שֶׁבֶר
grain (as if broken into kernels)
Definition
The Hebrew noun שֶׁבֶר (sheber) primarily refers to 'grain' or 'food supplies,' specifically grain that has been broken or crushed into kernels for consumption or storage. This sense is vividly illustrated in the Joseph narrative, where it denotes the grain Egypt stored and sold during the famine (e.g., Genesis 42:1-2, 42:19). While its core meaning is physical sustenance, its connection to the root meaning 'to break' can subtly evoke themes of scarcity and provision. All nine biblical occurrences consistently carry this meaning of essential foodstuffs.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in narratives about securing food during times of need. It appears prominently in Genesis (7 times) within the story of Joseph and the famine, detailing the procurement of grain from Egypt (Genesis 42:1, 43:2). The other two occurrences are in Nehemiah 10:31, regarding a pledge not to buy grain on the Sabbath, and in the historical summary of Genesis 47:14, describing Joseph selling grain. Its usage is always concrete, referring to the vital commodity of stored grain.
Etymology
שֶׁבֶר (sheber) is derived from the root שׁבר (šbr), meaning 'to break, shatter, or crush.' It is the same as the masculine noun H7667, which means 'a breaking, fracture, or crushing.' Thus, שֶׁבֶר as 'grain' conceptually originates from the idea of grain being broken or crushed during the milling process to produce flour, or perhaps from the breaking open of heads of grain during threshing.
Semantic Range
While שֶׁבֶר itself is a concrete term for grain, its narrative context is deeply theological. In the Joseph story, it is the instrument of God's providence and sovereignty, as He uses the stored grain of Egypt to preserve the covenant family of Israel (Genesis 45:5-7). Understanding it as 'broken grain' can enrich the reading by connecting this provision to the themes of hardship (the 'breaking' of famine) and God's faithful sustenance for His people in times of crisis.
In the ancient Near East, stored grain was the fundamental safeguard against famine and a primary measure of wealth and stability. Control over grain supplies, as exercised by Joseph in Egypt, equated to immense political and economic power. For an agrarian society, 'sheber' represented survival itself, far more critical than in modern industrialized contexts. The transactions involving grain in Genesis reflect a barter economy where it served as a primary currency.
דָּגָן (dagan, H1715) — a more general term for grain or cereal crops, often while still growing in the field. בָּר (bar, H1250) — another term for grain, particularly purified or winnowed grain, sometimes used in poetic parallelism.
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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