5637. sarar
Lexical Summary
sarar: To be stubborn, to rebel, to be obstinate

Original Word: סָרַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: carar
Pronunciation: sah-RAHR
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-rar')
KJV: X away, backsliding, rebellious, revolter(-ing), slide back, stubborn, withdrew
NASB: stubborn, rebellious, rebels, stubbornly rebellious
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to turn away, i.e. (morally) be refractory

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
away, backsliding, rebellious, revolting, slide back, stubborn, withdrew

A primitive root; to turn away, i.e. (morally) be refractory -- X away, backsliding, rebellious, revolter(-ing), slide back, stubborn, withdrew.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root.
Definition
stubborn or rebellious
NASB Translation
rebellious (6), rebels (2), stubborn (8), stubbornly rebellious (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
סָרַר verb be stubborn, rebellious (usually towards ׳י) (Late Hebrew id., (rare); Assyrian sarâru); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular יִשְׂרָאֵל ׳ס Hosea 4:16 Israel is stubborn; Participle active בֵּן סוֺרֵר וּמוֺרֶה Deuteronomy 21:18, compare Deuteronomy 21:20; בָּנִים סוֺרְרִים Isaiah 30:1, עַם סוֺרֵר Isaiah 65:2, וּמֹרֶה ׳דּוֺר ס Psalm 78:8 (all of Israel); וּמוֺרֶה ׳לֵב מ Jeremiah 5:23; מָּרָה סֹרֵרָ֔ה Hosea 4:16 (simile of Israel, see above); as predicate שָׂרֵיהֶם סוֺרְרִים Hosea 9:15 compare Isaiah 1:23; סָרֵי סוֺרְרִים Jeremiah 6:28 revolters among the rebellious (? compare סור

Qal near the end, and סַר below); of loose woman הֹמִיָּסה הִיא וְסוֺרָ֑רֶת Proverbs 7:11; as substantive = the stubborn, Psalm 66:7; Psalm 68:7; Psalm 68:19; feminine singular וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סֹרֶ֫רֶת Nehemiah 9:29 and they presented a stubborn shoulder (of Israel) = Zechariah 7:11 (סֹרָ֑רֶת).

Topical Lexicon
Root Idea and Thematic Thread

The verb denotes willful resistance against rightful authority. Whether expressed by an individual son, a nation, or corrupt leaders, it always carries moral culpability. The stubbornness is not mere temperament but conscious rejection of God-given instruction, therefore inviting covenantal judgment.

Covenantal Setting

From its first appearance in Deuteronomy 21:18−20, the word stands inside Israel’s covenant life. The stubborn son refuses both parental and divine Torah, exposing himself to sanctions designed to preserve community holiness. The same dynamic surfaces in national history (Nehemiah 9:29), where corporate rebellion against the Law is confessed as the root of exile.

Portraits of Rebellion in the Writings

Psalm 66:7 warns the nations: “Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.” God’s universal sovereignty ensures that stubborn revolt will never overturn His rule.
Psalm 68 twice contrasts God’s grace with human obstinacy. Verse 6 shows the barren outcomes of rebellion—“the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land”—while verse 18 marvels that the exalted Lord “received gifts from men, even from the rebellious,” highlighting triumph over sin through mercy.
Psalm 78:8 describes a “stubborn and rebellious generation” in the wilderness, offering Israel a negative mirror so that later generations might embrace faithfulness.

Wisdom Literature

Proverbs 7:11 uses the term of the adulteress whose noisy defiance breaks household order. Her rebellion embodies sin’s seductive pull and foreshadows national unfaithfulness condemned by the prophets.

Prophetic Indictments

Isaiah links rebellion with social injustice: “Your princes are rebels, companions of thieves” (Isaiah 1:23). Political leadership becomes morally illegitimate when it casts off covenant obligations. Isaiah 30:1 and 65:2 expand the charge to policy and piety—a nation forming alliances without the Spirit and walking “in paths of their own.” Jeremiah deepens the critique: “But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts” (Jeremiah 5:23), revealing that the problem is spiritual rather than merely political. Zechariah 7:11 pictures post-exilic Judah repeating pre-exilic sins, proving that time alone cannot cure a rebellious heart.

Hosea’s Pastoral Imagery

Hosea 4:16 compares Israel to “a stubborn cow,” stressing how rebellion frustrates the shepherding care of God. Hosea 9:15 locates this obstinacy at Gilgal, once a place of covenant renewal, now infamous for apostasy. Rebellion thus turns sacred history into indictment.

Consequences and Divine Response

Rebellion leads to separation (Psalm 68:6), barren exile (Deuteronomy’s sanction), and fiery judgment (Jeremiah 6:28). Yet the Lord’s persistence in grace is equally evident. Isaiah 65:2 portrays God stretching out His hands “all day long” to the obstinate. Psalm 68:18 anticipates the Messiah who conquers rebellion and bestows gifts—a text Paul applies to Jesus Christ in Ephesians 4:8, revealing ultimate resolution in the gospel.

Ministry and Discipleship Implications

1. Parental Discipline: Deuteronomy 21 warns that unchecked rebellion destroys families and societies. Faithful instruction and loving correction remain vital.
2. Corporate Confession: Nehemiah 9 models leadership that owns collective stubbornness, laying groundwork for revival.
3. Prophetic Courage: Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah demonstrate that confronting rebellion is an act of covenant loyalty, not loveless judgment.
4. Gospel Hope: Psalm 68 and the New Testament echo show that divine victory includes transforming rebels into worshipers. Ministers therefore combine truth-telling with the invitation of grace.

Summary

The term traces a consistent biblical motif: rebellion resists covenant order, erodes community, and provokes divine judgment, yet God’s steadfast purpose is to overcome obstinacy through redemptive mercy. The exhortation for every generation is clear—“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Forms and Transliterations
הַסּוֹרְרִ֓ים ׀ הסוררים וְסֹרָ֑רֶת וסררת ס֝וֹרְרִ֗ים ס֝וֹרֲרִ֗ים סָרַ֖ר סֹֽרֵרָ֔ה סֹרְרִֽים׃ סֹרָ֑רֶת סֽוֹרְרִ֔ים סֽוֹרְרִים֙ סוֹרְרִ֗ים סוֹרֵ֑ר סוֹרֵ֣ר סוֹרֵ֪ר סוֹרֶ֔רֶת סורר סוררים סוררת סרר סררה סררים׃ סררת has·sō·wr·rîm hassorRim hassōwrrîm sā·rar saRar sārar sō·rā·reṯ sō·rê·rāh sō·rə·rîm sō·w·ră·rîm sō·w·re·reṯ sō·w·rêr sō·wr·rîm soRaret sōrāreṯ soraRim soRer soreRah sōrêrāh soReret soreRim sōrərîm sorRim sōwrărîm sōwrêr sōwrereṯ sōwrrîm vesoRaret wə·sō·rā·reṯ wəsōrāreṯ
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Deuteronomy 21:18
HEB: לְאִ֗ישׁ בֵּ֚ן סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֔ה אֵינֶ֣נּוּ
NAS: has a stubborn and rebellious
KJV: If a man have a stubborn and rebellious
INT: any son A stubborn and rebellious even

Deuteronomy 21:20
HEB: בְּנֵ֤נוּ זֶה֙ סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמֹרֶ֔ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ
NAS: son of ours is stubborn and rebellious,
KJV: This our son [is] stubborn and rebellious,
INT: son This is stubborn and rebellious will not

Nehemiah 9:29
HEB: וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ כָתֵף֙ סוֹרֶ֔רֶת וְעָרְפָּ֥ם הִקְשׁ֖וּ
NAS: And they turned a stubborn shoulder
INT: turned shoulder A stubborn their neck and stiffened

Psalm 66:7
HEB: בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם תִּצְפֶּ֑ינָה הַסּוֹרְרִ֓ים ׀ אַל־ [יָרִימוּ
NAS: on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt
KJV: the nations: let not the rebellious exalt
INT: the nations keep the rebellious nay bring up

Psalm 68:6
HEB: בַּכּוֹשָׁר֑וֹת אַ֥ךְ ס֝וֹרֲרִ֗ים שָׁכְנ֥וּ צְחִיחָֽה׃
NAS: Only the rebellious dwell
KJV: with chains: but the rebellious dwell
INT: prosperity Only the rebellious dwell A parched

Psalm 68:18
HEB: בָּאָדָ֑ם וְאַ֥ף ס֝וֹרְרִ֗ים לִשְׁכֹּ֤ן ׀ יָ֬הּ
NAS: among men, Even [among] the rebellious also,
KJV: for men; yea, [for] the rebellious also, that the LORD
INT: men also Even the rebellious may dwell the LORD

Psalm 78:8
HEB: כַּאֲבוֹתָ֗ם דּוֹר֮ סוֹרֵ֪ר וּמֹ֫רֶ֥ה דּ֭וֹר
NAS: And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious
KJV: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious
INT: their fathers generation A stubborn and rebellious A generation

Proverbs 7:11
HEB: הֹמִיָּ֣ה הִ֣יא וְסֹרָ֑רֶת בְּ֝בֵיתָ֗הּ לֹא־
NAS: She is boisterous and rebellious, Her feet
KJV: (She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet
INT: is boisterous he and rebellious home not

Isaiah 1:23
HEB: שָׂרַ֣יִךְ סוֹרְרִ֗ים וְחַבְרֵי֙ גַּנָּבִ֔ים
NAS: Your rulers are rebels And companions
KJV: Thy princes [are] rebellious, and companions
INT: your rulers are rebels and companions of thieves

Isaiah 30:1
HEB: ה֣וֹי בָּנִ֤ים סֽוֹרְרִים֙ נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֔ה
NAS: Woe to the rebellious children,
KJV: Woe to the rebellious children, saith
INT: Woe children to the rebellious declares the LORD

Isaiah 65:2
HEB: אֶל־ עַ֣ם סוֹרֵ֑ר הַהֹלְכִים֙ הַדֶּ֣רֶךְ
NAS: day long to a rebellious people,
KJV: all the day unto a rebellious people,
INT: about people to a rebellious walk the way

Jeremiah 5:23
HEB: הָיָ֔ה לֵ֖ב סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֑ה סָ֖רוּ
NAS: has a stubborn and rebellious
KJV: But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious
INT: has heart A stubborn and rebellious have turned

Jeremiah 6:28
HEB: כֻּלָּם֙ סָרֵ֣י סֽוֹרְרִ֔ים הֹלְכֵ֥י רָכִ֖יל
NAS: All of them are stubbornly rebellious, Going
KJV: They [are] all grievous revolters, walking
INT: All grievous are stubbornly Going A talebearer

Hosea 4:16
HEB: כִּ֚י כְּפָרָ֣ה סֹֽרֵרָ֔ה סָרַ֖ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
NAS: Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn
KJV: For Israel slideth back as a backsliding
INT: Since heifer is stubborn A stubborn Israel

Hosea 4:16
HEB: כְּפָרָ֣ה סֹֽרֵרָ֔ה סָרַ֖ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַתָּה֙
NAS: is stubborn Like a stubborn heifer,
KJV: slideth back as a backsliding heifer:
INT: heifer is stubborn A stubborn Israel now

Hosea 9:15
HEB: כָּל־ שָׂרֵיהֶ֖ם סֹרְרִֽים׃
NAS: All their princes are rebels.
KJV: all their princes [are] revolters.
INT: All their princes are rebels

Zechariah 7:11
HEB: וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ כָתֵ֖ף סֹרָ֑רֶת וְאָזְנֵיהֶ֖ם הִכְבִּ֥ידוּ
NAS: and turned a stubborn shoulder
INT: and turned shoulder A stubborn their ears and stopped

17 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5637
17 Occurrences


has·sō·wr·rîm — 1 Occ.
sā·rar — 1 Occ.
sō·rā·reṯ — 1 Occ.
sō·w·ră·rîm — 1 Occ.
sō·w·rêr — 5 Occ.
sō·rê·rāh — 1 Occ.
sō·w·re·reṯ — 1 Occ.
sō·rə·rîm — 1 Occ.
sō·wr·rîm — 4 Occ.
wə·sō·rā·reṯ — 1 Occ.

5636
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