בשר

Hebrew

Etymology

From Proto-West Semitic *baśar-. Cognate to Arabic بَشَر (bašar, “human”).

Pronunciation

• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key):
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key):
• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /baːˈsaːr/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

בָּשָׂר • (basár) m (plural indefinite בְּשָׂרִים, singular construct בְּשַׂר־, plural construct בִּשְׂרֵי־)

1. flesh, meat
   • Tanach, Deuteronomy 12:20, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     כִּי־יַרְחִיב יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת־גְּבֻלְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־לָךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ אֹכְלָה בָשָׂר כִּי־תְאַוֶּה נַפְשְׁךָ לֶאֱכֹל בָּשָׂר בְּכׇל־אַוַּת נַפְשְׁךָ תֹּאכַל בָּשָׂר׃

     Ki yarḥív Adonái Elohékha et g'vulkhá ka-ashér dibér lakh v-amartá okhlá basár ki t'avá nafsh'khá le'ekhól basár b-khol avvat nafsh'kha tokhál basár.

     When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as He hath promised thee, and thou shalt say: ‘I will eat flesh’, because thy soul desireth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul.

   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Chullin 8:1:

     כָּל הַבָּשָׂר אָסוּר לְבַשֵּׁל בְּחָלָב, חוּץ מִבְּשַׂר דָּגִים וַחֲגָבִים.

     Kol ha-basár asúr l'vashél b-ḥaláv, ḥutz mi-b'sár dagím v-ḥagavím.

2. body, person
   • Tanach, Psalms 145:21, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     תְּהִלַּת יְהֹוָה יְדַבֶּר־פִּי וִיבָרֵךְ כׇּל־בָּשָׂר שֵׁם קׇדְשׁוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃

     T'hilát Adonái y'dabér pi vi-yvarékh kol basár shem qodshó l'olám va-ed.

     My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD; And let all flesh bless His holy name for ever and ever.

3. male genitals
   • Tanach, Ezekiel 23:20, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַתַּעְגְּבָה עַל פִּלַגְשֵׁיהֶם אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׂר־חֲמוֹרִים בְּשָׂרָם וְזִרְמַת סוּסִים זִרְמָתָם׃

     va-ta'gvá 'al pilagshehém ashér b'sár ḥamorím b'sarám v-zirmát susím zirmatám

     And she doted upon concubinage with them, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

4. kin, kind
   • Tanach, Genesis 29:14, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ לָבָן אַךְ עַצְמִי וּבְשָׂרִי אָתָּה וַיֵּשֶׁב עִמּוֹ חֹדֶשׁ יָמִים׃

     va-yómer lo laván akh 'atsmí u-v'sarí áta va-yéshev 'imo ḥódesh yamim

     And Laban said to him: ‘Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.’ And he abode with him the space of a month.

   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Yevamot 4:13:

     אֵיזֶהוּ מַמְזֵר, כָּל שְׁאֵר בָּשָׂר שֶׁהוּא בְלֹא יָבֹא דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא.

     Éizehu mamzér, kol sh'ér basár she-hu v-lo yavó, divrí Rabbi Aqivá.

     Who is a mamzer? Anyone of one's own flesh forbidden for intercourse, according to Rabbi Akiva.

5. nakedness, skin
   • Tanach, Leviticus 13:15, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וְרָאָה הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־הַבָּשָׂר הַחַי וְטִמְּאוֹ הַבָּשָׂר הַחַי טָמֵא הוּא צָרַעַת הוּא׃

     v-ra'á ha-kohén et ha-basár ha-ḥai v-tim'ó ha-basár ha-ḥai tamé hu tsará'at hu

     And the priest shall look on the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean; the raw flesh is unclean: it is leprosy.

Declension

Derived terms

• בָּשָׂר בְּחָלָב (basár b'chaláv)
• בָּשָׂר לָבָן (basár laván)
• כַּדּוּר בָּשָׂר (kadúr basár)

Descendants

• → Yiddish: בשׂר (boser)

Verb

בִּשֵּׂר • (bisér) third-singular masculine past (pi'el construction)

1. defective spelling of בישר

Further reading

• H1320 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Anagrams

• שבר