Lexical Summary bor: Purity, cleanness Original Word: בֹּר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance never so, purely The same as bor; vegetable lye (from its cleansing); used as a soap for washing, or a flux for metals -- X never so, purely. see HEBREW bor Brown-Driver-Briggs I. בֹּר noun masculine lye, potash, alkali used in smelting metals Isaiah 1:25 **read probably כַּכֻּר as in a furnace (Isa 48:10); there seems no evidence that 'lye' (i.e. water mixed with the burnt ashes of plants containing potash, used formerly for washing) was ever used in refining gold or silver: compare J. NapierAnc. Workers in Metal {1856}, 15, 20, 25 WAM in SmithDB ii. 368; Amer. Rev. Ed. (1871, vol, iii), 1939. (see בֹּרִית). Topical Lexicon Physical substance and ancient practice The term בֹּר refers to a naturally occurring alkali produced from the ashes of certain desert plants. Mixed with water, it functioned as a potent detergent for fabrics and skin. Excavations in the Levant and Egypt have uncovered stone mixing basins and residue consistent with alkaline soaps, confirming its widespread household and commercial use during the patriarchal and monarchic periods. Laundering sites were often situated outside city walls where runoff would not contaminate cisterns. Context in Job 9:30 Job laments, “If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, yet You would plunge me into the pit” (Job 9:30-31). The pairing of pristine “snow water” with בֹּר underscores the strongest cleansing means available to the ancient world, yet Job confesses even that is powerless to remove moral impurity before the Almighty. The verse provides a vivid, culturally rooted metaphor for the insufficiency of human efforts to achieve righteousness. Symbolism of human inadequacy Because בֹּר could restore soiled garments to visible purity, it became an apt figure for attempts at self-purification. Job’s statement anticipates later prophetic warnings: “Although you wash with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me” (Jeremiah 2:22). Both passages highlight an enduring theological theme—external agents may remove dirt, but only divine grace can cleanse sin. Relation to broader biblical imagery of cleansing 1. Ritual Purity: Priestly washings (Exodus 30:17-21) and the ashes of the red heifer (Numbers 19) illustrate God-ordained means of purification, setting them apart from ordinary detergents like בֹּר. Historical insights • Trade: Alkali cakes traveled along caravan routes from the Dead Sea region, prized by fullers and dyers. Ministry and devotional applications • Preaching: Job 9:30 offers a compelling illustration when proclaiming justification by faith. Holding a bar of modern soap while reading the verse brings the text to life. Summary בֹּר appears only once in the Hebrew canon, yet its single occurrence illuminates the broader biblical doctrine of purification. Rooted in the everyday labor of laundering, the word becomes a theological signpost: human agents can cleanse clothing, but only the Lord can cleanse the heart. Forms and Transliterations בְּבֹ֣ר בבר bə·ḇōr bəḇōr beVorLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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