אֲשֶׁר
which
‘which’ is one of 7 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
- Particle
- A short function word — article, negation, interrogative, the sign of the direct object, and the like.
Every verse where H834 appears in the Book of Zechariah — 40 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.
Zechariah
- Zechariah 1:4 אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel Don't you be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: Thus says Yahweh of hosts, 'Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings;' but they did not hear, nor listen to me, says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 1:6 אֲשֶׁ֤ר כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֨ר ptcl rel prep + ptcl rel But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, didn't they overtake your fathers? "Then they repented and said, 'Just as Yahweh of Hosts determined to do to us, according to our ways, and according to our practices, so he has dealt with us.'"
- Zechariah 1:8 אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel "I had a vision in the night, and, behold, a man riding on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in a ravine; and behind him there were red, brown, and white horses.
- Zechariah 1:10 אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, "They are the ones Yahweh has sent to go back and forth through the earth."
- Zechariah 1:12 אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel Then the angel of Yahweh replied, "O Yahweh of Hosts, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which you have had indignation these seventy years?"
- Zechariah 1:15 אֲשֶׁ֤ר ptcl rel I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, but they added to the calamity."
- Zechariah 1:19 אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."
- Zechariah 1:21 אֲשֶׁר ptcl rel Then I asked, "What are these coming to do?" He said, "These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."
- Zechariah 3:9 אֲשֶׁ֤ר ptcl rel For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the engraving of it,' says Yahweh of Hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
- Zechariah 4:1 אֲשֶׁר ptcl rel The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.
- Zechariah 4:2 אֲשֶׁ֥ר ptcl rel He said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I have seen, and, behold, a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are on the top of it;
- Zechariah 4:12 אֲשֶׁר֙ ptcl rel I asked him the second time, "What are these two olive-branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that pour the golden oil out of themselves?"
- Zechariah 6:6 אֲשֶׁר ptcl rel The one with the black horses goes out toward the north country; and the white went out after them; and the dappled went forth toward the south country."
- Zechariah 6:10 אֲשֶׁר ptcl rel "Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon.
- Zechariah 7:3 אֲשֶׁר֙ כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel prep + ptcl rel and to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?"
- Zechariah 7:7 אֲשֶׁ֨ר ptcl rel Aren't these the words which Yahweh proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?'"
- Zechariah 7:12 אֲשֶׁ֨ר ptcl rel Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law, and the words which Yahweh of Hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of Hosts.
- Zechariah 7:13 כַ/אֲשֶׁר prep + ptcl rel It has come to pass that, as he called, and they refused to listen, so they will call, and I will not listen," said Yahweh of Hosts;
- Zechariah 7:14 אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel "but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they made the pleasant land desolate."
- Zechariah 8:9 אֲ֠שֶׁר ptcl rel Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of Yahweh of Hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built.
- Zechariah 8:13 כַּ/אֲשֶׁר֩ prep + ptcl rel It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don't be afraid. Let your hands be strong."
- Zechariah 8:14 כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֨ר prep + ptcl rel For thus says Yahweh of hosts: "As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath," says Yahweh of Hosts, "and I didn't repent;
- Zechariah 8:16 אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates,
- Zechariah 8:17 אֲשֶׁ֥ר ptcl rel and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate," says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 8:20 אֲשֶׁ֣ר ptcl rel Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "Many peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come;
- Zechariah 8:23 אֲשֶׁ֤ר ptcl rel Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
- Zechariah 10:6 כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר prep + ptcl rel "I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph, And I will bring them back; For I have mercy on them; And they will be as though I had not cast them off: For I am Yahweh their God, and I will hear them.
- Zechariah 11:2 אֲשֶׁ֥ר ptcl rel Wail, fir tree, for the cedar has fallen, Because the stately ones are destroyed. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, For the strong forest has come down.
- Zechariah 11:5 אֲשֶׁ֨ר ptcl rel Their buyers slaughter them, and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, 'Blessed be Yahweh, for I am rich;' and their own shepherds don't pity them.
- Zechariah 11:10 אֲשֶׁ֥ר ptcl rel I took my staff Favor, and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
- Zechariah 11:13 אֲשֶׁ֥ר ptcl rel Yahweh said to me, "Throw it to the potter, the handsome price that I was valued at by them!" I took the thirty pieces of silver, and threw them to the potter, in the house of Yahweh.
- Zechariah 12:10 אֲשֶׁר ptcl rel I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.
- Zechariah 13:6 אֲשֶׁ֥ר ptcl rel One will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'
- Zechariah 14:4 אֲשֶׁ֨ר ptcl rel His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
- Zechariah 14:5 כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֤ר prep + ptcl rel You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with you.
- Zechariah 14:12 אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר ptcl rel ptcl rel This will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will consume away in their sockets, and their tongue will consume away in their mouth.
- Zechariah 14:15 אֲשֶׁ֥ר ptcl rel So will be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the donkey, and of all the animals that will be in those camps, as that plague.
- Zechariah 14:17 אֲשֶׁ֨ר ptcl rel It will be, that whoever of all the families of the earth doesn't go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of Hosts, on them there will be no rain.
- Zechariah 14:18 אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲשֶׁר֙ ptcl rel ptcl rel If the family of Egypt doesn't go up, and doesn't come, neither will it rain on them. This will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents.
- Zechariah 14:19 אֲשֶׁר֙ ptcl rel This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents.
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.
At its core, אשר (ʼăsher) means “which.” Carrying more than one sense, it rewards its full sense range. With 4,439 verses in 39 books, it is one of the most common word in the Hebrew Bible. First canonically at Genesis 1:7, it enters the text early. From the same root come של and שם. Dig into 4,439-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H834 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 →
- 4,439
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 4,439 distinct verses.
- 39 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 39 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #5
- by frequency
- Top 10 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 5 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 4,439 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Deuteronomy 430 verses 10%
- Jeremiah 363 verses 8%
- Genesis 349 verses 8%
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 4,439 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 2,138 verses · 48%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1,548 verses · 35%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 753 verses · 17%
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: Which 13×, That 11×, Because 10×
- American Standard Version: Which 12×, That 10×, Because 9×
- Berean Standard Bible: That 899×, Who 470×, Which 301×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: That 2,059×, Who 770×, Which 627×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H834 across 107 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 35 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.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H834 across 107 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 29 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 H834 across 3,224 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 158 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 2,258 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H834 across 5,332 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 119 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
23 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 23 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.
- 1. it includes its pronominal antecedent, whether in the nom. or obl. cases, as Nu 22:6 וַאֲשֶׁר תָּאֹר יוּאָר and he whom thou cursest is cursed, Ex 4:12 and I will teach thee אֲשֶׁר תְּדַבֵּר that which thou shalt say; and with particles or prepositions, as אֵת אֲשֶׁר (according to the context) him who …, those who …, that which …; לַאֲשֶׁר to him who … Gn 43:16, to those who … 47:24, to that which 27:8; מֵאֲשֶׁר Ju 16:30 2 S 18:8 than those whom; Lv 27:24 לַאֲשֶׁר קָנָהוּ מֵאִתּוֹ to him from whom he bought it, Nu 5:7; Is 24:2 כַּאֲשֶׁר נֹשֶׁא בוֹ like him against whom there is a creditor. e.g. Numbers 22:6
- 2. instances of אֲשֶׁר followed by a pron. affix, or by שָׁם, שָֽׁמָּה, מִשָּׁם, are so common that the exx. cited above will be sufficient. Very rarely there occurs the anomalous constr. עִם אֲשֶׁר Gn 31:32 for אֲשֶׁר עִמּוֹ (see Gn 44:9), בַּאֲשֶׁר Is 47:12 for אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶם, לַאֲשֶׁר for אֲשֶׁר … לָהֶם Ez 23:40: ψ 119:49 see under על אשׁר. It is followed by the pron. in the nomin., in the foll. cases:—(a) immediately, mostly before an adj. or ptcp., Gn 9:3 all moving things אֲשֶׁר הוּא־חַי which are living, Lv 11:26 Nu 9:13; 14:8, 27; 35:31 Dt 20:20 1 S 10:19 (v. Dr) 2 K 25:19 (‖ Je 52:25 היה) Je 27:9 Ez 43:19 Hg 1:9 Ru 4:15 Ne 2:18 Ec 7:26; before a vb. 2 K 22:13 (omitted 2 Ch 34:21). (b) in a negative sentence, at the end: Gn 7:2; 17:12 Nu 17:5 Dt 17:15 אֲשֶׁר לֹא אָחִיךָ הוּא who is not thy brother, 20:15 Ju 19:12 1 K 8:41 ‖ 9:20 ‖. N.B. ψ 16:3 אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ הֵ֑מָּה is an unparalleled expression for ‘who are in the land’; read אֲשֶׁר בָּאָ֑רֶץ הֵמָּה אַדִּירֵי וג׳ ‘the saints that are in the land, they (המה) are the nobles, in whom,’ etc. e.g. Genesis 31:32
- 3. sometimes (though rarely) the defining adjunct is a pron. of 1 or 2 ps. as well as of 3 ps. In such cases it is strictly to be rendered I who …, thou who, etc.; Ho 14:4 אֲשֶׁר־בְּךָ יְרֻחַם יָתוֹם thou by whom the fatherless is compassionated! Je 31:32 I, whose covenant they brake, 32:19 Is 49:23 Jb 37:17f. thou whose garments are warm …, canst thou? etc., ψ 71:19, 20; 144:12 we whose sons, etc., 139:15 my frame was not hidden from thee, אֲשֶׁר־עֻשֵּׂיתִי בַסֵּתֶר—I who was wrought in secret (= though I was wrought in secret), Ex 14:13 for ye who have seen the Egyptians to-day,—ye shall not see them again or ever! (cf. ψ 41:9). e.g. Hosea 14:4
- 4. the defining pron. adjunct is dispensed with—
- a. when אֲשֶׁר represents the simple subj. of a sentence, or the direct obj. of a vb.: so constantly, as Gn 2:2 the work אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה which he made, 3:3 the tree אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן which is in the midst of the garden, etc. e.g. Genesis 2:2
- b. after words denoting time, place, or manner, so that אֲשֶׁר then becomes equivalent to when, where, why: (α) Gn 6:4 אַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֲשֶׁר afterwards, when, etc. (cf. 2 Ch 35:20) 45:6 there are still 5 years אֲשֶׁר אֵין חָרִישׁ when there shall be no plowing, Jos 14:10 1 K 22:25; after יוֹם or הַיּוֹם Dt 4:10 Ju 4:14 1 S 24:5 (v. Dr) 2 S 19:25 Je 20:14 al.; similarly Gn 40:13. (β) Gn 35:13 בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אִתּוֹ in the place where he spake with him, v 14; 39:20 Nu 13:27; 22:26 Dt 1:31 in the desert which thou sawest, where (accents Ke Di), 8:15 1 K 8:9 (unless לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית has here fallen out: v. 𝔊 & Dt 9:9) Is 55:11; 64:10 ψ 84:4. So (γ) in אֶל אֲשֶׁר to (the place) which (or whither) Ex 32:34 Ru 1:16; אֶל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר to every (place) whither Jos 1:16 Pr 17:8; בַּאֲשֶׁר in (the place) where †Ju 5:27; 17:8, 9 1 S 23:13 2 K 8:1 Ru 1:16, 17 Jb 39:30, once only with שָׁם Gn 21:17; בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר wheresoever Jos 1:7, 9 Ju 2:15 1 S 14:47; 18:5 2 S 7:7 2 K 18:7; מֵאֲשֶׁר from (the place) where = whencesoever †Ex 5:11 Ru 2:9; עַל־אֲשֶׁר to (the place) whither (or which) 2 S 15:20 1 K 18:12; עַל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר Je 1:7. (δ) זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר … this is the reason that or why … Jos 5:4 1 K 11:27. e.g. Genesis 6:4
- c. more extreme instances Lv 14:22, 30, 31 Nu 6:21, Dt 7:19 (wherewith), 28:20 1 S 2:32 1 K 2:26 (wherein), Ju 8:15 (about whom), Is 8:12 (where יאמר would be foll. normally by לוֹ), 31:6 turn ye to (him as to) whom they have deeply rebelled, 47:15 Zp 3:11 Ec 3:9, 1 K 14:19 (= how). e.g. Leviticus 14:22
- d. it is dispensed with only in appearance after (אָמַרְתִּי וג׳) אֲשֶׁר אָמַר followed by the words used, its place being really taken by a pron. in the speech which follows, as Gn 3:17 the tree as to which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat from it, Ex 22:8 Dt 28:68 Ju 7:4 (זֶה) 8:15 (where the noun repeated takes the place of the pron., cf. Dt 9:2) 1 S 9:17 (זֶה)23 1 K 11:2 +; cf. 2 S 11:16 2 K 17:12; 21:4. e.g. Genesis 3:17
- 5. אֲשֶׁר sometimes in poet. = one who, a man who (men who), ὅστις, οἵτινες, ψ 24:4; 55:20; 95:4, 5 Jb 4:19; 5:5; 9:5, (Hi) 15, 17. e.g. Psalms 24:4
- 6. אֲשֶׁר occas. receives its closer definition by a subst. following it, in other words, its logical antecedent is inserted in the rel. clause: (a) in the phrase peculiar to Je., אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר י׳ אֶל יר׳ that which came (of) the word of י׳ to Je. †14:1; 46:1; 47:1; 49:34 (cf. Ew§ 334); (b) Ex 25:9 Nu 33:4 1 S 25:30 2 K 8:12, 12:6 לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יִמָּצֵא שָׁם בָּֽדֶק׃, Ez 12:25; cf. the Ethiopic usage Di§ 201; (c) (antec. repeated) Gn 49:30 = 50:13, 1 S 25:39 (י׳ repeated), Is 54:9 (prob.) as to which I sware that, etc., Am 5:1 which I take up over you (as) a dirge. e.g. Jeremiah 14:1
- 7. אֲשֶׁר ל׳ that (belongs, belong, belonged) to, is used
- a. either alone or preceded by כָּל־ to express (all) that (belongs) to, as Gn 14:23 מִכָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לָ֑ךְ of all that is thine, 31:1 מֵאֲשֶׁר לְאָבִינוּ of that which was our father’s 32:24 & sent over אֶת־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ that which he had, + often e.g. Genesis 14:23
- b. as a circumlocution of the genitive, as Gn 29:9 עִם־הַצֹּאן אֲשֶׁר לְאָבִיהָ with the sheep that were her father’s, 40:5; 47:4, Lv 9:8; Ju 6:11; 1 S 25:7 הָרֹעִים אֲשֶׁר־לְךָ, 2 S 14:31 אֶת־הַחֶלְקָה אֲשֶׁר־לִי, 23:8; 1 K 1:8, 33 עַל הַפִּרְדָּה אֲשֶׁר־לִי upon mine own mule, v 49; 4:2; 2 K 11:10; 16:13 Ru 2:21; and especially in the case of a compound expression depending on a single genit., as Gn 23:9; 40:5; 41:43 מִרְכֶּבֶת הַמִּשְׁנֶה אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ the chariot of the second rank which he had, Ex 38:30; Ju 3:20; 6:25; 1 S 17:40; 21:8, אֲבִיר הָרֹעִים אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל the mightiest of Saul’s herdmen, 24:5 אֶת־כְּנַף־הַמְּעִיל אֲשֶׁר־לְשָׁאוּל, 2 S 2:8 Saul’s captain of the host, 1 K 10:28; 15:20; 22:31; Je 52:17; Ru 4:3. e.g. Genesis 29:9
- c. with names of places (especially such as do not readily admit the st. cstr.) Ju 18:28; 19:14 הַגִּבְעָה אֲשֶׁר לְבִנְיָמִן Gibeah (the hill) of Benjamin, 20:4; 1 S 17:1; 1 K 15:27; 16:15; 17:9; 19:3; 2 K 14:11. Comp. שֶׁל (q.v.) which in Rabb., like the Aramaic דִּיל-, ܕܺܝܠ, is in habitual use as a mark of the genitive.—N.B. In Aramaic also דּי, ܕ, without ל, expresses the gen. relation, as מִלְּתָא דִי־מַלְכָּא, lit. the word, that of the king = the word of the king. The few apparent cases of a similar use of אשׁר are, however, too foreign to the general usage of the language to be regarded otherwise than as due to textual error: 1 S 13:8 read אֲשֶׁר אָמַר (or שָׂם Ex 9:5) שְׁמוּאֵל (𝔊 εἶπε); 1 K 11:25 supply עָשָׂה (𝔊 ἣν ἐποίησεν); 2 K 25:10 supply אֵת with (as ‖ Je 52:14); 2 Ch 34:22 read וַאֲשֶׁר אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ (cf. 𝔊) and those whom the king appointed (abbreviated from 2 K 22:14); cf. Ew§ 292 a, b with note. e.g. Judges 18:28
- 8. אֲשֶׁר becomes, like Aramaic דּי, ܕ, a conj. approximating in usage to כִּי: thus
- a. = quod, ὅτι, that, subordinating an entire sentence to a verb of knowing, remembering, etc. (α) with אֵת Dt 9:7 forget not אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִקְצַפְתָּ the fact that (= how) thou provokedst, etc., 29:15; Jos 2:10; 1 S 24:11, 19; 2 S 11:20 know ye not אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יֹרוּ how they shoot from off the wall? 2 K 8:12 Is 38:3 + often. As subj. (rare) 1 K 14:19; 2 K 14:15; 20:20. Of time (peculiarly) †2 S 14:15 עַתָּה אֲשֶׁר now (is it) that … Zc 8:20 (prob.) yet (shall it be) that … v 23; cf. כִּמְעַט שֶׁ Ct 3:4. (β) without אֵת (not very common, כִּי being usually employed): after יָדַע Ex 11:7; Nu 32:23; Ez 20:26 (strange in Ez: v. Hi) Jb 9:5 (Ew De Di) Ec 8:12, רָאָה Dt 1:31 (RV) 1 S 18:15, הִתְוַדָּה to confess Lv 5:5; 26:40b, הִשְׁבִּיעַ 1 K 22:16 (caused to swear that …); after a noun Is 38:7 הָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר the sign that … (‖ 2 K 20:9 כִּי) with growing frequency in late Hebrew, 2 Ch 2:7, and especially Ne Est: Ne 2:5, 10; 7:65 (= Ezr 2:63) 8:14, 15; 10:31; 13:1, 19, 22; Est 1:19; 2:10; 3:4; 4:11; 6:2; 8:11; Ec 3:22 (מֵאֲשֶׁר) 5:4; 7:18 (with טוֹב: contrast Ru 2:22) v 22, 29; 8:12, 14; 9:1; Dn 1:8(×2). (γ) prefixed to a direct citation, like כִּי q.v. (= ὅτι recitativum) (rare) 1 S 15:20; 2 S 1:4; 2:4 (v. Dr) ψ 10:6 (prob.), Ne 4:6. e.g. Deuteronomy 9:7
- b. it is resolvable into so that: Gn 11:7 אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ so that they understand not, etc., 13:16; 22:14 אֲשֶׁר יֵאָמֵר so that it is said, Ex 20:26; Dt 4:10, 40 אֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לְךָ 6:3; 28:27, 51; 1 K 3:12, 13; 2 K 9:37; Mal 3:19. e.g. Genesis 11:7
- c. it has a causal force, forasmuch as, in that, since: Gn 30:18; 31:49 and Mizpah, אֲשֶׁר אָמַר for that he said. 34:13, 27; 42:21 we are guilty, אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ we who saw (or, in that we saw), Nu 20:13 Meribah, because they strove there, Dt 3:24; Jos 4:7, 23; 22:31; Ju 9:17; 1 S 2:23; 15:15; 20:42 go in peace, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְנוּ forasmuch as we have sworn, 25:26 thou whom (= or, seeing that) י׳ hath withholden, 2 S 2:5 blessed are ye of י׳, אֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם, who (οἵτινες) have done (or in that ye have done), 1 K 3:19; 15:5; 2 K 12:3; 17:4; 23:26; Je 16:13; Ec 8:11, 12 (Hi De Now). Here also belongs its use in אֲשֶׁר לָמָּה since why …? (= lest) Dn 1:10: v. sub לָמָּה. On אֲשֶׁר עַל כֵּן forasmuch as Jb 34:27 v. sub כִּי עַל כֵּן. e.g. Genesis 30:18
- d. it expresses a condition (rare & peculiar): Lv 4:22 אֲשֶׁר נָשִׂיא יֶחֱטָא in (case) that = when (or if) a ruler sinneth (v 3, 13, 27 אִם) 25:33; Nu 5:29 (explained differently by Ew§ 334a), Dt 11:27 and the blessing אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ if ye hearken (v 28 אִם), 18:22 Ges§ 159 cc Jos 4:21 אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁאָלוּן … when they ask …, then … (v 6 כִּי), Is 31:4. In 1 K 8:33 (‖ 2 Ch 6:24 כִּי, cf. K v 35, 37) אֲשֶׁר may be rendered indifferently because or when. Once, similarly, אֵת אֲשֶׁר 1 K 8:31 v. p. 85. e.g. Leviticus 4:22
- e. perhaps (exceptionally) = כַּאֲשֶׁר, as, Je 33:22; Is 54:9 (sq. כֵּן; but כֵּן q.v. sometimes stands without כאשׁר, & אשׁר may in these passages connect with what precedes); according to some also Je 48:8 ψ 106:34 (in a connexion where כַּאֲשֶׁר would be more usual: אֲשֶׁר may however be the obj. of אָמַר). In 1 S 16:7 אֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה הָאָדָם read כַּאֲשֶׁר, v. Dr.In Dt 15:14 also read כַּאֲשֶׁר: note ברכך before. e.g. Jeremiah 33:22
- f. combined with preps., אֲשֶׁר converts them into conjunctions: see below, בַּאֲשֶׁר, כַּאֲשֶׁר, מֵאֲשֶׁר. On its use similarly with (אַחֲרֵי) אַחַר, מִבְּלִי, בַּעֲבוּר, עַל דְּבַר, יַעַן, לְמַעַן, כְּפִי, עַד, עַל, עֵקֶב, מִפְּנֵי, תַּחַת, see these words.—הַאֲשֶׁר, with ה interrog., occurs once, 2 K 6:22. e.g. 2 Kings 6:22
- 1. אֲשֶׁר being a connecting link, without any perfectly corresponding equivalent in Engl., its force is not unfreq. capable of being represented in more than one way. See e.g. 2 S 2:5 (above 8 c), Is 28:12 unto whom he said, or for that he said to them. e.g. 2 Samuel 2:5
- 2. The opinion that אֲשֶׁר has an asseverative force (like כִּי, q.v.), or introduces the apodosis, is not prob., being both alien to its general usage & not required by the passages alleged. Render Is 8:20 either ‘Surely according to this word will those speak who have no dawn,’ or ‘… will they speak when (cf. supr. 8 d Dt 11:27; Jos 4:21) they have no dawn.’ e.g. Isaiah 8:20
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
part. of relation (Moab. id.; origin dub.: 1. according to TsepreghiDiss. Lugd. p. 171 MühlauBö Lb. ii. 79 n. StaMorg. Forsch. 1875, 188; Lb. § 167 HomZMG 1878, 708 ff. Müll§ 153 SayceHbr. ii. 51 LagM. i. 255 & especially KraetzschmarHbr. vi. 298 ff, orig. a subst. ‘place’ = أَثَرٌ footstep, mark አሠr (do.), אֲתַר, ܐܰܬܰܪ place, Assyrian ašar, used (v. Kraetz.) both as a subst. ‘there, where,’ and as a relative of place ‘where’: in Heb. this development has advanced further, and it has become a relative sign generally. The chief objection to this explanation is that it would isolate Heb. from the other Semitic languages, in which pronouns are formed regularly from demonstrative roots (cf. also NöZMG 1886, 738). 2. according to PhiSt. C. 73 SperlingNota Rel. im Hebr. 1876, 15–22 for אֲשֶׁל, developed from the relative שׁ (q.v.) by (1) the prefixing of either a merely prosthetic א, or, better, a pronominal א (giving rise to אש, the form of the relative in Ph.), and (2) the addition of the demonstr. root ל [found also in אֵל, אֵלֶּה, הַלָּזֶה (q.v.). اَلَّذِى he who, እለ who (pl.)]: the main objection to this explanation is the change of ל to ר, which is hardly rendered probable by the comp. of Syriac ܗܳܪܟܳܐ by side of Targ. הָלְכָּא. 1 seems preferable, the primitive root having acquired different significations in the different Semitic languages, and having been weakened in Heb. to a mere particle of relation). A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause. As a rule אֲשֶׁר is a mere connecting link, and requires to be supplemented (see the grammars) by a pron. affix, or other word, such as שָׁם, defining the nature of the relation more precisely: e.g. Gn 1:11 אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ־בוֹ lit. as to which, its seed is in it = in which is its seed, ψ 1:4 like the chaff אֲשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ as to which, the wind drives it = which the wind drives, etc.; & so אֲשֶׁר … שָׁם = where, אֲשֶׁר … מִשָּׁם = whence, Gn 2:11; 3:23; 20:13 etc. Sometimes also (v. infr.) the relation expressed by it is specifically temporal, local, causal, etc. More particularly
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number)
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.
אֲשֶׁר
- ; v. Ges. H. Dict. s. v., as to opinions on etymol.) [being,] who, which. Ber. 11ᵇ א׳ בחר וכ׳ who hast chosen us; a. v. fr. (in prayer formulas).—In Talm. mostly prefix-שֶׁ.
אָשַׁר
- , v. אשש) to exist, be strong, happy; v. יָשַׁר.
- (b. h.)
- 1. to exalt, praise, declare happy. Pesik. R. s. 45 התחיל מְאַשְּׁרֵם he commenced by declaring them happy; v. אַשְׁרֵי.
- 2. to substantiate; to verify, attest to. Num. R. s. 14 לאַשֵּׁר את הדין to give strength to the legal decision Y. Gitt. IX, 50ᶜ bot. (אישרניהי) אִישַּׁרְנוּהוּ we have verified it in the presence of &c.—Part. pass. מְאוּשָּׁר 1) firm, strong. Gen. R. s. 15, beg. the bux-tree is called תְּאַשּׁוּר because it is מא׳ וכ׳ the strongest of all (cmp. אֵשֶׁל). Y. Succ. III, 54ᵃ top; Y. Meg. I, 72ᵃ top המא׳ שבכלן וכ׳ the strongest (expression) of all, is Hallelujah.—2) substantial, good, rich. Gen. R. s. 90, end (ref. to את כל אֲשֶׁר Gen. XLI, 56) המְאוּשָּׁרִין שבהם the best stores of all. Gen. R. s. 28.—Snh. 22ᵃ is called Ashurith שמְאוּשֶּׁרֶת בכתב because its characters are substantial (Ar. שמאושר); Y. Meg. I, 71ᵇ bot.; Y. Sot. VII, 21ᶜ top. e.g. Genesis 41:56
- to be set up, be erected. Sifra K’dosh. beg. (play on אֲשֵׁרִים) על שם שהם מִתְאַשְּׁרִים מאחרים because they are put up by others.
אֲשַׁר
- [Ithpe. אִיתְּשַׁר to be strengthened. Targ. Y. Deut. X, 2 יַיתְשַׁר, prob. to be read יִתְיַשַּׁר, v. ישר.]
- 1. to make strong. Keth. 10ᵇ; Gitt. 70ᵃ (dates) מְאַשְּׁרָן give strength.
- 2. to confirm, verify; also to credit, (consider true). Keth. 21ᵃ אַשַּׁרְנוּהִי וכ׳ we verified it &c., v. preced.—Gitt. 30ᵇ (prov.) חברך מית א׳ וכ׳ if you are told, ‘your friend is dead’, believe it; ‘your friend has grown rich’ לא תְאַשַּׁר don’t trust.
אֶשֶׁר
- (b. h.), only in plur. constr. אַשְׁרֵי the happiness of!, happy is he, are they &c. Pes. 117ᵃ; a. fr.—Midr. Till. to Ps. LXXXIV אַשְׁרַאי happy am I.—Yoma VIII, 9 אַשְׁרֵיכֶם happy are ye. Ib. 87ᵃ אַשְׁרֵיהֶם לצדיקים happy are the righteous; a. fr.
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 104 distinct written forms H834 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֲשֶׁר | Particle, Relative | Amos 1:1 | 1,293 |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | Particle, Relative | Amos 9:15 | 1,064 |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Amos 5:26 | 976 |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | Particle, Relative | Amos 2:9 | 499 |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | Particle, Relative | Daniel 1:11 | 304 |
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | Particle, Relative | Daniel 1:8 | 179 |
| אֲשֶׁר֙ | Particle, Relative | Amos 4:1 | 129 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Amos 5:14 | 109 |
| אֲשֶׁ֧ר | Particle, Relative | Amos 3:1 | 98 |
| אֲשֶׁר֩ | Particle, Relative | Amos 1:1 | 96 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֛ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 2:1 | 78 |
| אֲשֶׁ֛ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 8:11 | 71 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 3:2 | 69 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֖ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 1:11 | 57 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֨ר | Particle, Relative | Amos 5:19 | 52 |
| אֲשֶֽׁר | Particle, Relative | Amos 4:7 | 44 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֤ר | Particle, Relative | Amos 2:13 | 41 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 5:8 | 34 |
| אֲ֠שֶׁר | Particle, Relative | Exodus 9:24 | 21 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 11:2 | 20 |
| אֲֽשֶׁר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 27:3 | 17 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁר֩ | Particle, Relative | Amos 3:12 | 17 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 4:33 | 15 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁ֤ר | Particle, Relative | Ecclesiastes 10:14 | 12 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁ֨ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 11:6 | 12 |
| מֵ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Exodus 29:27 | 10 |
| כַּֽ/אֲשֶׁר֙ | Particle, Relative | Ezekiel 2:2 | 10 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁ֧ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 2:12 | 8 |
| וְ/לַ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Genesis 47:24 | 7 |
| כַּ/אֲשֶׁר֙ | Particle, Relative | Genesis 26:29 | 7 |
| לַ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Exodus 16:16 | 7 |
| אֲשֶׁ֕ר | Particle, Relative | Esther 1:16 | 6 |
| בַּ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר | Particle, Relative | Genesis 39:9 | 6 |
| כַּֽ/אֲשֶׁר | Particle, Relative | 1 Samuel 12:8 | 6 |
| בַּ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Ecclesiastes 8:4 | 5 |
| כַּֽ/אֲשֶׁ֛ר | Particle, Relative | Genesis 7:9 | 5 |
| וְ/כַ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Esther 4:16 | 4 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁ֖ר | Particle, Relative | 2 Samuel 21:5 | 4 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁ֧ר | Particle, Relative | 1 Kings 2:24 | 4 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 33:29 | 4 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁר֙ | Particle, Relative | Daniel 1:4 | 4 |
| וְ/לַ/אֲשֶׁ֖ר | Particle, Relative | Ecclesiastes 9:2 | 3 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁ֛ר | Particle, Relative | Ezekiel 33:27 | 3 |
| וַ/אֲשֶׁר֩ | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 19:5 | 3 |
| וּ/בַ/אֲשֶׁ֥ר | Particle, Relative | Isaiah 65:12 | 3 |
| כַ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר | Particle, Relative | Isaiah 66:22 | 3 |
| כַ/אֲשֶׁר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 2:16 | 3 |
| כַּֽ/אֲשֶׁר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 32:50 | 3 |
| לַ/אֲשֶׁ֖ר | Particle, Relative | Jeremiah 27:5 | 3 |
| מֵ/אֲשֶׁ֨ר | Particle, Relative | Ecclesiastes 3:22 | 3 |
| אֲ֝שֶׁ֗ר | Particle, Relative | Psalms 119:38 | 2 |
| אֲשֶׁ֗ר | Particle, Relative | Ezekiel 6:11 | 2 |
| וְ/כַ/אֲשֶׁ֛ר | Particle, Relative | Esther 9:31 | 2 |
| וְ/כַ/אֲשֶׁ֣ר | Particle, Relative | Daniel 1:13 | 2 |
| וְ/כַ/אֲשֶׁ֤ר | Particle, Relative | Deuteronomy 29:13 | 2 |
| וְ/כַ/אֲשֶׁ֨ר | Particle, Relative | Genesis 26:29 | 2 |
| וְ/כַֽ/אֲשֶׁר֙ | Particle, Relative | Ezekiel 37:18 | 2 |
| וְ/לַ/אֲשֶׁ֧ר | Particle, Relative | 1 Samuel 30:28 | 2 |
| וַֽ/אֲשֶׁר֙ | Particle, Relative | Ezekiel 33:27 | 2 |
| כַּ֝/אֲשֶׁ֗ר | Particle, Relative | Psalms 33:22 | 2 |
The 60 most common forms are shown; 44 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H834, 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 → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
Most of the 4,439 Hebrew verses this word occurs in also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), so the same passages can be read in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 1:7
- Exodus 1:8
- Leviticus 1:5
- Numbers 1:5
- Deuteronomy 1:1
- Joshua 1:2
- Judges 1:7
- Ruth 1:7
- 1 Samuel 1:17
- 2 Samuel 1:4
- 1 Kings 1:8
- 2 Kings 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.
