What does מִדְבָּר (midbar) mean in the Bible?
מִדְבָּר (midbar): Open grazing land metonymically shifted to wilderness; also designates the mouth as an organ of speech.
Hebrew · H4057
מִדְבָּר
A pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert ; also speech (including its organs)
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מִדְבָּר H4057
Pronunciation midbar
What does מִדְבָּר (midbar) mean in the Bible?
מִדְבָּר (midbar): Open grazing land metonymically shifted to wilderness; also designates the mouth as an organ of speech.
Full entry for מִדְבָּר (H4057) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4057?
The BSB source-word alignment has 271 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include in the Wilderness (109), the wilderness (25), of the wilderness (12), in the desert (10), into the wilderness (10).
Where does מִדְבָּר (midbar) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 14:6. Its strongest book concentrations include Numbers (48), Exodus (27), Isaiah (21), Jeremiah (21).
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 in the Wilderness 109× Genesis 21:14, Genesis 21:20, Genesis 21:21, Genesis 36:24
the wilderness 25× Exodus 14:3, Exodus 19:2, Numbers 13:26, Numbers 14:25
of the wilderness 12× Exodus 3:1, Exodus 13:18, Exodus 13:20, Numbers 33:6
in the desert 10× Genesis 16:7, Exodus 15:22, Numbers 33:11, 2 Chronicles 26:10
into the wilderness 10× Exodus 3:18, Exodus 5:3, Exodus 8:27, Exodus 14:11
the desert 9× Genesis 14:6, Exodus 15:22, Exodus 16:1, Exodus 16:10
from the Wilderness 8× Numbers 10:12, Numbers 13:3, Numbers 13:21, Numbers 33:16
wilderness 7× Numbers 14:2, Numbers 14:29, Numbers 14:32, Numbers 20:4
through the wilderness 5× Joshua 16:1, Judges 11:16, Judges 11:18, Psalms 136:16
to the wilderness 5× Joshua 8:20, Joshua 15:1, Judges 1:16, 2 Samuel 2:24
a desert 4× Psalms 102:6, Psalms 107:35, Isaiah 50:2, Joel 3:19
a wilderness 4× Isaiah 27:10, Isaiah 64:10, Jeremiah 2:31, Jeremiah 50:12
from the Desert 4× Numbers 33:12, Isaiah 21:1, Ezekiel 23:42, Hosea 13:15
for the wilderness 3× Deuteronomy 1:40, Deuteronomy 2:1, 2 Chronicles 20:20
of the Desert 3× 2 Kings 3:8, Jeremiah 9:26, Jeremiah 17:6
the open 3× Joel 1:19, Joel 1:20, Joel 2:22
there 3× 1 Samuel 23:25, 1 Samuel 26:2, 1 Samuel 26:3
into a desert 2× Isaiah 14:17, Jeremiah 22:6
like a desert 2× Jeremiah 9:12, Hosea 2:3
- 1× Exodus 19:2
. . . 1× Proverbs 21:19
[and go] to the Desert 1× 1 Kings 19:15
[And there] in the desert 1× Exodus 16:2
[These were] in the wilderness 1× Joshua 15:61
[to] the Wilderness 1× Exodus 19:1
a wasteland 1× Isaiah 64:10
against the Desert 1× Isaiah 21:1
and from the desert 1× Exodus 23:31
and from the wilderness 1× Judges 11:22
and in the wilderness 1× Numbers 14:22
and wilderness 1× Joshua 8:24
and your mouth 1× Song Of Solomon 4:3
as a desert 1× Zephaniah 2:13
as through a desert 1× Psalms 106:9
at the wilderness 1× Joshua 18:12
by the desert 1× Jeremiah 13:24
desert 1× Exodus 16:3
facing the wilderness 1× 1 Samuel 13:18
From the wilderness [the Israelites went on] 1× Numbers 21:18
her wilderness 1× Isaiah 51:3
in a desert 1× Deuteronomy 32:10
in desert 1× Psalms 107:4
into deserts 1× Psalms 107:33
is in the wilderness 1× 1 Samuel 24:1
it into the wilderness 1× Leviticus 16:10
it is like a desert 1× Joel 2:3
Let the desert 1× Isaiah 42:11
on a desert 1× Job 38:26
on the wilderness 1× Joshua 20:8
out of the desert 1× Psalms 75:6
So from the Wilderness 1× Deuteronomy 2:26
the edge of the desert 1× 1 Chronicles 5:9
Then the desert 1× Isaiah 32:15
to the desert 1× Malachi 1:3
toward the desert 1× Isaiah 16:8
toward the wilderness 1× Judges 20:45
was a desert 1× Jeremiah 4:26
was in the wilderness 1× 1 Samuel 25:4
wasteland 1× Jeremiah 12:10
were in the Wilderness 1× 1 Samuel 23:24
you in the desert 1× Ezekiel 29:5
you in the wilderness 1× Exodus 16:32
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 14:6 הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃ to the desert Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 16:7 בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר to in the desert Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 21:14 בְּמִדְבַּ֖ר to in the Wilderness Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 21:20 בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר to in the wilderness Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 21:21 בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר to in the Wilderness Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 36:24 בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר to in the wilderness Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 37:22 בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר to in the wilderness Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 3:1 הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר to of the wilderness Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 3:18 בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר to into the wilderness Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 4:27 הַמִּדְבָּ֑רָה to in the wilderness Article | Noun - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 14:6
Aligned rows 271
Books represented 27
Genesis 7 Exodus 27 Leviticus 4 Numbers 48 Deuteronomy 19 Joshua 15 Judges 9 1 Samuel 18 2 Samuel 6 1 Kings 4 2 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 4 2 Chronicles 7 Nehemiah 2 Job 3 Psalms 19 Proverbs 1 Song Of Solomon 3 Isaiah 21 Jeremiah 21 Lamentations 3 Ezekiel 15 Hosea 5 Joel 5 Amos 2 Zephaniah 1 Malachi 1
Source forms
בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר 27x bam·miḏ·bār Genesis 16:7, Exodus 7:16, Exodus 8:27, Exodus 14:11
בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ 21x bam·miḏ·bār Exodus 5:1, Exodus 14:12, Exodus 16:2, Leviticus 16:22
בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר 18x bam·miḏ·bār Genesis 21:20, Genesis 36:24, Genesis 37:22, Exodus 3:18
בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר 9x bə·miḏ·bar Leviticus 7:38, Numbers 1:1, Numbers 1:19, Numbers 3:14
בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ 9x bam·miḏ·bār Numbers 14:33, Numbers 21:11, Joshua 8:24, Judges 11:16
מִדְבַּ֥ר 9x miḏ·bar Exodus 19:1, Numbers 13:26, Deuteronomy 2:8, 1 Samuel 23:25
בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר 8x bam·miḏ·bār Exodus 15:22, 1 Kings 9:18, 1 Chronicles 6:78, Nehemiah 9:21
הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃ 8x ham·miḏ·bār Genesis 14:6, Exodus 13:20, Exodus 14:3, Numbers 33:6
Parsing patterns
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular 114x Genesis 16:7, Genesis 21:20, Genesis 36:24, Genesis 37:22
Article | Noun - masculine singular 35x Genesis 14:6, Exodus 3:1, Exodus 13:18, Exodus 13:20
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct 25x Genesis 21:14, Genesis 21:21, Leviticus 7:38, Numbers 1:1
Noun - masculine singular 24x Deuteronomy 32:10, Job 38:26, Psalms 29:8, Psalms 65:12
Noun - masculine singular construct 21x Exodus 15:22, Exodus 16:1, Exodus 19:1, Exodus 19:2
Article | Noun - masculine singular | third person feminine singular 12x Exodus 4:27, Leviticus 16:10, Leviticus 16:21, Numbers 21:23
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct 10x Exodus 17:1, Numbers 10:12, Numbers 13:3, Numbers 13:21
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular 6x Psalms 106:9, Isaiah 14:17, Isaiah 27:10, Jeremiah 9:12
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Open grazing land metonymically shifted to wilderness; also designates the mouth as an organ of speech.
Source Gloss
a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert ; also speech (including its organs)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Open grazing land metonymically shifted to wilderness; also designates the mouth as an organ of speech.
a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs) BDB: mouth Usage: desert, south, speech, wilderness.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
wilderness
Showing 1 selected witness from 271 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
מִדְבָּר is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Echoes exodus setting and covenant testing. Hosea 2:2-13
Canonical Themes
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