H7604 H7604
To remain, be left over, survive; as participle, the remnant or survivors; in Hifil, to leave remaining or spare.
Sha'ar is the Hebrew Bible's primary vocabulary for survival and remainder — what endures after destruction, departure, or divine judgment has swept through. In its Nifal stem, it describes the family members left after famine (Gen 47:18), the survivors of a military defeat, or the faithful remnant that persists after God's judgment. The participial form became virtually a technical theological term: 'the remnant' (hannish'arim) — those whom God preserved. The Hifil causative flips the perspective from the survivors to the one who determines survival: God or a conqueror deliberately 'leaves remaining' or 'spares.' Spanish quedar/dejar, Korean 남다/남기다, and Arabic baqiya/abqa all reflect this same Nifal-Hifil axis of passive survival versus active sparing.
Senses
1. remain, be left over (Nifal) — Nifal intransitive: to remain, be left over, survive after others have perished, departed, or been consumed. The core sense at 53 occurrences, spanning narrative and prophetic literature alike. After the Flood, only Noah 'was left' (Gen 7:23); Joseph's grain is all that 'remains' in Egypt (Gen 47:18). Spanish quedaron and German uebriggeblieben both capture the stative aftermath — what is still standing when the dust settles. Arabic baqiya provides an exact semantic parallel, and Korean 남다 confirms the intransitive survival frame. 53×
AR["بَقوا", "بَقُوا", "بَقِيَ", "وَ-بَقِيَتِ", "وَ-بَقِيَتْ", "يَبقَ", "يَبْقَ", "يَبْقَى"]·ben["অবশিষ্ট-ছিল", "অবশিষ্ট-ছিলেন", "অবশিষ্ট-রইল", "অবশিষ্ট-হল", "এবং-সে-রইল", "বাকি-থাকবে", "বাকি-রইল", "রইল"]·DE["blieb", "sie-blieb", "uebriggeblieben", "uebriggebliebener", "und-uebriggeblieben", "war-links"]·EN["and-she-was-left", "remained", "survived", "they-remained", "was-left", "will-remain"]·FR["et-elle-était-gauche", "ils-resta", "remained", "rescapé", "resta", "rester", "était-gauche"]·heb["ו-נשארה", "יישאר", "נשאר", "נשארו"]·HI["और-छोड़ी-गई", "निश्अर", "बचा", "बचा-था", "बचा-रहा", "बची-रही", "बचे-थे", "बचे-हैं", "बचेंगे", "रह-गया", "रहे"]·ID["-tersisa", "dan-tinggallah", "tersisa", "tertinggal"]·IT["e-ella-fu-sinistra", "essi-restò", "fu-sinistra", "restò", "rimanere", "rimase", "superstite"]·jav["badhé-kantun", "ingkang-taksih", "kantun", "lan-kantun", "piyambakipun-kantun", "tilar", "tilas", "tiyang-gesang", "wonten-ingkang-taksih"]·KO["그리고-남겨졌다", "남겨졌다", "남아-있었다", "남아있었다", "남았다", "남으리라", "남은-자가", "남지-않았다"]·PT["e-ficou", "permaneceu", "restaram", "restará", "restou"]·RU["и-осталась", "оставался", "остались", "осталось", "остался", "останется"]·ES["quedaba", "quedaron", "quede", "quedó", "y-quedó"]·SW["alibaki", "alisalia", "aliyebaki", "baki", "hakubaki", "hamjafika", "ilibaki", "kubaki", "na-akabaki", "walibaki", "watabaki", "yatabaki"]·TR["kalacak", "kalan", "kaldı", "kaldılar", "kalmış", "kalmıştı", "ve-kaldı"]·urd["اور-رہ-گئی", "باقی-رہ-گیا", "باقی-رہے", "بچ-گئے", "بچا", "بچا-تھا", "بچی", "بچے", "بچے-تھے", "بچے-ہوں-گے", "رہا"]
2. the remaining ones, remnant (Nifal participle) — Nifal participle used substantivally: the remaining ones, the remnant, the survivors — a 42-occurrence cluster that became one of the Hebrew Bible's most theologically loaded constructions. In Gen 32:8 Jacob divides his camp so that 'the remaining company' might escape; in Isaiah and the prophetic books, 'the remnant' denotes those preserved through divine judgment (cf. the derivative noun she'erit). Spanish el-que-quedo ('the one who remained'), German der-bleibend, and Swahili waliobaki all substantivize the participle. The shift from verbal process to nominal category — from 'remaining' to 'the Remnant' — is a crucial lexicographic boundary. 42×
AR["البَاقِينَ", "البَاقِيَةُ", "الْباقيَةِ", "الْبَاقِي", "الْبَاقِينَ", "الْبَاقِيَةَ", "الْبَاقِيَةِ", "وَالْبَاقُونَ", "ٱلْبَاقِينَ"]·ben["-অবশিষ্টদের", "অবশিষ্ট", "অবশিষ্টদের", "আর-অবশিষ্টরা", "যারা-অবশিষ্ট", "যারা-অবশিষ্ট-আছে", "যারা-অবশিষ্ট-ছিল", "যারা-অবশিষ্ট-রইল", "যারা-বাকি-ছিল", "যারা-বাকি-ছিল-"]·DE["der-bleibend", "der-remaining", "uebriggebliebener", "und-uebriggeblieben"]·EN["and-the-ones-remaining", "the-ones-remaining", "the-remaining", "those-remaining"]·FR["et-reste", "le-remaining", "le-restant", "rescapé"]·heb["ה-נשאר", "ה-נשארה", "ה-נשארים", "ו-ה-נשארים"]·HI["और-बचे-हुए", "जो-बचे-थे", "जो-बचे-हुए-थे", "जो-बचे-हैं", "बचे-हुए", "बचे-हुओं", "शेष", "शेष-", "ह-बचे-हुए", "हन्निश्अरीम"]·ID["-yang-tersisa", "dan-yang-tersisa", "orang-orang-yang-tersisa", "yang-tersisa", "yang-tertinggal"]·IT["e-superstite", "il-restante", "il-rimanendo", "superstite"]·jav["ingkang-kantun", "ingkang-kènging", "ingkang-taksih", "ingkang-taksih-kantun", "lan-ingkang-kantun", "tiyang-ingkang-kantun"]·KO["그-남은", "그-남은-자들을", "그리고-그-남은-자들이", "남아-있는", "남아-있는-자들의", "남아있는", "남은", "남은-자들-을"]·PT["as-restantes", "e-os-remanescentes", "o-restante", "os-que-ficaram", "os-que-restam", "os-que-restaram", "os-restantes"]·RU["и-оставшиеся", "оставшегося", "оставшиеся", "оставшийся", "оставшихся"]·ES["el-que-quedó", "la-que-queda", "las-restantes", "los-que-quedaban", "los-que-quedan", "los-que-quedaron", "los-restantes", "y-los-que-queden"]·SW["na-waliobaki", "palivyobaki", "waliobaki", "waliosalia", "yaliyobaki"]·TR["-kalan", "her", "kalan", "kalanlar", "kalanlarini", "kalanları", "kalanları-", "kalanların", "kalanların-"]·urd["اور-بچے-ہوئے", "باقی", "باقی-رہنے-والوں", "باقی-رہنے-والے", "باقی-ماندہ", "بچ-جانے-والی", "بچ-جانے-والے", "بچے-ہوئے", "جو-باقی-رہے", "جو-بچی-ہوئی", "رہ-جانے-والوں"]
3. leave remaining, spare (Hifil) — Hifil causative: to leave remaining, leave over, spare, let survive. At 38 occurrences this is the agent-oriented counterpart to senses 1-2: someone deliberately causes others to remain alive or causes something to be left over. In Num 21:35 Israel 'left no survivor'; in Deut 2:34 they 'left none remaining.' Spanish dejaron ('they left'), Korean 남기다 ('to cause to remain'), and Arabic abqa ('to make survive') all select causative morphology, confirming the stem-driven sense boundary. The theological import is heavy: God is often the implicit agent who 'leaves a remnant' (cf. Isa 1:9). 38×
AR["أَبْقَاهُ", "أَبْقَى", "إبقاءِ", "تُبْقي", "يَتْرُكوا", "يَتْرُكْ", "يُبقِ", "يُبْقوا", "يُبْقِ"]·ben["অবশিষ্ট-করল", "অবশিষ্ট-করলেন", "অবশিষ্ট-করা-", "অবশিষ্ট-রাখবে", "তারা-রেখে-যেত", "রেখে-গেছে", "রেখে-গেলেন", "রেখে-দিয়েছিলেন", "রেখে-দিল", "রেখে-দিলেন", "রেখেছিলেন", "সে-রেখেছিল"]·DE["er-linke", "er-links", "er-links-", "linke", "links", "sie-links", "uebriggeblieben", "uebriggebliebener", "war-links-"]·EN["he-left", "he-left-", "left", "shall-have-remaining", "they-left", "was-left-"]·FR["gauche", "il-gauche", "il-gauche-", "ils-gauche", "rescapé", "reste", "était-gauche-"]·heb["השאיר", "השאיר-", "השאירו", "ישאירו", "תשאיר"]·HI["छोड़-दिया", "छोड़ते-थे", "छोड़ा", "छोड़ा-था", "छोड़ेगा", "बचाने", "बचाया", "हिश्ईर"]·ID["-meninggalkan", "akan-tersisa", "ditinggalkan", "ia-tinggalkan", "meninggalkan", "menyisakan", "menyisakanlah-mereka", "tersisa-"]·IT["egli-sinistra", "egli-sinistra-", "essi-sinistra", "fu-sinistra-", "sinistra", "superstite"]·jav["dipun-tilar", "nilar", "nilar-", "nyisahaken", "piyambakipun-nilar", "tilar"]·KO["그가-남기지-않았다", "남겨두었다", "남겨둔", "남겼다", "남기리라", "남기셨다", "남기지-않기까지-"]·PT["deixar", "deixaram", "deixará", "deixavam", "deixou"]·RU["в-живых-", "оставил", "оставил-", "оставили", "оставит", "оставляли"]·ES["dejaban", "dejar", "dejaron", "dejará", "dejó"]·SW["acha", "akawaacha", "alibakiza", "aliwaacha", "aliwacha", "hakuachwa-", "ilisaliza", "kuacha", "kuacha-", "kumwachia", "utabakisha"]·TR["birakti", "bırakacak", "bıraktı", "bıraktı-", "bıraktılar"]·urd["اُس-نے-چھوڑا", "باقی-رکھے-گا", "بچا-رہا-", "بچایا", "بچایا-", "چھوڑ-دیا", "چھوڑا", "چھوڑا-تھا", "چھوڑتے-تھے"]
Exod 10:12, Num 9:12, Num 21:35, Deut 2:34, Deut 3:3, Deut 28:51, Deut 28:55, Josh 8:22, Josh 10:28, Josh 10:30, Josh 10:33, Josh 10:37 (+26 more)
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×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. שָׁאַר133 vb. remain, be left over (syn. יָתַר) (NH id.; 𝔗 שְׁאַר; Sab. סאר remaining HomChr 124; Arabic سَأَرَ, سَىِٔرَ be left over, Lane, cf. LagGGN 1889, 297; Old Aramaic שאר remainder, Nab. שארית, v. Lzb371 SAC110);— †Qal Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳ 1 S 16:11 the youngest still remains. Niph.93 Pf. 3 ms. נִשְׁאַר Gn 47:18 +; 3 fs. נִשְׁאֲרָה Jos 13:1; Dn 10:8, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִשָּׁאֵר Is 11:11, 16,…