What does שָׂרָה (sarah) mean in the Bible?
שָׂרָה (sarah): To overcome resistance through persistent exertion of power; governance through sustained effort against opposition
Hebrew · H8280
שָׂרָה
To prevail
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שָׂרָה H8280
Pronunciation sarah
What does שָׂרָה (sarah) mean in the Bible?
שָׂרָה (sarah): To overcome resistance through persistent exertion of power; governance through sustained effort against opposition
Full entry for שָׂרָה (H8280) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H8280?
The BSB source-word alignment has 2 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include he wrestled (1), you have struggled (1).
Where does שָׂרָה (sarah) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 32:28. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (1), Hosea (1).
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 he wrestled 1× Hosea 12:3
you have struggled 1× Genesis 32:28
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 32:28
Aligned rows 2
Books represented 2
Genesis 1 Hosea 1
Source forms
שָׂרָ֥ה 1x śā·rāh Hosea 12:3
שָׂרִ֧יתָ 1x śā·rî·ṯā Genesis 32:28
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular 1x Genesis 32:28
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 1x Hosea 12:3
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. To overcome resistance through persistent exertion of power; governance through sustained effort against opposition
Strong's H8280
Lexical occurrences 2 verses Word forms 1 form 2 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Hosea 12:1-6 Source Gloss
to prevail
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
To overcome resistance through persistent exertion of power; governance through sustained effort against opposition
to prevail BDB: persist Usage: have power (as a prince).
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 1 Aligned forms 2
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 2×
Perfect Gen 32:29 · Hos 12:4 2×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
to contend
Showing 1 selected witness from 2 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
שָׂרָה is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Why This Word Matters
Jacob’s struggle becomes identity marker. Hosea 12:1-6
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