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חֶבֶר

𐤇𐤁𐤓

Chever

H2268 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חבר to join, to unite, to bind together

Definition

A personal name meaning 'association,' 'company,' or possibly 'alliance.' Refers to a group, bond, or union, and is used in the Hebrew Bible as both a common noun and as a proper name for several individuals, including a Kenite and various Israelites. In some contexts, may emphasize bonds of social or covenantal affiliation.

Semantic Range

company, association, group, alliance, bond, personal name (Cheber/Heber)

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root ח־ב־ר (חבר), meaning 'to join, unite, be bound together.' The noun formation חֶבֶר most literally means 'association' or 'company' and is cognate with related Semitic terms expressing ideas of union or fellowship. The specific use as a personal name may reflect familial or group solidarity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term appears as the name of a Kenite (notably in the account of Jael and Sisera in Judges), as well as of at least three other Israelites in genealogical lists. As a common noun, it can mean 'group,' 'association,' or 'company,' and in some lexical traditions has come to connote magical spells or enchantments due to related verbal forms (see usages in Deuteronomy and Isaiah for verbal forms; not primary here). The rendering 'Heber' in English Bibles follows later tradition, but the Hebrew form is Cheber. The use of the name among both Kenites (a group associated with the southern Levant and distinct from Israelites) and Israelites suggests the term's role as a social marker rather than an exclusively ethnolinguistic identifier. Standard English Bible translations typically render the name as Heber in genealogical contexts; the communal or associative sense is lost in the translation. The underlying root also yields the words for 'friend,' 'fellow,' and 'companion,' illuminating its broader relational sense.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as חֶבֶר; community; Cheber, the name of a Kenite and of three Israelites; Heber.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חבר (ḥ-b-r) — to join, to unite, to bind together

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2249 חָבוֹר and in Chabor
H2250 חַבּוּרָה welt-mark
H2266 חָבַר let me bind together
H2267 חֶבֶר your alliances
H2269 חֲבַר his companions

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2268-01 חֶ֖בֶר chever HNp Heber Association 7
H2268-04 וְ/חֶ֤בֶר vechever HC/Np And Heber And Association 2
H2268-02 לְ/חֶ֕בֶר lechever HR/Np of Heber to Cheber 1
H2268-03 וָ/חָֽבֶר vachaver HC/Np and Heber and Association 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2268-01 Genesis 46:17 חֶ֖בֶר chever HNp Heber Association
H2268-02 Numbers 26:45 לְ/חֶ֕בֶר lechever HR/Np of Heber to Cheber
H2268-04 Judges 4:11 וְ/חֶ֤בֶר vechever HC/Np And Heber And Association
H2268-01 Judges 4:17 חֶ֣בֶר chever HNp Heber Association
H2268-01 Judges 4:17 חֶ֥בֶר chever-2 HNp Heber Association
H2268-01 Judges 4:21 חֶ֠בֶר chever HNp Heber Association
H2268-01 Judges 5:24 חֶ֣בֶר chever HNp Heber Association
H2268-01 1 Chronicles 4:18 חֶ֨בֶר֙ chever HNp Heber Association
H2268-01 1 Chronicles 7:31 חֶ֖בֶר chever HNp Heber Association
H2268-04 1 Chronicles 7:32 וְ/חֶ֨בֶר֙ vechever HC/Np And Heber And Association
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