be brutish
ba.ar describes being foolish or lacking sound understanding, especially in counsel, knowledge, or conduct.
The dominant use describes people, counsel, or conduct marked by foolishness and lack of understanding: rulers give such counsel, people lack knowledge, and shepherds fail to act prudently. One Hiphil occurrence stands in a restitution condition, but the translation does not isolate the term's contribution there.
Senses in use
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Foolishness marked by lack of understanding · dominant
In Isaiah 19:11, the Niphal participle occurs in the statement about Zoan's rulers and Pharaoh's counselors; the APB renders the surrounding assessment as "foolish" rulers who give "brutish counsel." In Jeremiah 10:14 and Jeremiah 51:17, Niphal perfect forms describe every person in clauses joined to lack of knowledge and shame over an idol; in Jeremiah 10:21, the plural Niphal perfect describes shepherds who have not sought the LORD and whose flock is scattered. Qal forms likewise address "brutish" people in Psalm 94:8 and describe people as "brutish and foolish" in Jeremiah 10:8.
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Unclear action in a restitution condition · rare
Exodus 22:4 contains two Hiphil verb tokens within a conditional legal statement about theft found in a person's hand and restitution with two. The APB renders the condition and required restitution, but does not make this lemma's specific contribution clear enough to identify a more precise use.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the dominant use with "brutish," "foolish," "stupid," and "senseless," often alongside statements about knowledge or prudent action. Exodus 22:4 does not show a specific English rendering for the term.