שָׂעַר
to dread
‘to dread’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Niphal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem.
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘he’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself).
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
Form
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
1 verse where H8175 appears in the Niphal stem in the Book of Psalms. Filtered view — show all forms. 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.
Psalms
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.
שער — transliterated sâʻar — is a Hebrew word carrying the sense “to dread.” It first appears in Deuteronomy 32:17. With 8 verses in 6 books, it is an uncommon word in the Hebrew Bible. Its uses concentrate in Psalms (25% of all occurrences). It is not a single-sense word — see its full sense range. See the sense tree, 8-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H8175 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 →
- 8
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 8 distinct verses.
- 6 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 6 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #2,625
- by frequency
- Top 5000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 2,625 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 8 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Psalms 2 verses 25%
- Ezekiel 2 verses 25%
- Deuteronomy 1 verse 13%
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 8 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 4 verses · 50%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 3 verses · 38%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1 verse · 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).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Afraid 2×
- American Standard Version†: Afraid 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Be shocked 1×, Fear 1×, He will sweep them away 1×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: But 1×, Feared 1×, Had 1×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H8175 across 8† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 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 H8175 across 8† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 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 H8175 across 8† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H8175 across 11† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 4 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
שער I bristle
שער II sweep, whirl away
Qal
- fig. he (י׳) shall sweep it away.
Niphal
- . round about him it is tempestuous exceedingly.
Piel
- . and it [an E. wind] shall whirl him away fr. his place.
Hithpael
- . the kg. shall storm against him.
שער III be acquainted with
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
[ שָׂעַר ] vb. denom. bristle, with horror
II. [ שָׂעַר ] vb. sweep or whirl away (of storm wind)
III. [ שָׂעַר ] vb. perh. be acquainted with;— Qal Dt 32:17
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
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.
שָׁעַר I
- to keep the gate.—V. שׁוֹעֵר.
- same. Arakh. 11ᵇ משורר ששי׳ בשל חבירו a Levite chorister that helped in attending to the gate in his neighbor’s stead.—Part. מְשׁוֹעֵר; pl. מְשׁוֹעֲרִים (formed by analogy to מְשׁוֹרֵר, v. שִׁיר I). Ib. מש׳ ששורר, v. שִׁיר I. Ib. ולא מן המש׳ (Sifré Num. 116; Yalk. ib. 752 השׁוֹעֲרִים), v. שִׁיר I.
שָׁעַר II
- v. שַׁעַר) to divide, distribute. [Midr. Till. to Ps. XIV שיערו, v. infra.]
- 1. to apportion, estimate, measure, calculate. Ḥull. VII, 4 כיצד מְשׁעֲרִין אותה וכ׳ how do we define the proportions of the mixture (to find out whether the forbidden admixture is large enough to impart its taste to the permitted portion)? As if it were an admixture of meat in a vegetable dish. Ib. 97ᵇ כשהן משערין משערין וכ׳ when we define the proportions, we include in the calculation the broth &c. Ib. כל איסורין … מְשַׁעֲרִינָן וכ׳ in all admixtures of Biblically forbidden matter we assume for calculation that the forbidden matter was onions or porret. Ib. שִׁיעֲרוּ חכמים וכ׳ the scholars have calculated that of all forbidden substances none give a stronger taste than onions &c. Lev. R. s. 37 מְשָׁעֵר את … באיטלקית (some ed. מְשָׁעֵיר) do you estimate that in all I drank at my meal there would have been a quarter of a Log of Italian (unmixed) wine? Koh. R. to V, 8 שיערו אותה, v. next w.; a. fr.—Midr. Till. to Ps. CXIV (expl. סֹלּוּ, Ps. LXVIII, 5) שַׁעֲרוּ לפניו דרכיכם (not שיע׳; ed. Bub. שפרו, a glossator’s emendation) measure your ways before the Lord (cmp. שׁוּם I). Pesik. Zutr. Haaz. (ed. Bub. p. 114) (ref. to שערום, Deut. XXXII, 17) לא שִׁיעֲרוּם וכ׳ whom your fathers never appraised, to find out whether or not they are of use; Yalk. Deut. 545 לא שערום. e.g. Psalms 68:5
- 2. (v. שַׁעַר) to superintend the market, v. מְשָׁעֵר.
- to be estimated, measured. Ukts. II, 8 מִשְׁתַּעֲרִין בכמות שהן are measured as they are (not compressed); מִשְׁתַּעֶרֶת בכמות שהיא is measured as it is.
שְׁעַר
- Pa. שַׁעֵיר same, to measure, calculate. Targ. O. Gen. XXVI, 12 בדשַׁעֲרוּהִי ed. Berl. (oth. ed. בדשַׁעֲרוֹהִי; Y. בדשַׁעֲרוֹי; h. text שערים).—Ḥull. 97ᵇ ולִישַׁעֲרִינְהוּ בפלפלין וכ׳ why not use as a standard (for calculation in the case of admixtures of forbidden substances) pepper or spices which are not neutralized in a mass of a thousand times their quantity? Ib. בדידיה מְשַׁעֲרִינָן או בדנפיק מיניה משערינן do we calculate the proportions by the actual size of the admixture, or by the quantity that has come out of it (has been absorbed in the dish)? Y. Kil. IX, 32ᵈ top שַׁעֲרוּנָהּ רבנין וכ׳ the Rabbis made the calculation, and it (the well of Miriam) was exactly opposite the middle gate &c.; Lev. R. s. 22 שערותא (corr. acc.); Koh. R. to V, 8 שיערו אותה וכ׳ (Hebr.).
שָׂעַר
- to be rough, denom. שֵׂעָר; to shudder, fear. Sifré Deut. 318 (expl. שערום, Deut. XXXII, 17) שלא עמדה שערת וכ׳ your fathers’ hair did not stand on end before them (v. שָׁעַר II); Yalk. ib. 545. e.g. Deuteronomy 32:17
- (denom. of שֵׂעָר) to grow hair, be hairy. Ḥull. 44ᵃ עד מקום שיַשְׂעִיר Ms. M. a Rashi (ed. כדי, corr. acc.) to the place (of the stomach) where it becomes covered with hair. Ib. (Chald. diction) תורא דמַשְׂעִיר טפי an ox, which is more hairy (on the stomach). Nidd. 25ᵇ עד שישעיר until the embryo has hair.
שְׂעַר
- , Af. אַשְׂעִיר, v. preced.
שֵׂעָר
- preced.) hair. Meg. 18ᵃ, a. e. מסלסל בשׂעַרְךָ, v. סִלְסֵל. Naz. I, 2 הכביד שַׂעֲרוֹ, v. כָּבֵד I. Ib. 4ᵇ לשחת ש׳ וכ׳ to ruin such fine hair; Tosef. ib. IV, 7. Yoma 47ᵃ קלעי שַׂעֲרִי, v. קֶלַע II; a. fr.—Trnsf. crown, ramification of a tree; panicle, stem and pod of leguminous plants. Peah II, 3, a. e. ש׳ כותש, v. כָּתַשׁ; Y. ib. 17ᵃ top סֵעָר. Kil. IV, 9 היה הופך ש׳ שתי וכ׳ he turned the branches of two rows of vines towards one side; B. Bath. 82ᵇ. Sabb. XXI, 3 ש׳ של אפונין וש׳ וכ׳ the panicles (pods) of beans and of lentils. Tosef. Ukts. I, 8 סֵיאָר ed. Zuck. (Var. שיע, read as ed. T’bul Yom III: שיער) the panicle of a pomegranate; a. fr.—Pl., v. שַׂעֲרָה
שְׂעַר ²
- ch., v. שַׂעֲרָא
שַׁעַר
- שער to divide, break open)
- 1. gate, open place for public and private transactions. Sifré Deut. 242 (ref. to Deut. XXII, 24 ש׳ שנמצאת בו וכ׳ the gate (of the place) where she was found, and not the gate where she was judged. Keth. 45ᵇ (ref. to Deut. XVII, 5) ש׳ שעבד בו the gate (of the place) where he worshipped the idol. Midd. I, 3 ש׳ המזרחי the eastern Temple gate; a. v. fr.—Pl. שְׁעָרִים, שְׁעָרִין; constr. שַׁעֲרֵי. Ib. חמשה ש׳ היו וכ׳ the Temple mount had five gates; שני ש׳ חולדה two ḥuldah gates, v. חוּלְדָּה II. Ib. 4; a. v. fr. e.g. Deuteronomy 22:24
- 2. market, market price. B. Mets. V, 7 שיצא הש׳, v. פָּסַק. Ib. (72ᵇ) כש׳ הגבוה (Bab. ed. בש׳) according to the price at the height of the market, i.e. the lowest price. Ib. 8 כש׳ הזול according to the lowest market price. Ib. 1 לקח … וכן הש׳ if he bought wheat of him, at a gold Denar a Kor, and such was the market price. Gitt. 57ᵃ נחסר הש׳ מודיא אחת the price went down one Modius, i.e. from forty Modii to thirty-nine for a Denar; וחזר הש׳ למקומו the price went back to its former figure; a. fr.—Pl. as ab. B. Bath. 89ᵃ לש׳ for the regulation of market prices, v. אֲגַרְדְּמִיס; Y. ib. V, end, 15ᵇ שִׁיעוּרִין, a. שִׁיעוּרַיָּיא.
שַׁעַר II
- estimation, proportion. — Pl. שְׁעָרִים. Gen. R. s. 64 (ref. to Gen. XXVI, 12) מאה כורים מאה ש׳ מאה מניינים מאה ש׳ וכ׳ one hundred Kor; one hundred proportions, one hundred quantities; one hundred sh’ʿarim, this shows that they had made an estimate of it (the crop of the field), and it brought a hundred times the estimated quantity; Yalk. ib. 111 (corr. acc.); Pirké d’R. El. ch. XXXIII וכל דבר … מאה ש׳ של ממון וכ׳ and for every thing that he gave tithes of, the Lord sent him one hundred times the value, and he blessed him. e.g. Genesis 26:12
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 8 distinct written forms H8175 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| וְ/יִשְׂתָּעֵ֨ר | Verb, Hithpael, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Daniel 11:40 | 1 |
| וְ/שַׂעֲר֛וּ | Verb, Qal, Imperative, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural | Jeremiah 2:12 | 1 |
| וִֽ֝/ישָׂעֲרֵ֗/הוּ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Job 27:21 | 1 |
| יִשְׂעֲר֤וּ | Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Ezekiel 32:10 | 1 |
| יִשְׂעָרֶֽ/נּוּ | Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Psalms 58:9 | 1 |
| נִשְׂעֲרָ֥ה | Verb, Niphal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular | Psalms 50:3 | 1 |
| שְׂעָר֖וּ/ם | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 32:17 | 1 |
| שָׂ֣עֲרוּ | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural | Ezekiel 27:35 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H8175, 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.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 5 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 8 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 8 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
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.
