Bachar means to choose, select, or prefer — always with the connotation of careful examination and deliberate decision. It occurs about 170 times in the OT. The root suggests a testing or proving process before the choice is made, like a jeweler selecting the finest stone.
While humans use bachar for choosing (Joshua 24:15 — "choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve"), the word carries its greatest theological weight when God is the subject. Divine choosing is not capricious — it is sovereign, purposeful, and rooted in God's covenant love.
Election (bechira) is one of the most distinctive doctrines of the Hebrew Bible. God chose Israel — not because of their size, power, or righteousness, but because of His own love and fidelity to covenant (Deuteronomy 7:6–8). This is pure grace.
God chose David over his brothers (1 Samuel 16:7–10), Jerusalem as the place of His name (2 Chronicles 6:6), and the Levites for priestly service (Deuteronomy 18:5). Each choosing points to divine initiative and wisdom beyond human calculation.
The New Testament echoes bachar in eklegomai — "chosen in him before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). Election in Christ is not favoritism but the Father's design to conform a people to the image of His Son. The proper response to being chosen is worship and holy living.