8282. sarah

Lexical Summary

sarah: princesses, ladies, princess

Original Word: שָׂרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: sarah
Pronunciation: sah-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-raw')
KJV: lady, princess, queen
NASB: princesses, ladies, princess
Word Origin: [feminine of H8269 (שַׂר - princes)]

1. a mistress, i.e. female noble

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

lady, princess, queen

Feminine of sar; a mistress, i.e. Female noble -- lady, princess, queen.

see HEBREW sar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
fem. of sar
Definition
princess, noble lady
NASB Translation
ladies (1), princess (1), princesses (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. [שָׂרָה] noun feminine princess, noble lady; — construct שָׂרָ֫תִי (Ges^{§ 90l}) Lamentations 1:1; plural שָׂרוֺת 1 Kings 11:3, construct id. Esther 1:18; suffix שָׂרוֺתֶיהָ Judges 5:29, תֵיהֶם- Isaiah 49:23; — princess attending Sisera's mother Judges 5:29; so Solomon's wives 1 Kings 11:3, other queens Isaiah 49:23 ("" מְלָכִים); wives of nobles Esther 1:18; figurative of Jerusalem Lamentations 1:1.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Scope

שָׂרָה (sarah) designates a woman of high rank—princess, queen, noble lady. The word is consistently set in royal or courtly settings, whether literal or metaphorical, and always carries the nuance of elevated status and influence.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Judges 5:29 – “The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she repeats her words to herself.” The “ladies” (sârôṯêhā) attending Sisera’s mother highlight Canaanite court life and underline the irony of impending defeat.
2. 1 Kings 11:3 – “He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.” Solomon’s marriages to foreign princesses expose the spiritual peril of political alliances that compromise covenant fidelity.
3. Esther 1:18 – “This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in much contempt and wrath.” Court protocol in Persia stresses how one influential woman’s example can shape empire-wide attitudes.
4. Isaiah 49:23 – “Kings will be your guardians and their queens your nursing mothers.” The messianic promise pictures Gentile royalty—both male and female—serving Zion, foreshadowing universal submission to the Lord’s anointed.
5. Lamentations 1:1 – “She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave.” Jerusalem’s lost splendor is poetically rendered through the fall of a once-exalted princess, underscoring the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness.

Historical Background

In the ancient Near East, royal women wielded substantial influence: negotiating treaties, securing dynastic alliances, and directing domestic and palace affairs. Hebrew usage of שָׂרָה parallels Akkadian šarratu (“queen”) and illustrates Israel’s interaction with surrounding monarchies while retaining distinct theological perspectives on power and covenant.

Theological and Ministry Insights

• Female authority is acknowledged: Scripture neither ignores nor diminishes the impact of noble women, whether Canaanite attendants (Judges), foreign princesses (1 Kings), Persian aristocracy (Esther), or allegorical queens (Isaiah, Lamentations).
• Influence may be constructive or destructive. Solomon’s foreign princesses “turned his heart away,” while the future queens in Isaiah 49 actively nurture God’s people. Leadership must align with covenant loyalty.
• God overturns human prestige. The proud mother of Sisera waits in vain; Jerusalem, once a princess, sits desolate. Yet grace elevates the lowly when nations’ queens become “nursing mothers”—a tender reversal fulfilled in the gospel.

Christological and Prophetic Dimensions

Isaiah 49:23 anticipates Gentile submission to Messiah, realized as kings and queens sponsor the spread of the gospel (for example, Acts 8:27 with Candace’s treasurer). Royal women in history—from Lydia of Thyatira to contemporary leaders—echo this prophecy by nurturing the Church.

Practical Applications

1. Recognize the strategic role of women in leadership and discipleship; their counsel shapes families, churches, and nations.
2. Guard against alliances that compromise biblical conviction, remembering Solomon’s downfall.
3. Embrace servant leadership: greatness in the kingdom is measured not by status but by nurturing God’s people (Matthew 20:26-28).
4. Maintain hope—lost dignity can be restored in Christ, just as Zion’s desolation is reversed in prophetic promise.

Forms and Transliterations

וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ ושרותיהם שָׂר֣וֹת שָׂרָ֙תִי֙ שָׂרוֹת֙ שָׂרוֹתֶ֖יהָ שרות שרותיה שרתי śā·rā·ṯî śā·rō·w·ṯe·hā śā·rō·wṯ saRati śārāṯî sarOt saroTeiha śārōwṯ śārōwṯehā vesaroteiHem wə·śā·rō·w·ṯê·hem wəśārōwṯêhem

Englishman's Concordance

Judges 5:29
HEB: חַכְמ֥וֹת שָׂרוֹתֶ֖יהָ תַּעֲנֶ֑ינָּה אַף־
NAS: Her wise princesses would answer
KJV: Her wise ladies answered
INT: her wise princesses answer her Indeed

1 Kings 11:3
HEB: ל֣וֹ נָשִׁ֗ים שָׂרוֹת֙ שְׁבַ֣ע מֵא֔וֹת
NAS: wives, princesses, and three
KJV: wives, princesses, and three
INT: had wives princesses seven hundred

Esther 1:18
HEB: הַזֶּ֜ה תֹּאמַ֣רְנָה ׀ שָׂר֣וֹת פָּֽרַס־ וּמָדַ֗י
NAS: day the ladies of Persia
KJV: [Likewise] shall the ladies of Persia
INT: This will speak the ladies of Persia and Media

Isaiah 49:23
HEB: מְלָכִ֜ים אֹֽמְנַ֗יִךְ וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְ אַפַּ֗יִם
NAS: will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses.
KJV: shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers:
INT: Kings will be your guardians and their princesses your nurses their faces

Lamentations 1:1
HEB: רַבָּ֣תִי בַגּוֹיִ֗ם שָׂרָ֙תִי֙ בַּמְּדִינ֔וֹת הָיְתָ֖ה
NAS: among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces
KJV: among the nations, [and] princess among the provinces,
INT: Who the nations was a princess the provinces has become

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8282
5 Occurrences

śā·rā·ṯî — 1 Occ.
śā·rō·wṯ — 2 Occ.
śā·rō·w·ṯe·hā — 1 Occ.
wə·śā·rō·w·ṯê·hem — 1 Occ.