שָׂרִיד (sa.rid)
sa.rid
survivor
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 27 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun sarid refers to a survivor or remnant, specifically one who has escaped death or destruction. It describes the few individuals left standing after a decisive event, such as a military defeat or a plague. The word appears frequently in the conquest narratives of Joshua, where it emphasizes the total elimination of enemy populations, noting that "none remained" in cities like Jericho and Ai.
Its root sense implies escaping from a great slaughter, linking it closely to the idea of being left behind when others are gone. While often used for people, as seen in Judges 5:13 with the surviving clans, it can also apply to objects or resources that endure hardship, such as the meager provisions remaining after famine in Job 20:21. This usage highlights a stark reality of loss and scarcity.
Translators typically render sarid as "remnant," "rest," or "those who remain." The term carries significant theological weight in prophetic literature, where it points to the small group of faithful people who survive national catastrophe. In Jeremiah 44:14, for instance, it underscores the finality of judgment by stating that not even a remnant will return from Egypt.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sarid describes a survivor, someone who remains after a great loss or destruction. In the Old Testament, it often appears in stories of war where entire populations are wiped out, leaving only a few behind. It can also describe resources left after a famine. This stark imagery reminds us that life is fragile and that complete destruction is a real possibility.
Yet this word carries a deeper hope for believers. Prophets like Isaiah used sarid to show that God preserves a small group of people even when judgment falls. In Isaiah 1:9, the text says that without God leaving a remnant, Israel would have been destroyed like Sodom. This suggests that survival is not just luck but an act of divine mercy. It points to a faithful few who endure because God chooses to keep them.
For your faith, this means you are part of a continuing story. Even when circumstances seem hopeless or when you feel alone, God’s purpose does not end with catastrophe. He preserves those who trust in Him. This assurance offers comfort that no matter how dark the season, there is always a way forward through His grace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 27 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a survivor15×
- survivors/ his2×
- and/ a survivor2×
- [the] survivor[s]2×
- [is] a survivor2×
- survivor[s]1×
- survivor1×
- and/ the/ survivors1×
- [the] survivors of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שָׂרִֽיד\׃5×
- שָׂרִ֑יד5×
- שָׂרִ֣יד3×
- שָׂרִ֥יד2×
- שָׂרִ֖יד2×
- שָׂרִ֔יד2×
- שָׂרִיד֙1×
- שָׂ֝רִ֗יד1×
- שְׂרִידָ֖י/ו1×
- שְׂרִ֣ידֵי1×
- שְׂ֭רִידָי/ו1×
- וְ/שָׂרִיד֙1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 1:9
Unless Yahweh of Armies had left to us a very small remnant, we would have been as Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah.
This verse uses the word to highlight God's mercy in preserving a small group of people from total destruction, contrasting their survival with the fate of Sodom.
-
Numbers 21:35
So they struck him, with his sons and all his people, until there were no survivors; and they possessed his land.
The text states there were no survivors left, emphasizing the completeness of the victory and the finality of the judgment on the enemy.
-
Jeremiah 44:14
so that none of the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt to live there, will escape or be left to return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there; for no one will return except those who will escape.’”
Here the word underscores the finality of judgment by stating that none of the remnant in Egypt would escape or return to Judah.
-
Judges 5:13
“Then a remnant of the nobles and the people came down. Yahweh came down for me against the mighty.
This occurrence describes a remnant of nobles and people coming down, showing how God uses those who remain to act against mighty forces.