Biblica Analytica

שָׂרַע

sa.ra (H8311)

to extend

3 verses 2 books OT 3 / NT 0
AI Word Study

# The Hebrew Word שָׂרַע (sarà): "To Extend" The verb שָׂרַע appears only three times in the Hebrew Bible, making it a rare word with a focused semantic range. According to the lexical data, its primary meaning is "to extend"—describing an action of stretching, spreading, or lengthening something outward. The word belongs to the category of directional verbs that describe physical movement or expansion in space. The rarity of this word (just three biblical occurrences) suggests it may have served a specialized function, possibly used in particular contexts or literary traditions within the Hebrew scriptures. Such limited attestation makes it difficult to trace semantic nuance or metaphorical development from usage alone. What we know with certainty is confined to the basic definition of extension or stretching, without the layered meanings that more frequently appearing synonyms might carry. For students of biblical Hebrew, שָׂרַע represents the kind of specialized vocabulary that demonstrates the precision available to biblical writers for describing spatial actions. Though infrequent, the word's presence in the scriptural record indicates that ancient Hebrew speakers distinguished this particular notion of extending from other verbs with related meanings—a linguistic choice that likely reflected a specific communicative need in those three instances where it appeared.

AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.

Leviticus 21:18

For whatever man he is that has a defect, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity,

Leviticus 22:23

Either a bull or a lamb that has any deformity or lacking in his parts, that you may offer for a free will offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.

Isaiah 28:20

For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in.