Original Word: בָּעַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ba`ar
Pronunciation: bah-AR
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-ar')
KJV: be brutish, bring (put, take) away, burn, (cause to) eat (up), feed, heat, kindle, set (on fire), waste
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to kindle
2. to consume (by fire or by eating)
3. (also, as denominative from H1198) to be(-come) brutish

be brutish, bring put, take away, burn, cause to eat up, feed, heat, kindle,

A primitive root; to kindle, i.e. Consume (by fire or by eating); also (as denominative from ba'ar) to be(-come) brutish -- be brutish, bring (put, take) away, burn, (cause to) eat (up), feed, heat, kindle, set ((on fire)), waste.

see HEBREW ba'ar

I. [בָּעַר] verb burn, consume (ᵑ7 בְּעַר burn; seek out, collect, glean; this apparently earlier meaning) —

Qal Perfect3feminine singular בָּֽעֲרָה Numbers 11:3 2t., וּבָֽעֲרָה consecutive Isaiah 10:17 3t., בָּֽעֲרוּ Judges 15:14 2t. + 2 Samuel 22:13 (but compare De on Psalm 18), וּבָֽעֲרוּ consecutive Isaiah 1:31; Imperfect יִבְעַר Exodus 3:3; Psalm 2:12, etc.; Participle בֹּעֵר Exodus 3:2 6t., בֹּעֵרָ֑ה Isaiah 34:9, בּוֺעֵ֫רָה Hosea 7:4, בֹּעֲרָ֫ה Isaiah 30:33, בֹּעֶ֫רֶת Jeremiah 20:9, בֹּעֲרוֺת Ezekiel 1:13; — burn,

1 (intransitive) specifically begin to burn, be kindled Psalm 18:8 followed by מִן (subject גֶּחָלִים) = 2 Samuel 22:9 (in 2 Samuel 22:13 textual error compare above), Psalm 106:18 (subject אֵשׁ); figurative Psalm 2:12 (subject אַמּוֺ) compare Jeremiah 44:6 (subject חֵמָה); Isaiah 30:33 (with בְּ, subject ׳נִשְׁמַת י), Psalm 39:4 (subject אֵשׁ figurative of grief, distress) compare Jeremiah 20:9.

2 be burning, burn, Judges 15:14 (subject מִּשְׁתִּים, with בָּאֵשׁ), Exodus 3:2 (הסנה, with בָּאֵשׁ), Exodus 3:3 (subject id.); Deuteronomy 4:11; Deuteronomy 5:20; Deuteronomy 9:15 (all subject הר, with בָּאֵשׁ), compare Isaiah 34:9 (זֶפֶת בערה), figurative of destruction Isaiah 1:31 (subject חָסֹן & מֹּעֲלוֺ); of torch לַמִּיד Isaiah 62:1; of oven תַּנּוּר Hosea 7:4,6 (i.e. heated by fire within it).

3 transitive burn, consume (subject אשׁ, להבה etc., followed by בְּ) Numbers 11:1,3(׳אשׁ י), Job 1:16 (אשׁ אלהים); in smile Ezekiel 1:33 (׳גחלי אשׁ י), Psalm 83:15 (only here transitive with accusative; should תבער be pointed as Pi`el ?); figurative (subject wrath of ׳י) Isaiah 42:25 compare Lamentations 2:5 (subject fire = fiery trial) Isaiah 43:2.

4 active but absolute, figurative, subject wrath of ׳י Jeremiah 4:4; Jeremiah 7:20; Jeremiah 21:12; Psalm 89:47 compare Isaiah 10:17; Psalm 79:5; Isaiah 30:27 (֗֗֗ בֹּעֵר אַמּוֺ ׳שֵׁם י) Malachi 3:19 (היום בא); of human anger Esther 1:12; subject wickedness Isaiah 9:17.

Pi`el Perfect בִּעֵר 1 Kings 22:47; 2 Kings 23:24, וּבִעֵר consecutive Leviticus 6:5, בִּעַ֫רְתָּ2Chronicles 19:3, וּבִַ ערְתָּ֫ Deuteronomy 13:6 9t. in Deuteronomy; וּבִעֲרוּ consecutive Ezekiel 39:9 (twice in verse) (9:a strike out Co after Vrss), etc.; Imperfect יְבַעֵר 1 Kings 14:10; 2masculine singular תְּבַעֵר Deuteronomy 21:9, יְבַעֲרוּ Ezekiel 39:10; 2masculine plural תְּבַעֲרוּ Exodus 35:3, וּנְבַעֲרָ֫ה subordinate Judges 20:13; Participle מְבַעֲרִים Jeremiah 7:18; —

1 kindle, literal with accusative אשׁ Exodus 35:3; Jeremiah 7:18 compare Ezekiel 39:9 (see above) Ezekiel 39:10; figurative of ׳י sending destruction Ezekiel 21:4 compare of human schemes Isaiah 50:11; light, object lamps in temple 2 Chronicles 4:20; compare 2 Chronicles 13:11.

2 burn, literal with accusative עֵצִים Leviticus 6:5, גָּלָל dung 1 Kings 14:10; absolute Isaiah 44:15; compare Isaiah 40:16; Nehemiah 10:35.

3 figurative consume, utterly remove, particular of evil and guilt, with accusative, especially in Deuteronomic phrase ובערת הרע מקרבך (מישׂראלׅ Deuteronomy 13:6; Deuteronomy 17:7,12; Deuteronomy 19:13,19; Deuteronomy 21:21 compare Deuteronomy 21:9; Deuteronomy 22:21,22,24; Deuteronomy 24:7, see also Judges 20:13; further, 1 Kings 22:47; 2 Kings 23:24; 2Chronicles 19:3; also of devoted (tabooed) things Deuteronomy 26:13,14; of persons (exterminate) 2 Samuel 4:11; followed by אחרי pregnantly 1 Kings 14:10; 1 Kings 21:21; = devour, devastate, greedily enjoy the fruits of, Isaiah 3:14; absolute היה לְבָעֵר be for destruction, be destroyed Numbers 24:22; Isaiah 5:5; Isaiah 6:13; compare רוּחַ בָּעֵר Isaiah 4:4.

Pu`al Participle מְבֹעָ֑רֶת Jeremiah 36:22; — burn (i.e. be supplied with fire), of fire-jar, הָאָח.

Hiph`il Perfect וְהִבְעַרְתִּ֫י Nahum 2:14; Imperfect וַיַּבְעֵר Judges 15:5; 2Chronicles 28:3, וַיַּבְעֶרֿ Judges 15:5; תַּבְעִיר Ezekiel 5:2; Participle מַבְעִיר 1 Kings 16:3, מַבְעִר Exodus 22:5; —

1 kindle (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb) Exodus 22:5, compare Judges 15:5 אשׁ בלפידים ׳ויב caused fire to burn among the brands.

2 burn up, with accusative Judges 15:5; 2Chronicles 28:3 (sacrifice of children בָּאֵשׁ) Ezekiel 5:2 (בָּאוּר but compare Co) Nahum 2:14 (בעשׁן).

3 consume = destroy (compare Pi`el) 1 Kings 16:3 (followed by אַחֲרֵי).

II. [בָּעַר] verb denominative be brutish —

Qal Imperfect יִבְעֲרוּ Jeremiah 10:8 ("" יכסלו) be stupid, dull-hearted, unreceptive; compare Participle plural בֹּעֲרִים Psalm 94:8 ("" כסילים); of inhuman, cruel, barbarous men Ezekiel 21:36.

Niph`al Perfect נִבְעַר Jeremiah 10:14; Jeremiah 51:17, נִבְעֲרוּ Jeremiah 10:21; Participle נִבְעָרָ֑ה Isaiah 19:11; — brutish, stupid Isaiah 19:11 (עצה, "" אויל); dull-hearted, ignorant of God Jeremiah 10:14,21; Jeremiah 51:17. **Jer 10:14 = Jeremiah 51:17 rather stupefied (by spectacle Jeremiah 10:13 = Jeremiah 51:16).

Pi`el Perfect וּבִעֵר consecutive Exodus 22:4 feed, graze (בשׂדה אחר).

Hiph`il Imperfect יַבְעֶרֿ Exodus 22:4 cause to be grazed over, followed by שׂדה.

Overview

בָּעַר (baʿar) describes the act of causing something to burn until it is consumed, whether literally or figuratively. Across roughly ninety-five Old Testament occurrences, the verb frames domestic life, sacrificial worship, covenantal obedience, royal reform, prophetic warning, and eschatological hope.

Literal Combustion in Ordinary Life

Baʿar often appears in everyday contexts: shepherds warming themselves, cooks preparing meals, farmers clearing fields. “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the whole field is consumed, the one who started the fire must make restitution” (Exodus 22:6). The verb carries the idea of total consumption, highlighting both the usefulness and the danger of fire in agrarian Israel.

The Sabbath Restriction

Exodus 35:3 commands, “You must not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” Baʿar therefore becomes a litmus test of covenant loyalty. Even a necessary, beneficial act like kindling domestic fire must yield to the sanctity of the seventh day. Later rabbinic debates on Sabbath boundaries trace to this single verb.

Sacrificial and Cultic Burning

Although the word for altar-burning is usually שָׂרַף, baʿar surfaces when the text stresses the initial kindling rather than the ongoing combustion. Leviticus 6:12-13 notes that the priest “shall burn wood on it every morning,” ensuring the fire never goes out. The verb thereby underlines human responsibility to sustain God-given fire, a pattern echoed when Solomon “burned incense on the high place” prior to the temple’s completion (1 Kings 3:3).

Cleansing Idolatry

When the covenant community repents, baʿar is the verb of purgation. Moses orders Israel to “burn their Asherah poles with fire” (Deuteronomy 7:5). Josiah fulfills the Deuteronomic vision, dismantling and burning idols, bones, and altars (2 Kings 23:4-20). Fire here is not mere destruction but purification, a visible declaration that no rival deity will stand.

Military and Judicial Judgment

Baʿar depicts the ruin that follows warfare or legal penalty. Samson “set the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up the shocks… and the olive groves” (Judges 15:5). Cities placed under the herem ban were “burned with fire” (Deuteronomy 13:16). The verb embodies covenant curses: what rebels kindle becomes the instrument of their own undoing.

Prophetic Imagery of Divine Wrath

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, and Zechariah employ baʿar to portray God’s righteous anger. “My anger is kindled like fire; it burns to the depths of Sheol” (Deuteronomy 32:22). The consuming blaze is never capricious; it is measured retribution against covenant breach, teaching successive generations the cost of idolatry and injustice.

Hope through Purging Fire

Yet the prophets also envision a remnant refined rather than annihilated. Zechariah 13:9, using the cognate noun, promises, “I will bring this third into the fire and refine them as silver is refined.” The destructive power of baʿar thus anticipates restoration: what is worthless is burned away so that holiness might flourish.

Christological and Redemptive Trajectory

The non-consuming flame of Exodus 3:2, where “the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed,” foreshadows the incarnation—full deity dwelling in fragile humanity without destroying it. The abiding fire on the altar (Leviticus 6) prefigures the final, once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose zeal “burned” (John 2:17 quoting Psalm 69:9) for the Father’s house. Pentecost’s tongues of fire complete the trajectory: the Spirit kindles but does not destroy, empowering witness rather than exacting wrath.

Pastoral and Ministerial Applications

1. Discipline of Desire: Just as unauthorized fire brought death to Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2), unregulated passions devastate God’s people.
2. Holiness through Removal: Churches must “burn” modern idols—habits, ideologies, technologies—that rival Christ’s lordship (compare 2 Kings 23).
3. Sabbath Rest: Resisting the perpetual “kindling” of productivity honors God’s rhythm and teaches dependence (Exodus 35:3).
4. Evangelistic Fervor: Jeremiah’s word was a “fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9). The same spiritual combustion should energize gospel proclamation.

Summary

Baʿar binds together consumption and consecration, wrath and worship. Whether illuminating a shepherd’s camp, purging apostasy, or symbolizing the Spirit’s incoming power, the verb testifies that God is “a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29). Fire kindled by human hands must serve covenant purposes, or it becomes an agent of judgment. In Scripture’s unfolding story, every spark ultimately points to the holy love that both refines and indwells the redeemed people of God.

בִּֽעַרְתִּ֑יהָ בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֔ם בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֣ם בִּעֵ֖ר בִּעַ֧רְתִּי בִעַ֤רְתִּי בִעַ֤רְתָּ בָּֽעַר׃ בָּעֲר֖וּ בָּעֲר֣וּ בָּעֲר֥וּ בָּעֲרָ֥ה בָּעֵ֑ר בָּעֵֽר׃ בָעֲרָ֤ה בָעֲרָ֥ה בֹּֽעֲרִ֔ים בֹּֽעֲרוֹת֙ בֹּעֲרִ֣ים בֹּעֲרָ֖ה בֹּעֵ֖ר בֹּעֵ֖רָה בֹּעֵ֣ר בֹּעֵ֤ר בֹּעֵרָֽה׃ בֹּעֶ֔רֶת בֹעֵ֖ר בער בער׃ בערה בערה׃ בערו בערות בערים בערת בערתי בערתיה בערתם הַמַּבְעִ֖ר המבער וְהִבְעַרְתִּ֤י וַיִּבְעַ֤ר וַיַּבְעֵ֛ר וַיַּבְעֵ֤ר וַיַּבְעֶר־ וַתִּבְעַ֥ר וַתִּבְעַר֙ וַתִּבְעַר־ וּבִֽעַרְתִּי֙ וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֧ וּבִעֲר֡וּ וּבִעֲר֥וּ וּבִעֵ֖ר וּבִעֵ֨ר וּבִעַרְתִּ֖י וּבִעַרְתִּ֥י וּבָעֲר֧וּ וּבָעֲרָ֖ה וּבָעֲרָ֗ה וּבָעֲרָה֙ וּנְבַעֲרָ֥ה ובער ובערה ובערו ובערת ובערתי והבערתי ויבער ויבער־ ונבערה ותבער ותבער־ יְבַֽעֲרוּ־ יְבַעֵ֥ר יִבְעֲר֣וּ יִבְעַ֣ר יִבְעַ֥ר יִבְעָֽר׃ יַבְעֶר־ יבער יבער־ יבער׃ יבערו יבערו־ לְבַעֲרָ֧ם לְבַעֵ֗ר לְבָ֣עֵֽר לְבָעֵ֑ר לְבָעֵ֔ר לְבָעֵר֙ לבער לבערם מְבַעֲרִ֣ים מְבֹעָֽרֶת׃ מַבְעִ֛יר מבעיר מבערים מבערת׃ נִבְעֲרוּ֙ נִבְעַ֤ר נִבְעָרָ֑ה נבער נבערה נבערו תְּבַעֵ֛ר תְבַעֲר֣וּ תִּבְעַ֖ר תִּבְעַ֥ר תִּבְעַר־ תִבְעַר־ תַּבְעִיר֙ תבעיר תבער תבער־ תבערו bā‘ar bā‘ărāh ḇā‘ărāh bā‘ărū bā‘êr bā·‘ă·rāh ḇā·‘ă·rāh bā·‘ă·rū bā·‘ar bā·‘êr Baar baaRah baaRu baEr ḇi‘artā bi‘artem bi‘artî ḇi‘artî bi‘artîhā bi‘êr ḇi·‘ar·tā bi·‘ar·tem bi·‘ar·tî ḇi·‘ar·tî bi·‘ar·tî·hā bi·‘êr biarTem biArti biarTiha biEr bō‘ărāh bō‘ărîm bō‘ărōwṯ bō‘êr ḇō‘êr bō‘êrāh bō‘ereṯ bō·‘ă·rāh bō·‘ă·rîm bō·‘ă·rō·wṯ bō·‘ê·rāh bō·‘e·reṯ bō·‘êr ḇō·‘êr boaRah boaRim boarOt boEr boeRah boEret ham·maḇ·‘ir hammaḇ‘ir hammavIr lə·ḇa·‘ă·rām lə·ḇa·‘êr lə·ḇā·‘êr ləḇa‘ărām ləḇa‘êr ləḇā‘êr levaaRam leVaer maḇ‘îr maḇ·‘îr mavIr mə·ḇa·‘ă·rîm mə·ḇō·‘ā·reṯ məḇa‘ărîm məḇō‘āreṯ mevaaRim mevoAret niḇ‘ar niḇ‘ārāh niḇ‘ărū niḇ·‘ā·rāh niḇ·‘ă·rū niḇ·‘ar nivAr nivaRah nivaRu taḇ‘îr taḇ·‘îr tavIr ṯə·ḇa·‘ă·rū tə·ḇa·‘êr ṯəḇa‘ărū təḇa‘êr tevaaRu tevaEr tiḇ‘ar tiḇ‘ar- ṯiḇ‘ar- tiḇ·‘ar tiḇ·‘ar- ṯiḇ·‘ar- tivar ū·ḇā·‘ă·rāh ū·ḇā·‘ă·rū ū·ḇi·‘ă·rū ū·ḇi·‘ar·tā ū·ḇi·‘ar·tî ū·ḇi·‘êr ū·nə·ḇa·‘ă·rāh ūḇā‘ărāh ūḇā‘ărū ūḇi‘artā ūḇi‘artî ūḇi‘ărū ūḇi‘êr ūnəḇa‘ărāh unevaaRah uvaaRah uvaaRu uviarTa uviarTi uviaRu uviEr vaaRah vaiyaver vaiyivAr vattivar vehivarTi viArta viArti voEr wat·tiḇ·‘ar wat·tiḇ·‘ar- wattiḇ‘ar wattiḇ‘ar- way·yaḇ·‘êr way·yaḇ·‘er- way·yiḇ·‘ar wayyaḇ‘êr wayyaḇ‘er- wayyiḇ‘ar wə·hiḇ·‘ar·tî wəhiḇ‘artî yaḇ‘er- yaḇ·‘er- yaver yə·ḇa·‘ă·rū- yə·ḇa·‘êr yəḇa‘ărū- yəḇa‘êr yevaaru yevaEr yiḇ‘ar yiḇ‘ār yiḇ‘ărū yiḇ·‘ă·rū yiḇ·‘ar yiḇ·‘ār yivAr yivaRuInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts