בָּחַר
to choose
also: elect, decide for fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘with’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘cstr.’
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
- Qal Passive
- An archaic passive of the Qal, preserved in a few forms.
Form
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Grammatical forms 29 distinct
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 32 times (19%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular 24 times (14%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 23 times (14%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 15 times (9%)
- Verb, Qal, Participle Passive, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 14 times (8%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular 7 times (4%)
- Verb, Niphal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 6 times (4%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural 6 times (4%)
+21 more forms (43 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 170 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H977 appears — 162 distinct verses across 23 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.
Genesis 2 verses
- Genesis 6:2 בָּחָֽרוּ Qal pf 3cp that God's sons saw that men's daughters were beautiful, and they took for themselves wives of all that they chose.
- Genesis 13:11 וַ/יִּבְחַר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Exodus 3 verses
- Exodus 14:7 בָּח֔וּר Qal ptcp.pass ms and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them.
- Exodus 17:9 בְּחַר Qal impv 2ms Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us, and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with God's rod in my hand."
- Exodus 18:25 וַ/יִּבְחַ֨ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
Numbers 3 verses
- Numbers 16:5 יִבְחַר Qal impf 3ms and he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, In the morning Yahweh will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him: even him whom he shall choose will he cause to come near to him.
- Numbers 16:7 יִבְחַ֥ר Qal impf 3ms and put fire in them, and put incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom Yahweh does choose, he [shall be] holy: you take too much on you, you sons of Levi.
- Numbers 17:5 אֶבְחַר Qal impf 1cs It shall happen, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.
Deuteronomy 31 verses
- Deuteronomy 4:37 וַ/יִּבְחַ֥ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Because he loved your fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought you out with his presence, with his great power, out of Egypt;
- Deuteronomy 7:6 בָּחַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God: Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
- Deuteronomy 7:7 וַ/יִּבְחַ֣ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh didn't set his love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples:
- Deuteronomy 10:15 וַ/יִּבְחַ֞ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Only Yahweh had a delight in your fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all peoples, as at this day.
- Deuteronomy 12:5 יִבְחַ֨ר Qal impf 3ms But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even to his habitation shall you seek, and there you shall come;
- Deuteronomy 12:11 יִבְחַר֩ Qal impf 3ms then it shall happen that to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, there shall you bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which you vow to Yahweh.
- Deuteronomy 12:14 יִבְחַ֤ר Qal impf 3ms but in the place which Yahweh shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.
- Deuteronomy 12:18 יִבְחַ֜ר Qal impf 3ms but you shall eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your man-servant, and your maid-servant, and the Levite who is within your gates: and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God in all that you put your hand to.
- Deuteronomy 12:21 יִבְחַ֜ר Qal impf 3ms If the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to put his name there, be too far from you, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock, which Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates, after all the desire of your soul.
- Deuteronomy 12:26 יִבְחַ֥ר Qal impf 3ms Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go to the place which Yahweh shall choose:
- Deuteronomy 14:2 בָּחַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
- Deuteronomy 14:23 יִבְחַר֮ Qal impf 3ms You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always.
- Deuteronomy 14:24 יִבְחַר֙ Qal impf 3ms If the way be too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, because the place is too far from you, which Yahweh your God shall choose, to set his name there, when Yahweh your God shall bless you;
- Deuteronomy 14:25 יִבְחַ֛ר Qal impf 3ms then shall you turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose:
- Deuteronomy 15:20 יִבְחַ֣ר Qal impf 3ms You shall eat it before Yahweh your God year by year in the place which Yahweh shall choose, you and your household.
- Deuteronomy 16:2 יִבְחַ֣ר Qal impf 3ms You shall sacrifice the Passover to Yahweh your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Yahweh shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
- Deuteronomy 16:6 יִבְחַ֨ר Qal impf 3ms but at the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that you came forth out of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 16:7 יִבְחַ֛ר Qal impf 3ms You shall roast and eat it in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose: and you shall turn in the morning, and go to your tents.
- Deuteronomy 16:11 יִבְחַר֙ Qal impf 3ms and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your man-servant, and your maid-servant, and the Levite who is within your gates, and the foreigner, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are in the midst of you, in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
- Deuteronomy 16:15 יִבְחַ֣ר Qal impf 3ms Seven days shall you keep a feast to Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh shall choose; because Yahweh your God will bless you in all your increase, and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful.
- Deuteronomy 16:16 יִבְחָ֔ר Qal impf 3ms Three times in a year shall all your males appear before Yahweh your God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tents; and they shall not appear before Yahweh empty:
- Deuteronomy 17:8 יִבְחַ֛ר Qal impf 3ms If there arise a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates; then shall you arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose;
- Deuteronomy 17:10 יִבְחַ֣ר Qal impf 3ms You shall do according to the tenor of the sentence which they shall show you from that place which Yahweh shall choose; and you shall observe to do according to all that they shall teach you:
- Deuteronomy 17:15 יִבְחַ֛ר Qal impf 3ms you shall surely set him king over you, whom Yahweh your God shall choose: one from among your brothers shall you set king over you; you may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
- Deuteronomy 18:5 בָּחַ֛ר Qal pf 3ms For Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in the name of Yahweh, him and his sons for ever.
- Deuteronomy 18:6 יִבְחַ֥ר Qal impf 3ms If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel, where he lives as a foreigner, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which Yahweh shall choose;
- Deuteronomy 21:5 בָּחַ֞ר Qal pf 3ms The priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Yahweh your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in the name of Yahweh; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be.
- Deuteronomy 23:16 יִבְחַ֛ר Qal impf 3ms he shall dwell with you, in the midst of you, in the place which he shall choose within one of your gates, where it pleases him best: you shall not oppress him.
- Deuteronomy 26:2 יִבְחַר֙ Qal impf 3ms that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you shall bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you; and you shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
- Deuteronomy 30:19 וּ/בָֽחַרְתָּ֙ conj + Qal wpf 2ms I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your seed;
- Deuteronomy 31:11 יִבְחָ֑ר Qal impf 3ms when all Israel is come to appear before Yahweh your God in the place which he shall choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
Joshua 4 verses
- Joshua 8:3 וַ/יִּבְחַ֣ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them forth by night.
- Joshua 9:27 יִבְחָֽר Qal impf 3ms That day Joshua made those wood cutters and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place which he should choose.
- Joshua 24:15 בַּחֲר֨וּ Qal impv 2mp If it seem evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.
- Joshua 24:22 בְּחַרְתֶּ֥ם Qal pf 2mp Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you Yahweh, to serve him. They said, We are witnesses.
Judges 5 verses
- Judges 5:8 יִבְחַר֙ Qal impf 3ms They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel?
- Judges 10:14 בְּחַרְתֶּ֖ם Qal pf 2mp Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.
- Judges 20:15 בָּחֽוּר Qal ptcp.pass ms The children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
- Judges 20:16 בָּח֔וּר Qal ptcp.pass ms Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; everyone could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.
- Judges 20:34 בָּחוּר֙ Qal ptcp.pass ms There came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore; but they didn't know that evil was close on them.
1 Samuel 12 verses
- 1 Samuel 2:28 וּ/בָחֹ֣ר conj + Qal inf.abs and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
- 1 Samuel 8:18 בְּחַרְתֶּ֖ם Qal pf 2mp You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.
- 1 Samuel 10:24 בָּֽחַר Qal pf 3ms Samuel said to all the people, "You see him whom Yahweh has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?" All the people shouted, and said, [Long] live the king.
- 1 Samuel 12:13 בְּחַרְתֶּ֖ם Qal pf 2mp Now therefore see the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have asked for: and, behold, Yahweh has set a king over you.
- 1 Samuel 13:2 וַ/יִּבְחַר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the Mount of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
- 1 Samuel 16:8 בָחַ֥ר Qal pf 3ms Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, Neither has Yahweh chosen this.
- 1 Samuel 16:9 בָחַ֥ר Qal pf 3ms Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. He said, Neither has Yahweh chosen this.
- 1 Samuel 16:10 בָחַ֥ר Qal pf 3ms Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, Yahweh has not chosen these.
- 1 Samuel 17:40 וַ/יִּבְחַר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
- 1 Samuel 20:30 בֹחֵ֤ר Qal ptcp.act ms Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don't I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?
- 1 Samuel 24:2 בָּח֖וּר Qal ptcp.pass ms Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats.
- 1 Samuel 26:2 בְּחוּרֵ֣י Qal ptcp.pass mp cs Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
2 Samuel 8 verses
- 2 Samuel 6:1 בָּח֥וּר Qal ptcp.pass ms David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
- 2 Samuel 6:21 בָּֽחַר Qal pf 3ms David said to Michal, [It was] before Yahweh, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Yahweh, over Israel: therefore will I play before Yahweh.
- 2 Samuel 10:9 וַ/יִּבְחַ֗ר בְּחוּרֵ֣י conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal ptcp.pass mp cs Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:
- 2 Samuel 15:15 יִבְחַ֛ר Qal impf 3ms The king's servants said to the king, Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king shall choose.
- 2 Samuel 16:18 בָּחַ֧ר Qal pf 3ms Hushai said to Absalom, No; but whom Yahweh, and this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide.
- 2 Samuel 17:1 אֶבְחֲרָ֣ה Qal coh 1cs Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:
- 2 Samuel 19:38 תִּבְחַ֥ר Qal impf 2ms The king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good to you: and whatever you shall require of me, that will I do for you.
- 2 Samuel 24:12 בְּחַר Qal impv 2ms Go and speak to David, Thus says Yahweh, I offer you three things: choose you one of them, that I may do it to you.
1 Kings 12 verses
- 1 Kings 3:8 בָּחָ֑רְתָּ Qal pf 2ms Your servant is in the midst of your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can't be numbered nor counted for multitude.
- 1 Kings 8:16 בָחַ֣רְתִּי וָ/אֶבְחַ֣ר Qal pf 1cs conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
- 1 Kings 8:44 בָּחַ֣רְתָּ Qal pf 2ms If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to Yahweh toward the city which you have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for your name;
- 1 Kings 8:48 בָּחַ֔רְתָּ Qal pf 2ms if they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city which you have chosen, and the house which I have built for your name:
- 1 Kings 11:13 בָּחָֽרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.
- 1 Kings 11:32 בָּחַ֣רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs (but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel);
- 1 Kings 11:34 בָּחַ֣רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes;
- 1 Kings 11:36 בָּחַ֣רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs To his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
- 1 Kings 12:21 בָּח֖וּר Qal ptcp.pass ms When Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
- 1 Kings 14:21 בָּחַ֨ר Qal pf 3ms Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
- 1 Kings 18:23 וְ/יִבְחֲר֣וּ conj + Qal juss 3mp Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under.
- 1 Kings 18:25 בַּחֲר֨וּ Qal impv 2mp Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first; for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."
2 Kings 2 verses
- 2 Kings 21:7 בָּחַ֨רְתִּי֙ Qal pf 1cs He set the engraved image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which Yahweh said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever;
- 2 Kings 23:27 בָּחַ֨רְתִּי֙ Qal pf 1cs Yahweh said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city which I have chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.
1 Chronicles 8 verses
- 1 Chronicles 15:2 בָּחַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them has Yahweh chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister to him forever.
- 1 Chronicles 19:10 וַ/יִּבְחַ֗ר בָּחוּר֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal ptcp.pass ms Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.
- 1 Chronicles 21:10 בְּחַר Qal impv 2ms Go and speak to David, saying, Thus says Yahweh, I offer you three things: choose you one of them, that I may do it to you.
- 1 Chronicles 28:4 וַ/יִּבְחַ֡ר בָּחַ֣ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal pf 3ms However Yahweh, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever: for he has chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel;
- 1 Chronicles 28:5 וַ/יִּבְחַר֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Of all my sons (for Yahweh has given me many sons), he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 28:6 בָחַ֨רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs He said to me, Solomon your son, he shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
- 1 Chronicles 28:10 בָּ֧חַר Qal pf 3ms Take heed now; for Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.
- 1 Chronicles 29:1 בָּֽחַר Qal pf 3ms David the king said to all the assembly, Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for man, but for Yahweh God.
2 Chronicles 13 verses
- 2 Chronicles 6:5 בָחַ֣רְתִּֽי בָחַ֣רְתִּֽי Qal pf 1cs Qal pf 1cs Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over my people Israel:
- 2 Chronicles 6:6 וָ/אֶבְחַר֙ וָ/אֶבְחַ֣ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs conj + Qal wimpf 1cs but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 6:34 בָּחַ֣רְתָּ Qal pf 2ms If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city which you have chosen, and the house which I have built for your name;
- 2 Chronicles 6:38 בָּחַ֔רְתָּ Qal pf 2ms if they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have carried them captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, and the city which you have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for your name:
- 2 Chronicles 7:12 וּ/בָחַ֜רְתִּי conj + Qal pf 1cs Yahweh appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.
- 2 Chronicles 7:16 בָּחַ֤רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs For now have I chosen and made this house holy, that my name may be there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
- 2 Chronicles 11:1 בָּח֖וּר Qal ptcp.pass ms When Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
- 2 Chronicles 12:13 בָּחַ֨ר Qal pf 3ms So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
- 2 Chronicles 13:3 בָּח֑וּר בָּח֖וּר Qal ptcp.pass ms Qal ptcp.pass ms Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor.
- 2 Chronicles 13:17 בָּחֽוּר Qal ptcp.pass ms Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
- 2 Chronicles 25:5 בָּחוּר֙ Qal ptcp.pass ms Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers' houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, who could handle spear and shield.
- 2 Chronicles 29:11 בָּחַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms My sons, don't be negligent now; for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense.
- 2 Chronicles 33:7 בָּחַ֨רְתִּי֙ Qal pf 1cs He set the engraved image of the idol, which he had made, in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever:
Nehemiah 2 verses
- Nehemiah 1:9 בָּחַ֔רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs but if you return to me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.
- Nehemiah 9:7 בָּחַ֨רְתָּ֙ Qal pf 2ms You are Yahweh the God, who did choose Abram, and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham,
Job 7 verses
- Job 7:15 וַ/תִּבְחַ֣ר conj + Qal wimpf 3fs So that my soul chooses strangling, Death rather than my bones.
- Job 9:14 אֶבְחֲרָ֖ה Qal coh 1cs How much less shall I answer him, Choose my words to argue with him?
- Job 15:5 וְ֝/תִבְחַ֗ר conj + Qal impf 2ms For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty.
- Job 29:25 אֶֽבֲחַ֣ר Qal impf 1cs I chose out their way, and sat as chief. I lived as a king in the army, As one who comforts the mourners.
- Job 34:4 נִבְחֲרָה Qal impf 1cp Let us choose for us that which is right. Let us know among ourselves what is good.
- Job 34:33 תִבְחַ֣ר Qal impf 2ms Shall his recompense be as you desire, that you refuse it? For you must choose, and not I. Therefore speak what you know.
- Job 36:21 בָּחַ֥רְתָּ Qal pf 2ms Take heed, don't regard iniquity; For this you have chosen rather than affliction.
Psalms 13 verses
- Psalms 25:12 יִבְחָֽר Qal impf 3ms What man is he who fears Yahweh? He shall instruct him in the way that he shall choose.
- Psalms 33:12 בָּחַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, The people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
- Psalms 47:4 יִבְחַר Qal impf 3ms He chooses our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
- Psalms 65:4 תִּֽבְחַ֣ר Qal impf 2ms Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, That he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, Your holy temple.
- Psalms 78:67 בָחָֽר Qal pf 3ms Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, And didn't choose the tribe of Ephraim,
- Psalms 78:68 וַ֭/יִּבְחַר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.
- Psalms 78:70 וַ֭/יִּבְחַר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He also chose David his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
- Psalms 84:10 בָּחַ֗רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
- Psalms 105:26 בָּֽחַר Qal pf 3ms He sent Moses, his servant, And Aaron, whom he had chosen.
- Psalms 119:30 בָחָ֑רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I have chosen the way of truth. I have set my heart on your law.
- Psalms 119:173 בָחָֽרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Let your hand be ready to help me, For I have chosen your precepts.
- Psalms 132:13 בָחַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms For Yahweh has chosen Zion. He has desired it for his habitation.
- Psalms 135:4 בָּחַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms For Yah has chosen Jacob for himself; Israel for his own possession.
Proverbs 8 verses
- Proverbs 1:29 בָחָֽרוּ Qal pf 3cp Because they hated knowledge, And didn't choose the fear of Yahweh.
- Proverbs 3:31 תִּ֝בְחַ֗ר Qal juss 2ms Don't envy the man of violence. Choose none of his ways.
- Proverbs 8:10 נִבְחָֽר Niphal ptcp.act ms Receive my instruction rather than silver; Knowledge rather than choice gold.
- Proverbs 8:19 נִבְחָֽר Niphal ptcp.act ms My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; My yield than choice silver.
- Proverbs 10:20 נִ֭בְחָר Niphal ptcp.act ms The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth.
- Proverbs 16:16 נִבְחָ֥ר Niphal ptcp.act ms How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
- Proverbs 21:3 נִבְחָ֖ר Niphal ptcp.act ms To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice.
- Proverbs 22:1 נִבְחָ֣ר Niphal ptcp.act ms A good name is more desirable than great riches, And loving favor is better than silver and gold.
Ecclesiastes 1 verse
Song of Solomon 1 verse
Isaiah 19 verses
- Isaiah 1:29 בְּחַרְתֶּֽם Qal pf 2mp For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, And you shall be confounded for the gardens that you have chosen.
- Isaiah 7:15 וּ/בָח֥וֹר conj + Qal inf.abs He shall eat butter and honey when he knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
- Isaiah 7:16 וּ/בָחֹ֣ר conj + Qal inf.abs For before the child knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken.
- Isaiah 14:1 וּ/בָחַ֥ר conj + Qal wpf 3ms For Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the foreigner shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
- Isaiah 40:20 יִבְחָ֑ר Qal impf 3ms He who is too impoverished for [such] an offering chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks to him a skillful workman to set up an engraved image, that shall not be moved.
- Isaiah 41:8 בְּחַרְתִּ֑י/ךָ Qal pf 1cs + sfx pers 2ms But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend,
- Isaiah 41:9 בְּחַרְתִּ֖י/ךָ Qal pf 1cs + sfx pers 2ms you whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners of it, and said to you, You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you away;
- Isaiah 41:24 יִבְחַ֥ר Qal impf 3ms Behold, you are of nothing, and your work is of nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you.
- Isaiah 43:10 בָּחָ֑רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs You are my witnesses, says Yahweh, and my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
- Isaiah 44:1 בָּחַ֥רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Yet now hear, Jacob my servant, and Israel, who I have chosen:
- Isaiah 44:2 בָּחַ֥רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Thus says Yahweh who made you, and formed you from the womb, who will help you: Don't be afraid, Jacob my servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
- Isaiah 48:10 בְּחַרְתִּ֖י/ךָ Qal pf 1cs + sfx pers 2ms Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
- Isaiah 49:7 וַ/יִּבְחָרֶֽ/ךָּ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 2ms Thus says Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, [and] his Holy One, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship; because of Yahweh who is faithful, [even] the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.
- Isaiah 56:4 וּ/בָֽחֲר֖וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp For thus says Yahweh of the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold fast my covenant:
- Isaiah 58:5 אֶבְחָרֵ֔/הוּ Qal impf 1cs + sfx pers 3ms Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Yahweh?
- Isaiah 58:6 אֶבְחָרֵ/הוּ֒ Qal impf 1cs + sfx pers 3ms Isn't this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
- Isaiah 65:12 בְּחַרְתֶּֽם Qal pf 2mp I will destine you to the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear; but you did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I didn't delight.
- Isaiah 66:3 בָּֽחֲרוּ֙ Qal pf 3cp He who kills an ox is as he who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as he who breaks a dog's neck; he who offers an offering, [as he who offers] pig's blood; he who burns frankincense, as he who blesses an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations:
- Isaiah 66:4 אֶבְחַ֣ר בָּחָֽרוּ Qal impf 1cs Qal pf 3cp I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears on them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I didn't delight.
Jeremiah 3 verses
- Jeremiah 8:3 וְ/נִבְחַ֥ר conj + Niphal wpf 3ms Death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, that remain in all the places where I have driven them, says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Jeremiah 33:24 בָּחַ֧ר Qal pf 3ms Don't you consider what this people has spoken, saying, The two families which Yahweh did choose, he has cast them off? thus do they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.
- Jeremiah 49:19 בָח֖וּר Qal Passive ptcp.pass ms Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation: for I will suddenly make them run away from it; and whoever is chosen, him will I appoint over it: for who is like me? and who will appoint me a time? and who is the shepherd who will stand before me?
Ezekiel 1 verse
Haggai 1 verse
Zechariah 3 verses
- Zechariah 1:17 וּ/בָחַ֥ר conj + Qal wpf 3ms "Proclaim further, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem."'"
- Zechariah 2:12 וּ/בָחַ֥ר conj + Qal wpf 3ms Yahweh will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
- Zechariah 3:2 הַ/בֹּחֵ֖ר ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms Yahweh said to Satan, "Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Yes, Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn't this a burning stick plucked out of the fire?"
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.
“to choose” is the headline sense of the Hebrew verb בחר (bâchar). Where the King James Version says “i have chosen,” newer translations reach for “will choose” (Berean Standard Bible); the renderings breakdown has the detail. The Hebrew Bible uses it across 162 verses — common. First canonically at Genesis 6:2, it enters the text early. Different stems carry different senses — BDB groups them under 3 stems, among them Qal and Niphal. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H977 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 →
- 162
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 162 distinct verses.
- 23 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 23 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #271
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 271 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 162 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Deuteronomy 31 verses 19%
- Isaiah 19 verses 12%
- 2 Chronicles 13 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 162 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 70 verses · 43%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 53 verses · 33%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 39 verses · 24%
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†: I have chosen 19×, Shall choose 18×, Hath chosen 14×
- American Standard Version†: Shall choose 20×, I have chosen 14×, Chosen 12×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Will choose 19×, I have chosen 17×, Chosen 16×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Will choose 19×, I have chosen 18×, Choose 17×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H977 across 171† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 54 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 H977 across 171† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 57 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 H977 across 171† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 28 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.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H977 across 189† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 26 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
21 senses and sub-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 Pual (the passive of Piel).
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 21 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.
בחר I choose (cf. Aramaic בְּחַר, Syriac ܒܚܰܪ ‖ בחן, Assyrian bêru (√ באר) DlPr 76)
Qal
- Pf. בָּחַר Dt 7:6 +; Impf. יִבְחַר Is 41:24 + 60 times; אֶבֲחַר Jb 29:25 (Baer); Imv. בְּחַר Ex 17:9 + 5 times; Inf. abs. בָּחוֹר 1 S 2:28 Is 7:15, 16; Inf. cstr. sf. בָּהֳרִי Ez 20:5; Pt. בֹּחֵר 1 S 20:30 Zc 3:2; pass. בָּחוּר Ex 14:7 + 18 times;— e.g. Deuteronomy 7:6
- 1. with בְּ,
- a. divine choice, of Abraham Ne 9:7; Israel Dt 7:7 Is 44:1 Ez 20:5; to become his people Dt 7:6; 14:2; Jeshurun Is 44:2; the seed of the patriarchs Dt 4:37; 10:15; Levites Dt 18:5; 21:5 1 Ch 15:2 2 Ch 29:11; Aaron ψ 105:26; Judah 1 Ch 28:4 not Ephraim ψ 78:67; Levi and Judah Je 33:24; the king Dt 17:15, especially David 1 S 10:24; 16:8, 9, 10 2 S 6:21 1 K 8:16 (= 2 Ch 6:6) 1 Ch 28:4, 5; 29:1 2 Ch 6:5 ψ 78:70; others Nu 16:5; 17:20 (P) Hg 2:23; place of sacrifice Dt 12:11, 18; 14:25; 16:7, 15; 17:8 2 Ch 7:12; the city 1 K 8:16, 44 (= 2 Ch 6:5, 34) 11:32; Jerusalem 2 Ch 6:6 Is 14:1 Zc 1:17; 2:16; 3:2; Zion ψ 132:13; delusions Is 66:4. e.g. Nehemiah 9:7
- b. man’s choice, of ways Pr 3:31 Is 66:3; good things Is 7:15, 16 ψ 84:11 (?); life Dt 30:19; gods Ju 10:14 Is 41:24; God’s pleasure Is 56:4; 65:12; 66:4. e.g. Proverbs 3:31
- 2. with אֲשֶׁר (alone, for אשׁר בחר ב׳):
- a. divine choice, of Israel Is 41:8 יַעֲקֹב אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתִּיךָ, 43:10; the people 1 K 3:8 ψ 33:12; men Nu 16:7 (P) ψ 65:5; king 2 S 16:18 1 K 11:34; place of sacrifice Dt 12:14, 26; 15:20; 17:10; 31:11 (D) Jos 9:27 (P), especially לָשׂוּם שְׁמוֹ שָׁם Dt 12:5, 21; 14:24, לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם Dt 12:11; 14:23; 16:2, 6, 11 Ne 1:9; the city 1 K 8:48 (= 2 Ch 6:38), לשׂום שׁמי שׁם 1 K 11:36; 14:21 (= 2 Ch 12:13); Jerusalem 1 K 11:13 2 K 21:7 (= 2 Ch 33:7) 23:27; fast Is 58:5, 6; way ψ 25:12. e.g. Isaiah 41:8
- b. man’s choice, place to dwell in Dt 23:7; gardens Is 1:29; king 1 S 12:13; wives Gn 6:2 (J); what to do 2 S 15:15. e.g. Deuteronomy 23:7
- 3. with acc. & לְ, choose some one or something for:
- a. divine choice, of Levi 1 S 2:28; Jacob ψ 135:4, 5; inheritance ψ 47:5. e.g. 1 Samuel 2:28
- b. human choice, persons Ex 17:9 Jos 24:15, 22 (E) 1 S 8:18; 13:2 2 S 24:12 (= 1 Ch 21:20); things Gn 13:11 (J) 1 S 17:40 1 K 18:23, 25 Jb 34:4. e.g. Exodus 17:9
- 4. with acc. and מִן, choose, select from 2 S 10:9 (= 1 Ch 19:10). e.g. 2 Samuel 10:9
- 5. acc.
- a. divine choice, temple 2 Ch 7:16; Judah ψ 78:68; servant Is 41:9; 49:7. e.g. 2 Chronicles 7:16
- b. man’s choice, persons Ex 18:25 (E) Ju 5:8 Jos 8:3 (J) 2 S 17:1; things Jb 7:15; 9:14; 15:5; 29:25; 34:33; ψ 119:30, ψ 119:173, Pr 1:29 Is 40:20. e.g. Exodus 18:25
- 6. with עַל, כי על זה בחרת מעני for this thou hast chosen rather than affliction Jb 36:21; with acc. and על pregn. כל אשׁר תבחר עלי all that thou choosest (to lay) upon me 2 S 19:39. e.g. Job 36:21
- 7. with לְ of acc. 1 S 20:30 (many MSS. have בְּ; but 𝔊 We Dr read חָבֵר companion). The ptcp. בָּחוּר chosen, of a ruler ψ 89:20, warrior Je 49:19 (= 50:44); as cedars Ct 5:15; coll. רכב בחור chosen chariots Ex 14:7 (E); אישׁ בחור chosen men, warriors Ju 20:15, 16, 34 1 S 24:3 2 Ch 13:3, 17, for wh. בָּחוּר alone 1 K 12:21 = 2 Ch 11:1, 2 Ch 25:5; בחורי ישׂראל 1 S 26:2 ψ 78:31; 2 S 10:9 בחורי בישׂראל (‖ 1 Ch 19:10 בחור בישׂראל, doubtless the true reading, as 2 Ch 6:1). e.g. 1 Samuel 20:30
- 8. test, try (Aramaic = בחן) בְּחַרְתִּיךָ בְּכוּר עֹ֑נִי Is 48:10 I have tested thee in the furnace of affliction 𝔖 𝔗 Ges Hi Ew De Che Dr, but chosen 𝔙 Rab Calv AV. e.g. Isaiah 48:10
Niphal
- נִבְחַר Je 8:3; Pt. נִבְחָר Pr 8:10 + 5 times;—to be chosen. e.g. Jeremiah 8:3
- a. abs. chosen, choice Pr 8:10, 19; 10:20. e.g. Proverbs 8:10
- b. cstr. מִן, וְנִבְחַר מות מחיים death will be chosen rather than life Je 8:3; choicer than Pr 16:16; 22:1; נבחר ליהוה מזבח choicer (more acceptable) to Yahweh than peace-offering Pr 21:3. e.g. Jeremiah 8:3
Pual
- יְבֻחַר chosen, selected Ec 9:4 (יְחֻבַּר Qr). e.g. Ecclesiastes 9:4
בחר II young man Is 62
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. choose (cf. Aramaic בְּחַר, Syriac ܒܚܰܪ ‖ בחן, Assyrian bêru (√ באר) DlPr 76)—
I. n.m. young man Is 62:5 + 7 times; pl. בַּחוּרִים (intensive with dag. f. implic.) Pr 20:29 + 13 times; cstr. בַּחוּרֵי Ez 23:6 + 4 times; sf. בַּחוּרַי etc. La 1:18 + 16 times;—young man (choice, in the prime of manhood) 1 S 9:2 Ec 11:9 Is 62:5; coll. young men Je 15:8; בָּחוּר וּבְתוּלָה young men and virgins Dt 32:25 2 Ch 36:17 Je 51:22 Ez 9:6; usually pl. Ju 14:10 Ru 3:10 1 S 8:16 2 K 8:12 2 Ch 36:17 Pr 20:29 Is 9:17; 31:8; 40:30 Je 6:11; 9:20; 11:22; 18:21; 48:15; 49:26; 50:30; 51:3 La 1:15; 5:13, 14 Ez 33:6, 12, 23; 30:17 Jo 3:1 Am 2:11; 4:10; ‖ בתולות ψ 78:63; 148:12 Is 23:4 Je 31:13 La 1:18; 2:21 Am 8:13 Zc 9:17.
— 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.
בָּחַר
- , v. preced.)
- 1. to try, examine; v. infra. v. infra.
- 2. (with ב) to choose, select, prefer. Tanḥ. Mishp. 11 בָּחַרְתָּ ביסורים יותר וכ׳ thou didst prefer sufferings to poverty. Mass. Sof’rim XIII, 9; a. e.—Part. Hof. מוּבְחָר chosen. מן המ׳ of the best, the best way. Bicc. I, 3; a. fr.—מצוה מן המ׳ the most preferable way of performing a religious act. B. Kam. 78ᵇ; a. fr.—מ׳ מן המ׳ the very best. Y. Pes. VI, 33ᵇ top מ׳ דוחה וכ׳ for doing a thing (in the Temple) in the preferable way, you may set aside (the Sabbath law); for doing it in the best way, you dare not &c.; a. fr.
- to examine. Pesik. R. s. 33 (ref. to אבחר Job XXIX, 25) הייתי שואלו וּמְבַחֲרוֹ I was in the habit of investigating and examining it; [ed. Fr. emends ומְבַהֲרוֹ, v. בָּהַר]. e.g. Job 29:25
בְּחַר
- 1. to try, test. Targ. Jer. XVII, 10 (h. text בחן); a. fr.
- 2. to choose, select. Targ. Ps. XXXIII, 12.—Part. בָּחֵר. Targ. Job XV, 5 (not בָּחִיר).—V. בְּחִיר.
- to pick out. Y. Sabb. VII, 10ᵃ bot. כד מַבְחַר בקלופייתא when one picks out (the pieces of garlick) in the husks. Ib. כד מכחד (corr. acc.).
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 H977 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.
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 H977, 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
- בחור bâchûwr H970 young man
- בחיר bâchîyr H972 chosen
- מבחור mibchôwr H4004 choice
- מבחר mibchâr H4005 choicest
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 6 — not the complete family. 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 152 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 162 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 6:2
- Exodus 14:7
- Numbers 16:5
- Deuteronomy 4:37
- Joshua 8:3
- Judges 5:8
- 1 Samuel 2:28
- 2 Samuel 6:1
- 1 Kings 3:8
- 2 Kings 21:7
- 1 Chronicles 15:2
- 2 Chronicles 6:5
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.
