Hebrew word · Strong's H1254

בָּרָא

bârâʼ · baw-raw' · verb · “to create”

In a sentence

Bara means to create — and in the Old Testament its subject is always God. It describes bringing into being what only God can: the heavens, the earth, and new beginnings.

Bara is a special verb: in the Hebrew Bible only God is ever its subject. It does not by itself require “from nothing,” but its exclusive use of God marks creation as uniquely divine work no creature can do.

It opens Scripture — “In the beginning God created (bara)” — and reappears when God promises to “create a clean heart” or “new heavens and a new earth.” The God who made everything is the same God who makes people new.

Strong's reference

Definition: (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes)

KJV usage: choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Psalms 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Isaiah 65:17 “For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.