Hebrew · H1254, G2936 · unreviewed

בָּרָא

(Absolutely) to create ; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select , feed (as formative processes) · to create

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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant

בָּרָא H1254 (absolutely) to create ; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select , feed (as formative processes)

Pronunciation bārāʾ

Create by divine fiat; God's exclusive prerogative to bring into being from nothing or formlessness.

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κτίζω G2936 to create

Pronunciation ktízō

To create something fundamentally new, often by divine action; distinct from making or fashioning existing materials.

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What does בָּרָא (bara) mean in the Bible?

בָּרָא · κτίζω is a Hebrew word meaning "to create or bring into existence".

Full entry for בָּרָא (H1254, G2936) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

to create or bring into existence

Grammatical Forms

How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.

Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 23×

Perfect Deut 4:32 · Gen 1:1 · Gen 1:27 · Gen 2:3 · Isa 40:26 · Jer 31:22 · Gen 6:7 · Isa 45:12 · Isa 54:16 · Ps 89:48 12×

Participle active Isa 40:28 · Isa 42:5 · Isa 43:15 · Isa 45:18 · Isa 57:19 · Isa 65:17 · Isa 65:18 8×

Infinitive construct Gen 5:1 1×

Imperfect Num 16:30 1×

Sequential imperfect Ps 51:12 1×

Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 4×

Perfect Exod 34:10 · Isa 48:7 · Ezek 21:35 3×

Participle active Ps 102:19 1×

Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 2×

Infinitive absolute Ezek 21:24 2×

Hebrew Verb Forms

How this verb appears across 29 occurrences in the Hebrew OT (OSHB Leningrad Codex).

Aspect / Form

Perfect 15 Participle 9 Infinitive absolute 2 Infinitive construct 1 Imperfect 1 Imperative 1

Stem

Qal 23 Niphal 4 Piel 2

Mood

Indicative 15 Indicative/jussive 1 Imperative 1

OT Occurrences

Aspect in Hebrew reflects grammatical form, not tense. "Perfect" (Perfective) typically denotes completed action; "Imperfect" (Imperfective) denotes incomplete or ongoing action. Stem modifies the action type (Qal=simple, Niphal=passive, Piel=intensive, etc.).

Morphology: OSHB WLC (Open Scriptures, CC BY 4.0) · STEPBible TEHMC (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0)

Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Mark 13 — Watch and Endure: Temple Judgment, Gospel Witness, Tribulation, the Son of Man, and Readiness Matthew 19 — Marriage from Creation, Children Received, Riches Renounced, and the Reward of Following Christ

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

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

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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