The Hebrew verb barar means to purify, cleanse, or select. It appears about 19 times in the Old Testament and carries the image of sifting or winnowing — separating the pure grain from the chaff, or refining metal from its dross. The passive/reflexive form means 'to be pure' or 'to show oneself pure.'
The theological significance of barar centers on God's process of sanctifying refinement. Daniel 11:35 uses it to describe what tribulation accomplishes: 'Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless.' The same verse reveals that this process is not random — it is divine: 'until the time of the end.' Psalm 18:26 captures the divine principle of barar: 'To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.' God's purity reflects itself to the pure heart; the heart that resists purification encounters God's severity instead of His beauty. The barar process is ongoing — God is always at work separating the authentic from the counterfeit in His people, preparing a purified remnant who will stand in the final day.