שָׁבַר
to deal in grain
Definition
The Hebrew verb שָׁבַר (shâbar) primarily means 'to deal in grain,' specifically referring to the commercial activities of buying and selling grain. In the Joseph narrative, it describes both the selling of grain by the Egyptians during the famine (Genesis 41:56) and the buying of grain by Jacob's sons (Genesis 42:3). The meaning is consistently commercial and agricultural, focused on grain transactions. There are no major divergent senses; its usage is uniformly tied to the trade of this vital food commodity.
Biblical Usage
This verb is used exclusively in the context of grain commerce during the great famine in Genesis 41–42. It appears 20 times, all concentrated in this narrative. The word describes the centralized sale of grain from Pharaoh's storehouses (Genesis 41:56) and the repeated efforts of Jacob's family to buy grain from Egypt (e.g., Genesis 42:2, 42:5, 42:10). The pattern highlights the power dynamics and dependency created by the famine.
Etymology
שָׁבַר (shâbar) is a denominative verb derived from the noun שֶׁבֶר (sheber, H7668), meaning 'grain' or 'provisions.' As a denominative, its meaning ('to deal in grain') flows directly from its root noun. Cognates in other Semitic languages also relate to grain, breaking, or commerce, supporting its specialized economic sense.
Semantic Range
This word is central to the Joseph story, illustrating God's providence and sovereignty. Joseph's administration of the grain (שֶׁבֶר) and the act of dealing in it (שָׁבַר) become the means God uses to preserve the covenant family (Genesis 45:5-7). The transactions underscore themes of survival, stewardship, and the fulfillment of divine plans through human systems, showing how God works through economic and political structures to achieve His redemptive purposes.
In the ancient Near East, grain was a fundamental staple and its control was a source of immense political power. Centralized storage and distribution, as seen in Egypt, were common famine-response strategies. 'Dealing in grain' was not a casual market activity but a state-controlled, life-or-death transaction during famine. This contrasts with modern free-market concepts, as access to grain was directly tied to survival and royal authority.
כָּרָה (kârâh, H3739) — to buy, purchase; a more general term for acquiring, not specific to grain. מָכַר (mâkar, H4376) — to sell, trade; a general term for selling any commodity. לָקַח (lâqach, H3947) — to take, buy, acquire; a very common verb for obtaining, not commerce-specific.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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