שְׁטַר
𐤔𐤈𐤓
shᵉṭar
H7859 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A side or flank, typically referring to a side portion or division of an object, place, or territory; in legal or administrative contexts, it may denote a section, part or assignment relating to an area of responsibility or a property. The term in Aramaic is contextually specific, often meaning the lateral aspect or subdivision of a larger whole, particularly in administrative, physical, and spatial descriptions.
Semantic Range
side of an object, lateral division of territory, administrative district or section, portion assigned to a governor
Root / Etymology
Etymology uncertain. While resembling the root שטר (sh-t-r), attested in Rabbinic Hebrew and later Aramaic as 'document' or 'written decree,' the sense here relates to physical 'side' or 'division.' No directly corresponding Hebrew root exists for the physical meaning, suggesting either a loan or Aramaic-specific development.
Historical & Contextual Notes
שְׁטַר appears in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible, notably in Daniel 6:7 [MT 6:8], to describe one of the side-parts (or divisions) of the kingdom subject to governance, equivalent to 'district.' Its usage in Biblical Aramaic contrasts both with the better-known Hebrew שטר (in later usage, 'deed/document') and Hebrew צד ('side,' 'edge'). In the biblical Aramaic context, שְׁטַר refers specifically to an administrative region or governmental subdivision, not to a written document. The later Jewish interpretive tradition, especially in rabbinic literature, uses שטר (in Hebrew and Aramaic) primarily to mean 'legal document,' a sense not attested in the Biblical Aramaic usage. Standard English translations sometimes render it imprecisely as 'province' or 'side,' but the underlying sense is a distinct part or administrative section of a larger whole. The term is found only in Aramaic portions, and its meaning is strictly limited to those contexts in the biblical text.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) of uncertain derivation; a side; side.
Bantu Hebrew
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שטר (sh-ṭ-r) — side, flank, division, section
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7859-01 |
וְ/לִ/שְׂטַר | velisetar | AC/R/Ncmsa |
and on side | side-division | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7859-01 |
Daniel 7:5 | וְ/לִ/שְׂטַר | velisetar | AC/R/Ncmsa |
and on side | side-division |