H0977 H0977
To choose, select, prefer; of God's sovereign election of persons and places, and of human deliberate choice; passive: chosen, elect.
Bachar is the Hebrew Bible's primary verb of deliberate selection, and its theological weight is immense. When God 'chooses' Israel (Deut 7:6), Jerusalem (1 Kgs 11:13), or David (1 Sam 16:8-10), the verb carries the full gravity of sovereign election — not a preference among equals but a decisive act of covenantal commitment. The multilingual evidence reveals how seriously translators take this: Arabic yakhtāru and Spanish escoger both select purposeful-choosing vocabulary, while Korean 택하다/선택하다 and Swahili -chagua isolate the deliberative, decisive core. The passive participle bachur ('chosen one') becomes virtually a title — for elite warriors (Judg 20:15-16), for Israel as a people (Isa 43:20), and in the Proverbs for wisdom 'chosen' above silver (Prov 8:10, 10:20).
Senses
1. choose, select (Qal active) — The core Qal active sense of deliberately choosing or selecting — by far the dominant usage at 145 occurrences. This covers both divine election (God choosing Abraham, Israel, Levites, Jerusalem, David's line: Deut 4:37, 7:6-7, Neh 9:7) and human choice (Joshua told to 'choose men' at Exod 17:9; Job declaring 'I would choose' at Job 9:14). Arabic yakhtāru, Korean 택하다, and Swahili -chagua all converge on deliberate, volitional selection. The verb regularly takes the preposition be- to mark the object chosen, a distinctive Hebrew idiom that Spanish renders with the direct object (escoja a) while German uses erwählen. 145×
AR["يَخْتَارُ"]·ben["তিনি-বেছে-নেবেন", "তিনি-মনোনীত-করবেন", "বেছে-নেবেন", "মনোনীত-করবেন", "যিহোবা"]·DE["Er-soll-erwaehlen", "er-wird-erwaehlen", "soll-erwaehlen", "wird-erwaehlen"]·EN["He-shall-choose", "he-will-choose", "shall-choose", "will-choose"]·FR["Il-devra-choisir", "devra-choisir", "fera-choisir", "il-fera-choisir"]·heb["יבחר"]·HI["चुनेगा"]·ID["dipilih", "dipilih-Nya"]·IT["Egli-dovra-scegliere", "egli-fara-scegliere", "scegliera"]·jav["badhe-dipun-pilih", "bakal-dipunpilih"]·KO["택하시리라", "택하실"]·PT["ele-escolher", "escolher"]·RU["изберёт"]·ES["escoja"]·SW["atachagua"]·TR["seçecek", "seçer"]·urd["چنے-گا", "چُنے-گا"]
Deut 4:37, Deut 7:6, Deut 7:7, Deut 10:15, Deut 12:5, Deut 12:11, Deut 12:14, Deut 12:18, Deut 12:21, Deut 12:26, Deut 14:2, Deut 14:23 (+38 more)
2. chosen one, elect (Qal passive participle) — The Qal passive participle used substantively: 'chosen one(s), elect, choice.' Appears 16 times as virtually a title or status marker — of elite fighting men (Judg 20:15-16, 600 chosen Benjaminites), of Pharaoh's best chariot officers (Exod 14:7), and of Israel as God's elect people (1 Sam 24:2). Arabic mukhtār ('the chosen/elect'), Korean 선택된/뽑힌 ('selected/picked'), and Swahili wateule ('chosen ones') all use dedicated passive-participial or adjectival forms, confirming that this is a lexicalized category distinct from the active verb — a person defined by their status of having been chosen. 16×
AR["مُختاراً", "مُختاري", "مُختارٍ", "مُخْتَارًا", "مُخْتَارٌ", "مُخْتَارٍ", "مُخْتَارَةٍ", "مُنتَخَبي", "مُنْتَخَبٍ"]·ben["নির্বাচিত", "বছাই", "বাছাই", "বাছাই-করা", "বীর", "বেছে-নেওয়াদের", "মনোনীত"]·DE["erwaehlen", "erwaehlt", "erwaehlt-die", "erwaehlt-die-von", "erwaehlt-von"]·EN["chosen", "chosen-of", "chosen-ones", "chosen-ones-of", "the-chosen-one"]·FR["choisi", "choisi-ceux", "choisi-ceux-de", "choisi-de", "choisir", "jeune-homme"]·heb["בָּחוּר", "בחור", "בחורי", "מובחר"]·HI["चुना-हुआ", "चुने-हुए", "चुने-हुओं"]·ID["berperang", "orang-pilihan", "pilihan", "prajurit-muda", "terpilih"]·IT["scegliere", "scelto", "scelto-di", "scelto-quelli", "scelto-quelli-di"]·jav["kapilih", "pilihan", "pilihan-saking", "prajurit-pilihan", "tiyang-pilihan"]·KO["뽑은", "뽑힌", "선택된", "선택된-자를", "정예", "정예-의", "정예들", "택한", "택한-자를"]·PT["escolhido", "escolhidos", "escolhidos,", "escolhidos-de", "jovem", "jovens", "os-jovens-de"]·RU["избранный", "избранных", "отборных"]·ES["escogido", "escogidos", "escogidos-de"]·SW["aliyechaguliwa", "teule", "vijana", "vijana-wateule", "vijana-wateule-wa", "wachaguliwa", "waliochaguliwa", "wateule", "yaliyochaguliwa"]·TR["genç", "seçkin", "seçkinleri", "seçkinlerin", "seçkinlerinin", "seçme"]·urd["چنا-ہوا", "چنے-ہوئے", "چُنے-ہوئے"]
Exod 14:7, Judg 20:15, Judg 20:16, Judg 20:34, 1 Sam 24:2, 1 Sam 26:2, 2 Sam 6:1, 2 Sam 10:9, 1 Kgs 12:21, 1 Chr 19:10, 2 Chr 11:1, 2 Chr 13:3 (+4 more)
3. be chosen, be selected (Nifal) — The Nifal stem expressing the passive or reflexive: 'to be chosen, be preferred, be more desirable.' Found 7 times, concentrated in Proverbs wisdom literature where abstract qualities are ranked — 'chosen is my fruit above fine gold' (Prov 8:19), 'the tongue of the righteous is choice silver' (Prov 10:20), 'to get understanding is to be chosen above silver' (Prov 16:16). Arabic mukhtārun and Korean 택함을 받다 ('to receive choosing') both mark the passive voice explicitly. The Nifal here functions almost as a comparative adjective: X is-to-be-preferred over Y. 7×
AR["الْمُخْتَارَةِ", "اِخْتَارُوا", "مُخْتارٌ", "مُخْتَارَةٌ", "وَيُخْتَارُ"]·ben["এবং-বেছে-নেওয়া-হবে", "পছন্দনীয়", "বরং-পছন্দনীয়"]·DE["erwaehlte", "und-erwaehlen"]·EN["And-shall-be-chosen", "choice", "chosen"]·FR["choisir", "et-choisir"]·heb["ו-נבחר", "נבחר"]·HI["और-चुनी-जाएगी", "चुना-गया", "चुना-हुआ", "चुनी-हुई"]·ID["Lebih-dipilih", "dan-akan-dipilih", "dipilih", "lebih-dipilih", "pilihan"]·IT["e-scegliere", "scegliere"]·jav["Lan-dipilih", "langkung-dipunpilih", "pilihan"]·KO["그리고-택하여지리라", "택하라", "택함-받은", "택함을-받느니라", "택함을-받는니라"]·PT["E-será-preferida", "escolhida", "escolhido", "preferível", "É-escolhido"]·RU["и-предпочтётся", "избранное.", "отборное", "предпочтительнее"]·ES["Es-escogido", "Y-será-preferida", "es-escogido", "escogida", "escogido"]·SW["huchaguliwa", "iliyochaguliwa", "na-utachaguliwa", "ni-bora", "yalichaguliwe"]·TR["seçilmiş", "tercih-edilir", "ve-tercih-edilecek"]·urd["اور-پسند-کی-جائے-گی", "پسندیدہ", "چنا-ہوا", "چنا-ہوا-ہے", "چنی-ہوئی"]
4. sense 4 — A single occurrence at Eccl 9:4 involving a ketiv/qere textual variant. The ketiv reading yechubbar ('is joined') differs from the qere yibbacher ('is chosen'), producing translation uncertainty. Multilingual renderings split: some follow the ketiv (Spanish escoja may reflect the qere), others the qere. The passage's point — that a living dog is better than a dead lion — carries either way, but the textual crux makes this a distinct lexicographic note rather than a clean sense. 1×
AR["[يَبْحَر]"]·ben["[বেছে-নেবে]"]·DE["erwaehlte"]·EN["[ketiv]"]·FR["choisir"]·heb["יבחר"]·HI["[चुना-जाए]"]·ID["[Q]"]·IT["scegliere"]·jav["(kina)"]·KO["선택된다"]·PT["[será-escolhido]"]·RU["[ктив:изберёт]"]·ES["[escoja]"]·SW["[anachaguliwa]"]·TR["secilir"]·urd["[قدیم]"]
5. sense 5 — A single occurrence at Song 5:15 where bachur is used adjectivally to describe the beloved's appearance as 'choice as the cedars of Lebanon.' Here the word functions as a qualitative adjective meaning 'excellent, finest, choice' rather than referring to an act of selection or a status of election. Spanish escogido and French choisi both render it as 'selected/choice,' while the Song's poetic register transforms the participle into pure aesthetic praise — the beloved is as 'choice' as Lebanon's most magnificent trees. 1×
AR["بَحُور"]·ben["বাছাই"]·DE["erwaehlte"]·EN["choice"]·FR["choisi"]·heb["בחור"]·HI["चुना-हुआ"]·ID["terpilih"]·IT["scegliere"]·jav["kang-dipunpilih"]·KO["뛰어나네"]·PT["eleito"]·RU["избранный"]·ES["escogido"]·SW["bora"]·TR["seckin"]·urd["بہترین"]
Related Senses
H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)H3820a 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (572×)H4672 1. Qal: find, discover (289×)G1492 1. know facts or truths (285×)H3824 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (250×)H1245 1. seek, search for (200×)G1097 1. know, be acquainted with (196×)H2142 1. Qal: remember, recall (173×)G2588 1. heart (inner self, mind, will) (158×)G2147 1. find, discover (144×)G5590 1. soul, inner self (100×)H4672 2. Niphal: be found, be discovered (99×)H1875 1. seek, search for (96×)H5315 2. life, vitality (94×)H1847 1. knowledge, discernment (90×)H2450 1. wise, prudent (84×)H7911 1. Qal: to forget (83×)H3684 1. fool, dullard (70×)G2212 1. seek, search for, look for (64×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† בָּחַר vb. choose (cf. Aramaic בְּחַר, Syriac ܒܚܰܪ ‖ בחן, Assyrian bêru (√ באר) DlPr 76)— Qal Pf. בָּחַר Dt 7:6 +; Impf. יִבְחַר Is 41:24 + 60 times; אֶבֲחַר Jb 29:25 (Baer); Imv. בְּחַר Ex 17:9 + 5 times; Inf. abs. בָּחוֹר 1 S 2:28 Is 7:15, 16; Inf. cstr. sf. בָּהֳרִי Ez 20:5; Pt. בֹּחֵר 1 S 20:30 Zc 3:2; pass. בָּחוּר Ex 14:7 + 18 times;— 1. with בְּ, a. divine choice, of Abraham Ne 9:7;…