Original Word: בָּרַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: barar
Pronunciation: baw-RAHR
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-rar')
KJV: make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse (be clean), clearly, polished, (shew self) pure(-ify), purge (out)
NASB: choice, chosen, pure you show, purge, show yourself pure, cleanse, purged
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to clarify (i.e. brighten), examine, select

make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse be clean, clearly, polished, purify, purge out

A primitive root; to clarify (i.e. Brighten), examine, select -- make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse (be clean), clearly, polished, (shew self) pure(-ify), purge (out).

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to purify, select
NASB Translation
choice (2), chosen (2), cleanse (1), pure you show (2), purge (2), purged (1), purified (1), purify (1), select (1), sharpen (1), show yourself pure (2), sincerely (1), tested (1).

[בָּרַר] verb purify, select (compare Assyrian barâru, be shining, in derivatives Zim^{BP 46. 73} Belser^{BAS ii. 154}; Arabic pious, kind, true; he was pious, good, virtuous, honest) —

Qal Perfect בָּרוֺתִי Ezekiel 20:38; Infinitive suffix לְבָרָם Ecclesiastes 3:18, Ges^{§ 67} R, 3; compare לָבוּר Ecclesiastes 9:1 (si vera lectio) as metaplastic form, but on text see בּוּר above; Participle passive masculine בָּרוּר Job 33:3 4t.; feminine בְּרוּרָה Nehemiah 5:18; Zephaniah 3:9; —

1 purge out, purify: וּבָרוֺתִי מִכֶּם הַמֹּרְדִים and I will purge out from among you the rebels Ezekiel 20:38; שָׂפָה בְּרוּרָה a purified lip Zephaniah 3:9; בָּרוּר מִלֵּל֑וּ utter in a pure, sincere manner Job 33:3.

2 choose, select, only Participle and in Chronicler: chosen, valiant men 1 Chronicles 7:40; porters 1 Chronicles 9:22; musicians 1 Chronicles 16:41; sheep Nehemiah 5:18.

3 cleanse, make shining, polish, passive participle חֵץ בָּרוּר polished arrow Isaiah 49:2 (compare De & Jeremiah 51:11 below)

4 test, prove Ecclesiastes 3:18 לְבָרָם הָאֱלֹהִים that God may prove them (RV); — on Ecclesiastes 9:1 see בּוּר.

Niph`al הִבָּרוּ Isaiah 52:11; Participle נָבָר 2 Samuel 22:27 (= Psalm 18:27); — purify oneself:

a. ceremonially, the bearers of the sacred vessels Isaiah 52:11.

b. morally 2 Samuel 22:27 = Psalm 18:27.

Pi`el Infinitive לְבָרֵר Daniel 11:35 purify ("" לִצְרוֺף, לַלְבֵּן).

Hiph`il 1. Infinitive לְהָבַר Jeremiah 4:11 purify, cleanse.

2 Imperative הָבֵרוּ הַחִצִּים Jeremiah 51:11 polish arrows (see 3 above).

Hithpa`el 1. Imperfect יִתְבָּרֲרוּ Daniel 12:10 purify oneself.

2 תִּתְבָּרַר Psalm 18:27 = תִּתָּבָר 2 Samuel 22:27 shew oneself pure, just, kind.

Overview of Themes

בָּרַר moves along two interwoven axes: (1) purification or refinement and (2) careful selection or sifting. Whether God is purifying hearts, choosing servants, refining a remnant, or polishing weapons, the verb always implies an intentional process that removes what is inferior so that what remains is fit for His purposes.

Purification and Moral Refinement

David twice sings, “to the pure You show Yourself pure” (2 Samuel 22:27; Psalm 18:26). Here barar frames purity as a prerequisite for perceiving the pure character of God. Job echoes the idea when he speaks “with a pure heart” (Job 33:3), and Ecclesiastes observes that God “tests them” (Ecclesiastes 3:18), exposing what lies beneath appearances. Isaiah commands the returning exiles, “Depart… purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord” (Isaiah 52:11). In each setting the verb underscores holiness as a divine requirement, not a human option.

Divine Selection and Testing of People

Genealogical and temple records repeatedly employ barar to highlight individuals whom God or His leaders have “chosen”:

• “Heads of families, choice men, mighty warriors” (1 Chronicles 7:40).
• “Those chosen to be gatekeepers” (1 Chronicles 9:22).
• “The rest of those chosen… to give thanks to the Lord” (1 Chronicles 16:41).

Selection here is qualitative, not merely numerical. The same principle surfaces eschatologically: “Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and made spotless … until the time of the end” (Daniel 11:35; cf. Daniel 12:10). Trials are God’s winnowing fan, separating wheat from chaff within His professing people.

Administrative and Liturgical Discernment

Nehemiah records that he provided “one ox, six choice sheep” (Nehemiah 5:18), reflecting discernment even in civic hospitality. Jeremiah 51:11 enlists soldiers and weapons: “Sharpen the arrows,” literally, make them polished—fit for judgment against Babylon. Isaiah 49:2 speaks prophetically of the Servant whose mouth is a “sharp sword” and Himself a “polished arrow.” Liturgical service, civil duty, and messianic mission alike require tools that have been barar—made ready for holy objectives.

Prophetic Warnings of Purging

Jeremiah 4:11 pictures a scorching wind “not for winnowing or cleansing.” When cleansing is withheld, judgment intensifies. Ezekiel 20:38 foretells a harsher solution: “I will purge the rebels from among you.” God’s sifting is never aimless—rebels are removed so that covenant purity may be restored.

Eschatological Restoration

Zephaniah 3:9 looks beyond judgment: “Then I will restore pure speech to the peoples, so that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord.” The verb anticipates a universal refinement that reverses Babel’s confusion and unites worshipers in unblemished praise. Daniel 12:10 reinforces the same end-time hope: “Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined.”

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Personal Sanctification: Barar calls believers to submit to the Spirit’s refining fire, echoing New Testament exhortations such as “let us purify ourselves from everything that defiles” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
2. Leadership Selection: Elders, deacons, and ministry teams must be “tested first” (1 Timothy 3:10); the chronicler’s “choice men” supply an Old Testament pattern.
3. Corporate Discipline: Ezekiel and Daniel remind congregations that God will remove persistent rebels for the health of the body.
4. Worship and Word Ministry: Like the polished arrow of Isaiah 49:2, preaching and teaching should be honed instruments, piercing hearts with precision.
5. Mission and Unity: Zephaniah’s “pure speech” anticipates Spirit-empowered proclamation that unites diverse peoples around the gospel.

Christological and New Covenant Considerations

Jesus embodies the ultimate barar. His flawless obedience reveals the Father’s purity; His cross sifts humanity, gathering the redeemed while exposing unbelief; His Spirit continues the refining work until the Church is presented “without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). Thus every Old Testament occurrence of בָּרַר finds its telos in Him who purifies for Himself “a people for His own possession, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

בְּרֻר֤וֹת בְּרוּרִים֙ בְרוּרָ֑ה בָּר֔וּר בָּר֥וּר ברור ברורה ברורים בררות הִבָּ֕רוּ הַבְּרוּרִ֔ים הַבְּרוּרִים֙ הָבֵ֣רוּ הברו הברורים וּבָרוֹתִ֣י וּלְבָרֵ֥ר וברותי ולברר יִ֠תְבָּֽרֲרוּ יתבררו לְבָרָ֖ם לְהָבַֽר׃ לברם להבר׃ נָבָ֖ר נָבָ֥ר נבר תִּתְבָּרָ֑ר תִּתָּבָ֑ר תתבר תתברר bā·rūr baRur bārūr ḇə·rū·rāh bə·rū·rîm bə·ru·rō·wṯ ḇərūrāh beruRim bərūrîm beruRot bərurōwṯ hā·ḇê·rū hab·bə·rū·rîm habberuRim habbərūrîm hāḇêrū haVeru hib·bā·rū hibBaru hibbārū lə·ḇā·rām lə·hā·ḇar ləḇārām ləhāḇar lehaVar levaRam nā·ḇār nāḇār naVar tiṯ·bā·rār tit·tā·ḇār titbaRar tiṯbārār tittāḇār tittaVar ū·ḇā·rō·w·ṯî ū·lə·ḇā·rêr ūḇārōwṯî ūləḇārêr ulevaRer uvaroTi veruRah yiṯ·bā·ră·rū Yitbararu yiṯbārărūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts