שְׁאֵר
flesh (as swelling out), as living or forfood; generally food of any kind; figuratively, kindred by blood
Definition
The Hebrew word שְׁאֵר (shᵉʼêr) primarily denotes 'flesh' or 'body,' referring to the physical substance of a living being, as seen in Exodus 21:10 where a husband must provide for his wife's 'fleshly' needs. It extends to mean 'food,' particularly meat or sustenance, emphasizing provision. A significant figurative sense is 'kindred' or 'blood relative,' used extensively in Leviticus (e.g., Leviticus 18:6, 12-13) to define prohibited sexual relationships with one's 'near kin.' This range connects physical existence, sustenance, and familial bonds.
Biblical Usage
שְׁאֵר appears 16 times, predominantly in the legal texts of the Torah (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers). In Exodus 21:10, it refers to a wife's material provisions ('her food, her clothing, and her marital rights'). In Leviticus, it is used repeatedly in kinship laws (Leviticus 18:6, 12-13, 20:19, 21:2) to specify close blood relatives. Numbers 27:11 uses it for a 'kinsman' in inheritance law. The pattern shows a shift from concrete 'flesh/food' to the abstract legal concept of 'kin.'
Etymology
Derived from the root שָׁאַר (shā'ar, H7604), meaning 'to remain, be left over.' שְׁאֵר thus carries the sense of what 'remains' or constitutes the substance of a body, and by extension, what sustains it (food) and the enduring bond of family that remains through bloodlines.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it grounds key concepts of provision, purity, and covenant community in tangible reality. God's law cares for physical well-being (Exodus 21:10) and defines the holy boundaries of the family, protecting the integrity of Israel's lineage. Understanding שְׁאֵר as 'kin' deepens the reading of Levitical holiness codes, showing how physical kinship relates to spiritual separation. It connects creation (flesh), sustenance (food), and covenant identity (kindred).
In ancient Israelite culture, the concepts of flesh, food, and family were deeply intertwined. 'Flesh' was not just biological tissue but represented one's whole physical existence and vulnerability. Provision of 'flesh' as food was a basic marital duty. The kinship usage reflects a tribal society where identity and obligation were rooted in extended blood relations ('flesh of one's flesh'), with strict rules to maintain clan purity and social order.
בָּשָׂר (bāśār, H1320) — general term for flesh/body, often of humans or animals, less specific to kinship. לֶחֶם (leḥem, H3899) — common word for bread/food, but not for meat or kinship. מִשְׁפָּחָה (mishpāḥâ, H4940) — refers to family, clan, or household as a social unit, not the blood-tie itself.
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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