שַׂר
prince
also: ruler, leader, chief, chieftain fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Page 2 of 2 — showing verses 201–278 of 278 distinct verses where H8269 appears in the Construct state, across 26 books. 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 2 verses
- Psalms 68:27 שָׂרֵ֣י שָׂרֵ֥י שָׂרֵ֥י n c mp cs n c mp cs n c mp cs There is little Benjamin, their ruler, The princes of Judah, their council, The princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.
- Psalms 105:22 שָׂרָ֣י/ו n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms To discipline his princes at his pleasure, And to teach his elders wisdom.
Proverbs 1 verse
Ecclesiastes 2 verses
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 וְ/שָׂרַ֖יִ/ךְ conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 2fs Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, And your princes eat in the morning!
- Ecclesiastes 10:17 וְ/שָׂרַ֨יִ/ךְ֙ conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 2fs Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes eat in due season, For strength, and not for drunkenness!
Isaiah 12 verses
- Isaiah 1:23 שָׂרַ֣יִ/ךְ n c mp cs + sfx pers 2fs Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They don't judge the fatherless, Neither does the cause of the widow come to them.
- Isaiah 3:3 שַׂר n c ms cs The captain of fifty, The honorable man, The counselor, The skilled craftsman, And the clever enchanter.
- Isaiah 3:4 שָׂרֵי/הֶ֑ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp I will give boys to be their princes, And children shall rule over them.
- Isaiah 3:14 וְ/שָׂרָ֑י/ו conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms Yahweh will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, And their leaders: "It is you who have eaten up the vineyard. The spoil of the poor is in your houses.
- Isaiah 9:6 שַׂר n c ms cs For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Isaiah 10:8 שָׂרַ֛/י n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cs For he says, Aren't my princes all of them kings?
- Isaiah 19:11 שָׂ֣רֵי n c mp cs The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how do you say to Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
- Isaiah 19:13 שָׂ֣רֵי שָׂ֣רֵי n c mp cs n c mp cs The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Memphis are deceived; they have caused Egypt to go astray, who are the corner-stone of her tribes.
- Isaiah 30:4 שָׂרָ֑י/ו n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms For their princes are at Zoan, and their ambassadors are come to Hanes.
- Isaiah 31:9 שָׂרָ֑י/ו n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms His rock shall pass away by reason of terror, and his princes shall be dismayed at the ensign, says Yahweh, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 34:12 שָׂרֶ֖י/הָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs They shall call the nobles of it to the kingdom, but none shall be there; and all its princes shall be nothing.
- Isaiah 43:28 שָׂ֣רֵי n c mp cs Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; and I will make Jacob a curse, and Israel a reviling.
Jeremiah 35 verses
- Jeremiah 1:18 לְ/שָׂרֶ֔י/הָ prep + n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs For, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes of it, against the priests of it, and against the people of the land.
- Jeremiah 2:26 שָֽׂרֵי/הֶ֔ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets;
- Jeremiah 8:1 שָׂרָי/ו֩ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms At that time, says Yahweh, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves;
- Jeremiah 17:25 וְ/שָׂרִ֡ים וְ/שָׂ֣רֵי/הֶ֔ם conj + n c mp conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp then shall there enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever.
- Jeremiah 24:1 שָׂרֵ֨י n c mp cs Yahweh shown me, and, behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of Yahweh, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 24:8 שָׂרָי/ו֙ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms As the bad figs, which can't be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus says Yahweh, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt,
- Jeremiah 25:18 שָׂרֶ֑י/הָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs [to wit], Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings of it, and the princes of it, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day;
- Jeremiah 25:19 שָׂרָ֖י/ו n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
- Jeremiah 26:10 שָׂרֵ֣י n c mp cs When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of Yahweh; and they sat in the entry of the new gate of Yahweh's [house].
- Jeremiah 29:2 שָׂרֵ֨י n c mp cs (after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs, [and] the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem),
- Jeremiah 32:32 שָֽׂרֵי/הֶ֔ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 34:19 שָׂרֵ֨י וְ/שָׂרֵ֣י n c mp cs conj + n c mp cs the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf;
- Jeremiah 34:21 שָׂרָ֗י/ו n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, who have gone away from you.
- Jeremiah 38:17 שָׂרֵ֤י n c mp cs Then said Jeremiah to Zedekiah, Thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house.
- Jeremiah 38:18 שָׂרֵי֙ n c mp cs But if you will not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape out of their hand.
- Jeremiah 38:22 שָׂרֵ֖י n c mp cs behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Your familiar friends have set you on, and have prevailed over you: [now that] your feet are sunk in the mire, they are turned away back.
- Jeremiah 39:3 שָׂרֵ֣י שָׂרֵ֖י n c mp cs n c mp cs that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, [to wit], Nergal Sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, with all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.
- Jeremiah 40:7 שָׂרֵ֨י n c mp cs Now when all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, and women, and children, and of the poorest of the land, of those who were not carried away captive to Babylon;
- Jeremiah 40:13 שָׂרֵ֥י n c mp cs Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
- Jeremiah 41:11 שָׂרֵ֥י n c mp cs But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
- Jeremiah 41:13 שָׂרֵ֥י n c mp cs Now it happened that, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, then they were glad.
- Jeremiah 41:16 שָׂרֵ֧י n c mp cs Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, [to wit], the men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon:
- Jeremiah 42:1 שָׂרֵ֣י n c mp cs Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near,
- Jeremiah 42:8 שָׂרֵ֥י n c mp cs Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
- Jeremiah 43:4 שָׂרֵ֧י n c mp cs So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, didn't obey the voice of Yahweh, to dwell in the land of Judah.
- Jeremiah 43:5 שָׂרֵ֣י n c mp cs But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, who were returned from all the nations where they had been driven, to sojourn in the land of Judah;
- Jeremiah 44:17 וְ/שָׂרֵ֔י/נוּ conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cp But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil.
- Jeremiah 44:21 וְ/שָׂרֵי/כֶ֖ם conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 2mp The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, didn't Yahweh remember them, and didn't it come into his mind?
- Jeremiah 48:7 וְ/שָׂרָ֖י/ו conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms For, because you have trusted in your works and in your treasures, you also shall be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together.
- Jeremiah 49:3 וְ/שָׂרָ֖י/ו conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste; cry, you daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth: lament, and run back and forth among the fences; for Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his princes together.
- Jeremiah 50:35 שָׂרֶ֖י/הָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs A sword is on the Chaldeans, says Yahweh, and on the inhabitants of Babylon, and on her princes, and on her wise men.
- Jeremiah 51:57 שָׂרֶ֨י/הָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs I will make drunk her princes and her wise men, her governors and her deputies, and her mighty men; and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake up, says the King, whose name is Yahweh of Hosts.
- Jeremiah 51:59 שַׂ֥ר n c ms cs The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was chief chamberlain.
- Jeremiah 52:10 שָׂרֵ֥י n c mp cs The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he killed also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
- Jeremiah 52:25 שַׂ֣ר n c ms cs and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and seven men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city.
Lamentations 3 verses
- Lamentations 1:6 שָׂרֶ֗י/הָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs From the daughter of Zion all her majesty is departed: Her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, They are gone without strength before the pursuer.
- Lamentations 2:2 וְ/שָׂרֶֽי/הָ conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs The Lord has swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and has not pitied: He has thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; He has brought them down to the ground; he has profaned the kingdom and the princes of it.
- Lamentations 2:9 וְ/שָׂרֶ֤י/הָ conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs Her gates are sunk into the ground; he has destroyed and broken her bars: Her king and her princes are among the nations where the law is not; Yes, her prophets find no vision from Yahweh.
Ezekiel 3 verses
- Ezekiel 11:1 שָׂרֵ֖י n c mp cs Moreover the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of Yahweh's house, which looks eastward: and see, at the door of the gate twenty-five men; and I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
- Ezekiel 17:12 שָׂרֶ֔י/הָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs Say now to the rebellious house, Don't you know what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king of it, and the princes of it, and brought them to him to Babylon:
- Ezekiel 22:27 שָׂרֶ֣י/הָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs Her princes in the midst of it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, [and] to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.
Daniel 14 verses
- Daniel 1:7 שַׂ֥ר n c ms cs The prince of the eunuchs gave names to them: to Daniel he gave [the name of] Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, [of] Shadrach; and to Mishael, [of] Meshach; and to Azariah, [of] Abednego.
- Daniel 1:8 מִ/שַּׂ֣ר prep + n c ms cs But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
- Daniel 1:9 שַׂ֥ר n c ms cs Now God made Daniel to find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs.
- Daniel 1:10 שַׂ֤ר n c ms cs The prince of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths who are of your own age? so would you endanger my head with the king.
- Daniel 1:11 שַׂ֣ר n c ms cs Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
- Daniel 1:18 שַׂ֣ר n c ms cs At the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
- Daniel 8:11 שַֽׂר n c ms cs Yes, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and it took away from him the continual [burnt offering], and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
- Daniel 8:25 שַׂר שָׂרִים֙ n c ms cs n c mp Through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and in [their] security shall he destroy many: he shall also stand up against the prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
- Daniel 9:6 שָׂרֵ֖י/נוּ n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cp neither have we listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
- Daniel 9:8 לְ/שָׂרֵ֖י/נוּ prep + n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cp Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.
- Daniel 10:13 וְ/שַׂ֣ר הַ/שָּׂרִ֥ים conj + n c ms cs ptcl def.art + n c mp But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
- Daniel 10:20 שַׂ֣ר שַׂר n c ms cs n c ms cs Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece shall come.
- Daniel 10:21 שַׂרְ/כֶֽם n c ms cs + sfx pers 2mp But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none who holds with me against these, but Michael your prince."
- Daniel 11:5 שָׂרָ֑י/ו n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms The king of the south shall be strong, and [one] of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
Hosea 3 verses
- Hosea 5:10 שָׂרֵ֣י n c mp cs The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark. I will pour out my wrath on them like water.
- Hosea 7:16 שָׂרֵי/הֶ֖ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp They return, but not to the Most High. They are like a faulty bow. Their princes will fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.
- Hosea 9:15 שָׂרֵי/הֶ֖ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp "All their wickedness is in Gilgal; For there I hated them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house! I will love them no more. All their princes are rebels.
Amos 2 verses
Zephaniah 1 verse
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.
שר — transliterated sar — is a Hebrew noun carrying the sense “prince.” The King James Version usually renders it “princes,” while modern versions prefer “commanders” (Berean Standard Bible) — see the renderings breakdown. With 368 verses in 28 books, it is a common word in the Hebrew Bible. Debuting at Genesis 12:15, it then recurs through the corpus. Alongside “prince” the lexicon also lists “ruler”, “leader”, and “chief” — part of its full sense range. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H8269 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 →
- 368
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 368 distinct verses.
- 28 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 28 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #117
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 117 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 368 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Jeremiah 52 verses 14%
- 2 Chronicles 47 verses 13%
- 1 Chronicles 37 verses 10%
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 368 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 166 verses · 45%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 160 verses · 43%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 42 verses · 11%
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 2 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†: Princes 139×, Captains 57×, Captain 39×
- American Standard Version†: Princes 133×, Captains 54×, Captain 42×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Commanders 73×, Officials 67×, Princes 61×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Princes 46×, Commanders of 39×, Leaders of 36×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H8269 across 420† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 62 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 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H8269 across 418† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 77 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 H8269 across 399† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 25 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 21 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H8269 across 390† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 20 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
19 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
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 19 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.
שר I be stubborn, rebellious (usually towards י׳) (NH id., (rare)
Qal
- Pf. 3 ms. ס׳ יִשְׂרָאֵל Ho 4:16 Isr. is stubborn; Pt. act. בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה Dt 21:18, cf. v 20; בָּנִים סוֹרְרִים Is 30:1, עַם סוֹרֵר 65:2, דּוֹר ס׳ וּמֹרֶה ψ 78:8 (all of Isr.); לֵב ס׳ וּמוֹרֶה Je 5:23; פָּרָה סֹרֵרָ֔ה Ho 4:16 (sim. of Isr., v. supr.); as pred. שָׂרֵיהֶם סוֹרְרִים Ho 9:15 cf. Is 1:23; סָרֵי סוֹרְרִים Je 6:28 revolters among the rebellious (? cf. סור Qal ad fin., and סַר infr.); of loose woman הֹמִיָּה הִיא וְסוֹרָ֑רֶת Pr 7:11; as subst. = the stubborn, ψ 66:7; 68:7, 19; fs. וַיִּתְּנוּ כָתֵף סֹרֶ֫רֶת Ne 9:29 and they presented a stubborn shoulder (of Isr.) = Zc 7:11 (סֹרָ֑רֶת). e.g. Hosea 4:16
שר II chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince (NH especially of angels
- 1. chieftain, leader:
- a. pl. of Isr. Nu 21:18 (poem in JE; ‖ נְדִיב הָעָם), of Issachar Ju 5:15 (poem); שָׂרֵי גִלְעָד 10:18 is dub. (we should expect וְשׂ׳, and cf. זִקְנֵי ג׳, instead, 11:5–11); of Midian 7:25; 8:3; Philistines 1 S 29:3(×2), 4(×2), 9 (appar. = סְרָנִים v 2, 6, 7 [We], yet disting. by HPS and [with reserve] Bu; 𝔊 𝔖 𝔙 Th Bu del. in v 4b), cf. 18:30; poet., of כְּמוֹשׂ (i.e. the leading Moabites) Je 48:7, of מלכם (q.v.; i.e. the leading Ammonites) Am 1:15 = Je 49:3. e.g. Numbers 21:18
- b. sg. David as leader of freebooters 1 S 22:2; cf. שׂ׳ גְּדוּד 1 K 11:24, pl. 2 S 4:2. e.g. 1 Samuel 22:2
- 2. vassal, noble, official, under king (acting, on occasion, as counsellor, commander, etc.):
- a. pl., in Egypt Gn 12:15 (J) + 3 times Is + 30:4 Di Du Skinner (> of foreign embassy [cf. ‖ מַלְאָכָיו] Che al. reading [CheHeb.Hpt. Marti] שָׂרִים), 105:22; Moab Nu 22:8 + 8 times 22, 23 (JE), Am 2:3; Edom Is 34:12 (‖ חֹרִים); As. 10:8; 31:9; Bab. 21:5 + 7 times Je + 2 Ch 32:31 (but here perhaps vaguely = authorities); other nations Je 49:38 + 17 times Ezr Est; in gen. Is 49:7; officials, officials class, under kings of Israel: David (only Chr) 1 Ch 22:17 + 5 times 1 Ch, Ezr 8:20; Sol. 1 K 4:2; Jehoiachin 2 K 24:12, 14; Zedek. Je 34:21; 2 Ch 36:18; other kings 19 times 2 Chr; in gen. Ec 10:16, 17; see also (Judah) Je 1:18 + 31 times Je (17:25a del. שׂ׳ Gf Che Gie Du), 4 times La, Ez 17:12, Zp 1:8 (where disting. from בְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ, who are never called שׂ׳); so, in gen., Ne 9:32, 34 Dn 9:6, 8; and (N. Isr.) Ho 3:4 + 6 times Ho. e.g. Genesis 12:15
- b. as having powers of magistrate Ex 2:14 (E. + שֹׁפֵט); under Moses (over groups of 1000, 100, 50, 10) 18:21 + 7 times 18 (E), Dt 1:15(×4); later in Judah Ho 5:10 (Now reads שָׂרֵי יִשׂ׳), Is 1:23, cf. 3:4, 14; 32:1; Mi 7:3 (sg.; ‖ שֹׁפֵט), Zp 3:3 (‖ id.), Ez 22:27, cf. Pr 8:16 (‖ נְדִיבִים); 28:2 read perhaps צָרֶיהָ, v. Toy. e.g. Exodus 2:14
- c. as ruler or magistrate of a district (מְדִינָה), 1 K 20:14, 15, 17, 19 (cf. Est 1:3; 8:9; 9:3, שָׂרֵי עַם וָעָם 3:12). e.g. 1 Kings 20:14
- d. as commandant of city, שׂ׳ הָעִיר Ju 9:30, cf. 1 K 22:26 = 2 Ch 18:25, 2 K 23:8; 2 Ch 34:8; of citadel, שׂ׳ הַבִּירָה Ne 7:2; pl. of city officials, שׂ׳ סֻכּוֹת Ju 8:6, 14 (disting. from זְקֵנִים), cf. 2 K 10:1; 2 Ch 29:20. e.g. Judges 9:30
- 3. specif. military, = captain, general:
- a. שַׂר־(ה)צבא Gn 21:22, 32 (E), 26:26 (J), 1 S 12:9 + 23 times, + שׂ׳־צ׳־י׳ Jos 5:14, 15 (JE; צָבָא 1 b), angel-captain in vision; v. also 8, 9; שָׂרֵי הַצּ׳ 1 K 1:25 + 3 times Chr, שָׂרִים בַּצּ׳ 1 Ch 12:22 (Gi Baer; van d. H. v 21); שָׂרֵי צְבָאוֹת Dt 20:9; 1 K 2:5; 1 Ch 27:3; שַׂר־הַחַ֫יִל 2 S 24:2 (but read וְאֶל־שָׂרֵי as 𝔊L and ‖ 1 Ch 21:2 Th We Dr HPS Bu), שָׂרֵי (הַ)ח׳ v 4(×2), 2 K 9:5; 2 Ch 33:14; Ne 2:9, שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים 1 K 15:20 = 2 Ch 16:4; 2 K 25:23; 26 Je 40:7, 13 + 7 times Je; שָׂרֵי מִלְחָמוֹת 2 Ch 32:6; so (ה)שׂר alone 2 S 18:5; 19:7 1 K 9:22 = 2 Ch 8:9 𝔊B Be Kit (שָׂרָיו וְשָׁלִישָׁיו, for MT שָׂרֵי שׂ׳), 2 K 9:5(×2); 1 Ch 11:6, 21 + 9 times, + Jb 39:25 Dn 11:5; שׂ׳ וְגָדוֹל 2 S 3:38 (of Abner); poss. military fig. also in שַׂר שָׁלוֹם Is 9:5 (Mess. name). e.g. Genesis 21:22
- b. leading companies of 50 2 K 1:9–14; Is 3:3, of 100; 1 S 22:7 + 16 times + 8:12 (reading מֵאוֹת for חֲמִשִּׁים 𝔊 HPS, cf. We; Bu ins. שָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת), of 1000; 1 S 17:18 + 11 times, + שָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וְהַמֵּאוֹת 1 Ch 13:1 26:26 (disting. from שָׂרֵי הַצָּבָא), 27:1; 29:6; 2 Ch 1:2; also שׂ׳ הָרֶכֶב captain of the chariotry 1 K 22:31, 32, 33 = 2 Ch 18:30, 31, 32 + 3 times + שָׂרֵי ר׳ וּפָרָשָׁיו 1 K 9:22 = 2 Ch 8:9. e.g. 2 Kings 1:9
- 4.
- a. chief, head, of other official classes: שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים, Egypt, Gn 37:36 + 5 times; שָׂרֵי הָרָצִים 1 K 14:27 = 2 Ch 12:10; שָׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים 1 K 5:30; 9:23 = 2 Ch 8:10; even domestic positions (court of Pharaoh), שַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים Gn 40:2 + 5 times, שַׂר הָאוֹפוֹת 40:2 + 4 times (all E); שָׂרֵי הַמַּהְלְקוֹת 1 Ch 28:1, i.e. of the successive courses of royal military officials; cf. הַשַּׂר 27:28; שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים Dn 1:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 18; שַׂר מְנוּחָה Je 51:59. e.g. Genesis 37:36
- b. = overseer: שַׂר בֵּית הַסֹּהַר Gn 39:21, 23, שָׂרֵי מִקְנֶה 47:6 (all J; cf. אַבִּיר הָרֹעִים 1 S 21:8), שָׂרֵי מִסִּים Ex 1:11 (J); cf. 1 Ch 15:27; 29:6; 27:31; 28:1.—In 1 Ch 15:22 read prob. סַר הַמַּשָּׂא (= שַׂר) overseer of the carrying (for MT בְּמַשָּׂא יָסֹר בַּמַּשָּׂא), so 𝔊 Benz Kit, Be יָסֹר = יָשׂר; v. another view יָסַר Qal. e.g. Genesis 39:21
- 5. of religious office: שָׂרֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים Ezr 8:24, 29; 10:5 2 Ch 36:14; שׂ׳ הַלְוִיִּם 1 Ch 15:16, 22 2 Ch 35:9, cf. 1 Ch 15:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; heads of classes or courses of priests, called שָׂרֵי קֹדֶשׁ 1 Ch 24:5, שׂ׳ אֱלֹהִים v 5;—שָׂרֵי ק׳ Is 43:28 (usually consecrated princes, whether priests, or kings, or both) is prob. corrupt, read perhaps שַׁעֲרֵי (Du) or וַיְחַלְּלוּ שָׂרֶיךָ קָדְשִׁי 𝔊 Houb Klo CheHpt Gr (substantially). e.g. Ezra 8:24
- 6. late, of representative leaders of people, tribal heads, שׂ׳ שִׁבְטֵי יִשׂ׳ 1 Ch 27:22; 29:6, cf. 28:1; appar. = elders, שׂ׳ הָעָם Ez 11:1; 2 Ch 24:23; שׂ׳ alone, ψ 68:28(×3); in post-exilic Jerus. Ezr 9:1; 2 Ne 4:10; 10:1; 11:1 (שָׂרֵי הָעָם), + elders Ezr 10:8, 14; called שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה Ne 12:31, 32; of district-rulers 3:9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; of heads of families, שָׂרֵי הָאָבוֹת Ezr 8:29; 1 Ch 29:6 (= רָאשֵׁי הָא׳ 24:31; 27:1; Ne 7:70). e.g. 1 Chronicles 27:22
- 7. late, as term of rank and dignity, Is 23:8 (cf. ‘merchant-princes’), Jb 3:15; 29:9 (‖ נְגִידִים), 34:19 ψ 45:17; 82:7; 148:11, opp. עבד(ים) Pr 19:10; Ec 10:7; formidable foes ψ 119:23, 161. e.g. Isaiah 23:8
- 8. = patron-angel, only Dn: פָּרַס (מַלְכוּת) שַׂר 10:13, 20, שׂ׳ יָוָן v 20; specif. of מִיכָאֵל v 13, 21; 12:1. e.g. Daniel 10:13
- 9. שַׂר־הַצָבָא 8:11 = God (prob., cf. צָבָא 1 c; yet v. also צ׳ 1 b), so שַׂר שָׂרִים v 25. e.g. Daniel 8:11
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
I. vb. be stubborn, rebellious (usually towards י׳) (NH id., (rare); Assyrian sarâru);—
II. n.m. chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince (NH especially of angels; Assyrian šarru, king);—abs. שַׂר 2 S 3:38 +, הַשַּׂר Mi 7:3 +, שָׂ֑ר Ho 3:4 +; cstr. שַׂר Ju 4:2 +; sf. שַׂרְכֶם Dn 10:21; pl. שָׂרִים 1 K 4:2 +; cstr. שָׂרֵי Gn 12:15 +; sf. שָׂרַי Ju 5:15; Is 10:8, שָׂרֵיכֶם Je 44:21, שָׂרֵיהֶם Is 3:4 +;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from שרר (sârar) (H8323) — to rule.
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.
שֵׁר
- Tower of Sher (or Shed), Straton’s Tower (v. Hildesh. Beitr. p. 4 sq.). Sifré Deut. 51 מדבר שרשך דור, read: מגדל שר שן דור; Yalk. ib. 874 מגדל שרשן דירו (corr. acc.); Y. Shebi. VI, 36ᶜ top מגדל שיד.
שַׂר
- prince, chief.; שר (של מעלה) guardian angel, genius. Zeb. 116ᵇ שר ונגיד a prince or a nobleman. Yeb. 16ᵇ שר העולם the genius of the universe; Ḥull. 60ᵃ. Ex. R. s. 22 נטל הקב"ה שר שלהם וכ׳ the Lord took first their (the Egyptians’) guardian angel and drowned him. Pes. 118ᵃ שר הברד, v. יוּרְקָמִי. Ib. אני שר של אש I (Gabriel) am the angel of fire. B. Bath. 74ᵇ שר של ים the angel of the sea. Mekh. B’shall., Shir., s. 2 כיון שראו שָׂרָהּ של מלכות נופל (not נופלת) when they saw the genius of the (Egyptian) empire fallen; Yalk. Ex. 243; a. v. fr.—Pl. שָׂרִים. Ib. אין … משָׂרֵיהֶן תחלה the Lord will not punish governments, unless he have punished their guardian angels first. Gen. R. s. 78, beg. מיכאל … שהם ש׳ של מעלה Michael and Gabriel who are the princes on high. Yalk. l. c. קרא … לכל שָׂרֵי האומות the Lord summoned all the tutelary angels of the nations. Cant. R. to VIII, 14 ש׳ של מעלה the princes on high (angels); ש׳ של מטה the earthly (human) governors. Ib. (play on הרי בשמים, ib.) המתינו לי … על הריהם שהם שָׂרֵיהֶם שנתונים אצלי בַּשָּׁמַיִם (not שנתונות) wait until I shall have sat in judgment over their mounts, that is, their chiefs that are placed with me in heaven; a. fr.—Gen. R. s. 98 גני ש׳, v. גִּינֵּיסַר.—Fem. שָׂרָה. Tosef. Ber. I, 12 (ref. to Gen. XVII, 15) בתחלה הרי היא ש׳ על עמה ועכשיו הרי היא ש׳ על אומות העולם ed. Zuck. (Var. שָׂרַי על עמה … על כל באי העולם, v. ed. Zuck. note) at first she was a princess of her own people, and now she is a princess for the nations of the world (for all that enter into the world); Ber. 13ᵃ שרי לאומתה … ש׳ לכל העולם. e.g. Genesis 17:15
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 134 distinct written forms H8269 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.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 74 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H8269, 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
Derived from this word
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 → 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 335 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 368 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 12:15
- Exodus 1:11
- Numbers 21:18
- Deuteronomy 1:15
- Joshua 5:14
- Judges 4:2
- 1 Samuel 8:12
- 2 Samuel 2:8
- 1 Kings 1:19
- 2 Kings 1:9
- 1 Chronicles 11:6
- 2 Chronicles 1:2
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.
