בְּאֵר
Beer
BDB lists 3 entries for ‘Beer’ 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.
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Every verse where H876 appears — 2 distinct verses across 2 books. 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.
Numbers 1 verse
Judges 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.
The Hebrew name באר centers on the idea of “Beer.” The Hebrew Bible uses it only 2 verses. Numbers dominates its distribution — 1 of 2 verses. Its earliest occurrence is Numbers 21:16. For the data behind this summary, explore 2-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H876 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 →
- 2
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 2 distinct verses.
- 2 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 2 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #4,807
- by frequency
- Top 5000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 4,807 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 2 occurrences in the concordance →
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 2 distinct verses.
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1 verse · 50%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 1 verse · 50%
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: Beer 1×, Thence they went to beer 1×
- American Standard Version: Beer 1×, Thence they journeyed to beer 1×
- Berean Standard Bible: Beer 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Beer 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H876 across 2 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H876 across 2 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H876 across 2 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H876 across 2 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
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 5 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.
- 1. a well, often as made by digging (חָפַר) Gn 21:25, 30 (E), 26:15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 32 (all J), also poet. Nu 21:18 (+ כרה) vid. also v 16, 17 (where the well addressed, in song, עֲלִי בְאֵר); also c. כרה in prose Gn 26:25; also with no ref. to its origin Gn 16:14 (J; ‖ עַיִן v 7) 29:2 Ex 2:15 (J) Nu 20:17 21:22 (E) 2 S 17:18, 21; בְּאֵר (ה)מַיִם Gn 21:19 (E) 24:11 (J; ‖ עַיִן vv 13, 16, 43, 45); (cf. also 21:25; 26:18 supr. & especially v 19 בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים); water taken from it by drawing (שָׁאַב) Gn 24:11, 20; flocks watered from it (הִשְׁקָה מִן־) 29:2, 3, 8, 10 (cf. especially Ex 2:16 they drew, דלה, and filled the troughs); also שְׁתֵה מַיִם … מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶ֑ךָ Pr 5:15 (‖ בּוֹר); the opening called פִּי הַבְּאֵר Gn 29:2, 3(×2) 8, 10; cf. פְּנֵי הַבּ׳ 2 S 17:19 (read prob. פּי so Sam. 𝔗 𝔖 𝔙, cf. Dr); fig. of fresh delights of woman beloved Ct 4:15 מַעְיַן גַּנִּים בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים וְנוֹזְלִים מִן־לְבָנוֹן. e.g. Genesis 21:25
- 2. pit (= בּוֹר); pits of bitumen Gn 14:10 (cf. supr.); בְּאֵר שַׁחַת ψ 55:24 pit of (the) grave; cf. 69:16 וְאַל־תֶּאְטַר עָלַי בְּאֵר פִּיהָ and let not (the) pit shut its mouth over me (‖ מְצוּלָה); fig. of strange woman בְּאֵר צָרָה a narrow pit, out of which rescue is difficult Pr 23:27 (‖ שׁוּחָה עֲמֻקָּה). e.g. Genesis 14:10
- 3. as n.pr.loc.
- a. c. ָה loc. בְּאֵ֫רָה a station of Isr. in desert Nu 21:16, possibly = בְּאֵר אֵילִים Is 15:8. e.g. Numbers 21:16
- b. same form Ju 9:21, according to Euseb. LagOnom.238, 2nd ed. 250 8 miles north of Eleutheropolis; cf. RobBR i. 452 who comp. el-Bîreh, near Beth-shemesh. e.g. Judges 9:21
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
n.f. Gn 26:21 well, pit, mostly Hex, Gn 23 times Ex 1 times Nu 5 times, 37 times in all; Arabic بِئْرٌ, Aramaic בְּאֵרָא, בֵּיר, בֵּירָא, ܒܻܪܳܐ, Sab. באר DHMZMG 1875, 608, Assyrian bêru, LyonSargon 61 (connexion with above √ not clear; Lagl.c. spring of water, as coming to light, appearing; possible, although meaning in use rather well, than spring; v. however, Gn 16:14 cf. v 7; 26:19 Nu 21:17)—בּ׳ abs. Gn 21:30 +; cstr. 21:19 +; sf. בְּאֵרֶ֑ךָ Pr 5:15; Pl. abs. בְּאֵרֹת Gn 26:15; cstr. id. 26:18; cf. בֶּאֱרֹת בֶּאֱרֹת חֵמָר Gn 14:10;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from באר (bᵉʼêr) (H875) — well.
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.
בָּאַר
- (√בא, v. בֹּוא)
- 1. to break forth, come to light. Denom. בְּאֵר; cmp. טוּף.
- 2. to be open, clear. —Pi. בֵּאֵר (b. h.) to proclaim (cmp. Deut. I, 5), to explain; to make clear (to one’s self), to understand clearly. Y. M. Kat. III, 83ᵇ top לבָאֵר משנתו to explain (argue on) what he has learned. Koh. R. to VI, 9 better is he שהוא מְבָאֵר משנתו וכ׳ who dwells on his studies to make them clear to himself, than he who learns to recite fluently.—Part. pass. מְבֹאָר proven, clear. Yad. III, 1 מ׳ הדבר (Talm. ed. מ׳ את הד׳) from this fact it is proven. e.g. Deuteronomy 1:5
בְּאַר
- Pa. בָּאֵר same. Y. M. Kat. III, 83ᵇ top לא חכמין מְבָאֲרָה know not how to make clear (argue).
בְּאֵר
- preced.) well, spring. Gen. R. s. 93; a. fr.—Erub. X, 14 (104ᵃ; 104ᵇ), v. הָקֵר. Taan. 9ᵃ ב׳ בזכות מרים the well in the desert was given to the Israelites for Miriam’s sake; a. fr.—Transf. origin. Y. Sot. II, 18ᵃ (play on בוראיך, Koh. XII, 1) remember בְּאֵירְךָ וכ׳ thy well (whence thou camest), thy pit (grave), thy Creator; Lev. R. s. 18, beg.—Pl. בְּאֵרוֹת. Y. Erub. II, beg. 20ᵃ ב׳ הקר, v. הָקֵר. V. בּוֹר II. e.g. Ecclesiastes 12:1
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.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H876, 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
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- בארא Bᵉʼêrâʼ H878 Beera
- באר אלים Bᵉʼêr ʼÊlîym H879 Beer-elim
- בארות Bᵉʼêrôwth H881 Beeroth
- בארי Bᵉʼêrîy H882 Beeri
- באר לחי ראי Bᵉʼêr la-Chay Rôʼîy H883 Beer-lahai-roi
- באר שבע Bᵉʼêr Shebaʻ H884 Beer-sheba
- בארת בנייעקן Bᵉʼêrôth Bᵉnêy-Yaʻăqan H885 Beeroth Bene-Jaakan
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 9 — not the complete family. 7 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Beer). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
Well. (1.) A place where a well was dug by the direction of Moses, at the forty-fourth station of the Hebrews in their wanderings (Num. 21:16-18) in the wilderness of Moab. (See WELL.)
(2.) A town in the tribe of Judah to which Jotham fled for fear of Abimelech (Judg. 9:21). Some have identified this place with Beeroth.
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
(a well).
+ One of the latest halting-places of the Israelites, lying beyond the Arnon. (Numbers 21:16-18) This is possibly the BEER-ELIM of (Isaiah 15:8) + A place to which Jotham, the son of Gideon, fled for fear of his brother Abimelech. (Judges 9:21)
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · Roswell D. Hitchcock, 1869
a well
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 2 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 2 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.
