תַּ֫עַר
ta.ar
razor
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word תַּ֫עַר (ta.ar) is a noun that translates to "razor." Its primary meaning is a sharp-edged tool used for shaving or cutting hair. This word appears 13 times in the Bible, indicating its significance in ancient Hebrew culture. The range of usage for this word is primarily related to personal grooming and hygiene. It is often used in conjunction with other words that describe the act of shaving or cutting one's hair, such as trimming or shaving the head or beard. This suggests that the razor was an essential tool for maintaining personal appearance and cleanliness in ancient Hebrew society. The significance of this word lies in its association with cleanliness, modesty, and spiritual purity. In some biblical contexts, shaving or cutting one's hair is linked to rituals of purification or mourning. For example, the Hebrews were instructed to shave their heads as a sign of mourning after the death of a loved one (Leviticus 21:5). This highlights the importance of the razor as a tool not only for physical grooming but also for spiritual and emotional expression.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
13 total occurrences across the text
Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
Isaiah 7:20In 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.
Jeremiah 36:23When Jehudi had read three or four leaves, the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.
Jeremiah 47:6“ ‘You sword of Yahweh, how long will it be before you are quiet? Put yourself back into your scabbard; rest, and be still.’
Ezekiel 5:1“You, son of man, take a sharp sword. You shall take it as a barber’s razor to yourself, and shall cause it to pass over your head and over your beard. Then take balances to weigh and divide the hair.
Ezekiel 21:3Tell the land of Israel, ‘Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, and will draw my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.
Ezekiel 21:4Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore my sword will go out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north.
Ezekiel 21:5All flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword out of its sheath. It will not return any more.” ’
Ezekiel 21:30Cause it to return into its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your birth, I will judge you.
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.
Numbers 8:7You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves.
1 Samuel 17:51Then David ran, stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
2 Samuel 20:8When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was clothed in his apparel of war that he had put on, and on it was a sash with a sword fastened on his waist in its sheath; and as he went along it fell out.