Hebrew word · H1319

בָּשַׂר

bisar

to bear tidings

To bring news, usually good news: news of victory in battle (1 Sam 31:9; 2 Sam 18:19–31), of a birth (Jer 20:15), of rescue. The participle mevasser means 'herald' or 'news-bearer'. Isaiah 40:9 and 52:7 use it for the messenger who announces God's return to Zion and his reign: 'Your God reigns!'

Appears 24 times in 21 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to bear news, bear tidings, publish, preach, show forth

1a) (Piel)

1a1) to gladden with good news

1a2) to bear news

1a3) to announce (salvation) as good news, preach

1b) (Hithpael) to receive good news

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 61:1

Range of meaning

To bring news, usually good news: news of victory in battle (1 Sam 31:9; 2 Sam 18:19–31), of a birth (Jer 20:15), of rescue. The participle mevasser means 'herald' or 'news-bearer'. Isaiah 40:9 and 52:7 use it for the messenger who announces God's return to Zion and his reign: 'Your God reigns!'

Against the English

'Preach good news' (BSB, WEB) and 'preach good tidings' (KJV) are fine. But modern 'preach' suggests a sermon, and 'good news' or 'gospel' suggests a set of doctrines about individual salvation. The Hebrew picture is of a runner bringing a public announcement that something has happened: the war is over, the king is coming, the captives go home.

How it drifted

Through the Greek euangelizomai and Christian use, 'gospel' became a technical term for the Christian message. That is a legitimate later use, but the word here is broader and more concrete.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint translates it euangelisasthai. Greek inscriptions (e.g. the Priene calendar inscription, 9 BCE) use euangelia for the 'good news' of Augustus's birth and reign, which shows the word's royal, public sense. In Isaiah's own setting it is the herald of 40:9 and 52:7.

From the study of Isaiah 52:7

Range of meaning

To carry news and announce it. Usually good news, especially of military victory, but sometimes bad news: in 1 Samuel 4:17 the məbaśśēr reports Israel's defeat and the ark's capture. The participle means 'the one who carries news', the herald or runner. In Isaiah 40–55 it becomes a technical image: a herald announcing God's victorious return (40:9; 41:27; 52:7; later 60:6; 61:1).

Against the English

'Bring good news' / 'bringeth good tidings' are accurate. They lose the concrete picture of a runner from the battlefield, and plural renderings (BSB, NIV) lose the single herald.

How it drifted

Through the Greek euangelizomai (Septuagint, then the New Testament) the word lies behind 'evangelize' and 'gospel'. Modern readers can hear a church activity rather than a war-report runner. The New Testament link is real, but it is built on the military-herald picture, not instead of it.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Samuel 18:19–31: Ahimaaz and the Cushite race to David with news of Absalom's defeat. Ahimaaz's first word is 'Shalom!' ('All is well'). 1 Samuel 31:9 (Philistines send news of victory to their temples), 1 Kings 1:42. Nahum 1:15 (2:1 in Hebrew) is nearly identical to this verse and announces Nineveh's fall. The Septuagint translates with euangelizomai. 11QMelchizedek from the Dead Sea Scrolls reads the məbaśśēr of Isa 52:7 as an end-time figure 'anointed of the Spirit' (linking it to Isa 61:1).

From the study of Isaiah 40:9

Range of meaning

The verb bāśar means to bring or announce news. Its participle məvaśśēr is 'the news-bringer', the runner or messenger. Usually the news is good, especially news of a military victory or of an enemy's death (1 Sam 31:9; 2 Sam 18:19–31; 1 Kgs 1:42). But it can be neutral or bad: in 1 Sam 4:17 the məvaśśēr reports Israel's defeat and the capture of the ark. The noun bəśôrāh means 'news' or 'the reward for news' (2 Sam 4:10; 18:22). Here the feminine form, məvaśśeret, means 'woman herald'.

Against the English

KJV 'that bringest good tidings', BSB/ESV 'herald of good news', WEB 'you who tell good news'. All rightly make the news good, which the context requires. But 'good news' and especially 'tidings' make it sound gentle or devotional. To a first hearer it was the shout of a messenger running in from the battlefield: 'We've won! The king is coming!'

How it drifted

The Greek translation of this word family, euangelizomai / euangelion, became the New Testament word for 'gospel', and Mark opens by quoting Isaiah 40 (Mark 1:1–3). Through that link English readers often hear Isaiah 40:9 as being about 'preaching the gospel' in the later church sense. The New Testament use builds on this passage. But in Isaiah the news itself is specific: God has won and is returning as king to his ruined city.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 68:11 (Heb. 68:12) speaks of 'the women who bring the news (ha-məvaśśərôt), a great army', using the same feminine participle in the plural for women announcing victory. Compare the women singing after battles (Exod 15:20–21; 1 Sam 18:6–7). Nah 1:15 (Heb. 2:1) has 'the feet of one bringing news' on the mountains, announcing that Nineveh has fallen. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 develop the same theme: a herald on the mountains telling Zion 'Your God reigns!'. The LXX renders it ho euangelizomenos. Greek-speaking writers also used euangelion for announcements of imperial victories and accessions.

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 2

  1. 1 Samuel 4:17 הַֽמְבַשֵּׂ֜ר the bearer of news

    The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”

  2. 1 Samuel 31:9 לְבַשֵּׂ֛ר to bear [the] news

    They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among their people.

    Here: “To announce the news”. For the Philistines this is victory news, good tidings. It is the verb David uses in his lament: “do not announce it in the streets of Ashkelon” (2 Sam 1:20).

2 Samuel · 7

  1. 2 Samuel 1:20 תְּבַשְּׂר֖וּ you bear news

    Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

    Here: Stronger than 'tell'. This is the work of a runner bringing battle news, usually news the hearers want. Here it carries a bitter edge: in Philistia the death of Saul would be received as good news.

  2. 2 Samuel 4:10 כִמְבַשֵּׂר֙ like a bearer of news

    when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!

  3. 2 Samuel 18:19 וַאֲבַשְּׂרָ֖ה and let me bear [the] news to

    Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the LORD has avenged him of his enemies.”

  4. 2 Samuel 18:20 וּבִשַּׂרְתָּ֖ תְבַשֵּׂ֔ר and you will bear news, you will bear [the] news

    But Joab replied, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

  5. 2 Samuel 18:26 מְבַשֵּֽׂר׃ [is] bearing news

    the watchman saw another man running, and he called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!” “This one also brings good news,” said the king.

  6. 2 Samuel 18:31 יִתְבַּשֵּׂר֙ let him receive [the] news

    Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: Today the LORD has avenged you of all who rose up against you!”

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 1:42 תְּבַשֵּֽׂר׃ you bear news

    As he was speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” said Adonijah, “for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good news.”

1 Chronicles · 2

  1. 1 Chronicles 10:9 לְבַשֵּׂ֛ר to bear [the] news to

    They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.

  2. 1 Chronicles 16:23 בַּשְּׂר֥וּ bear news

    Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Proclaim His salvation day after day.

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 40:9 בִּשַּׂ֤רְתִּי I have borne news

    I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O LORD, do know.

    Here: The verb of the messenger who runs in with news, usually good news. The completed form ('I have brought the news') presents the announcement as something the speaker has already done in public, like a fulfilled vow.

  2. Psalm 68:11 הַֽ֝מְבַשְּׂר֗וֹת the [women who] bear news

    The Lord gives the command; a great company of women proclaim it:

    Here: A feminine plural participle with the article: 'the women who bring the news.' In a war hymn this means women announcing and celebrating victory, as in Israel's custom of women's victory songs.

  3. Psalm 96:2 בַּשְּׂר֥וּ bear news

    Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.

Isaiah · 7

  1. Isaiah 40:9 מְבַשֶּׂ֣רֶת מְבַשֶּׂ֖רֶת O bearer of news of

    Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”

    Here: A feminine participle: 'she who brings the news', a woman herald. In context the news is good: victory, rescue, the king coming back. Joined directly to 'Zion', so the phrase can mean 'herald, Zion' or 'herald to Zion' (see debates).

  2. Isaiah 41:27 מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר a bearer of news

    I was the first to tell Zion: ‘Look, here they are!’ And I gave to Jerusalem a herald of good news.

  3. Isaiah 52:7 מְבַשֵּׂ֗ר מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר [one who] bears news

    How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

    Here: 'One bringing news': a herald, usually a runner bringing news of a battle's outcome. Singular in Hebrew. The Greek translation of this root gives the New Testament its word for 'gospel'.

  4. Isaiah 60:6 יְבַשֵּֽׂרוּ׃ they will bear news

    Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

    Here: 'They will announce as good news'. This is the verb for the messenger who runs in with news of victory, and the key verb of Isaiah 40–66 (40:9; 52:7; 61:1). The traders arrive as heralds.

  5. Isaiah 61:1 לְבַשֵּׂ֣ר to bear news

    The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,

    Here: To act as a herald with news, usually good news of victory or rescue. It is the verb of Isaiah's messenger who announces 'Your God reigns!' (Isa 40:9; 52:7). In the Greek translation it becomes euangelizomai, the source of 'gospel'.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 20:15 בִּשַּׂ֤ר he bore [the] news

    Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him great joy.

    Here: 'He brought (the) news.' The verb normally means delivering welcome news and often implies the messenger expects thanks or a reward. Jeremiah turns the good-news messenger into an object of curse.

Nahum · 1

  1. Nahum 1:15 מְבַשֵּׂר֙ [one who] bears news

    Look to the mountains—the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked will never again march through you; they will be utterly cut off.

    Here: An active participle meaning 'a news-bringer', the herald who runs from the battlefield to report. The word usually means good news, most often a victory.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.