Original Word: שָׁרַץ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sharats
Pronunciation: shah-rats
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-rats')
KJV: breed (bring forth, increase) abundantly (in abundance), creep, move
NASB: swarms, swarm, swarmed, breed abundantly, increased greatly, populate the abundantly, teem
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to wriggle
2. (by implication) swarm or abound

breed bring forth, increase abundantly in abundance, creep, move

A primitive root; to wriggle, i.e. (by implication) swarm or abound -- breed (bring forth, increase) abundantly (in abundance), creep, move.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to swarm, teem
NASB Translation
breed abundantly (1), increased greatly (1), populate the abundantly (1), swarm (3), swarmed (2), swarms (5), teem (1).

שָׁרַץ verb swarm, teem (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic crawl, = שֶׁרֶץ, so שִׁרְצָא (rare); Ethiopic germinate, sprout); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳שׁ Psalm 105:30, שָֽׁרְצוּ Genesis 1:21, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יִשְׁרֹץ Ezekiel 47:9, etc.; Imperative masculine plural שִׁרְצוּ Genesis 9:7; Participle הַשֹּׁרֵץ Genesis 7:21 +, feminine הַשֹּׁרֶ֫צֶת Leviticus 11:46; Hexateuch only P: —

1 swarm, teem with (accusative animal.), subject water Genesis 1:20,21, compare Exodus 7:28, land Psalm 105:30.

2 swarm, subject animal. Genesis 8:17 (+ מָּרָה, רָבָה), Ezekiel 47:9, הַּשֹׁרֵּץ Genesis 7:21; Leviticus 11:29,41,42,46 (all עַלהָּֿרֶָּֿץ), Leviticus 11:43; subject men Genesis 9:7 (+ מָּרָה, רָבה), Exodus 1:7 (id., + עָצַם).

Overview

Shārats highlights a vivid biblical theme: life multiplying at God’s command. Whether celebrating creation, recounting judgment, or defining holiness, every occurrence affirms the Lord’s sovereign power to generate, restrain, and sanctify living creatures.

The Teeming of Creation (Genesis 1:20 – 1:21)

On the fifth day, God calls forth aquatic and aerial life: “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth” (Genesis 1:20). The verb underscores an explosion of vitality—life abounds because God wills it. Far from chaotic, this teeming is orderly, each creature “according to its kind” (1:21). Early Israel would thus understand nature’s fecundity as an intentional reflection of divine goodness rather than a product of mythic struggle.

Post-Flood Fruitfulness (Genesis 8:17; 9:7)

After judgment, the same verb reappears in the covenant of renewal: “Bring out every living creature… so that they may swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 8:17). The mandate is reiterated to Noah: “Be fruitful and multiply and teem on the earth” (9:7). God’s purposes for creation endure; judgment never nullifies His original blessing. The pattern encourages confidence that even after catastrophe the Lord restores life and commissions humanity to steward it.

Growth into a Nation under Oppression (Exodus 1:7)

“The Israelites were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous” (Exodus 1:7). Here shārats signals Israel’s transformation from family to nation. Pharaoh’s fear stems from a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, revealing that human oppression cannot hinder divine multiplication. Preachers often draw pastoral assurance from this verse: the church too may flourish under pressure.

Judgment through Swarming (Exodus 8:3)

The second plague turns the verb into an instrument of judgment: frogs “will swarm” into Pharaoh’s palace. What had been a blessing in Genesis becomes a curse in Egypt. The reversal teaches that abundance apart from obedience produces misery. God’s mastery extends to the smallest creatures, employing them to humble the proud.

Holiness and Dietary Boundaries (Leviticus 11:29; 11:41-43; 11:46)

Leviticus applies shārats to “creeping things” that render a person unclean. By distinguishing edible from inedible swarming creatures, the Lord instills daily reminders of Israel’s distinct calling. The verbs warn: “Do not make yourselves unclean by any swarming thing” (11:43). Spiritual separation, not mere ritual, lies behind the laws; God’s people must guard against every form of defilement.

Psalmic Rehearsal of the Plagues (Psalm 105:30)

Reciting the Exodus wonders, the psalmist declares, “Their land teemed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings” (Psalm 105:30). Shārats becomes liturgical memory, prompting worship that exalts the Lord’s past acts as guarantees of future faithfulness.

Eschatological Life-Giving Waters (Ezekiel 47:9)

The river flowing from the temple is so life-producing that “every living creature that swarms wherever the river flows will live” (Ezekiel 47:9). The verb frames the vision of cosmic renewal: what God initiated in Genesis He will consummate in the new creation, healing “everything the river touches.” Missionally, the church anticipates and participates in that life-giving stream through the gospel.

Theological Threads

1. Sovereign Origination—All life proliferates only at God’s decree.
2. Covenant Continuity—Creation blessing survives judgment (Flood, Egypt) and reemerges in prophetic hope.
3. Moral Polarity—The same swarming can bless (Genesis, Ezekiel) or curse (Exodus) depending on human response.
4. Holiness Paradigm—Physical distinctions in Leviticus mirror a spiritual call to separateness unto God.
5. Eschatological Fulfillment—The Genesis mandate finds its zenith in the river of life, pointing to Revelation 22.

Ministry Significance

• Preaching Creation Care: Shārats supports stewardship grounded in God’s delight over abundant life.
• Encouraging Perseverance: Like Israel in Exodus 1:7, believers can expect growth even in adversity.
• Warning against Hardness: Pharaoh’s plague of frogs illustrates how blessings turn to burdens when hearts resist God.
• Calling to Holiness: The Levitical texts urge a community identity marked by purity amid a culture that swarms with moral compromise.
• Inspiring Hope: Ezekiel’s vision invites churches to become conduits of living water, confident that God will ultimately make all things teem with redeemed life.

Thus, from the first surge of marine creatures to the prophetic river that heals nations, shārats forms a scriptural tapestry of God-given, God-governed, and God-glorifying life.

הַשֹּׁרֵ֑ץ הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ הַשֹּׁרֶ֥צֶת השרץ השרצת וְשָֽׁרְצ֣וּ וְשָׁרַ֣ץ וַֽיִּשְׁרְצ֛וּ וישרצו ושרץ ושרצו יִשְׁרְצ֣וּ יִשְׁרֹ֡ץ ישרץ ישרצו שִׁרְצ֥וּ שָׁרְצ֨וּ שָׁרַ֣ץ שרץ שרצו haš·šō·re·ṣeṯ haš·šō·rêṣ hashshoRetz hashshoRetzet haššōrêṣ haššōreṣeṯ šā·raṣ šā·rə·ṣū šāraṣ šārəṣū shaRatz shareTzu shirTzu šir·ṣū širṣū vaiyishreTzu veshaRatz veshareTzu way·yiš·rə·ṣū wayyišrəṣū wə·šā·raṣ wə·šā·rə·ṣū wəšāraṣ wəšārəṣū yiš·rə·ṣū yiš·rōṣ yishreTzu yishRotz yišrəṣū yišrōṣInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts