Hebrew word · H972

בָּחִיר

bechir

chosen

Chosen one. It is used of Israel as God's elect people (Isaiah 42:1; 43:20; 45:4; Psalm 105:6) and of individuals such as Moses and David (Psalm 106:23; 89:3).

Appears 13 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

chosen, choice one, chosen one, elect (of God)

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 65:15

Range of meaning

Chosen one. It is used of Israel as God's elect people (Isaiah 42:1; 43:20; 45:4; Psalm 105:6) and of individuals such as Moses and David (Psalm 106:23; 89:3).

Against the English

English 'chosen' or 'elect' tends to call up later debates about individual predestination to eternal salvation.

How it drifted

Later Christian debates about election, especially since Augustine and the Reformation, gave 'the elect' a technical, individual and heavenly sense.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Isaiah 40–55 'my chosen' means Jacob or Israel as a nation. In Isaiah 65:9, 15 and 22 it means the faithful remnant who will inherit the land. The Dead Sea Scrolls community later called itself 'the chosen ones', with a similar sense of a faithful group within Israel.

From the study of Isaiah 43:20

Range of meaning

'Chosen (one)', from bḥr 'to choose, select (after testing)'. Used of Moses (Psalm 106:23), Saul and David (2 Samuel 21:6; Psalm 89:3), and in Isaiah 40–66 of Israel/Jacob as God's servant (42:1; 43:20; 45:4; 65:9, 15, 22).

Against the English

KJV and WEB keep the two titles side by side: 'my people, my chosen'. BSB and ESV merge them: 'My chosen people'. The meaning holds, but the merged form loses the separate title 'my chosen one', which ties this verse to the servant passages.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 41:8–9 ('Israel my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen'); 42:1 ('my servant… my chosen, in whom my soul delights'). The LXX renders it 'my chosen race' (genos eklekton), the phrase 1 Peter 2:9 adopts.

From the study of Isaiah 65:22

Range of meaning

"Chosen, elect one." Used of God's chosen: Moses (Psalm 106:23), Saul and David (2 Samuel 21:6; Psalm 89:3), the Servant (Isaiah 42:1), and Israel or Jacob as a people (Isaiah 43:20; 45:4; Psalm 105:6, 43; 106:5).

Against the English

"Chosen ones" (BSB, NASB) or "chosen" (WEB, ESV, NIV) is accurate. KJV's "mine elect" is also accurate, but for many readers it now carries the later doctrinal debates about predestination.

How it drifted

Later Christian theology, especially after Augustine and in Reformation debates, made "the elect" a technical term for individuals predestined to eternal salvation. In Isaiah the word names a covenant community that God chose for a relationship and a role in history.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 65:9 ("my chosen will inherit it [the land], my servants will dwell there"), 65:15 ("you will leave your name as a curse to my chosen"), and 65:22 form a cluster. The Dead Sea Scrolls community later called itself "the chosen" (for example in the Habakkuk commentary, 1QpHab), which shows the term being used by groups who saw themselves as the faithful remnant.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 21:6 בְּחִ֣יר [the] chosen one of

    let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to you,” said the king.

    Here: 'The chosen one of the LORD.' As the Hebrew stands, this is a title for Saul, recalling 1 Sam 10:24 ('Do you see the one the LORD has chosen?'). In the Gibeonites' mouth it has a bitter edge: the LORD's own chosen king broke the LORD's oath. Some scholars think the text originally read 'on the mountain of the LORD.'

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 16:13 בְּחִירָֽיו׃ chosen ones his

    O offspring of His servant Israel, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

Psalms · 5

  1. Psalm 89:3 לִבְחִירִ֑י to chosen one my

    You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant:

    Here: “For my chosen one.” The little prefix lə- (“for, to”) marks David as the one who receives the covenant. “Chosen” here means picked out by God for an office, kingship. The second line names him: David.

  2. Psalm 105:6 בְּחִירָֽיו׃ chosen ones his

    O offspring of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

    Here: Plural, so it describes "the sons of Jacob," not Jacob himself. They are the ones God picked out for himself. The word pairs with "his servant": Abraham was taken into God's service, and his descendants were selected as God's own.

  3. Psalm 105:43 בְּחִירָֽיו׃ chosen ones his

    He brought forth His people with rejoicing, His chosen with shouts of joy.

    Here: 'His chosen ones.' It is a parallel name for 'his people': the whole of Israel as the group God picked out for his covenant. It echoes v. 6 ('children of Jacob, his chosen ones'), so the psalm's story ends where it began.

  4. Psalm 106:5 בְּחִירֶ֗יךָ chosen ones your

    that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, and rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, and give glory with Your inheritance.

    Here: 'Your chosen ones': Israel as the people God picked out for himself. The word repeats the language of the twin psalm (Ps 105:6, 43). It is a group title, and it rests on God's choice, not on the people's record (the very next verse confesses their sin).

  5. Psalm 106:23 בְחִיר֗וֹ chosen one his

    So He said He would destroy them—had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach to divert His wrath from destroying them.

    Here: Moses is God's own picked man, chosen for a role. The same word was used of the whole people in verse 5 ("your chosen ones"); now one chosen man saves the chosen people from themselves.

Isaiah · 6

  1. Isaiah 42:1 בְּחִירִ֖י chosen one my

    “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.

    Here: 'My chosen one.' This is a title for someone God has singled out for a role. The word is used elsewhere of Moses (Ps 106:23), David (Ps 89:3) and Israel (Isa 43:20; 45:4).

  2. Isaiah 43:20 בְחִירִֽי׃ chosen one my

    The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.

    Here: A singular title, 'my chosen one', standing beside 'my people'. In Isaiah 40–55 the same title belongs to 'Israel/Jacob my servant' (41:8–9; 42:1; 44:1–2; 45:4). It leads straight into v.21: chosen and formed in order to declare God's praise.

  3. Isaiah 45:4 בְּחִירִ֑י chosen one my

    For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.

  4. Isaiah 65:9 בְחִירַ֔י chosen ones my

    And I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and heirs from Judah; My elect will possess My mountains, and My servants will dwell there.

    Here: 'My chosen ones.' Elsewhere in Isaiah the word means Israel as a people chosen for a role. In chapter 65 it narrows to the faithful within Israel (vv. 9, 15, 22) as opposed to the rebels.

  5. Isaiah 65:15 לִבְחִירַ֔י to chosen ones my

    You will leave behind your name as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to His servants He will give another name.

    Here: 'To / for my chosen ones.' This is the faithful group, the people who will use the name in their oaths. Earlier in Isaiah 'my chosen' meant all Israel (41:8; 43:20). In this chapter (65:9, 22) it means the faithful within Israel, as opposed to the rebels.

  6. Isaiah 65:22 בְחִירָֽי׃ chosen ones my

    No longer will they build houses for others to inhabit, nor plant for others to eat. For as is the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, and My chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands.

    Here: "My chosen ones." This is the subject of "wear out," placed last for emphasis. In Isaiah 65 it names the faithful "servants" as opposed to those who abandoned the LORD (65:9, 13–15).

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