---
title: סֶרֶן — tyrant · The Tanakh dictionary
description: סֶרֶן (5633), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 21 times: tyrant. BDB 1906: n.m. tyrant, lord. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# סֶרֶן

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«סֶרֶן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **tyrant** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 21 times · **Key:** 5633 · **BDB:** סֶ֫רֶן

### Glosses

the.rulers (15); rulers (4); of.the.rulers (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

tyrant [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5633/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. tyrant, lord [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5633/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. tyrant, lord (Philist. loan-word);—pl. abs. הַסְּרָנִים Ju 16:30 + 2 times; cstr. סַרְנֵי Ju 3:3 + 16 times; sf. סַרְנֵיכֶם 1 S 6:4;—only of tyrants, lords of the Philistines, five in no. Ju 3:3 Jos 13:3 (D), 1 S 6:16, 18 cf. v 4, i.e. appar., one ruling each of the five cities (named 1 S 6:17); without the numeral Ju 16:5 + 6 times Ju 16, 1 S 5:8 + 7 times 1 S, + 1 Ch 12:20 (Baer Ginsb; v 19 van d. H.).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 9 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «סֶרֶן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5633/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[1 Samuel 6:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/1SA.6.16/)

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וַחֲמִשָּׁ֥ה סַרְנֵֽי־פְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים רָא֑וּ וַיָּשֻׁ֥בוּ עֶקְר֖וֹן בַּיּ֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃ס

*Word for word:* and five the.rulers of.\[the\].Philistines they.saw and they.went.back Ekron on the day (the) that

*JPS 1917:* And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

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[1 Samuel 29:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/1SA.29.7/)

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וְעַתָּ֥ה שׁ֖וּב וְלֵ֣ךְ בְּשָׁל֑וֹם וְלֹֽא־תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה רָ֔ע בְּעֵינֵ֖י סַרְנֵ֥י פְלִשְׁתִּֽים׃ס

*Word for word:* and therefore turn.back and go in peace and not you.will.do evil in the.eyes of.the.rulers of.\[the\].Philistines

*JPS 1917:* Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.'

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- ↑ back to [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-3.md)