Original Word: סָרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: carah
Pronunciation: sah-rah'
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-raw')
KJV: X continual, rebellion, revolt((-ed)), turn away, wrong
NASB: rebellion, defected, revolt, wrongdoing
Word Origin: [from H5493 (סוּר שׂוּר - depart)]

1. apostasy, crime
2. (figuratively) remission

continual, rebellion, revolted, turn away, wrong

From cuwr; apostasy, crime; figuratively, remission -- X continual, rebellion, revolt((-ed)), turn away, wrong.

see HEBREW cuwr

Word Origin
from sur
Definition
turning aside, defection, apostasy, withdrawal
NASB Translation
defected (1), rebellion (4), revolt (1), unceasing* (1), wrongdoing (1).

סָרָה noun feminine a turning aside, defection, apostasy, withdrawal; — always absolute ׳ס; —

1 defection, used apparently of any moral or legal offence Deuteronomy 19:16, so probably Isaiah 59:13 (+ עשֶׁק, דִּבְרֵי שָׁ֑קֶר).

2 apostasy, Deuteronomy 13:6; Isaiah 1:5; Isaiah 31:6; Jeremiah 28:16; Jeremiah 29:32.

3 סָרָה בִּלְתִּי non-withdrawal Isaiah 14:6 (compare verb, Isaiah 14:25; Amos 6:7).

סִרָה see ׳בּוֺר הַסּ above יסור, only in יסורי Jeremiah 17:13 Kt, but see Qr סור

Qal Participle

Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 5627, סָרָה, gathers in one vivid noun the idea of deliberate turning aside from rightful authority—whether that authority is the covenant LORD, His commands, or His ordained structures of justice. Occurring eight times, the word traces a sobering thread from the Torah into the Prophets: rebellion brings judgment; repentance brings restoration.

Covenant Warnings in Deuteronomy

1. Deuteronomy 13:5 places סָרָה at the heart of the test of a false prophet: “that prophet or dreamer must be put to death, for he has encouraged rebellion against the LORD your God”. The crime is not merely wrong prediction but the active fomenting of covenant disloyalty. The penalty underscores Israel’s mandate to preserve purity of worship.
2. Deuteronomy 19:16 addresses courtroom integrity: “If a false witness rises against someone to accuse him of wrongdoing”. Here סָרָה is the malicious charge itself. The Mosaic system protects community harmony by treating false testimony as an assault on the very justice of God.

Prophetic Exposure in Isaiah

• Isaiah 1:5 opens Judah’s national medical chart: “Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling?”. The word pictures moral cancer spreading through head and heart alike.
• Isaiah 14:6 uses סָרָה figuratively of Babylon’s tyranny, revealing that rebellion against God eventually erupts in oppression of people.
• Isaiah 31:6 issues an altar-call: “Return to the One against whom you have so deeply rebelled, O children of Israel”. Repentance remains possible even for long-standing apostasy.
• Isaiah 59:13 confesses collective guilt: “We have rebelled and denied the LORD… spoken oppression and revolt”. Unchecked סָרָה spawns further sins—lying, injustice, estrangement.

Historical Fulfilment in Jeremiah

Jeremiah’s ministry puts flesh on Deuteronomy’s warnings. Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:16) and Shemaiah (Jeremiah 29:32) “preached rebellion against the LORD” and died under divine sentence. The prophet’s record demonstrates that covenant law was no dead letter; God still defended His truth against sedition disguised as spirituality.

Legal and Social Dimensions

While primarily vertical, סָרָה also threatens horizontal order. False prophecy (Deuteronomy 13) manipulates worship; false witness (Deuteronomy 19) corrodes courts; imperial cruelty (Isaiah 14) crushes nations. The term therefore warns every sphere—religious, judicial, political—that authority is derivative and accountable to God.

Theological Themes

1. Holiness: Rebellion is not a minor misstep but direct assault upon God’s character.
2. Retribution: Judgment may be capital (Deuteronomy 13), national (Isaiah 1), or personal (Jeremiah 28), yet always just.
3. Mercy: Even after “deep” rebellion (Isaiah 31:6) the door of return stands open.
4. Integrity of Revelation: The consistent use of סָרָה in both legal and prophetic texts testifies to the unity of Scripture’s moral vision.

Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Gospel proclamation must confront the root sin of rebellion while offering the remedy of Christ’s atoning obedience (Philippians 2:8).
• Church Discipline: The Deuteronomic principle calls modern assemblies to guard doctrinal purity and relational honesty (Matthew 18:15-17).
• Civic Engagement: Isaiah 14:6 encourages believers to resist oppressive systems birthed from rebellion against God.
• Intercession: Isaiah 59:13 models corporate confession; congregations today may likewise plead for mercy amid societal revolt.

New Testament Resonance

Though סָרָה itself does not appear in the Greek Scriptures, its concept echoes in passages such as Hebrews 3:12’s warning against “an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God” and 2 Thessalonians 2:3’s “apostasy” preceding the Day of the Lord. The cross stands as God’s ultimate answer: Christ bears the penalty of our rebellion so He may present a people “zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14).

Conclusion

סָרָה traces the anatomy of apostasy from seed thought to societal collapse yet also highlights the enduring call to return. In every age the antidote remains the same: humble submission to the covenant-keeping God, whose word is faithful and whose grace is sufficient to transform rebels into worshipers.

וְסָרָ֔ה וסרה סָ֠רָה סָרָ֑ה סָרָ֖ה סָרָ֥ה סָרָֽה׃ סרה סרה׃ sā·rāh Sarah sārāh vesaRah wə·sā·rāh wəsārāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts