Lexical Summary basar: To bring news, to announce, to proclaim Original Word: בָּשַׂר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance messenger, preach, publish, show forth, bear, bring, carry, preachA primitive root; properly, to be fresh, i.e. Full (rosy, (figuratively) cheerful); to announce (glad news) -- messenger, preach, publish, shew forth, (bear, bring, carry, preach, good, tell good) tidings. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to bear tidings NASB Translation bear good news (1), bearer of good news (2), bring good news (1), bring the news (1), bring...news (1), bringing good news (2), brings good news (3), brought the news (2), carry the good news (2), carry news (1), carry...news (1), messenger of good news (1), proclaim (1), proclaim good tidings (2), proclaim the good tidings (1), proclaimed glad tidings (1), receive good news (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [בָּשַׂר] verb bear tidings (√ rub smooth the face; compare Arabic  remove the face of surface of a thing, compare Arabic  be glad, joyful;  he rejoiced him with the message of the birth of a son; Ethiopic  bring a joyful message, so Assyrian bussuru (Pa.) DlPr 170, Sabean תבשר DHMMV, also בשר proper name, of deity,  DHMZMG 1883, 358, CISiv. 1, 41, 1. 3) — Pi`el Perfect בִּשַּׂר Jeremiah 20:15 2t.; Imperfect תְּבַשֵּׂר 2 Samuel 18:20 4t.; אֲבַשְּׂרָה 2 Samuel 18:19; Imperative בַּשְּׂרוּ 1 Chronicles 16:23 = Psalm 96:2; infinitive לְבַשֵּׂר 1 Samuel 31:9 2t.; Participle מְבַשֵּׂר Isaiah 41:27 6t.; feminine מְבַשֶּׂרֶת Isaiah 40:9 (twice in verse); plural מְבַשְּׂרוֺת Psalm 68:12; — 1 gladden with good tidings: birth of a son Jeremiah 20:15; victory 1 Samuel 31:9; 2 Samuel 1:20; 1 Chronicles 10:9; Psalm 68:12; היה כמבשׂר בעיניו he was in his eyes as a bearer of good tidings 2 Samuel 4:10. 2 bear tidings 2 Samuel 18:19,20 (twice in verse); 2 Samuel 18:26; even of evil 1 Samuel 4:17, and so with accusative בשׂר טוב 1 Kings 1:42. 3 herald as glad tidings: the salvation of God, peach (chiefly exilic usage) the advent of ׳י in salvation Nahum 2:1; Isaiah 40:9 (twice in verse); Isaiah 41:27; Isaiah 52:7 (twice in verse); the praises of Yahweh Isaiah 60:6; His righteousness in the great congregation Psalm 40:10; His salvation daily Psalm 96:2 = 1 Chronicles 16:23; the Messianic servant preaches good tidings to the meek Isaiah 61:1. Hithpa`el Imperfect יִתְבַּשֵּׂר 2 Samuel 18:31 receive good tidings (so Kirkp. Klo; compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Scope and Sense of the VerbThe verb בָּשַׂר describes the act of announcing news with special emphasis on a joyful or momentous report. While English versions often translate it “bring good news,” the Hebrew usage is broader: sometimes the message is positive, at other times sobering, yet always weighty. The word therefore centers on the responsibility and privilege of a herald who conveys decisive information from a superior to those who must hear and act. Patterns in Historical Narrative 1 Samuel 4:17; 31:9; 2 Samuel 1:20; 4:10; and the cluster in 2 Samuel 18 form a narrative thread in which battlefield messengers race to deliver outcomes that alter the nation’s future. Whether the tidings announce victory (2 Samuel 18:19) or death (1 Samuel 4:17), the focus falls on the messenger’s fidelity and the moral weight of his words. The mixed quality of the “news” underscores that the verb is not limited to glad tidings but to decisive proclamation. Royal and Political Overtones 1 Kings 1:42 and 1 Chronicles 10:9 show that royal courts depended on heralds for rapid dissemination of developments that shaped succession and public morale. In these texts בָּשַׂר serves as an official act of statecraft: the outcome of a battle or the security of the throne hinges on how—and how quickly—the announcement is made. Liturgical and Congregational Use The Psalms transpose the role of court herald to the sanctuary. Here, proclamation becomes an act of worship in which the congregation itself functions as a corps of heralds, echoing the king’s victories and the Lord’s saving deeds. Prophetic Vision of a Universal Gospel Isaiah develops the term into a theology of hope: Isaiah 40:9 “Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news… say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’” Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace…” Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.” Each passage widens the horizon: from Zion to the ends of the earth, from temporal deliverance to eschatological redemption. The messenger’s feet are “beautiful” because they bear a message that reconciles God and humanity, anticipates the Servant’s ministry, and prefigures the New Testament evangel. Transition to New Covenant Fulfillment The Septuagint consistently renders בָּשַׂר with εὐαγγελίζομαι, connecting Isaiah’s vision to the Gospel writers. Luke 4:18 cites Isaiah 61:1 as Jesus’ manifesto; Romans 10:15 quotes Isaiah 52:7 to validate apostolic preaching. Thus, the Old Testament herald becomes the apostolic evangelist, and the content expands from national deliverance to the death and resurrection of Christ. Pastoral and Missional Implications • Authority: Like the ancient herald, the preacher speaks on behalf of the King; fidelity to the message is paramount. Conclusion בָּשַׂר traces a line from battlefield courier to congregational singer to prophetic herald, culminating in the worldwide proclamation of Jesus Christ. The consistent biblical witness presents proclamation not as a human innovation but as a divinely ordained means by which God makes His mighty acts known, summons repentance and faith, and establishes His kingdom among all peoples. Forms and Transliterations בִּשַּׂ֤ר בִּשַּׂ֤רְתִּי בַּשְּׂר֥וּ בשר בשרו בשרתי הַֽ֝מְבַשְּׂר֗וֹת הַֽמְבַשֵּׂ֜ר המבשר המבשרות וַאֲבַשְּׂרָ֖ה וּבִשַּׂרְתָּ֖ ואבשרה ובשרת יְבַשֵּֽׂרוּ׃ יִתְבַּשֵּׂר֙ יבשרו׃ יתבשר כִמְבַשֵּׂר֙ כמבשר לְבַשֵּׂ֛ר לְבַשֵּׂ֣ר לבשר מְבַשֵּֽׂר׃ מְבַשֵּׂ֗ר מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר מְבַשֵּׂר֙ מְבַשֶּׂ֖רֶת מְבַשֶּׂ֣רֶת מבשר מבשר׃ מבשרת תְּבַשְּׂר֖וּ תְּבַשֵּֽׂר׃ תְבַשֵּׂ֔ר תבשר תבשר׃ תבשרו baś·śə·rū basseRu baśśərū biś·śar biś·śar·tî bisSar biśśar bisSarti biśśartî chimvasSer ham·ḇaś·śə·rō·wṯ ham·ḇaś·śêr hamḇaśśêr hamḇaśśərōwṯ hamvasSer hamvasseRot ḵim·ḇaś·śêr ḵimḇaśśêr lə·ḇaś·śêr ləḇaśśêr levasSer mə·ḇaś·śe·reṯ mə·ḇaś·śêr məḇaśśêr məḇaśśereṯ mevasSer mevasSeret tə·ḇaś·śə·rū tə·ḇaś·śêr ṯə·ḇaś·śêr təḇaśśêr ṯəḇaśśêr təḇaśśərū tevasSer tevasseRu ū·ḇiś·śar·tā ūḇiśśartā uvissarTa vaavasseRah wa’ăḇaśśərāh wa·’ă·ḇaś·śə·rāh yə·ḇaś·śê·rū yəḇaśśêrū yevasSeru yiṯ·baś·śêr yitbasSer yiṯbaśśêrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 4:17 HEB: וַיַּ֨עַן הַֽמְבַשֵּׂ֜ר וַיֹּ֗אמֶר נָ֤ס NAS: Then the one who brought the news replied, KJV: And the messenger answered and said, INT: replied brought and said has fled 1 Samuel 31:9 2 Samuel 1:20 2 Samuel 4:10 2 Samuel 18:19 2 Samuel 18:20 2 Samuel 18:20 2 Samuel 18:26 2 Samuel 18:31 1 Kings 1:42 1 Chronicles 10:9 1 Chronicles 16:23 Psalm 40:9 Psalm 68:11 Psalm 96:2 Isaiah 40:9 Isaiah 40:9 Isaiah 41:27 Isaiah 52:7 Isaiah 52:7 Isaiah 60:6 Isaiah 61:1 Jeremiah 20:15 Nahum 1:15 24 Occurrences |
    |
IV. X; otherwise AV).