בָּקָר (ba.qar)
ba.qar
cattle
H:NQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 161 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun baqar refers to cattle, specifically oxen or cows used for plowing and labor. Although the word form is singular, it often functions as a collective plural, denoting an entire herd rather than a single animal. This grammatical pattern mirrors how English speakers might say "cattle" to mean many individual beasts at once.
Its root suggests breaking up the ground, highlighting the animal’s primary role in ancient agriculture. The text frequently pairs it with sheep (tson) to describe total wealth, as seen when Abraham and Laban are described as having vast flocks and herds (Genesis 12:16; 24:35). It also appears in legal codes, such as the law requiring five oxen for stealing one ox (Exodus 22:1), showing its value as both a working tool and a significant asset.
Translators render baqar variously as "ox," "cattle," or "herd" depending on context. In ritual settings, it marks the cost of worship, such as Solomon’s dedication sacrifices (2 Chronicles 7:5). The word grounds biblical narratives in the physical reality of agrarian life, where livestock represented security and provision.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word baqar brings us back to the physical reality of ancient life, where cattle were not just animals but essential partners in survival and worship. In a society built on agriculture, these beasts represented security, provision, and the hard work required to sustain a family. When Scripture mentions them, it often highlights God’s blessing upon the land and the people who tended it.
This term also carries deep spiritual weight in the context of sacrifice. The law required specific cattle for offerings, underscoring the seriousness of approaching God. It reminds us that worship involves giving up something valuable. Whether used as a sign of wealth or as part of a sacred ritual, baqar grounds our faith in tangible reality.
Today, we can see how these details reflect God’s care for daily life. He is interested in the work of our hands and the resources we steward. This word invites us to view our own labor and possessions not as ends in themselves, but as gifts from God, meant to be used for good and offered back to Him with gratitude.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 161 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- cattle35×
- ox[en]19×
- and/ cattle18×
- the/ ox[en]15×
- [the] herd12×
- the/ cattle11×
- the/ herd7×
- and/ the/ cattle6×
- and/ herd3×
- <the>/ cattle3×
- like the/ ox2×
- herd[s]/ your2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בָּקָ֗ר16×
- בָּקָ֣ר14×
- בָּקָר֙10×
- הַ/בָּקָר֙9×
- הַ/בָּקָ֔ר8×
- וּ/בָקָ֖ר7×
- וּ/בָקָ֔ר5×
- הַ/בָּקָ֖ר5×
- בָּקָ֛ר5×
- בָּקָ֖ר5×
- וּ/בָקָר֙4×
- בָקָ֛ר4×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 24:35
Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. Yahweh has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
This verse lists cattle alongside silver and gold, showing how the term functions as a collective marker of immense wealth and divine blessing upon Abraham.
-
Exodus 20:24
You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you.
Here cattle are paired with sheep as acceptable sacrifices on an altar of earth, linking the word directly to the practice of worship and God's promise to bless those who honor Him.
-
Leviticus 1:3
“‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without defect. He shall offer it at the door of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh.
The instruction for a burnt offering from the herd specifies a male without defect, emphasizing the requirement of purity and value when presenting cattle to Yahweh.
-
Genesis 12:16
He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
Abimelech’s gift of cattle to Abram serves as a concrete sign of favor and protection during a tense political situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does baqar mean in the Bible?
Why are cattle mentioned so often in Genesis?
How is baqar used in religious contexts?
What is the difference between baqar and tson?
Every Occurrence (161 verses across 22 books)
Genesis 15 verses
He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female…
Genesis 13:5Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, herds, and tents.
Genesis 18:7Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.
Genesis 18:8He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and…
Genesis 20:14Abimelech took sheep and cattle, male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his…
Genesis 21:27Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant.
Genesis 24:35Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. Yahweh has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male…
Genesis 26:14He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.
Genesis 33:13Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young,…
Genesis 34:28They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field,
Genesis 45:10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your…
Genesis 46:32These men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks, and their herds,…
Genesis 47:1Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks, their herds, and all…
Genesis 47:17They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and…
Genesis 50:8all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds,…