Original Word: בְּאֵר
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: er
Pronunciation: beh-ayr'
Phonetic Spelling: (be-ayr')
KJV: pit, well
NASB: well, wells, pit, pits, well's
Word Origin: [from H874 (בָּאַר - distinctly)]

1. a pit
2. especially a well

pit, well

From ba'ar; a pit; especially a well -- pit, well.

see HEBREW ba'ar

Word Origin
from baar
Definition
a well, pit
NASB Translation
pit (2), pits (1), well (29), well's (1), wells (3).

בְּאֵר noun feminine^{Genesis 26:21} well, pit, mostly Hexateuch, Genesis 23 t., Exodus 1 t., Numbers 5 t., 37 t. in all; Arabic , Aramaic בְּאֵרָא, בֵּיר, בֵּירָא, , Sabean באר DHM^{ZMG. 1875, 608}, Assyrian bêru, Lyon^{Sargon 61} (connection with above √ not clear; Lag^l.c. spring of water, as coming to light, appearing; possible, although meaning in use rather well, than spring; see however, Genesis 16:14 compare Genesis 16:7; Genesis 26:19; Numbers 21:17) — ׳בּ absolute Genesis 21:30 +; construct Genesis 21:19 +; suffix בְּאֵֶר֑ךָ Proverbs 5:15; Plural absolute בְּאֵרֹת Genesis 26:15; construct id. Genesis 26:18; compare בֶּאֱרֹת בֶּאֱרֹת חֵמָר Genesis 14:10; —

1 a well, often as made by digging (חָפַר) Genesis 21:25,30 (E), Genesis 26:15,18,19,21,22,32 (all J), also in poetry Numbers 21:18 (+ כרה) see also Numbers 21:16; Numbers 21:17 (where the well addressed, in song, עֲלִי בְאֵר); also with כרה in prose Genesis 26:25; also with no reference to its origin Genesis 16:14 (J; "" עַיִן Genesis 16:7), Genesis 29:2; Exodus 2:15 (J) Numbers 20:17; Numbers 21:22 (E) 2 Samuel 17:18,21; בְּאֵר (ה)מַיִם Genesis 21:19 (E) Genesis 24:11 (J; "" עַיִן Genesis 24:13; Genesis 24:16; Genesis 24:43; Genesis 24:45); (compare also Genesis 21:25; Genesis 26:18 above & especially Genesis 26:19 בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים); water taken from it by drawing (שָׁאַב) Genesis 24:11,20; flocks watered from it (הִשְׁקָה מִןֿ) Genesis 29:2,3,8,10 (compare especially Exodus 2:16 they drew, דלה, and filled the troughs); also מִתּוֺךְ בְּאֵרֶ֑ךָ .... שְׁתֵה מַיִם Proverbs 5:15 ("" בּוֺר); the opening called מִּי הַבְּאֵר Genesis 29:2,3(twice in verse); Genesis 29:8,10; compare ׳מְּנֵי הַבּ 2 Samuel 17:19 (read probably מּי so ⅏ ᵑ7 ᵑ6 ᵑ9, compare Dr); figurative of fresh delights of woman beloved Songs 4:15 מַעְיַן גַּנִּים בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים וְנוֺזְלִים מִןלְֿבָנוֺן.

2 pit (= בּוֺר); pits of bitumen Genesis 14:10 (compare above); בְּאֵר שַׁחַת Psalm 55:24 pit of (the) grave; compare Psalm 69:16 וְאַלתֶּֿאְטַר עָלַי בְּאֵר מִּיהָ and let not (the) pit shut its mouth over me ("" מְצוּלָה); figurative of strange woman בְּאֵר צָרָה a narrow pit, out of which rescue is difficult Proverbs 23:27 ("" שׁוּחָה עֲמֻקָּה). 3 as

proper name, of a location a. with ָ  ה locative בְּאֵ֫רָה a station of Israel in desert Numbers 21:16, possibly = בְּאֵר אֵילִים Isaiah 15:8.

b. same form Judges 9:21, according to Euseb. Lag^{Onom.238, 2nd ed. 250}8miles north of Eleutheropolis; compare Rob^{BR i. 452} who compare elBîreh, near Beth-shemesh.

בְּאֵר אֵילִים see בְּאֵר

3. a. above

Meaning and Symbolism

בְּאֵר denotes a well, spring, or pit—an artificial or God-provided source of water. In an arid land the well embodies life, sustenance, inheritance, security, hospitality, covenant, and divine encounter. Because water flows downward, the well also becomes a fitting picture of depth and hidden provision, contrasting with the shallow or surface-level cistern.

Notable Wells in Patriarchal History

• Beer-lahai-roi (Genesis 16:14; 24:62). Hagar first encounters “the Living One who sees me,” and Isaac later dwells near the same well. It testifies that the God who provides water also watches over the marginalized and the heir alike.
• Abraham’s disputed well at Beersheba (Genesis 21:25–31). Seven ewe lambs seal a covenant, illustrating how wells could anchor treaties and territorial rights. Verse 30: “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand as my witness that I dug this well.”
• Isaac’s series of reopened and newly named wells (Genesis 26:15–33). Opposition at Esek and Sitnah yields to the spaciousness of Rehoboth, culminating in the oath-well of Beersheba. The narrative intertwines perseverance, divine blessing, and peaceful enlargement.

Wells as Sites of Divine Encounter and Courtship

Drawing water brings people together at providential moments. Rebekah’s generosity at the well in Aram (Genesis 24:11–20) and Jacob’s meeting with Rachel beside a well near Haran (Genesis 29:2–10) show the well as a place where God orchestrates marital unions that advance the covenant line.

Wells in the Mosaic Journey

• Midian (Exodus 2:15–17). Moses’ defense of Jethro’s daughters at the well introduces him to his future family and to shepherd leadership.
• Elim (Exodus 15:27). “Twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees” mark a rest stop mirroring Israel’s tribal and elder structure.
• The Song of the Well at Beer (Numbers 21:16–18). “Spring up, O well—sing to it!” joins human effort (“The princes dug the well”) with divine promise (“I will give them water”), forming a corporate liturgy of gratitude.

Settlement and Legal Terminology

Deuteronomy 6:11 counts wells among the unearned blessings awaiting Israel in Canaan—a stewardship to be received with humility. Violation of a neighbor’s well was tantamount to theft of life itself, explaining the force of disputes in Genesis 21 and 26.

Monarchy and Later Historical Books

During King Uzziah’s agricultural expansion, “he dug many wells, because he had much livestock” (2 Chronicles 26:10), revealing how royal policy depended on water management. In wartime, enemies were commanded to “stop up all the wells” (2 Kings 3:19, 25) as an act of crippling siege.

An incident at Bahurim (2 Samuel 17:18–19) shows a well serving as refuge for messengers loyal to David, underscoring the motif of salvation hidden beneath the surface.

Poetic and Wisdom Literature

• Personal discipline: “Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well” (Proverbs 5:15). The trusted well becomes a metaphor for marital fidelity.
• Security and purity: “My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed” (Song of Solomon 4:12).
• Judgment imagery: בְּאֵר can denote a “Pit of destruction” (Psalm 55:23), emphasizing that the same depth that preserves can also swallow the wicked.

Prophetic Echoes

Jeremiah laments nobles seeking water but finding empty cisterns (Jeremiah 14:3), exposing apostasy’s drought. The physical lack of wells dramatizes spiritual barrenness.

The Well as Foreshadowing of Christ

Where the Old Testament well sustains physical life, the New Testament presents Christ as the inexhaustible source of “living water” (John 4:14). The meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well gathers every earlier theme—heritage, covenant offer, social boundary, and divine revelation—into a single moment of grace. Old Covenant wells point forward to this ultimate provision.

Ministry Application

1. Faith communities should guard, reopen, and pass on sound spiritual wells—orthodox doctrine, fervent prayer, and holistic discipleship.
2. Like Isaac, believers can de-escalate conflict, trusting God to lead from constriction to Rehoboth.
3. Outreach ministries may glean from Beer-lahai-roi that God sees the distressed; the church is invited to lead such people to the water of life.
4. Personal purity and covenant faithfulness remain vital; Proverbs 5 reminds leaders to draw satisfaction only from God-sanctioned wells.

Summary

בְּאֵר threads through Scripture as a literal and symbolic lifeline—from patriarchal altars to royal policies, from songs in the wilderness to poetic counsel—always bearing witness that the Lord alone provides enduring refreshment for His people.

בְּאֵ֖ר בְּאֵ֞ר בְּאֵ֣ר בְּאֵֽר׃ בְּאֵרֶֽךָ׃ בְּאֵרֹ֣ת בְאֵ֑ר בְאֵ֖ר בְאֵ֛ר בְאֵ֣ר בֶּֽאֱרֹ֤ת בֶּאֱרֹת֙ באר באר׃ בארך׃ בארת הַבְּאֵ֑ר הַבְּאֵ֔ר הַבְּאֵ֖ר הַבְּאֵ֗ר הַבְּאֵ֣ר הַבְּאֵ֥ר הַבְּאֵֽר׃ הַבְּאֵר֙ הַבְּאֵרֹ֗ת הבאר הבאר׃ הבארת וּבְאֵ֥ר ובאר לִבְאֵ֬ר לַבְּאֵ֔ר לבאר מֵֽהַבְּאֵ֔ר מהבאר bə’êr ḇə’êr bə’êreḵā be’ĕrōṯ bə’êrōṯ bə·’ê·re·ḵā be·’ĕ·rōṯ bə·’ê·rōṯ bə·’êr ḇə·’êr beEr beeRecha beeRot hab·bə·’ê·rōṯ hab·bə·’êr habbə’êr habbə’êrōṯ habbeEr habbeeRot lab·bə·’êr labbə’êr labbeEr liḇ’êr liḇ·’êr livEr mê·hab·bə·’êr mêhabbə’êr mehabbeEr ū·ḇə·’êr ūḇə’êr uveEr veErInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts