שַׂר 420 noun masculine chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince (Late Hebrew especially of angels; Assyrian
šarru,
king); — absolute
שַׂר 2 Samuel 3:38 +,
הַשַּׂר Micah 7:3 +,
שָׂ֑ר Hosea 3:4 +; construct
שַׂר Judges 4:2 +; suffix
שַׂרְכֶם Daniel 10:21; plural
שָׂרִים 1 Kings 4:2 +; construct
שָׂרֵי Genesis 12:15 +; suffix
שָׂרַי Judges 5:15;
Isaiah 10:8,
שָׂרֵיכֶם Jeremiah 44:21,
שָׂרֵיהֶם Isaiah 3:4 +; —
1. chieftain, leader:
2. vassal, noble, official, under king (acting, on occasion, as counselor, commander, etc.):
a. plural, in Egypt
Genesis 12:15 (J) +
3 times in
Isaiah Isaiah 30:4 Di Du Skinner (>of foreign embassy [compare ||
מַלְאָכָיו] Che and others reading [Che
Heb. Hpt. Marti]
שָׁשׂרִים),
Psalm 105:22; Moab
Numbers 22:8 +
8 times in
Numberse 22; 23 (JE),
Amos 2:3; Edom
Isaiah 34:12 (||
הֹרִים); Assyrian
Isaiah 10:8;
Isaiah 31:9; Babylonian
Isaiah 21:5 +
7 timesin Jeremiah +
2 Chronicles 32:31 (but here perhaps vaguely =
authorities); other nations
Jeremiah 49:38 +
17 times in Ezra, Esther; in general
Isaiah 49:7;
officials, official class, under kings of Israel: David (only Chronicles)
1 Chronicles 22:17 +
5 timesin 1 Chronicles;
Ezra 8:20;
Solomon 1 Kings 4:2; Jehoiachin
2 Kings 24:12,
14; Zedak.
Jeremiah 34:21;
2 Chronicles 36:18; other kings +
19 times in 2 Chronicles; in general
Ecclesiastes 10:16,
17; see also (Judah)
Jeremiah 1:18 +
31 times in Jeremiah (
Jeremiah 17:25a strike out
שׂ׳ Gf Che Gie Du), +
4 times in Lamentations;
Ezekiel 17:12;
Zephaniah 1:8 (where distinguished from
בְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ, who are never called
שׂ׳); so, in general,
Nehemiah 9:32,
34;
Daniel 9:6,
8; and (Northern Israel)
Hosea 3:4 +
6 times in Hosea.
b. as having powers of magistrate (
ḳadi)
Exodus 2:14 (E +
שֹׁפֵט); under Moses (over groups of 1000, 100, 50, 10)
Exodus 18:21 +
7 times in
Exodus 18 (E),
Deuteronomy 1:15 (
4 times in verse); later in Judah
Hosea 5:10 (Now reads
שָׂרֵי תִשׁ׳),
Isaiah 1:23, compare
Isaiah 3:4,
14;
Isaiah 32:1;
Micah 7:3 (singular; ||
שֹׁפֵט),
Zephaniah 3:3 (||
id.),
Ezekiel 22:27, compare
Proverbs 8:16 (||
נְדִיבִים);
Proverbs 28:2 read perhaps
צָרֶיהָ, see Toy.
3. specifically military, = captain, general:
a. שַׂרֿ(ה)צבא Genesis 21:22,
32 (E),
Genesis 26:26 (J),
1 Samuel 12:9 +
23 times, +
יֿ׳ צֿ׳ שׂ׳ Joshua 5:14,
15 (J E;
צָבָא 1b), angel-captain in vision; see also
8, 9;
שָׂרֵי הַצּ׳ 1 Kings 1:25 +
3 times Chronicles,
שָׂרִים בַּצּ׳ 1 Chronicles 12:22 (Gi Baer; van d. H.
1 Chronicles 12:21);
שָׂרֵי צְבָאוֺת Deuteronomy 20:9;
1 Kings 2:5;
1 Chronicles 27:3;
שַׂרהַֿחַ֫יִל 2 Samuel 24:2 (but read
וְאֶלשָֿׂרֵי as
![LXX of Lucian (Lag.)](/assets-v3/images/lexicon/bdb/bdb_gl.svg)
and ||
1 Chronicles 21:2 Th We Dr HPS Bu),
שָׂרֵי (הַ)ח׳ 1 Chronicles 21:4;
1 Chronicles 21:4;
2 Kings 9:5;
2 Chronicles 33:14;
Nehemiah 2:9,
שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים 1 Kings 15:20 2 Chronicles 16:4;
2 Kings 25:23,
26;
Jeremiah 40:7,
13 +
7 times Jeremiah;
שָׂרֵי מִלְחָמוֺת 2 Chronicles 32:6; so
(ה)שׂר alone
2 Samuel 18:5;
2 Samuel 19:7;
1 Kings 9:22 2 Chronicles 8:9 ![Greek Version of the LXX](/assets-v3/images/lexicon/bdb/bdb_g.svg)
.:B Be Kit (
שָׁרָיו וְשָׁלִישָׁיו, for MT
שָׂרֵי שׁ׳),
2 Kings 9:5 (twice in verse);
1 Chronicles 11:6,
21 +
9 times, +
Job 39:25;
Daniel 11:5;
וְגָדוֺל שׂ׳ 2 Samuel 3:38 (of Abner); possibly military figurative also in
שַׂר שָׁלוֺם Isaiah 9:5 (Messianic name).
4.
a. chief, head, of other official classes:
שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים, Egypt,
Genesis 37:36 +
5 times;
שָׂרֵי הָרָצִים 1 Kings 14:27 2 Chronicles 12:10;
שָׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים 1 Kings 5:30;
1 Kings 9:23 2 Chronicles 8:10; even domestic positions (court of Pharaoh),
שַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים Genesis 40:2 +
5 times,
שַׂר הָאוֺפוֺת Genesis 40:2 +
4 times (all E);
שָׂרֵי הַמּחְלְקוֺת 1 Chronicles 28:1, i.e. of the successive courses of royal military officials; compare
הַשַּׂר 1 Chronicles 27:28;
שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים Daniel 1:7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
18;
שַׂר מְנוּחָה Jeremiah 51:59.
5. of religious office:
שָׂרֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים Ezra 8:24,
29;
Ezra 10:5;
2 Chronicles 36:14;
הַלְוִיִּם שׂ׳ 1 Chronicles 15:16,
22;
2 Chronicles 35:9, compare
1 Chronicles 15:5,
6,
7,
8,
10 (twice in verse); heads of classes or courses of priests, called
שָׂרֵי קֹרֶשׁ 1 Chronicles 24:5,
אֱלֹהִים שׂ׳ 1 Chronicles 24:5; —
שָׂרֵי ק׳ Isaiah 43:28 (usually
consecrated princes, whether priests, or kings, or both) is probably corrupt, read perhaps
שַׁעֲרֵי (Du) or
וַיְחַלְּלוּ שָׂרֶיךָ קָרְשִׁי ![Greek Version of the LXX](/assets-v3/images/lexicon/bdb/bdb_g.svg)
Houb Klo Che
Hpt Gr (substantially).
6. late, of representative leaders of people, tribal heads,
שׂ׳ שִׁבְטֵי יִשׂ׳ 1 Chronicles 27:22;
1 Chronicles 29:6, compare
1 Chronicles 28:1; apparently = elders,
הָעָם שׂ׳ Ezekiel 11:1;
2 Chronicles 24:23;
שׂ׳ alone,
Psalm 68:28 (
3 times in verse); in post-exilic Jerusalem
Ezra 9:1,
2;
Nehemiah 4:10;
Nehemiah 10:1;
Nehemiah 11:1 (
שָׂרֵי הָעָם), + elders
Ezra 10:8,
14; called
שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה Nehemiah 12:31,
32; of district-rulers
Nehemiah 3:9,
12,
14,
15,
16,
17,
18,
19; of heads of families,
שָׂרֵי הָאָבוֺת Ezra 8:29;
1 Chronicles 29:6 (=
רָאשֵׁי הָא׳ 1 Chronicles 24:31;
1 Chronicles 27:1;
Nehemiah 7:70).
9. שַׂרהַֿצָּבָא Daniel 8:11 =
God (probably, compare
צָרָא 1c; yet see also
צ׳ 1b), so
שַׂר שְׂרִים Daniel 8:25.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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