H5674-121 Numbers 32:30 יַֽעַבְר֛וּ yaaveru HVqi3mp they cross over they will cross over they will cross
H5674-59 Numbers 32:32 נַעֲבֹ֧ר naavor HVqi1cp will pass over we will cross over we will cross over
H5674-81 Numbers 33:8 וַ/יַּֽעַבְר֥וּ vayaaveru HC/Vqw3mp and passed through and they crossed over and they crossed over
H5674-63 Numbers 33:51 עֹבְרִ֥ים overim HVqrmpa cross over the crossing-ones the crossing-ones
H5674-94 Numbers 34:4 וְ/עָ֣בַר veavar HC/Vqq3ms and pass on and he crossed over and it will cross over
H5674-94 Numbers 34:4 וְ/עָבַ֥ר veavar-2 HC/Vqq3ms and pass on and he crossed over and it will cross over
H5674-63 Numbers 35:10 עֹבְרִ֥ים overim HVqrmpa crossing the crossing-ones the crossing-ones
H5674-63 Deuteronomy 2:4 עֹֽבְרִ֗ים overim HVqrmpa passing through the crossing-ones the crossing-ones
H5674-77 Deuteronomy 2:8 וַֽ/נַּעֲבֹ֞ר vanaavor HC/Vqw1cp and we passed over and we crossed over and we crossed over
H5674-77 Deuteronomy 2:8 וַֽ/נַּעֲבֹ֔ר vanaavor-2 HC/Vqw1cp and we passed over and we crossed over and we crossed over
H5674-107 Deuteronomy 2:13 וְ/עִבְר֥וּ veiveru HC/Vqv2mp and cross over And cross over and cross over
H5674-77 Deuteronomy 2:13 וַֽ/נַּעֲבֹ֖ר vanaavor HC/Vqw1cp and we crossed over and we crossed over and we crossed over
H5674-03 Deuteronomy 2:14 עָבַ֨רְנוּ֙ avarenu HVqp1cp we crossed we crossed over we crossed over
H5674-61 Deuteronomy 2:18 עֹבֵ֥ר over HVqrmsa are crossing one crossing over one crossing over
H5674-107 Deuteronomy 2:24 וְ/עִבְרוּ֮ veiveru HC/Vqv2mp and cross And cross over and cross over
H5674-23 Deuteronomy 2:27 אֶעְבְּרָ֣ה eeberah HVqh1cs Let me pass through Let me cross over Let me cross over
H5674-23 Deuteronomy 2:28 אֶעְבְּרָ֥ה eeberah HVqh1cs let me pass through Let me cross over Let me cross over
H5674-24 Deuteronomy 2:29 אֶֽעֱבֹר֙ eevor HVqi1cs I cross over I will cross over I will cross
H5674-28 Deuteronomy 2:30 הַעֲבִרֵ֖/נוּ haavirenu HVhc/Sp1cp to let us pass to cause us to cross over to allow us to cross over
H5674-66 Deuteronomy 3:18 תַּֽעַבְר֗וּ taaveru HVqi2mp you shall cross over you will cross over you (pl.) will cross over
H5674-61 Deuteronomy 3:21 עֹבֵ֥ר over HVqrmsa [are]-crossing one crossing over one crossing over
H5674-23 Deuteronomy 3:25 אֶעְבְּרָה eeberah HVqh1cs let me cross over Let me cross over Let me cross over
H5674-93 Deuteronomy 3:26 וַ/יִּתְעַבֵּ֨ר vayiteaber HC/Vtw3ms and-was-angry and he went beyond himself and was angry
H5674-69 Deuteronomy 3:27 תַעֲבֹ֖ר taavor HVqi2ms you shall cross may you cross over shall you cross over
H5674-126 Deuteronomy 3:28 יַעֲבֹ֗ר yaavor HVqi3ms shall cross over he will cross over he will cross over
H5674-63 Deuteronomy 4:14 עֹבְרִ֥ים overim HVqrmpa crossing the crossing-ones the crossing-ones