1309. besorah
Lexical Summary
besorah: Good news, glad tidings

Original Word: בְּשׂוֹרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: bsowrah
Pronunciation: beh-so-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (bes-o-raw')
KJV: reward for tidings
NASB: news, reward, carry news
Word Origin: [feminine from H1319 (בָּשַׂר - brings good news)]

1. glad tidings
2. (by implication) reward for good news

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
reward for tidings

Or (shortened) bsorah {bes-o-raw'}; feminine from basar; glad tidings; by implication, reward for good news -- reward for tidings.

see HEBREW basar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from basar
Definition
tidings
NASB Translation
carry news (1), news (4), reward (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
בְּשׂרָה noun feminine tidings (compare Arabic see BaNB 61; Sabean בשרן DHMZMG 1876, 672), 2 Samuel 4:10 3t.; בְּשׂוֺרָה 2 Samuel 18:25,27 —

1 good tidings 1 Kings 7:9.

2 tidings, news 2 Samuel 18:20,25; with טובה 2 Samuel 18:27.

3 reward for good tidings 2 Samuel 4:10; 2 Samuel 18:22.

Topical Lexicon
Concept Overview

בְּשׂוֹרָה (besorah) denotes the announcement of “good news,” especially a report of rescue, victory, or divine intervention. The word consistently frames a decisive turning point in Israel’s narrative, when darkness is pierced by unexpected deliverance. Each occurrence emphasizes not merely information but the moral responsibility to relay it.

Old Testament Occurrences

1. 2 Samuel 4:10 – David recalls the Amalekite who claimed, “Look, Saul is dead,” thinking he brought good news, yet was judged for exploiting tragedy. Here the term exposes motives: true good news must accord with God’s righteousness, not personal gain.

2. 2 Samuel 18:20-27 – Four uses cluster around the defeat of Absalom. Joab will not let the inexperienced soldier bear the tidings because, he says, “You are not the man to take the good news today” (18:20). When the solitary runner approaches, the king concludes, “he bears good news” (18:25), and of Ahimaaz he says, “he is a good man, and he comes with good news” (18:27). These verses underscore two principles: the urgency of proclaiming victory and the solemn cost of carrying news that will pierce a father’s heart.

3. 2 Kings 7:9 – Four leprous men discover the deserted Aramean camp and exclaim, “Today is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent” (7:9). Their conviction that silence would invite guilt highlights the ethical imperative to proclaim salvation.

Historical Setting

The six references arise in turbulent eras: the transition from Saul to David, Absalom’s rebellion, and Samaria’s siege. In each case the good news arrives amid national crisis, reversing hopeless circumstances. The messenger crosses enemy lines, city walls, or battlefields to deliver a word that shapes royal decisions and public morale.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Sovereignty – Good news follows God’s hidden work. Whether defeating the Philistines, thwarting treachery, or scattering the Arameans, Yahweh engineers the outcome before the messenger speaks.

2. Moral Accountability – David’s execution of the Amalekite (2 Samuel 4:10) and the lepers’ self-indictment (2 Kings 7:9) teach that good news mishandled invites judgment. The bearer’s attitude must mirror the news itself.

3. Foreshadowing the Gospel – Besorah lays conceptual groundwork for the New Testament εὐαγγέλιον. Victory over hostile forces, liberation of the oppressed, and the duty to announce it anticipate the proclamation of Christ’s resurrection.

Messianic Echoes

The pattern of unexpected deliverance shared publicly mirrors Isaiah’s later vision: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news” (Isaiah 52:7). Though Isaiah employs a verbal form, the thematic link is unmistakable—salvation accomplished by God, broadcast by faithful heralds, reaching Zion and the nations. The Old Testament besorah thus becomes a prophetic shadow of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Urgency of Proclamation – Like the lepers outside Samaria, believers who have encountered the decisive act of God must not “keep silent.”

• Integrity of the Messenger – Ahimaaz’s reputation (“he is a good man”) reminds servants of Christ that character authenticates message.

• Sensitivity in Delivery – Joab’s hesitation and David’s grief show that good news may still carry painful elements; gospel ministry must unite truth with pastoral wisdom.

• Reward and Cost – Joab warns that a messenger may receive “no reward” (2 Samuel 18:22). New-covenant heralds likewise seek reward from the Lord, not from human applause.

Intertextual Links

Judges 9:7-15; Isaiah 40:9; Nahum 1:15; Luke 2:10-11; Romans 10:14-15. These texts expand the motif of good news from localized victories to cosmic salvation.

Summary

בְּשׂוֹרָה threads through Israel’s account as the trumpet blast of divine deliverance. Its six appearances reveal a consistent theology: God acts, people are rescued, and someone must speak. This Old Testament fabric is later fulfilled in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, where the ultimate good news—victory over sin and death—is entrusted to the church with the same solemn, joyful urgency.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּשֹׂרָ֣ה בְּשֹׂרָ֤ה בְּשֹׂרָֽה׃ בְּשׂוֹרָ֣ה בְּשׂוֹרָ֥ה בשורה בשרה בשרה׃ bə·śō·rāh bə·śō·w·rāh besoRah bəśōrāh bəśōwrāh
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Samuel 4:10
HEB: לְתִתִּי־ ל֖וֹ בְּשֹׂרָֽה׃
NAS: which was the reward I gave
KJV: who [thought] that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:
INT: which gave was the reward

2 Samuel 18:20
HEB: לֹא֩ אִ֨ישׁ בְּשֹׂרָ֤ה אַתָּה֙ הַיּ֣וֹם
NAS: to him, You are not the man to carry news this
KJV: unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day,
INT: no the man to carry you day

2 Samuel 18:22
HEB: וּלְכָ֖ה אֵין־ בְּשׂוֹרָ֥ה מֹצֵֽאת׃
NAS: since you will have no reward for going?
KJV: my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready?
INT: my son will have reward ready

2 Samuel 18:25
HEB: אִם־ לְבַדּ֖וֹ בְּשׂוֹרָ֣ה בְּפִ֑יו וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ
NAS: he is by himself there is good news in his mouth.
KJV: said, If he [be] alone, [there is] tidings in his mouth.
INT: If himself news his mouth came

2 Samuel 18:27
HEB: זֶ֔ה וְאֶל־ בְּשׂוֹרָ֥ה טוֹבָ֖ה יָבֽוֹא׃
NAS: and comes with good news.
KJV: and cometh with good tidings.
INT: This about news good and comes

2 Kings 7:9
HEB: הַזֶּה֙ יוֹם־ בְּשֹׂרָ֣ה ה֔וּא וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ
NAS: is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent;
KJV: [is] a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace:
INT: This day news he we

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1309
6 Occurrences


bə·śō·rāh — 6 Occ.

1308
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