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שְׂעַר

𐤔𐤏𐤓

sᵉʻar

H8177 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׂער to be hairy, to bristle, to grow hair

Definition

The hair that grows on a person's head or body. In its biblical usage, refers generally to human hair without distinction of gender or age. Can also refer in broader contexts to animal hair (fur), depending on the underlying Hebrew word it corresponds to. In the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, particularly Daniel and Ezra, שְׂעַר designates the hair covering of individuals, often appearing in descriptive or narrative passages.

Semantic Range

hair of the head; body hair; (in Hebrew) animal fur; (in Aramaic) human hair

Root / Etymology

Root: שׂער. The root meaning in Hebrew is 'to be hairy, bristly, rough,' from which terms for hair, fur, or hairiness are derived. The Aramaic noun שְׂעַר is a direct cognate to the Hebrew שֵׂעָר, both ultimately traceable to the same Semitic root. The form in Aramaic shows standard sound correspondence with its Hebrew counterpart.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The Aramaic שְׂעַר is used primarily in the exilic and post-exilic biblical books that employ Aramaic, such as Daniel and Ezra. Unlike its Hebrew counterpart שֵׂעָר, which may have broader usage referring also to animal hair or symbolic extensions (as in descriptions of roughness or wildness), the Aramaic form typically retains a concrete sense of literal human hair. There is no evidence that in Daniel/Ezra, שְׂעַר carries symbolic meaning; the term is used in direct narrative description. Standard English translations such as 'hair' accurately represent the term in its biblical contexts. In later Jewish Aramaic (Targumic literature), the root continues to bear this basic meaning. It is to be distinguished from related roots such as שער (gate), which are etymologically and semantically unrelated despite visual similarity.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to שֵׂעָר; hair; hair.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂער (ś-ʿ-r) — to be hairy, to bristle, to grow hair

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8163 שָׂעִיר the shaggy male-goat
H8164 שָׂעִיר tempestuous downpours
H8165 שֵׂעִיר in Seir
H8166 שְׂעִירָה she-goat of
H8167 שְׂעִירָה to the Seirah

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8177-02 וּ/שְׂעַ֤ר usear AC/Ncmsc and hair hair-of 2
H8177-01 שַׂעְרֵ֛/הּ saereh ANcmsc/Sp3ms his-hair his hair 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8177-02 Daniel 3:27 וּ/שְׂעַ֤ר usear AC/Ncmsc and hair hair-of
H8177-01 Daniel 4:30 שַׂעְרֵ֛/הּ saereh ANcmsc/Sp3ms his-hair his hair
H8177-02 Daniel 7:9 וּ/שְׂעַ֤ר usear AC/Ncmsc and the hair hair-of
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