תַּ֫עַר (ta.ar)
ta.ar
razor
H:NQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 7 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun ta‘ar primarily means a razor, though it can also refer to the sheath of a sword. In the Old Testament, this word appears in seven verses, most notably in Numbers, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. When used for a razor, it evokes the sharp, close-cutting blade used for shaving or ritual cleansing. The connection to a sword’s sheath highlights the instrument’s purpose: to leave the skin bare and exposed.
This imagery carries significant weight in prophetic literature. In Jeremiah 48:3 and Isaiah 7:20, God uses the metaphor of a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates to describe an invading army that will shave off hair, symbolizing humiliation and loss of pride. The razor here is not just a tool for grooming but an instrument of divine judgment, stripping away protection and leaving the people naked before their enemies. The word’s dual meaning—razor and sheath—underscores the finality of this exposure; once the blade is drawn, there is no covering.
Translators often render ta‘ar as "razor" when referring to shaving or ritual purity, but in prophetic contexts, the image of a hired blade emphasizes the suddenness and severity of God’s action. The sources note that this word is rare, appearing only seven times, which makes its usage in these key passages even more striking. It serves as a vivid reminder of how God can use foreign powers as instruments of correction, leaving His people stripped of their defenses and forced to confront their reliance on Him.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word for razor in Hebrew evokes a tool of sharp finality. In Numbers, it marks a boundary: a Nazirite’s uncut hair signals a life set apart for God, while ritual washing with a razor removes impurity to restore holiness. This contrast shows that what we allow to grow or cut away defines our spiritual posture.
Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah use the image more starkly. A hired razor from beyond the river strips away pride and protection, leaving people exposed before God’s judgment. It is a sobering reminder that human defenses cannot shield us from divine correction.
Yet this imagery also points to our need for reliance on God. When our self-sufficiency is shaved away, we are left with nothing but Him. This stripping is not merely punitive; it clears the path for a deeper dependence on His grace and guidance in our daily walk.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 7 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a razor2×
- with/ a razor1×
- with/ [the] knife of1×
- sheath/ your1×
- in/ sheath/ its1×
- from/ sheath/ its1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תַּעְרֵ֔/ךְ1×
- תַּ֖עַר1×
- תַ֙עַר֙1×
- מִ/תַּעְרָ/הּ֙1×
- בְּ/תַעְרָ֔/הּ1×
- בְּ/תַ֨עַר1×
- בְּ/תַ֣עַר1×
Key Verses
-
Numbers 6:5
“‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
The prohibition against the razor defines the Nazirite’s distinct consecration, marking hair growth as a visible sign of being set apart for Yahweh.
-
Isaiah 7:20
In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.
God uses the metaphor of a hired razor to describe Assyria as an instrument that will shave away Israel’s pride and protection, emphasizing the severity of judgment.