Original Word: בָּחִיר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: bachiyr
Pronunciation: bah-KHEER
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-kheer')
KJV: choose, chosen one, elect
NASB: chosen ones, chosen
Word Origin: [from H977 (בָּחַר - chosen)]

1. select

choose, chosen one, elect

From bachar; select -- choose, chosen one, elect.

see HEBREW bachar

Word Origin
from bachar
Definition
chosen
NASB Translation
chosen (6), chosen ones (7).

[בָּחִיר] noun masculine chosen, construct בְּחִיר 2 Samuel 21:6 (but We Dr ׳בְּהַר י); suffix בְּחִירָיו 1 Chronicles 16:13; Psalm 89:4; Psalm 105:6; Psalm 105:43; Psalm 106:5; Psalm 106:23; Isa³, Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 43:20; Isaiah 45:4; Isaiah 65:9,15,22; always the chosen or elect of Yahweh.

Semantic Range and Theological Core

Derived from the root denoting choice or selection, בָּחִיר consistently refers to persons or groups whom God Himself has singled out for a special purpose. The word therefore carries a dual sense: privilege conferred by divine favor and responsibility to embody God’s redemptive intention. Throughout its occurrences, בָּחִיר underscores the unbreakable link between God’s sovereign election and the outworking of His covenant promises.

Covenant Continuity: Abraham to David

The earliest canonical cluster appears in Psalms that recount salvation history. Both Psalm 105:6 and Psalm 105:43 tie “His chosen ones” directly to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God “brought out His people with rejoicing, His chosen ones with shouts of joy” (Psalm 105:43). The term thus anchors the Exodus within the Abrahamic covenant, highlighting election as the basis for deliverance.

Psalm 89:3 transitions the focus to the Davidic covenant: “You said, ‘I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to David My servant.’ ” Here בָּחִיר singles out David as the royal representative through whom the messianic promise flows. 2 Samuel 21:6 confirms David’s unique status even within his lineage, for the Gibeonites request retribution specifically against Saul’s male descendants “because he put the Gibeonites to death.” David, the בָּחִיר, must uphold covenant righteousness.

Liturgical Memory and Identity Formation

Within 1 Chronicles 16:13—part of David’s song at the ark’s installation—Israel is invited to remember: “O seed of Israel His servant, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!” By invoking בָּחִיר in congregational worship, the chronicler shapes Israel’s collective identity around divine election. The festivals and psalms cultivate gratitude and humility, guarding the community from presumption (Psalm 106:5, 23).

Prophetic Horizon: The Servant and the Remnant

Isaiah employs בָּחִיר more than any other book, extending its significance beyond the historical nation to the Servant and eschatological remnant.

• Isaiah 42:1 introduces the Servant: “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My chosen One in whom My soul delights.” The Spirit-anointed Servant fulfills Israel’s mission perfectly, foreshadowing Jesus Christ, whom the New Testament explicitly identifies with this passage (Matthew 12:18).

• Isaiah 43:20 links Israel’s restoration to God’s jealousy for “My chosen people,” promising provision amid wilderness exile.

• Isaiah 45:4 merges Cyrus’s rise with Israel’s election: “For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen, I have called you by name.” The Gentile ruler serves the redemption of God’s בָּחִיר, demonstrating that divine election directs world history.

Eschatological Renewal

The final triad in Isaiah 65 develops the consummation of covenant hopes. Verse 9 foresees “offspring from Jacob and from Judah, heirs of My mountains; My chosen ones will possess the land.” Verses 15 and 22 contrast judgment on apostates with blessing on the elect, climaxing in everlasting security: “For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of My people, and My chosen ones will enjoy the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:22). Election culminates in new-creation blessings—longevity, fruitfulness, and communion with God.

Ministry Implications

1. Assurance and Humility: God’s initiative secures redemption; therefore confidence rests in His faithfulness, not human merit (Psalm 105:6).
2. Mission: The chosen are blessed to be a blessing. The Servant model (Isaiah 42:1-4) calls believers to Spirit-empowered justice and light to the nations.
3. Worship: Corporate remembrance of divine election fosters covenant loyalty and repentance, guarding against the forgetfulness that led to the crises of Psalm 106.
4. Hope: Isaiah’s eschatological vision assures the church that God’s purposes for His בָּחִיר will triumph despite exile, oppression, or global upheaval.

Summary

בָּחִיר threads through Scripture as a witness to God’s sovereign grace—from patriarchal promise, through Davidic kingship, to messianic fulfillment and future restoration. Each occurrence adds a brushstroke to the portrait of a God who chooses, preserves, disciplines, and finally glorifies His people for the praise of His glory.

בְּחִ֣יר בְּחִירִ֑י בְּחִירִ֖י בְּחִירֶ֗יךָ בְּחִירָֽיו׃ בְחִיר֗וֹ בְחִירִֽי׃ בְחִירַ֔י בְחִירָֽי׃ בחיר בחירו בחירי בחירי׃ בחיריו׃ בחיריך לִבְחִירִ֑י לִבְחִירַ֔י לבחירי bə·ḥî·rāw ḇə·ḥî·ray ḇə·ḥî·rāy bə·ḥî·re·ḵā bə·ḥî·rî ḇə·ḥî·rî ḇə·ḥî·rōw bə·ḥîr beChir bechiRav bechiReicha bechiRi bəḥîr bəḥîrāw ḇəḥîray ḇəḥîrāy bəḥîreḵā bəḥîrî ḇəḥîrî ḇəḥîrōw liḇ·ḥî·ray liḇ·ḥî·rî liḇḥîray liḇḥîrî livchiRai livchiRi vechiRai vechiRi vechiRoInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts