Original Word: עֵבֶר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `eber
Pronunciation: AY-ver
Phonetic Spelling: (ay'-ber)
KJV: X against, beyond, by, X from, over, passage, quarter, (other, this) side, straight
NASB: beyond, across, side, other side, sides, west, beside
Word Origin: [from H5674 (עָבַר - To pass over)]

1. (properly) a region across
2. but used only adverbially (with or without a preposition) on the opposite side (especially of the Jordan
3. ususally meaning the east)

against, beyond, by, from, over, passage, quarter, other,

From abar; properly, a region across; but used only adverbially (with or without a preposition) on the opposite side (especially of the Jordan; ususally meaning the east) -- X against, beyond, by, X from, over, passage, quarter, (other, this) side, straight.

see HEBREW abar

Word Origin
from abar
Definition
region across or beyond, side
NASB Translation
across (10), across* (3), beside (1), beyond (33), beyond* (12), next* (1), other side (8), regions beyond (1), side (9), sides (2), space (1), straight* (3), way (1), west (2).

I. עֵ֫בֶר₉₁ noun masculine^{1Samuel 14:40} region across or beyond, side (on formation compare Ba^{NB 144}; compare especially Assyrian êbru, êbirtu, id., êbirtan, adverb beyond); — ׳י absolute 1 Samuel 14:4 +; construct Joshua 24:4 +; suffix עֶבְרוֺ Isaiah 47:15; plural construct עֶבְרֵי Isaiah 7:20; Jeremiah 48:28 (si vera lectio, see below); suffix עֲבָרָיו 1 Kings 5:4; Jeremiah 49:32 (read probably עֶבְרֵיהֶם, so Vrss), עֶבְרֵיהֶם Exodus 32:15; —

1 region across or beyond anything (usually wady, river, or sea), mostly with preposition:בְּעֵבֶר אַרְנוֺן Numbers 21:13 (JE) Judges 11:18, compare Jeremiah 25:22; הַיָּם ׳אֶלעֿ Deuteronomy 30:13 b, מַעֵבֶר לַיָּם Deuteronomy 30:13 a beyond the sea; לְנַהֲרֵיכֿוּשׁ ׳מֵע Isaiah 18:1, compare ׳עַדמֵֿע 1 Kings 4:12 (מִן on the side of, on, see מִן

1c; so usually with ׳ע); but also (rarely) ׳מֵע from the other side of Zephaniah 3:10; Job 1:19; 2Chronicles 20:2; absolute ׳הַע 1 Samuel 26:13 to the other side (that is, of a ravine; after וַיַּעֲבֹר); בְּעֵבֶר הָעֵמֶק 1 Samuel 31:7, read perhaps ׳בְּעָרֵי הָע, so Klo Bu HPS; בְּעֶבְרֵי פִיפָֿ֑חַת Jeremiah 48:28 beyond the mouth of a chasm is dubious; Gie proposes בְּחֹרֵי כֵפֵי בַתֹּת in the rock-holes of the precipices; especially (chiefly Hexateuch, 37 t.) הַיַּרְדֵּן ׳ע (30 t.), or (less often, Joshua 13:32 13t.), לַיַּרְדֵּן, לְיַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֺ (only with ׳מֵע), of either east Jordan (36 t.) or west Jordan land (9 t.) according to standpoint of speaker or writer:

A. east Jordan (from standpoint of writer) Genesis 50:10,11 (J) Joshua 17:5 (JE) Deuteronomy 1:1,5; Deuteronomy 4:41,46,47,49; Joshua 1:14; Joshua 12:1; Joshua 13:8 (D), Numbers 22:1; Numbers 32:19; Numbers 34:15; Joshua 13:27,32; Joshua 14:3; Joshua 20:8 (P), Judges 7:25; Judges 10:8; 1 Samuel 31:7; Isaiah 8:23; 1 Chronicles 6:63; 1 Chronicles 12:37; from standpoint of speaker, Joshua 7:7 (JE), Joshua 24:8 (E), Joshua 1:15; Joshua 2:10; Joshua 9:10; Joshua 18:7; Joshua 22:4 (D), Judges 5:17; in Numbers 35:14 (Moses speaks) it is land opposed to to Can., compare Numbers 32:32; in Deuteronomy 3:8 (Moses speaks) writer (D) ascribes his own standpoint to Moses; (often further topographical note is added, e.g. מִזְרָ֫חָה Deuteronomy 4:49 +, מִזְרַח הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ Joshua 1:15 +, etc.); ׳אֶלעֵֿבֶר בְּנֵי יִשְׂר Joshua 22:11 toward the region opposite the sons of Israel apparently also refers to east side (see Steuern on text).

B. West Jordan (9 t.), from standpoint of speaker Deuteronomy 3:20,25 (Moses), also Deuteronomy 11:30 (but here + מְכוֺא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, and in all following some special designation of West), + יָ֫מָּה Joshua 5:1 (D; from standpoint of those just crossed), Joshua 12:7 (opposite East Joshua 12:1-6), Joshua 22:7 (id.; Kt מעבר, Qr בְּעֵבֶר), compare Joshua 9:1 (as Joshua 5:1); + וָהָ֑לְאָה Numbers 32:19 a (opposite East v^b); in 1 Chronicles 26:30 מַעֲרָ֑בָה ׳לַיַּר ׳מֵע ׳ע seems = side (see below). Also הַנָּהָר ׳בְּע beyond the river (Euphrates) Joshua 24:2,14,15 (E; Kt Qr ׳מֵע), ׳מֵע 2 Samuel 10:16 = 1 Chronicles 19:16 beyond, and 1 Kings 14:5 to the other side of (see מִן 1c); ׳מֵע from beyond the river only Joshua 24:3 (E), in all these = beyond the Euphrase eastward, from standpoint of those west of Euphrase; so plural ׳בְּעֶבְרֵי הַנּ Isaiah 7:20; possibly also ׳ע alone (si vera lectio) in the difficult passage Numbers 24:24; הַנָּהָר ׳ע = region beyond the river (Euphrase) westward (from standpoint of those in Babylonia or Persia) Nehemiah 2:7,9; Nehemiah 3:7; Ezra 8:36; also 1 Kings 5:4 (twice in verse) (written in Babylonian; compare Biblical Aramaic עֲבַר, and Dr^{Intr (6) 504}). **Compare late Assyrian ebir nari Schr^{KB iv. 304, l. 7 from below; KAT 3. 188, 437}.

2 (Opposite) side, side: הַלָּז ׳מֵע 1 Samuel 14:1 on yonder side seems transition to this meaning; מִזֶּה ׳מֵהָע twice, 1 Samuel 14:4 = on one side, on the other side, so אֶחָד ׳לְע twice 1 Samuel 14:40; even מִשְּׁנֵי עִבְרֵיהֶם Exodus 32:15 (E) on their two sides (i.e. of tablets); הָאֵפוֺד בָּ֑יְתָה ׳אֶלעֿ Exodus 28:26 (P) toward the inner side of theephod; in 1 Kings 7:20,30 ׳ע apparently = at the side of or opposite, but the architectural details are obscure; מִכָּלעֲֿבָרָיו מִסָּבִיב 1 Kings 5:4 on all sides of him, round about, מִכָּלעֲֿבָרָיו Jeremiah 49:32 (read עֶבְרֵיהֶם Vrss Gie) from all sides of them (all directions, = מִכָּלסְֿבִיבָ֑יִךְ Jeremiah 49:5); אֶלעֵֿבֶר מָּנָיו יֵלֵ֑כוּ to the side of their faces (i.e. in front, straight forward) they (always) went Ezekiel 1:9,12; Ezekiel 10:22, compare מָּנֶיהָ ׳עַלעֿ Exodus 25:37 to give light upon the space in front of it; אִישׁ לְעֶבְרוֺ תָּעוּ Isaiah 47:15 they wander away each in his own direction (regardless of thee). — On 1 Chronicles 26:30 see above

Overview

עֵבֶר (ʿēḇer) most often points to the “other side” or “beyond,” marking a line that must be crossed. Ninety occurrences span narrative, legal, poetic, and prophetic texts, uniting them by the idea of boundary and passage. Scripture repeatedly uses the word to locate people or events in relation to major waterways—pre-eminently the Jordan and the Euphrates—but the term also functions figuratively to speak of covenantal boundaries, spiritual decisions, and eschatological hope.

Geographical Usage: Rivers, Seas, and Deserts

1. River Jordan. Roughly half the references belong to the formula מֵעֵבֶר לַיַּרְדֵּן (“beyond the Jordan”), beginning with Genesis 50:10-11 and then saturating Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua (for example, Deuteronomy 1:1; Joshua 1:14-15; 22:4-7). The phrase can describe either the eastern or western bank, depending on the narrator’s vantage point. Moses writes east of the river and calls Canaan “beyond the Jordan”; Joshua, writing west of the river, can reverse the geography. This literary device reminds the reader that the true center of Israel’s identity is not a particular longitude but the presence and promise of God.
2. River Euphrates. In larger geopolitical settings עֵבֶר points “beyond the Euphrates” (Joshua 24:2; 2 Samuel 10:16; 1 Kings 5:4 [5:18 ET]; Ezra 4:10-11; Isaiah 7:20). The prophets invoke it to describe the distant source of imperial armies. What lies “across” the great river can thus be a place of threat or of origin, a paradox that heightens the drama of divine sovereignty over the nations.
3. Other physical markers. “Across the Arnon” (Numbers 21:13), “across the Red Sea” (Joshua 24:6), and “across the coastlands” (Jeremiah 25:22) show the flexibility of the term. It can even designate the far side of an interior courtyard or hillside (1 Samuel 14:5), proving that עֵבֶר works wherever a barrier defines space.

Historical and Covenantal Significance

• Patriarchal Pilgrimage. Joshua 24:2-3 recalls that the fathers “lived beyond the Euphrates” before the Lord “took your father Abraham from the other side.” Scripture roots the concept of “Hebrew” (ʿibrî) in this same idea of crossing over, underscoring the pilgrim character of God’s people (compare Genesis 14:13).
• Transjordanian Settlement. Numbers 32 and Joshua 22 relate how Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh chose territory “across the Jordan.” Their settlement tested Israel’s unity, but Moses’ conditional permission bound them to fight for their brothers before returning “to your own land across the Jordan” (Joshua 1:15). Thus עֵבֶר becomes a shorthand for brotherly obligation that transcends geography.
• Wilderness to Promise. Deuteronomy opens “beyond the Jordan, in the wilderness” (Deuteronomy 1:1) and closes with Moses’ death “in the land of Moab” (34:5). The location reminds Israel that the covenant was ratified while they were still outside the inheritance—grace precedes possession. Crossing the Jordan under Joshua, then, is an enacted sermon of salvation by faith leading to obedient conquest.

Political and Military Contexts

Foreign coalitions repeatedly assemble “from across” the Euphrates (2 Samuel 10:16; 1 Kings 5:4; Isaiah 7:20). The chronic anxiety over powers arising from the far side of the river frames Israel’s reliance on the Lord rather than on human alliances. Similarly, Judges 5:17 censures Reuben for “remaining beyond the Jordan” during Deborah’s campaign, proving that staying on the far side in a time of battle can equal faithlessness.

Prophetic and Poetic Resonances

Psalms and Prophets sometimes lift the term above mere cartography. Psalm 71:20 celebrates God bringing His servant “from the depths of the earth,” echoing the movement from death to life, while Zechariah 9:10 foresees Messiah’s rule “from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth,” stretching the idiom of עֵבֶר into a vision of universal peace. The language of “beyond” turns into a promise that no boundary can exclude the reach of the coming King.

Theological and Ministry Reflections

1. Salvation involves crossing. Just as Israel left Egypt, passed through the Red Sea, and finally crossed the Jordan, every believer moves from death to life (John 5:24) by trusting in the One who has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).
2. Boundaries create mission fields. What lies “beyond” to us is not outside God’s agenda; rather, it is a summons to obedience (Acts 1:8). Israel’s mandate to care for tribes on both sides of the Jordan illustrates the church’s calling to love the whole body of Christ, near and far.
3. Eschatological hope. The recurring phrase “from beyond the river” in prophetic texts foreshadows the ingathering of nations (Isaiah 11:11; Zephaniah 3:10). What is now “across” will one day be gathered “within,” testifying to the final unification of the New Jerusalem.

Key Passages for Study

Genesis 50:10-11; Numbers 32:19-22; Deuteronomy 1:1-5; Joshua 1:14-18; 2 Samuel 10:16; 1 Kings 5:4; Isaiah 7:20; Jeremiah 25:22; Zechariah 9:10.

Summary

עֵבֶר binds geography to theology. Whether marking the eastern bank of the Jordan, the remote reaches of imperial power, or the spiritual distance between the lost and the redeemed, the word invites God’s people to trust Him for every crossing—past, present, and future.

בְּעֵ֖בֶר בְּעֵ֣בֶר בְּעֵ֤בֶר בְּעֵ֥בֶר בְּעֵ֨בֶר בְּעֶבְרֵ֤י בְּעֶבְרֵ֥י בְּעֵ֥בֶר בעבר בעברי הָעֵ֔בֶר העבר וּמֵעֵ֜בֶר וּמֵעֵ֣בֶר ומעבר לְעֵ֣בֶר לְעֶבְרוֹ֙ לעבר לעברו מֵהָעֵ֖בֶר מֵהָעֵ֙בֶר֙ מֵעֵ֖בֶר מֵעֵ֛בֶר מֵעֵ֣בֶר מֵעֵ֤בֶר מֵעֵ֥בֶר מהעבר מעבר עֲבָרָ֖יו עֲבָרָ֛יו עֵ֖בֶר עֵ֣בֶר עֵ֤בֶר עֵ֥בֶר עֶבְרֵיהֶ֔ם עבר עבריהם עבריו ‘ă·ḇā·rāw ‘ăḇārāw ‘ê·ḇer ‘eḇ·rê·hem ‘êḇer ‘eḇrêhem avaRav bə‘êḇer bə‘eḇrê bə·‘ê·ḇer bə·‘eḇ·rê beEver beevRei Ever evreiHem hā‘êḇer hā·‘ê·ḇer haEver lə‘êḇer lə‘eḇrōw lə·‘ê·ḇer lə·‘eḇ·rōw leEver leevRo mê‘êḇer mê·‘ê·ḇer mê·hā·‘ê·ḇer meEver mêhā‘êḇer mehaEver ū·mê·‘ê·ḇer ūmê‘êḇer umeEverInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts