הֶרֶג
𐤄𐤓𐤂
hereg
H2027 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The act or result of killing or putting to death, with emphasis on violent or intentional slaying, especially in a context of warfare or mass violence. The term denotes both the event (slaughter, massacre) and its result (corpse, slain).
Semantic Range
slaughter, massacre, mass killing, event or scene of slaying, result of collective killing, slain (as collective noun); never general 'death' or ritual sacrifice
Root / Etymology
From the root הרג (hrg), meaning 'to kill, slay, put to death.' The word הֶרֶג (hereg) is a masculine noun formed from the root, denoting the act or phenomenon of killing/slaying, rather than the agent or victim.
Historical & Contextual Notes
הֶרֶג appears in a relatively limited number of contexts in the Hebrew Bible, most often referring to wholesale killing or large-scale slaughter, such as in descriptions of warfare or mass violence. It stands in contrast to related Hebrew terms like מָוֶת (mavet, general 'death'), and טֶבַח (tevaḥ, 'slaughter' especially of animals for food, but also used metaphorically for massacre). Whereas הרג as a verb is broadly used for killing of any kind, הֶרֶג as a noun is more specific to the outcome or event of collective human killing, typically violence in battle or persecution. In later Hebrew and post-biblical usage, the term maintains the sense of intentional mass killing. English translations frequently render it as 'slaughter' or 'slain,' but these terms may not always fully express its association with collective or intentional acts of violence. It is not used in contexts of ritual sacrifice, which employ other roots such as זבח (zbh) or טבח (ṭbḥ).
Translation Consistency
Hereg denotes violent, intentional, often collective killing or its result (the slain or scene of killing). “Slaughter” is the most natural, common English word that covers both the act and the result (mass killing, massacre) and matches the typical usage in the SILEX range.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from הָרַג; slaughter; be slain, slaughter.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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הרג (h-r-g) — kill, slay, put to death
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2027-01 |
הֶ֣רֶג | hereg | HNcmsa |
is made | slaughter | slaughter | 2 |
H2027-04 |
וְ/הֶ֖רֶג | vehereg | HC/Ncmsa |
and slaughter | and slaughter | and slaughter | 1 |
H2027-02 |
כְּ/הֶ֥רֶג | kehereg | HR/Ncmsc |
like the slaying | like slaughter of | like the slaying of | 1 |
H2027-03 |
לַ֝/הֶ֗רֶג | lahereg | HRd/Ncmsa |
to slaughter | to slaughter | to slaughter | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2027-02 |
Isaiah 27:7 | כְּ/הֶ֥רֶג | kehereg | HR/Ncmsc |
like the slaying | like slaughter of | like the slaying of |
H2027-01 |
Isaiah 30:25 | הֶ֣רֶג | hereg | HNcmsa |
slaughter | slaughter | slaughter |
H2027-01 |
Ezekiel 26:15 | הֶ֨רֶג֙ | hereg | HNcmsa |
is made | slaughter | slaughter |
H2027-03 |
Proverbs 24:11 | לַ֝/הֶ֗רֶג | lahereg | HRd/Ncmsa |
to slaughter | to slaughter | to slaughter |
H2027-04 |
Esther 9:5 | וְ/הֶ֖רֶג | vehereg | HC/Ncmsa |
and slaughter | and slaughter | and slaughter |