What does שָׁרַץ (šāraṣ) mean in the Bible?
שָׁרַץ (šāraṣ): Movement from creeping/wriggling to abundant proliferation; connotes teeming, fertile multiplication in natural or ceremonial contexts.
Hebrew · H8317
שָׁרַץ
To wriggle , i.e. (by implication) swarm or abound
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שָׁרַץ H8317
Pronunciation šāraṣ
What does שָׁרַץ (šāraṣ) mean in the Bible?
שָׁרַץ (šāraṣ): Movement from creeping/wriggling to abundant proliferation; connotes teeming, fertile multiplication in natural or ceremonial contexts.
Full entry for שָׁרַץ (H8317) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H8317?
The BSB source-word alignment has 14 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (2), teemed (2), that moves (2), and increased rapidly (1), so that they can spread out (1).
Where does שָׁרַץ (šāraṣ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 1:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (5), Leviticus (5), Exodus (2), Ezekiel (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 . . . 2× Genesis 7:21, Leviticus 11:43
teemed 2× Genesis 1:21, Psalms 105:30
that moves 2× Leviticus 11:41, Leviticus 11:42
and increased rapidly 1× Exodus 1:7
so that they can spread out 1× Genesis 8:17
spread out 1× Genesis 9:7
swarms 1× Ezekiel 47:9
teem 1× Genesis 1:20
that crawl 1× Leviticus 11:46
that move 1× Leviticus 11:29
will teem 1× Exodus 8:3
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 1:20 יִשְׁרְצ֣וּ to teem Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Genesis 1:21 שָׁרְצ֨וּ to teemed Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Genesis 7:21 הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ to . . . Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Genesis 8:17 וְשָֽׁרְצ֣וּ to so that they can spread out Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Genesis 9:7 שִׁרְצ֥וּ to spread out Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural Exodus 1:7 וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ to and increased rapidly Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Exodus 8:3 וְשָׁרַ֣ץ to will teem Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Leviticus 11:29 הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ to that move Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Leviticus 11:41 הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ to that moves Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Leviticus 11:42 הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ to that moves Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 1:20
Aligned rows 14
Books represented 5
Genesis 5 Exodus 2 Leviticus 5 Psalms 1 Ezekiel 1
Source forms
הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ 4x haš·šō·rêṣ Genesis 7:21, Leviticus 11:29, Leviticus 11:41, Leviticus 11:42
הַשֹּׁרֵ֑ץ 1x haš·šō·rêṣ Leviticus 11:43
הַשֹּׁרֶ֥צֶת 1x haš·šō·re·ṣeṯ Leviticus 11:46
וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ 1x way·yiš·rə·ṣū Exodus 1:7
וְשָׁרַ֣ץ 1x wə·šā·raṣ Exodus 8:3
וְשָֽׁרְצ֣וּ 1x wə·šā·rə·ṣū Genesis 8:17
יִשְׁרֹ֡ץ 1x yiš·rōṣ Ezekiel 47:9
יִשְׁרְצ֣וּ 1x yiš·rə·ṣū Genesis 1:20
Parsing patterns
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular 5x Genesis 7:21, Leviticus 11:29, Leviticus 11:41, Leviticus 11:42
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular 1x Leviticus 11:46
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural 1x Genesis 8:17
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular 1x Exodus 8:3
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1x Exodus 1:7
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural 1x Genesis 9:7
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 1x Genesis 1:20
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 1x Ezekiel 47:9
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Movement from creeping/wriggling to abundant proliferation; connotes teeming, fertile multiplication in natural or ceremonial contexts.
Strong's H8317
Lexical occurrences 14 verses Word forms 1 form 5 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Genesis 1:20-23 Source Gloss
to wriggle , i.e. (by implication) swarm or abound
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Movement from creeping/wriggling to abundant proliferation; connotes teeming, fertile multiplication in natural or ceremonial contexts.
to wriggle, i.e. (by implication) swarm or abound BDB: swarm Usage: breed (bring forth, increase) abundantly (in abundance), creep, move.
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 5
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 5×
Imperfect Ezek 47:9 · Gen 1:20 2×
Perfect Gen 1:21 · Ps 105:30 2×
Sequential imperfect Gen 9:7 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Waters teeming with living creatures in creation account
Israelites multiplying and breeding abundantly in Egypt
Creeping animals that swarm as unclean creatures under law
Animals brought forth to breed abundantly after flood
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 14 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
שָׁרַץ is a primitive root - no further derivation.
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