H8313 — שָׂרַף (saraph)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H8313
Original: שָׂרַף
Transliteration: saraph
Pronunciation: saw-raf'
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Occurrences: 107 unique verses (124 tokens) across 21 books
First Occurrence: Gen 11:3 — "let us make brick, and burn them throughly"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to be (causatively, set) on fire:—(cause to, make a) burn((-ing), up), kindle, utterly.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	109	burn, set on fire (active destruction or consumption)
Niphal	13	be burned, be consumed (passive — "she shall be burnt," "it shall be burnt with fire")
Pual	1	was burned (intensive passive — Lev 10:16 only)

Qal dominates at 89%. Niphal occurs in penalty/judgment contexts (Gen 38:24; Lev 7:17, 19; 21:9; Josh 7:15; Jer 38:17) and plague-garment disposal (Lev 13:52, 55). The single Pual in Lev 10:16 describes the sin-offering goat that Moses found already burned.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
burn/burned/burnt (all forms)	~95	89%
kindle/kindled	2	2%
utterly	1	1%
Other (partial phrases)	~9	8%

The KJV translation is remarkably uniform — nearly every occurrence is rendered as some form of "burn."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Leviticus	18	2.1
Jeremiah	22	1.6
2 Kings	9	1.3
Joshua	8	1.2
Micah	1	1.0
Judges	5	0.8
Amos	1	0.7
Deuteronomy	6	0.6
1 Samuel	4	0.5
1 Kings	4	0.5
2 Chronicles	4	0.5
Exodus	4	0.3
Ezekiel	4	0.3
Numbers	4	0.3
Isaiah	4	0.3
Nehemiah	1	0.2
Genesis	2	0.1
2 Samuel	1	0.1
Psalms	3	0.1
1 Chronicles	1	0.1
Proverbs	1	0.1

Leviticus has the highest density (ritual burning). Jeremiah has the highest raw count (judgment on Jerusalem). The word clusters in two domains: cultic legislation (Lev, Exo, Num, Deut) and military/judgment narratives (Josh, Jdg, 2Ki, Jer).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Ritual Burning of Sacrificial Remains¶

Burning the parts of offerings not placed on the altar — carried outside the camp for complete consumption. - Exo 29:14 — "the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp" - Lev 4:12 — "the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp... and burn him on the wood with fire" - Lev 4:21 — "he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock" - Lev 16:27 — "the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering... shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh" - Num 19:5 — "one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn"

2. Disposal of Unclean or Leftover Consecrated Material¶

Burning items that must not be kept — leftover sacrificial meat, plague-contaminated garments. - Exo 12:10 — "that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire" - Lev 7:17 — "the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire" - Lev 7:19 — "the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire" - Lev 13:52 — "He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof... wherein the plague is" - Lev 13:55 — "thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward"

3. Military Destruction of Cities, Fortifications, and Spoil¶

Burning conquered cities and enemy property as an act of war. - Josh 6:24 — "they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein" - Josh 8:28 — "Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever" - Josh 11:11 — "he burned Hazor with fire" - Num 31:10 — "they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire" - Jdg 18:27 — "came unto Laish... and they burnt the city with fire"

4. Destruction of Idols and Pagan Cult Objects¶

Burning idolatrous images, Asherah poles, and illicit cultic items. - Deut 7:5 — "break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire" - Deut 7:25 — "the graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire" - Exo 32:20 — "he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire" - 2Ki 23:6 — "he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD... and burned it at the brook Kidron" - 2Ki 23:15 — "the altar that was at Bethel... he brake down, and burned the high place"

5. Judgment — Burning as Penalty or Divine Wrath¶

Capital punishment by burning, and prophetic judgment on cities/nations. - Gen 38:24 — "Bring her forth, and let her be burnt" (Judah's sentence on Tamar) - Lev 20:14 — "if a man take a wife and her mother... they shall be burnt with fire" - Lev 21:9 — "the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself... she shall be burnt with fire" - Jer 21:10 — "it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire" - Jer 34:2 — "this city... shall be... burned with fire"

6. Miscellaneous Burning (Manufacturing, Domestic, Metaphorical)¶

Gen 11:3 — "let us make brick, and burn them throughly" (brick-making)
Isa 44:16 — "He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh" (domestic fuel)
Prov 6:27 — "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?" (proverbial)
Isa 47:14 — "they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them" (metaphor of judgment)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
בַּיִת (bayith)	H1004	21x	"burned the house of..." — destruction of buildings, esp. temple
מֶלֶךְ (melek)	H4428	20x	"the king... burned" — royal acts of burning (reform or conquest)
עִיר (ʻiyr)	H5892	19x	"burned the city with fire" — military destruction formula
בֵּן (ben)	H1121	16x	"burn their sons in fire" — child sacrifice contexts
בָּשָׂר (basar)	H1320	13x	"his flesh... shall be burned" — ritual disposal of sacrificial flesh
אֱלֹהִים (elohiym)	H430	13x	idol/altar destruction or sin-offering before God
עוֹר (ʻowr)	H5785	10x	"his skin... burn with fire" — burning hide of sacrificial animal

Semantic Domain: Burn¶

From SDBH domain [002001001010]: - H215 אוּר (ʼuwr) — give light, shine (root sense of illumination, not destruction) - H1197 בָּעַר (baʻar) — burn, consume, kindle (broader burning; also used of divine anger) - H1200 בְּעֵרָה (beʻerah) — a burning, fire - H1814 דָּלַק (dalaq) — to burn, pursue hotly - A1815 דָּלַק (dalaq) — Aramaic cognate: burn (Dan 7:9)

Word Family / Cognates¶

H8314 שָׂרָף (saraph) — noun: seraph (burning one); fiery serpent (Num 21:6, 8; Isa 6:2, 6; 14:29; 30:6)
H8316 שְׂרֵפָה (serephah) — noun: burning, cremation (from this root; 13v)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
בָּעַר (baʻar)	H1197	"burn," "burned," "burnt"	baʻar = broader: burn, consume, also figurative for anger blazing; saraph = concrete physical burning, often total destruction
קָטַר (qatar)	H6999	"burn," "burnt"	qatar = specifically incense/sacrificial smoke offering on the altar; saraph = complete combustion, esp. outside the camp
כָּוָה (kavah)	H3554	"be burned"	kavah = burn/scorch (as injury); saraph = deliberate burning to consume

The saraph/qatar distinction is critical in Levitical contexts: qatar describes the altar-smoke offering (a pleasing aroma), while saraph describes total burning of remains outside the camp (disposal/judgment, not worship).

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
κατακαίω (katakaio) G2618	63	30.67	Primary — "burn down, consume utterly"
πῦρ (pyr) G4442	68	22.26	"fire" — noun used in "burn with fire" constructions
ἐμπρήθω (empretho) G1714	11	18.16	"set on fire, burn up"
καίω (kaio) G2545	10	12.23	Simple "burn, kindle"

The LXX overwhelmingly maps saraph to κατακαίω (kata + kaio = "burn down completely"), reflecting the word's emphasis on total consumption.