Hebrew word · H8389
תֹּ֫אַר
to'ar
appearance
Form, shape, outline, figure. It nearly always refers to an attractive physical presence: Rachel was 'beautiful of form' (Gen 29:17), and so was Joseph (Gen 39:6). David was 'a man of form' (1 Sam 16:18, i.e. good-looking and of good presence), and Abigail is praised the same way (1 Sam 25:3).
Appears 15 times in 15 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
shape, form, outline, figure, appearance
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
- Range of meaning
Form, shape, outline, figure. It nearly always refers to an attractive physical presence: Rachel was 'beautiful of form' (Gen 29:17), and so was Joseph (Gen 39:6). David was 'a man of form' (1 Sam 16:18, i.e. good-looking and of good presence), and Abigail is praised the same way (1 Sam 25:3). It can also mean the outline of something (Judg 8:18).
- Against the English
KJV 'form' and BSB 'stately form' are both fair. Plain 'form' can sound like mere shape to a modern reader. In Hebrew, having tōʾar meant having a fine figure, and lacking it meant being unimpressive.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Isaiah 52:14 uses the same word: his 'form' was marred beyond that of the sons of men. Hebrew narratives often note that kings and heroes look the part.
From the study of 1 Samuel 16:18
- Range of meaning
Outline, form, figure, overall appearance. With 'good' or 'beautiful' it describes an attractive person (yefeh toʾar, Gen 39:6; 29:17; 1 Sam 25:3). On its own in ʾish toʾar it means 'a man of (fine) form'.
- Against the English
BSB has "handsome", KJV "a comely person", and YLT, literally, "a man of form". These are fair renderings. The English loses the link to the chapter's other words for appearance.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Used of Joseph (Gen 39:6), Rachel (Gen 29:17) and Abigail (1 Sam 25:3). Kings and heroes in the ancient Near East were routinely praised for their physical beauty; compare Saul in 1 Sam 9:2 and Absalom in 2 Sam 14:25.
From the study of Lamentations 4:8
- Range of meaning
Form, outline, figure, appearance, usually with a sense of fine bearing. "Beautiful of form" is said of Rachel (Gen 29:17), Joseph (Gen 39:6), and David, called "a man of tōʾar" (1 Sam 16:18). It can also be neutral ("what is his appearance?" 1 Sam 28:14). Famously, the servant has "no tōʾar" (Isa 53:2) and is disfigured "beyond the sons of man" (Isa 52:14).
- Against the English
"Appearance" (BSB, WEB, NASB) or "visage/face" (KJV, ESV). "Face" narrows a word that means the whole figure. Elsewhere tōʾar covers how a person looks overall.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In biblical stories it is a standard word of praise for chosen or attractive people. Its loss in Isa 52–53 is a known parallel: a figure so marred that people turn away.
Where it appears
Genesis · 4
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Genesis 29:17 תֹּ֖אַר form
Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.
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Genesis 39:6 תֹ֖אַר form
So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,
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Genesis 41:18 תֹּ֑אַר form
when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.
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Genesis 41:19 תֹּ֛אַר form
After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt!
Deuteronomy · 1
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Deuteronomy 21:11 תֹּ֑אַר appearance
if you see a beautiful woman among them, and you desire her and want to take her as your wife,
Judges · 1
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Judges 8:18 כְּתֹ֖אַר [was] like [the] appearance of
Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
1 Samuel · 3
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1 Samuel 16:18 תֹּ֑אַר form
One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome, and the LORD is with him.”
Here: "Of form": a good-looking, well-built man. The word is used of Joseph (Gen 39:6) and Rachel (Gen 29:17). Coming after v.7 ("do not look at his appearance"), it is pointed.
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1 Samuel 25:3 תֹּ֔אַר appearance
His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
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1 Samuel 28:14 תָּאֳר֔וֹ [is] appearance his
“What does he look like?” asked Saul. “An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown in reverence.
1 Kings · 1
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1 Kings 1:6 תֹּ֙אַר֙ appearance
(His father had never once reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)
Esther · 1
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Esther 2:7 תֹּ֙אַר֙ shape
And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter.
Isaiah · 2
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Isaiah 52:14 וְתֹאֲר֖וֹ and form his
Just as many were appalled at Him—His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness—
Here: "And his form," his shape and bearing. It pairs with "appearance" in descriptions of beautiful people (Gen 39:6; 1 Sam 16:18). The same pair comes back in 53:2: he had no form and no appearance that would draw anyone to him.
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Isaiah 53:2 תֹ֥אַר form
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.
Here: 'Form'. In Hebrew narrative this is the word for a fine, handsome figure: Joseph, Rachel and David are all praised for their tōʾar. He had none of it.
Jeremiah · 1
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Jeremiah 11:16 תֹ֔אַר form
The LORD once called you a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit. But with a mighty roar He will set it on fire, and its branches will be consumed.
Here: Good shape or bearing, the word used for handsome Joseph and David (Gen 39:6; 1 Sam 16:18). With the words before it: a tree whose fruit and whole shape are lovely.
Lamentations · 1
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Lamentations 4:8 תָּֽאֳרָ֔ם appearance their
But now their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick.
Here: "Their form/looks." The word is usually used for a fine figure: Rachel, Joseph and David are all praised for their *tōʾar*. So it is the very good looks praised in v. 7 that have gone dark. "Their" points back to the honoured people described in v. 7.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.