Baara
Baara was one of the wives of Shaharaim, a descendant of Benjamin.
Biography
Baara was one of the wives of Shaharaim, a Benjaminite who is recorded in the genealogical lists of 1 Chronicles 8:8. Shaharaim sent Baara away, along with another wife named Hushim, before he went to the fields of Moab, where he subsequently had children by a woman named Hodesh. The text implies a formal dismissal or divorce, though the specific circumstances are not elaborated. Baara's name, meaning "the burning one" or possibly related to a root meaning "to purge" or "to be consumed," is otherwise unattested. She represents one of the few women explicitly named in the Benjaminite tribal genealogies, preserved in the Chronicler's meticulous recording of Israel's tribal heritage.
Significance
Baara's brief appearance in 1 Chronicles 8 raises enduring questions about the treatment of women in the ancient Israelite family structure. Her dismissal by Shaharaim, noted without moral commentary, nevertheless enters the biblical record, a reminder that Scripture preserves the memory of those who were marginalized or set aside by social convention. The Chronicler's inclusion of Baara's name, even in such a compressed reference, reflects the inspired text's care to honor persons who would otherwise be entirely forgotten. Theologically, her story gestures toward the prophetic and New Testament witness that God sees and values those whom human society overlooks, and that the covenant community is accountable for how it treats its most vulnerable members.
Verse Appearances (1)
1 Chronicles
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]