Lexical Definition

‎עֵבֶר‎ ʻêber (ay'-ber) side: beside ^H:N-M
from ‎עָבַר‎

[idiom] against, beyond, by, [idiom] from, over, passage, quarter, (other, this) side, straight.

• properly, a region across
• but used only adverbially (with or without a preposition) on the opposite side (especially of the Jordan
• ususally meaning the east)

1) region beyond or across, side
1a) region across or beyond
1b) side, opposite side

See Greek: Ἑβραῖος · μέρος · πέραν · πτέρυξ

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. ‎עֵ֫בֶר‎₉₁ noun masculine^{1Sam 14:40} region across or beyond, side (on formation compare Ba^{NB 144}; compare especially Assyrian êbru, êbirtu, id., êbirtan, adverb beyond); — ‎׳‎‎י‎ absolute 1Sam 14:4 +; construct Josh 24:4 +; suffix ‎עֶבְרוֺ‎ Isa 47:15 plural construct ‎עֶבְרֵי‎ Isa 7:20; Jer 48:28 (si vera lectio, see below); suffix ‎עֲבָרָיו‎ 1Kgs 5:4*; Jer 49:32 (read probably ‎עֶבְרֵיהֶם‎, so Vrss), ‎עֶבְרֵיהֶם‎ Exod 32:15 —

1. region across or beyond anything (usually wady, river, or sea), mostly with preposition:‎בְּעֵבֶר אַרְנוֺן‎ Num 21:13 (JE) Judg 11:18, compare Jer 25:22 ‎הַיָּם‎ ‎׳‎‎אֶלעֿ‎ Deut 30:13 b, ‎מַעֵבֶר לַיָּם‎ vDeut 30:13 a beyond the sea; ‎לְנַהֲרֵיכֿוּשׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎מֵע‎ Isa 18:1, compare ‎׳‎‎עַדמֵֿע‎ 1Kgs 4:12 (‎מִן‎ on the side of, on, see ‎מִן‎ 1 c; so usually with ‎׳‎‎ע‎); but also (rarely) ‎׳‎‎מֵע‎ from the other side of Zeph 3:10; Job 1:19; 2Chr 20:2 absolute ‎׳‎‎הַע‎ 1Sam 26:13 to the other side (that is, of a ravine; after ‎וַיַּעֲבֹר‎); ‎בְּעֵבֶר הָעֵמֶק‎ 1Sam 31:7, read perhaps ‎׳‎‎בְּעָרֵי הָע‎, so Klo Bu HPS; ‎בְּעֶבְרֵי פִיפָֿ֑חַת‎ Jer 48:28 beyond the mouth of a chasm is dubious; Gie proposes ‎בְּחֹרֵי כֵפֵי בַתֹּת‎ in the rock-holes of the precipices; especially (chiefly Hexateuch, 37 t.) ‎הַיַּרְדֵּן‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ (30 t.), or (less often, Josh 13:32 + 13 t.), ‎לַיַּרְדֵּן‎, ‎לְיַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֺ‎ (only with ‎׳‎‎מֵע‎), of either east Jordan (36 t.) or west Jordan land (9 t.) according to standpoint of speaker or writer: A. east Jordan (from standpoint of writer) Gen 50:10; Gen 50:11 (J) Josh 17:5 (JE) Deut 1:1; Deut 1:5; Deut 4:41; Deut 4:46; Deut 4:47; Deut 4:49; Josh 1:14; Josh 12:1; Josh 13:8 (D), Num 22:1; Num 32:19; Num 34:15; Josh 13:27; Josh 13:32; Josh 14:3; Josh 20:8 (P), Judg 7:25; Judg 10:8; 1Sam 31:7; Isa 8:23*; 1Chr 6:63*; 1Chr 12:37* from standpoint of speaker, Josh 7:7 (JE), Josh 24:8 (E), Josh 1:15; Josh 2:10; Josh 9:10; Josh 18:7; Josh 22:4 (D), Judg 5:17 in Num 35:14 (Moses speaks) it is land opposed to to Can., compare Num 32:32 in Deut 3:8 (Moses speaks) writer (D) ascribes his own standpoint to Moses; (often further topographical note is added, e.g. ‎מִזְרָ֫חָה‎ Deut 4:49 +, ‎מִזְרַח הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ‎ Josh 1:15 +, etc.); ‎׳‎‎אֶלעֵֿבֶר בְּנֵי יִשְׂר‎ Josh 22:11 toward the region opposite the sons of Israel apparently also refers to east side (see Steuern on text). B. West Jordan (9 t.), from standpoint of speaker Deut 3:20; Deut 3:25 (Moses), also Deut 11:30 (but here + ‎מְכוֺא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ‎, and in all following some special designation of West), + ‎יָ֫מָּה‎ Josh 5:1 (D; from standpoint of those just crossed), Josh 12:7 (opposite East vJosh 12:1-6), Josh 22:7 (id.; Kt ‎מעבר‎, Qr ‎בְּעֵבֶר‎), compare Josh 9:1 (as Josh 5:1); + ‎וָהָ֑לְאָה‎ Num 32:19 a (opposite East v^b); in 1Chr 26:30 ‎מַעֲרָ֑בָה‎ ‎׳‎‎לַיַּר‎ ‎׳‎‎מֵע‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ seems = side (see below). Also ‎הַנָּהָר‎ ‎׳‎‎בְּע‎ beyond the river (Euphrates) Josh 24:2; Josh 24:14; Josh 24:15 (E; Kt Qr ‎׳‎‎מֵע‎), ‎׳‎‎מֵע‎ 2Sam 10:16 = 1Chr 19:16 beyond, and 1Kgs 14:5 to the other side of (see ‎מִן‎ 1 c); ‎׳‎‎מֵע‎ from beyond the river only Josh 24:3 (E), in all these = beyond the Euphrase eastward, from standpoint of those west of Euphrase; so plural ‎׳‎‎בְּעֶבְרֵי הַנּ‎ Isa 7:20 possibly also ‎׳‎‎ע‎ alone (si vera lectio) in the difficult passage Num 24:24 ‎הַנָּהָר‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ = region beyond the river (Euphrase) westward (from standpoint of those in Babylonia or Persia) Neh 2:7; Neh 2:9; Neh 3:7; Ezra 8:36 also 1Kgs 5:4* (twice in verse) (written in Babylonian; compare Biblical Aramaic ‎עֲבַר‎, and Dr^{Intr (6) 504}). **Compare late Assyrian ebir nari Schr^{KB iv. 304, l. 7 from below; KAT 3. 188, 437}.

2. (Opposite) side, side: ‎הַלָּז‎ ‎׳‎‎מֵע‎ 1Sam 14:1 on yonder side seems transition to this meaning; ‎מִזֶּה‎ ‎׳‎‎מֵהָע‎ twice, v1Sam 14:4 = on one side, on the other side, so ‎אֶחָד‎ ‎׳‎‎לְע‎ twice v1Sam 14:40 even ‎מִשְּׁנֵי עִבְרֵיהֶם‎ Exod 32:15 (E) on their two sides (i.e. of tablets); ‎הָאֵפוֺד בָּ֑יְתָה‎ ‎׳‎‎אֶלעֿ‎ Exod 28:26 (P) toward the inner side of theephod; in 1Kgs 7:20; 1Kgs 7:30 ‎׳‎‎ע‎ apparently = at the side of or opposite, but the architectural details are obscure; ‎מִכָּלעֲֿבָרָיו מִסָּבִיב‎ 1Kgs 5:4* on all sides of him, round about, ‎מִכָּלעֲֿבָרָיו‎ Jer 49:32 (read ‎עֶבְרֵיהֶם‎ Vrss Gie) from all sides of them (all directions, = ‎מִכָּלסְֿבִיבָ֑יִךְ‎ vJer 49:5); ‎אֶלעֵֿבֶר פָּנָיו יֵלֵ֑כוּ‎ to the side of their faces (i.e. in front, straight forward) they (always) went Ezek 1:9; Ezek 1:12; Ezek 10:22, compare ‎פָּנֶיהָ‎ ‎׳‎‎עַלעֿ‎ Exod 25:37 to give light upon the space in front of it; ‎אִישׁ לְעֶבְרוֺ תָּעוּ‎ Isa 47:15 they wander away each in his own direction (regardless of thee). — On 1Chr 26:30 see above

Brown-Driver-Briggs References