שַׁ֫חַר
dawn
‘dawn’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
Stem
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem.
Form
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
Every verse where H7837 appears in the Book of Genesis — 3 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Genesis
- Genesis 19:15 הַ/שַּׁ֣חַר ptcl def.art + n c ms When the morning arose, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, "Arise, take your wife, and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city."
- Genesis 32:24 הַ/שָּֽׁחַר ptcl def.art + n c ms Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.
- Genesis 32:26 הַ/שָּׁ֑חַר ptcl def.art + n c ms The man said, "Let me go, for the day breaks." Jacob said, "I won't let you go, unless you bless me."
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“dawn” is the headline sense of the Hebrew noun שחר (shachar). Older and newer Bibles part ways — “morning” in the King James Version, “dawn” (Berean Standard Bible) in modern versions. See the renderings breakdown. It turns up in 24 verses across 13 books, an uncommon footprint. Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 19:15. Lexicons map it across 2 senses. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7837 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 24
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 24 distinct verses.
- 13 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 13 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #1,282
- by frequency
- Top 2500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 1,282 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 24 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 24 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 12 verses · 50%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 9 verses · 38%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 3 verses · 13%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Morning 12×, Day 6×, Early 2×
- American Standard Version: Morning 11×, Day 5×, Right early 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Dawn 13×, Like the dawn 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Dawn 17×, Like the dawn 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7837 across 24 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7837 across 23 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H7837 across 20 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 4 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7837 across 23 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in BDB
The 2 senses BDB distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- dawn
- at dawn (as adverb)
Word origin
n.m. Gn 19:15 dawn;—abs. שׁ׳ 1 S 9:26 +, שָׁ֑חַר Ju 19:25 +; הַשַּׁחַר Gn 19:15; Ps 22:1;—dawn, c. עָלָה rise Gn 19:15; 32:25, 27; Jos 6:15 (all J), Ju 19:25; 1 S 9:26; Ne 4:15; Jon 4:7; opp. עֵיפָה Am 4:13; as adv. at dawn ψ 57:9 = 108:3; עַפְעַפֵּי־שׁ׳ Jb 3:9; 41:10; כַּנִפֵי־שׁ׳ ψ 139:9; 110:3 read prob. רֶחֶם שׁ׳ (v. מִשְׁחָר infr.); שׁ׳ also Jb 38:12, in sim. Ho 6:3 (but read כְּשַׁחֲרֵנוּ כֵּן נִמְצָאֵהוּ as inf., v. following, GieBeitr. 208 We Now GASm Marti), Is 58:8; Ct 6:10; Jo 2:2 (al. blackness, ‖ עָנָן וַעֲרָפֶל); בֶּן־שׁ׳ Is 14:12 (of star, fig. of royal splendour;—lit. as myth RSK 300); אֵין לוֹ שׁ׳ Is 8:20 is obscure, so also בַּשּׁ׳ Ho 10:15 (We in storm, i.e. בַּשַּׂעַר).—Is 47:11 usually, but improbably, dawn (origin) of calamity: JHMich Hi Ew Röd (Thes) De Di al. charm away (RVm) (Arabic سَحَرَ enchant (WeHeid. 2. 159, 200), سِحْرٌ enchantment [= Sab. סחר DHMHofmus. 24. 1]); but v. [שָׁחַד]. Also צֶרֶת הַשַּׁחַר v. p. 886.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from שחר (shâchar) (H7836) — to seek.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
שָׁחַר I
- to break through, dig; to search, seek. Midr. Till. to Ps. CXIX, 9 ששוקדים ושׁוֹחֲרִים וכ׳ they watch, and search, and investigate &c.
- to pass through a cavity or a groove. Bets. 35ᵇ (ref. to Mish. ib. V, 1 ומאן דתני מַשְׁחִירִין וכ׳ nor is he wrong who reads mashḥirin (in place of משילין, referring for evidence to השחור, v. שָׁחוֹר II).
- (cmp. כָּרָה) to choose, select. Gen. R. s. 39 שִׁחַרְתִּיךָ לי, v. רֶחֶם; Yalk. Ps. 869.
שְׁחַר
- , to search, inquire. Targ. Is. VIII, 20.
שָׁחַר II
- to be charred, black.—V. שָׁחוֹר I.
- 1. to blacken. Y. Ḥag. II, 77ᵈ הִשְׁחִירוּ פניהן וכ׳ they made their faces as black as the bottom of a pot, i.e. they ruined their reputation. Sabb. 152ᵃ (ref. to Koh. XI, 10) דברים … מַשְׁחִירִים וכ׳ certain things which a man does in his young days make his face look black (sickly) in his old age; a. e. e.g. Ecclesiastes 11:10
- 2. to become black. Y. Bets. II, end, 61ᵈ הִשְׁחִירוּ שיניו וכ׳ his teeth were black from fasting; Y. Sabb. V, end, 7ᶜ; Ḥag. 22ᵇ הוּשְׁחֲרוּ שיניו (Hof.; Ms. M. פניו). Ex. R. s. 1 (play on אשחור, II Chr. I, 24) שחִשְׁחִירוּ פניו בתעניות his face was black from fasting. Y. Shebi. VI, 36ᵈ bot. מכיון שה׳ as soon as it (the onion in the ground) gets black. Y. Snh. VIII, beg. 26ᵃ הִשְׁחִירָה הקדרה, v. בָּשַׁל; a. e. e.g. 2 Chronicles 1:24
- to become black, v. supra.
שְׁחַר ²
- to get black. Succ. 33ᵇ דאַשְׁחוּר אימת when did they (the berries on the myrtle branch) become black?
- to blacken. B. Mets. 117ᵇ דקא"ל קא מְשַׁחְרַת לי לכותלאי Ms. M. (differ. in ed., v. שַׁחְרוּרִיתָא) he may say to him, thou wilt make my wall black (by living in my house).—Part. pass. מְשַׁחַר; f. מְשַׁחְרָא; pl. מְשַׁחְרֵי; מְשַׁחְרָן. Yoma 28ᵇ מכי מש׳ כותלי when the walls begin to grow dark (are no longer shone upon by the sun), v. כּוֹתְלָא. Ber. 28ᵃ חזנהו … דמש׳ he saw that the walls of his room were sooty. Lam. R. to I, 1 רבתי (חד מאת׳ 8) רישיה גריע ומְשַׁחְרִין אפוי (not ושיחרור) his head shaved, and his face blackened; a. e.
שָׁחַר III
- Hif. הִשְׁחִיר (denom. of שַׁחַר) to be early in doing; to get up early. Lev. R. s. 19, beg. מי שמַשְׁחִיר וכ׳, v. עָרַב II. Midr. Sam. ch. V ע"י שה׳ והעריב בהן because he was engaged in their study early and late; a. e.
- (b. h.) same, to do a thing early or diligently. Ex. R. s. 1 (ref. to Prov. XIII, 24) לפי ששִׁחֲרוֹ מוסר וכ׳ because he corrected him betimes (or earnestly), he loved him. Ib. היה יצחק מְשַׁחֵר מוסר ליעקב וכ׳ Isaac trained Jacob &c. e.g. Proverbs 13:24
שְׁחַר ³
- Ex. R. s. 47 למדו תורה דשְׁחִירִין ודקרין בלילה (ed. Wil. דשַׁחְרִין, some ed. דשִׁיחֲרִין) learn the Law from those who get up early (to study), and who read (teach) by night, opp. אִימְּטִין q. v.
- same. Targ. Is. XXIX, 20 (h. text שקד).
שְׁחַר IV
- (cmp. שחרר, v.חרם), Pa. שַׁחֵר [to declare a thing or man free, ownerless property,] to confiscate, press into public service. Targ. O. Num. XVI, 15 שָׁחַרִית ed. Berl. (Mss. שְׁחָרִ׳, שַׁחֲרֵית, שָׁחָרִ׳, v. Berl. O. II, p. 42; Y. I שְׁחָרִית). Targ. I Sam. XII, 3.—Ber. 56ᵃ חזית דמְשַׁחְרֵי לך פרסאי וכ׳ (Ms. M. דמשחדי, corr. acc.) thou shalt see in thy dream that the Parthians press thee into service &c. Ib. דמשחדי לך רומאי Ms. M. (corr. acc.; ed. אתו רומאי ושבו לך).—Part. pass. Pe. שָׁחִיר; f. שְׁחִירְתָּא sent abroad. Targ. Hos. VII, 11 כיונה ש׳ דאיתנסבן בנהא ed. Lag. (ed. שְׁרִיתֲתָא, q. v.) as a dove sent abroad when her young were taken away (h. text פותה, v. Midr. Till. to Ps. LXXXIV).
שַׁחַר
- morning dawn, early morning. Ber. IV, 1 תפלת הש׳ the morning prayer. Ib. I, 4 בש׳ מברך וכ׳ when reading the Sh’mʿa in the morning prayer, you recite two benedictions &c. Tam. IV, 1 של ש׳ (sub. תמיד) the daily offering of the morning; a. v. fr.—עמוד הש׳, v. עַמּוּד.—אילת הש׳, v. אַיָּלָה.—Pl. שְׁחָרִין, v. שַׁחֲרִית.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 16 distinct written forms H7837 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| שָׁ֑חַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Isaiah 14:12 | 3 |
| שָֽׁחַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Isaiah 8:20 | 3 |
| הַ/שַּׁ֔חַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Joshua 6:15 | 2 |
| הַ/שַּׁ֣חַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Genesis 19:15 | 2 |
| הַ/שָּֽׁחַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Genesis 32:24 | 2 |
| כְּ/שַׁ֖חַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Hosea 6:3 | 2 |
| שָּֽׁחַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Psalms 57:8 | 2 |
| בַּ/שַּׁ֕חַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Hosea 10:15 | 1 |
| הַ/שַּׁ֖חַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Jonah 4:7 | 1 |
| הַ/שַּׁ֗חַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Psalms 22:1 | 1 |
| הַ/שַּׁ֨חַר֙ | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 1 Samuel 9:26 | 1 |
| הַ/שָּׁ֑חַר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Genesis 32:26 | 1 |
| כַּ/שַּׁ֨חַר֙ | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Isaiah 58:8 | 1 |
| שַׁ֨חַר֙ | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Amos 4:13 | 1 |
| שַׁחְרָ֔/הּ | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Isaiah 47:11 | 1 |
| שחר | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Job 38:12 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7837, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 23 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 24 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 19:15
- Joshua 6:15
- Judges 19:25
- 1 Samuel 9:26
- Job 3:9
- Psalms 22:1
- Song of Solomon 6:10
- Isaiah 8:20
- Hosea 6:3
- Joel 2:2
- Amos 4:13
- Jonah 4:7
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
