בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי (be.er la.chay ro.i)
be.er la.chay ro.i
Beer-lahai-roi
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The phrase Beer-lahai-roi translates to "the well of the Living One who sees me." It appears only three times in Scripture, all within the book of Genesis, marking a specific location west of Kadesh and south of the settled land of Israel.
This name originates from Hagar’s encounter with God at this well. After fleeing from Sarah, she was met by the angel of the Lord and promised that her son Ishmael would become a great nation. In response to this divine assurance, she named the place Beer-lahai-roi, acknowledging that she had seen the One who sees her and remained alive.
The term serves as a geographical marker in the genealogies of Abraham and Ishmael, anchoring these narratives in a real landscape. Its rarity underscores the significance of the event it commemorates: a moment where human vulnerability met divine visibility, preserved in memory through a place name rather than a prolonged theological discourse.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Beer-lahai-roi means "the well of the Living One who sees me." It comes from a moment when Hagar, running away in fear and shame, encountered God at a desert spring. Instead of ignoring her distress, God spoke to her directly. She named the place to remember that she had seen the Creator and lived. This tells us that no matter how isolated we feel, God notices our pain and meets us where we are.
Later, this location appears in the Bible as a marker for Isaac’s life after Abraham died. It shows that the same God who comforted Hagar continued to guide her son. The well represents a steady place of divine presence during times of loss and transition. You can trust that He sees you too, even when your path feels uncertain or lonely.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Roi3×
- Lahai3×
- Beer3×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לַחַ֖י3×
- בְּאֵ֥ר3×
- רֹאִ֑י2×
- רֹאִֽי\׃\ \ס1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 16:14
Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
This verse records the origin of the name, marking the spot where Hagar recognized God’s personal attention to her suffering.
-
Genesis 24:62
Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he lived in the land of the South.
Here the location anchors Isaac’s life, showing continuity between God’s past faithfulness to Hagar and His ongoing care for Abraham’s lineage.
-
Genesis 25:11
After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac, his son. Isaac lived by Beer Lahai Roi.
This occurrence highlights that after Abraham’s death, God remained close to Isaac in this specific place of blessing and remembrance.