H2094b H2094b
To warn, admonish, caution (Hifil active); to take warning, be admonished (Nifal reflexive-passive)
The verb זָהַר (II) is the Hebrew Bible's primary word for issuing and receiving warnings, concentrated especially in Ezekiel's watchman oracles and the wisdom tradition. In the Hifil, the prophet is appointed watchman: 'you shall warn them from me' (Ezek 3:17, 33:7). Moses too is told to 'warn' the people about God's statutes (Exod 18:20), and Elisha 'warned' the king of Israel about enemy movements (2 Kgs 6:10). The Nifal turns the spotlight on the hearer: the righteous person who 'takes warning' is delivered (Ezek 33:4-5), and the psalmist is 'warned' by God's judgments (Ps 19:11). Some scholars link it to the homonymous זָהַר I ('shine'), suggesting that warning is a form of enlightenment.
Senses
1. warn, admonish — The Hifil active sense: to warn, admonish, or give cautionary notice to another person. The one who warns acts as an intermediary delivering God's message or practical intelligence. Ezekiel's watchman commission is the paradigm case: God says 'I have made you a watchman — you shall warn them' (Ezek 3:17, 33:7), and the prophet's moral responsibility hinges on whether he delivers the warning (Ezek 3:18-19, 33:8-9). Beyond prophecy, the sense appears in judicial instruction (2 Chr 19:10, where judges must 'warn' the people about the law), in military intelligence (2 Kgs 6:10, where Elisha 'warned' the king of ambush), and in Mosaic law (Exod 18:20). The Spanish 'advertir/adviertas' and German 'warnen/warn' consistently render the active warning function. 14×
AR["(وَأَنْذَرَهُ)", "[وَأَنْذَرَهُ]", "أَنْذَرْتَ", "أَنْذَرْتَهُ", "تُنْذِرْهُ", "لِتُنْذِرَ", "لِـ-تُنْذِرَ", "وَ-تُحَذِّرُهُمْ", "وَ-تُنْذِرُهُمْ", "وَأَنْذَرَ", "وَتُحَذِّرُونَهُمْ", "وَتُنْذِرُهُمْ"]·ben["আর-তুমি-সতর্ক-করবে", "আর-তোমরা-সতর্ক-করবে", "আর-সতর্ক-করবে", "এবং-সতর্ক-কর", "এবং-সতর্ক-করলেন-তাকে", "কেতিব", "তুমি-সতর্ক-করলে", "তুমি-সতর্ক-করেছ", "সতর্ক-করতে"]·DE["[ketiv]", "und-du-warnst", "und-warn", "und-warnen", "warnen"]·EN["[ketiv]", "and-warn", "and-warned-him", "and-warns", "and-you-shall-warn", "and-you-will-warn", "to-warn", "you-warned", "you-warned-him"]·FR["[ketiv]", "[הזהרת]", "[והזהיר]", "[והזהרת]", "[והזהרתם]", "[להזהיר]", "et-avertir", "et-avertit-lui", "tu-l'as-averti"]·heb["[ו-הזהירה]", "הזהרת", "הזהרתו", "ו-הזהיר", "ו-הזהירו", "ו-הזהרת", "ו-הזהרתה", "ו-הזהרתם", "ל-הזהיר"]·HI["(वहिज्हीरो)", "[वहिज्हीराह]", "और-चेतावनी-दे", "और-चेतावनीदो", "और-तू-चेतावनी-देगा", "को-लोग", "चेतावनी-देने-को", "तू-चेतावेगा", "तूने-चेतावनी-दी", "तूने-चेतावनी-दी-उसे", "दुष्ट", "वचन"]·ID["(ketiv)", "Dan-ajarilah-mereka", "dan-dia-memperingatkannya", "dan-engkau-akan-memperingati", "dan-engkau-akan-memperingatkan", "dan-memperingatkan", "dan-peringatkanlah", "engkau-memperingati", "engkau-memperingatinya", "engkau-memperingatkan", "untuk-memperingati", "untuk-memperingatkan"]·IT["[ketiv]", "[והזהרתם]", "avvertire", "e-avvertirai", "e-avvertire", "e-warned-lui"]·jav["(lan-dipun-éling-élingaken)", "Lan-panjenengan-pituturi", "Panjenengan-ngemutaken-piyambakipun", "Panjenengan-sampun-ngemutaken", "Panjenengan-sampun-ngemutaken-piyambakipun", "[lan-dipun-éling-élingaken]", "kanggé-ngelingaken", "lan-Panjenengan-badhé-ngemutaken", "lan-ngelingaken", "lan-panjenengan-sedaya-pepelinga", "panjenengan-ngelingaken", "supados-ngemutaken"]·KO["(변형)", "경고하기-위하여", "그리고-경고하라", "그리고-경고했다-그-를", "그리고-네가-경고하라", "그리고-네가-경고할지니", "그리하여-그가-경고하리라", "그리하여-너는-경고하리라", "네가-경고하였다", "네가-경고했다", "네가-경고했다-그에게", "에게-경고하기"]·PT["E-advertirás", "[e-advertiu-a]", "advertires", "advertiste", "advertiste-o", "e-advertir", "e-advertireis", "e-advertirás", "e-advertiu-o", "para-advertir"]·RU["(и-предостерёг-его)", "[и-предостерёг-её]", "И-учи", "и-предостерегайте", "и-предупредит", "и-предупредишь", "предупредил", "предупредил-ты", "предупредил-ты-его", "предупредить", "чтобы-предупредить"]·ES["(kethiv)", "advertiste", "adviertas", "le-advertiste", "para-advertir", "y-advertirás", "y-advierta", "y-le-advirtió", "y-les-advertiréis"]·SW["[k]", "kumwonya", "na-akamwonya", "na-akaonya", "na-mwaoonyeni", "na-utawaonya", "na-uwaoneshe", "umemwonya"]·TR["Ve-uyar", "konuşursan", "söz", "uyarmak-için", "uyarırsan", "ve-değil", "ve-uyaracaksın", "ve-uyaracaksınız", "ve-uyardi-onu", "ve-uyarırsa"]·urd["اور-آگاہ-کر", "اور-تم-خبردار-کرو", "اور-خبردار-کر", "اور-خبردار-کرے", "اور-خبردار-کیا", "اور-خبردار-کیا-اُسے", "تو-نے-خبردار-کیا", "تو-نے-خبردار-کیا-اُسے", "خبردار-کرنے-کو", "خبردار-کیا-تُو-نے", "و-تو-خبردار-کرے-گا"]
Exod 18:20, 2 Kgs 6:10, 2 Kgs 6:10, 2 Chr 19:10, Ezek 3:17, Ezek 3:18, Ezek 3:18, Ezek 3:19, Ezek 3:20, Ezek 3:21, Ezek 33:3, Ezek 33:7 (+2 more)
2. take warning, be admonished — The Nifal reflexive-passive sense: to take warning, be admonished, or heed a caution — the response side of the warning act. Ezekiel's watchman oracles make the hearer's response the pivot of life and death: 'if the wicked takes warning, he shall deliver his soul' (Ezek 33:4-5, 3:21). The wisdom tradition extends this into reflective counsel: the psalmist finds that by God's judgments 'your servant is warned' (Ps 19:11), and Ecclesiastes commends the wise youth who knows how 'to be admonished' (Eccl 4:13) while cautioning against endless study with 'be warned' (Eccl 12:12). Multilingual glosses shift to passive and reflexive constructions — 'es-advertido/se-advierta' (Spanish), 'gewarnt' (German), 'avertir/enseigner' (French) — distinguishing the recipient of warning from the one who issues it. 8×
AR["اِحْتَرَسَ", "اِنْذَرَ", "هِزَّهِير", "يَحْتَرِسْ", "يَعْرِفُ", "يُحَذَّرُ"]·ben["সতর্ক-হও", "সতর্ক-হতে", "সতর্কিত", "সতর্কিত-হল", "সতর্কিত-হলে", "সে-সতর্কিত-ছিল"]·DE["[הזהר]", "[להזהר]", "gewarnt", "ist-warned"]·EN["be-warned", "he-was-warned", "is-warned", "takes-warning", "to-be-warned", "took-warning"]·FR["[נזהר]", "avertir", "enseigner", "à-avertir"]·heb["היזהר", "ל-היזהר", "נזהר"]·HI["उसने-चेतावनी-पाई", "और-आएगी", "और-लेता-है", "चेताया-जाता-है", "प्राण", "सावधान-रह", "सावधान-होना"]·ID["berhati-hatilah", "dia-diperingati", "diperingatkan", "diperingatkan,", "untuk-diperingatkan", "yang-diperingatkan"]·IT["[נזהר]", "avvertito", "essere-warned", "per-a-essere-warned"]·jav["dipun-pèpengeti", "kangge-dipunèlingaken", "kaéling", "piyambakipun-sampun-kaemutaken", "waspada"]·KO["경고-받기를", "경고받나이다", "경고받았더라면", "경고받지", "그가-경고-받았다", "조심하라"]·PT["foi-advertido", "for-advertido", "se-advertido", "se-advertir", "se-advertiu", "ser-advertido", "sé-advertido", "é-advertido"]·RU["остерегайся:", "остерегаться", "предостережётся", "предостерёгся", "предостерёгшийся", "предупрежден", "предупреждён-он"]·ES["es-advertido", "fue-advertido", "se-advierta,", "se-advirtió,", "ser-amonestado", "sé-advertido"]·SW["alijihadhari", "alionywa", "anaonya", "jihadhari", "kuonywa", "onywa"]·TR["uyaril", "uyarilmak", "uyarılanmış-olsaydı", "uyarıldı", "uyarılır", "uyarılırsa"]·urd["متنبہ-ہونا", "نصیحت-پاتا-ہے", "وہ-خبردار-ہوا", "چوکنا-ہوئے", "چوکنا-ہوا", "چوکنا-ہوتا", "ہوشیار-رہ"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. [זָהַר] vb. only Hiph., Niph. (NH Hiph., admonish, cf. Aramaic זְהַר (Aph. Pa. etc.), ܙܗܰܪ (Arabic زَهَرَ viii. take care of, be mindful of is perhaps Aramaic loan-word, so TA cf. Lane).—Most identify with I. זהר = give light, enlighten, instruct, admonish; this possible, but not certain, meaning shine is late in Heb.; usual sense as given below is not enlighten, illumine mentally, but…