אֵשׁ377 H0784
Fire; physical flames and burning; also fire as divine presence, instrument of judgment, and celestial lightning.
Esh is the primary Hebrew word for fire in all its manifestations — from the campfire roasting Passover lamb (Exod 12:8) to the terrifying pillar of fire guiding Israel through the wilderness. Few words carry as much theological weight while remaining so concrete. Fire is the element God repeatedly chooses for self-revelation: the burning bush that is not consumed (Exod 3:2), the glory atop Sinai that looks like 'devouring fire' (Exod 24:17), and the fire that falls to consume Elijah's sacrifice (1 Kgs 18:38). The multilingual evidence confirms the word's range: Arabic nar and Korean 불 both serve as the unmarked word for physical fire, yet languages consistently add modifiers or shift vocabulary when the fire becomes divine — Hindi agni takes on sacred connotations, and Swahili moto wa Bwana ('fire of the Lord') adds an explicit theological marker.
Senses
1. [split] fire, physical flames — Literal, physical fire in all its practical uses: burning, flames, conflagration, cooking fire, sacrificial fire, signal fire, destructive fire in warfare, and domestic warmth. At 345 occurrences this covers the vast majority of uses. From Abraham's covenant fire (Gen 15:17) through the Levitical burnt offerings 'by fire' (Lev 1:7-9), through the burning of cities in conquest narratives (Josh 6:24), through Samson's foxes with torches (Judg 15:4-5). Arabic nar, Korean 불, Spanish fuego, and German Feuer all map straightforwardly here. The word is syntactically versatile — appearing with be- ('in/with fire'), le- ('to/for fire'), and in construct chains (esh YHWH, 'fire of the LORD'). 0×
AR["بِ-النَّارِ", "ناراً", "نارٌ", "نَاراً", "نَارًا", "نَارٌ", "نَارٍ"]·ben["আগুন", "আগুনে", "আগুনের"]·DE["Feuer", "ein-Feuer", "von-Feuer"]·EN["a-fire", "fire"]·FR["feu", "un-feu"]·heb["אש"]·HI["अअग", "आग", "आग-की", "आग-के", "आग-पर"]·ID["Api", "api"]·IT["fuoco", "un-fuoco"]·jav["Latu", "geni", "latu"]·KO["불", "불-을", "불을", "불의", "불이"]·PT["Fogo", "fogo"]·RU["огне", "огненном", "огненных", "огня", "огонь"]·ES["Fuego", "fuego"]·SW["Moto", "kwa-moto", "moto", "ya-moto"]·TR["ateş", "ateşin", "ateşli"]·urd["آگ", "آگ-سے", "آگ-پر", "آگ-کا", "آگ-کے"]
1. fire (ordinary, physical) — Split from sense 84435. Criteria: Literal fire for cooking, sacrifice, warmth, signal, destruction in warfare (Gen 15:17, Judg 15:4-5, Josh 6:24). 207×
AR["النَّارَ", "بِ-النَّارِ", "ناراً", "نارٌ", "نَار", "نَاراً", "نَارًا", "نَارٌ", "نَارٍ"]·ben["আগুন", "আগুনে", "আগুনের"]·DE["Feuer", "ein-Feuer"]·EN["a-fire", "fire"]·FR["feu", "un-feu"]·heb["אש"]·HI["आग", "आग-पर"]·ID["Api", "api"]·IT["fuoco", "un-fuoco"]·jav["Latu", "latu"]·KO["불", "불-을", "불-이", "불을", "불이"]·PT["Fogo", "fogo"]·RU["огне", "огненных", "огня", "огонь"]·ES["Fuego", "fuego"]·SW["Moto", "kwa-moto", "moto"]·TR["ateş", "ateşin"]·urd["آگ", "آگ-سے", "آگ-پر", "آگ-کے"]
2. fire as divine theophany — Fire as divine theophany — the visible manifestation of God's presence, glory, or supernatural power. The burning bush (Exod 3:2), the pillar of fire (Exod 13:21), the glory on Sinai described as 'devouring fire' (Exod 24:17), and God appearing 'in the fire' at the temple dedication. These 18 occurrences share a distinctive profile: the fire is described but does not consume what it should, or it appears without natural cause. Korean renders several of these with 불꽃 (flame, with a luminous emphasis) rather than plain 불, and Hindi agni carries Vedic-sacred overtones that parallel the Hebrew shift from mundane to numinous fire. Deuteronomy 4:36 is paradigmatic: 'from heaven he let you hear his voice... and on earth he showed you his great fire.' 18×
AR["كَ-النَّارِ", "كَ-نار", "كَ-نارٍ", "كَ-نَارٍ", "كَالنَّارِ", "كَـ-الـ-نَّارِ", "كَـ-النَّارِ", "كَـ-نَارٍ", "كَنارٍ", "كَنَارِ", "كَنَارِ-", "لِلنَّارِ", "نَارَهُ"]·ben["-আগুনের-জন্য", "আগুনের-মত", "আগুনের-মতো", "আগুনের-মতো-", "তাঁর-আগুন", "তারা-নিভে-গেছে", "যেমন-আগুন"]·DE["Sein-Feuer", "wie-Feuer", "wie-Feuer-", "zu-Feuer"]·EN["His-fire", "as-fire", "as-the-fire", "for-fire", "like-a-devouring", "like-a-fire", "like-fire", "like-fire-of", "like-the-fire"]·FR["Son-feu", "comme-feu", "à-feu"]·heb["אשו", "כ-אש", "ל-אש"]·HI["आग-की-तरह", "आग-के-लिए", "आग-जैसा", "आग-जैसे", "को-", "जैसी-आग", "जैसे-आग"]·ID["Seperti-api", "api-Nya", "seperti-api", "seperti-api,", "untuk-api"]·IT["Suo-fuoco", "come-fuoco", "per-fuoco"]·jav["Kados-latu", "dalem", "kados-geni", "kados-latu", "kanggé-geni", "latunipun"]·KO["같으니라-불", "같으니라-불에", "같은-불", "같이-불", "과-같이-불", "그의-불을", "불-같이", "불-을-위함이니라", "불-처럼", "불처럼", "에-같이-불", "처럼-불처럼"]·PT["Como-fogo", "como-fogo", "como-fogo-de", "para-fogo", "seu-fogo"]·RU["-огонь-Свой", "для-огня", "как-огонь"]·ES["Como-fuego", "como-fuego", "como-fuego-de", "como-fuego?", "para-fuego", "su-fuego"]·SW["Kama-moto", "kama-moto", "kama-moto-wa", "kwa-moto", "moto-wake"]·TR["-ateş-gibi", "ates-gibi", "ateş-gibi", "ateş-için", "ateşini", "gibi-ateş", "gibidir-ateş"]·urd["آگ-جیسے", "آگ-کی-طرح", "اپنی-آگ", "جیسا", "جیسے", "جیسے-آگ", "مانند-آگ", "کے-لیے-آگ"]
Exod 24:17, Deut 4:36, Ps 83:14, Ps 118:12, Prov 16:27, Prov 26:21, Isa 9:18, Isa 30:27, Jer 4:4, Jer 20:9, Jer 21:12, Jer 23:29 (+6 more)
2. fire of divine presence/judgment — Split from sense 84435. Criteria: Fire as theophanic manifestation of God's presence (burning bush, pillar of fire) or instrument of divine judgment (fire from heaven, consuming fire). Theological sense. 138×
AR["نارٌ", "نَارًا", "نَارٌ", "نَارٍ"]·ben["আগুন", "আগুনের"]·DE["Feuer", "ein-Feuer", "von-Feuer"]·EN["a-fire", "fire"]·FR["feu", "un-feu"]·heb["אש"]·HI["अअग", "आग", "आग-का", "आग-की", "आग-के"]·ID["api"]·IT["fuoco", "un-fuoco"]·jav["geni", "latu"]·KO["불", "불-의", "불-이", "불의", "불이"]·PT["fogo"]·RU["-огненная", "огненном", "огня", "огонь"]·ES["fuego"]·SW["moto", "ya-moto"]·TR["ates", "ateş", "ateşin", "ateşli"]·urd["آگ", "آگ-کا", "آگ-کے"]
3. fire of judgment or wrath — Fire as an instrument of divine judgment, wrath, or consuming punishment. God's anger 'burns like fire' (Jer 4:4; Ezek 21:31-32); Jerusalem will be consumed 'in fire' as judgment (Ezek 22:21); 'unquenchable fire' becomes a figure for inescapable divine retribution (Isa 66:24). These 10 occurrences are distinguished from physical fire by their metaphorical or hyperbolic character and their pairing with vocabulary of divine anger (qetseph, chemah, qin'ah). Arabic nar al-ghadab ('fire of wrath') and Korean 진노의 불 ('fire of fury') both add explicit wrath vocabulary, confirming the judgment coloring is not merely contextual but lexically marked in translation. 10×
AR["بِنَارِ", "فِي-نَارِ-", "نَارِكُمْ", "نَارِهِ", "وَنَارُهُمْ"]·ben["-এবং-তাদের-আগুন", "-তোমাদের-আগুনের", "আগুনে", "আগুনে-", "তার-আগুনের"]·DE["Feuer", "im-Feuer", "und-Feuer"]·EN["and-their-fire", "his-fire", "in-fire-of", "in-fire-of-", "in-the-fire-of", "with-fire-of", "your-fire"]·FR["et-feu", "feu", "par-le-feu", "son-feu-lui"]·heb["אשו", "אשכם", "ב-אש", "ב-אש-", "ו-אשם"]·HI["अपनी-आग-के", "आग-में-", "ईर्ष्या", "और-आग-उनकी", "में-आग", "में-आग-"]·ID["apimu", "apinya", "dalam-api-", "dan-api-mereka", "dengan-api", "dengan-api-"]·IT["e-fuoco", "fuoco", "fuoco-suo", "nel-fuoco"]·jav["geni-panjenengan", "ing-geni", "ing-latu", "ing-latu-ning", "kanthi-geni", "lan-latu-ipun", "latuipun"]·KO["-불-안에서", "그리고-그들의-불이", "그의-불의", "너희의-불의", "불-", "에-불", "에-불의", "으로-불"]·PT["com-fogo-de", "e-fogo-deles", "em-fogo-de", "em-fogo-de-", "no-fogo-de", "seu-fogo", "vosso-fogo"]·RU["Моё", "в-огне", "в-огне-", "и-огонь-их", "огня-вашего", "огня-его", "огонь"]·ES["con-fuego-de", "en-fuego-de", "su-fuego", "vuestro-fuego", "y-su-fuego"]·SW["katika-moto-wa", "katika-moto-wa-", "kwa-moto-wa", "moto-wake", "na-moto-wao", "wa-moto-wenu"]·TR["atesinizin", "ateşinde", "ateşinde-", "ateşinin", "ateşiyle", "ateşte-", "ve-ateşleri"]·urd["آگ-اُس-کی", "آگ-سے", "آگ-میں", "آگ-میں-", "اور-اُن-کی-آگ", "اپنی-آگ-کی"]
4. lightning or celestial fire — Lightning, celestial fire, or fire sent from the sky as a supernatural meteorological event. The fire that 'fell from heaven' at Elijah's contest (1 Kgs 18:38), the fire of God that consumed Job's flocks (Job 1:16), and the fire that came down on those who sought Elijah (2 Kgs 1:10-12). Distinguished from sense 2 (theophany) because here the fire is destructive and from sense 1 (physical fire) because it has no natural ignition source. The 5 occurrences at Num 11:1-3 are definitional: 'fire of the LORD burned among them.' Arabic nar min al-sama ('fire from heaven') and German Feuer vom Himmel both specify celestial origin, marking these as perceived differently from ground-level flames. 5×
AR["نارُ", "نَارٌ", "نَارُ", "نَارُ-"]·ben["আগুন", "আগুন-"]·DE["Feuer-von", "Feuer-von-"]·EN["fire-of", "fire-of-"]·FR["feu-de", "feu-de-"]·heb["אש"]·HI["आग"]·ID["(api)", "api", "api-"]·IT["fuoco-di", "fuoco-di-"]·jav["latu", "latunipun-"]·KO["불", "불(접)", "불-의"]·PT["fogo", "fogo-de"]·RU["огонь", "огонь-"]·ES["fuego-de"]·SW["(moto)", "moto-wa", "moto-wa-"]·TR["(ateş)", "ates-", "ateşi", "ateşi-"]·urd["(آگ)", "آگ", "آگ-"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אֵשׁ377 n.f. Ex 9:23 (m. Je 48:45; ψ 104·4; f. & m. Je 20:9; Jb 20:26) אֵשׁ ‘m.’ is dub.: Nu 16:18 read עָלֶיהָ for 2nd עֲלֵיהֶם (𝔊B); Je 20:9 v. Ges§ 132 d; 48:45 read (many MSS., Nu 21:28) יצאה; ψ 104:4 read perhaps (Ol) לֹהֵֽטָה׃ or (Kenn) וָלָֽהַט׃; Jb 20:26 v. Ges§ 145 u (or 121 b): cf. AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 63. fire (Assyrian išatu COTGloss, Syriac ܐܶܫܳܬܳܐ, እሳት deriv. from ii. אנשׁ,أَنَسَ,…