What does בָּעַר (bāʿar) mean in the Bible?
בָּעַר (bāʿar): Fire consumes and reduces to nothing; brutishness represents moral consumption—loss of wisdom through appetite.
Hebrew · H1197
בָּעַר
To kindle , i.e. consume (by fire or by eating); to be (-come) brutish
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בָּעַר H1197
Pronunciation bāʿar
What does בָּעַר (bāʿar) mean in the Bible?
בָּעַר (bāʿar): Fire consumes and reduces to nothing; brutishness represents moral consumption—loss of wisdom through appetite.
Full entry for בָּעַר (H1197) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H1197?
The BSB source-word alignment has 94 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include So you must purge (7), blazed forth (3), burned (3), burning (3), and burn (2).
Where does בָּעַר (bāʿar) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 3:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (17), Deuteronomy (16), Jeremiah (11), Psalms (8).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It So you must purge 7× Deuteronomy 13:5, Deuteronomy 17:7, Deuteronomy 19:19, Deuteronomy 21:21
blazed forth 3× 2 Samuel 22:9, 2 Samuel 22:13, Psalms 18:8
burned 3× Esther 1:12, Psalms 39:3, Isaiah 6:13
burning 3× Jeremiah 20:9, Jeremiah 36:22, Malachi 4:1
and burn 2× Jeremiah 4:4, Jeremiah 21:12
blazed 2× Numbers 11:1, Psalms 106:18
burning up 2× Exodus 3:3, Judges 15:5
for fuel 2× Isaiah 40:16, Ezekiel 39:10
is senseless 2× Jeremiah 10:14, Jeremiah 51:17
light 2× Exodus 35:3, Jeremiah 7:18
of fire 2× Isaiah 4:4, Ezekiel 1:13
to burn 2× 2 Chronicles 4:20, Nehemiah 10:34
was blazing 2× Deuteronomy 5:23, Deuteronomy 9:15
You must purge 2× Deuteronomy 17:12, Deuteronomy 22:22
a blazing 1× Isaiah 34:9
ablaze 1× Exodus 3:2
and burned 1× Jeremiah 44:6
and consume 1× 1 Kings 21:21
and it will burn 1× Jeremiah 7:20
and purge 1× Judges 20:13
and remove you 1× 2 Samuel 4:11
and sacrificed 1× 2 Chronicles 28:3
as fuel 1× Isaiah 44:15
blazes 1× Hosea 7:6
blazing 1× Deuteronomy 4:11
brutal 1× Ezekiel 21:31
burn 1× Psalms 79:5
burns 1× Isaiah 9:18
consumed 1× Isaiah 5:5
consumes 1× Psalms 83:14
destroyed 1× Numbers 24:22
give senseless 1× Isaiah 19:11
grazes his livestock 1× Exodus 22:5
had burned 1× Numbers 11:3
have become senseless 1× Jeremiah 10:21
have devoured 1× Isaiah 3:14
have kindled it 1× Ezekiel 20:48
He banished 1× 1 Kings 22:46
He has burned 1× Lamentations 2:3
heated 1× Hosea 7:4
I have removed 1× Deuteronomy 26:13
I will burn up 1× 1 Kings 14:10
I will consume 1× 1 Kings 16:3
I will reduce 1× Nahum 2:13
ignites 1× Psalms 2:12
is to add 1× Leviticus 6:12
It burned 1× Job 1:16
it consumed them 1× Isaiah 42:25
it will burn 1× Isaiah 10:17
keep burning 1× Psalms 89:46
kindle fires 1× Ezekiel 39:9
like a blazing 1× Isaiah 62:1
like burnt 1× Judges 15:14
O senseless 1× Psalms 94:8
one burns up 1× 1 Kings 14:10
or removed 1× Deuteronomy 26:14
removed 1× 2 Kings 23:24
senseless 1× Jeremiah 10:8
set you ablaze 1× Isaiah 43:2
sets it ablaze 1× Isaiah 30:33
shall purge 1× Deuteronomy 21:9
so that they graze 1× Exodus 22:5
the one who started 1× Exodus 22:6
Then he lit 1× Judges 15:5
they light 1× 2 Chronicles 13:11
vvv 1× Ezekiel 39:9
will burn 1× Isaiah 1:31
with burning 1× Isaiah 30:27
you are to burn up 1× Ezekiel 5:2
You are to purge 1× Deuteronomy 19:13
you have lit 1× Isaiah 50:11
you have removed 1× 2 Chronicles 19:3
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 3:2 בֹּעֵ֣ר to ablaze Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Exodus 3:3 יִבְעַ֥ר to burning up Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 22:5 יַבְעֶר־ to grazes his livestock Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular Exodus 22:5 וּבִעֵ֖ר to so that they graze Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 22:6 הַמַּבְעִ֖ר to the one who started Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular Exodus 35:3 תְבַעֲר֣וּ to light Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Leviticus 6:12 וּבִעֵ֨ר to is to add Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Numbers 11:1 וַתִּבְעַר־ to blazed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Numbers 11:3 בָעֲרָ֥ה to had burned Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Numbers 24:22 לְבָ֣עֵֽר to destroyed Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 3:2
Aligned rows 94
Books represented 20
Exodus 6 Leviticus 1 Numbers 3 Deuteronomy 16 Judges 4 2 Samuel 3 1 Kings 5 2 Kings 1 2 Chronicles 4 Nehemiah 1 Esther 1 Job 1 Psalms 8 Isaiah 17 Jeremiah 11 Lamentations 1 Ezekiel 7 Hosea 2 Nahum 1 Malachi 1
Source forms
וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ 9x ū·ḇi·‘ar·tā Deuteronomy 13:5, Deuteronomy 17:7, Deuteronomy 17:12, Deuteronomy 19:19
בֹּעֵ֣ר 4x bō·‘êr Exodus 3:2, Deuteronomy 5:23, Deuteronomy 9:15, Isaiah 30:27
וַתִּבְעַר־ 3x wat·tiḇ·‘ar- Numbers 11:1, Psalms 106:18, Isaiah 42:25
בִּעֵ֖ר 2x bi·‘êr 1 Kings 22:46, 2 Kings 23:24
בָּעֲר֥וּ 2x bā·‘ă·rū 2 Samuel 22:9, Psalms 18:8
וּבָעֲרָה֙ 2x ū·ḇā·‘ă·rāh Jeremiah 4:4, Jeremiah 21:12
לְבָעֵ֔ר 2x lə·ḇā·‘êr Isaiah 5:5, Isaiah 44:15
נִבְעַ֤ר 2x niḇ·‘ar Jeremiah 10:14, Jeremiah 51:17
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular 10x Deuteronomy 13:5, Deuteronomy 17:7, Deuteronomy 17:12, Deuteronomy 19:13
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular 7x Exodus 3:2, Deuteronomy 4:11, Deuteronomy 5:23, Deuteronomy 9:15
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct 6x Numbers 24:22, 2 Chronicles 13:11, Nehemiah 10:34, Isaiah 5:5
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular 5x Numbers 11:1, Job 1:16, Psalms 106:18, Isaiah 42:25
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular 5x Psalms 39:3, Psalms 79:5, Psalms 83:14, Psalms 89:46
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular 4x Isaiah 10:17, Jeremiah 4:4, Jeremiah 7:20, Jeremiah 21:12
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular 4x Isaiah 30:33, Isaiah 34:9, Jeremiah 20:9, Hosea 7:4
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 4x Judges 15:14, 2 Samuel 22:9, 2 Samuel 22:13, Psalms 18:8
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Fire consumes and reduces to nothing; brutishness represents moral consumption—loss of wisdom through appetite.
Strong's H1197
Lexical occurrences 94 verses Word forms 5 forms 52 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Exodus 3:1-6 Source Gloss
to kindle , i.e. consume (by fire or by eating); to be (-come) brutish
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Fire consumes and reduces to nothing; brutishness represents moral consumption—loss of wisdom through appetite.
to kindle, i.e. consume (by fire or by eating); to be (-come) brutish BDB: be brutish Usage: be brutish, bring (put, take) away, burn, (cause to) eat (up), feed, heat, kindle, set (on fire), waste.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 5 Aligned forms 52
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 30×
Participle active Deut 4:11 · Deut 5:23 · Deut 9:15 · Exod 3:2 · Ezek 1:13 · Ezek 21:36 · Hos 7:4 · Hos 7:6 · Isa 30:27 · Isa 30:33 · Isa 34:9 · Jer 20:9 · Mal 3:19 · Ps 94:8 14×
Imperfect Isa 43:2 · Ps 39:4 · Ps 79:5 · Ps 83:15 · Ps 89:47 · Exod 3:3 · Isa 62:1 · Ps 2:12 · Jer 10:8 9×
Perfect 2Sam 22:9 · 2Sam 22:13 · Judg 15:14 · Ps 18:9 · Esth 1:12 · Isa 9:17 · Num 11:3 7×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 14×
Perfect 1Kgs 22:47 · 2Kgs 23:24 · Deut 26:13 · Deut 26:14 · Isa 3:14 · Isa 50:11 · 2Chr 19:3 7×
Imperfect 1Kgs 14:10 · Deut 21:9 · Exod 35:3 · Ezek 39:10 4×
Infinitive absolute Isa 4:4 1×
Infinitive construct Isa 40:16 1×
Participle active Jer 7:18 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 4×
Perfect Jer 10:14 · Jer 51:17 · Jer 10:21 3×
Participle active Isa 19:11 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 3×
Imperfect Exod 22:4 · Ezek 5:2 2×
Participle active 1Kgs 16:3 1×
Pual intensive passive — intensive action received by the subject 1×
Participle passive Jer 36:22 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Fire consuming or kindling without being consumed, divine manifestation
Becoming stupid or lacking understanding, moral or intellectual dullness
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 94 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
בָּעַר is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain