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H8317 · Hebrew · Old Testament
שָׁרַץ
Sharats
Verb
Swarm / Teem / Multiply Abundantly

Definition

The Hebrew verb sharats means to swarm, teem, or multiply abundantly — especially of small creatures moving in great numbers. It is used in the Creation narrative for the swarming of sea creatures and land animals, and later in Exodus for the plague of frogs. The word conveys prolific, teeming life filling a space.

Usage & Theological Significance

Sharats first appears in Genesis 1:20 as part of God's creative command: 'Let the waters teem with living creatures.' The word captures the extravagant abundance of God's creative activity — not sparse, minimal life but teeming, overflowing vitality. In the frogs plague (Exodus 7:28), the same word is used to describe judgment: what should be blessing becomes curse when the order of creation is inverted. Theologically, sharats reminds us that the God of creation is a God of abundance — He fills, He multiplies, He overwhelms with life.

Key Bible Verses

Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.
Genesis 1:21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems.
Exodus 8:3 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom.
Psalm 105:30 Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
Genesis 8:17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you — the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground — so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.

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