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אָח

𐤀𐤇

ʼâch

H254 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain to contain fire, to burn (implied; actual root uncertain)

Definition

A container or structure designed for holding and sustaining fire, used for heating or cooking. In the biblical context, 'אָח' most commonly refers to a firepot, brazier, or a hearth, that is, a vessel or area within a home or public space where coals or fire are kept for warmth or culinary purposes. The term may denote a portable ceramic or metal vessel as well as a designated spot in a building for maintaining a fire.

Semantic Range

firepot, brazier, chafing dish, portable hearth, vessel for coals, domestic heating vessel

Root / Etymology

Root uncertain. The word occurs infrequently, and its derivation is unclear. Some have proposed a link with cognates in other Semitic languages, but no direct root in Hebrew is securely identifiable. The relationship to other terms for fire or hearth (e.g., אֵשׁ, מַחְתָּה) is based on function rather than direct etymology.

Historical & Contextual Notes

'אָח' appears only in a few passages (notably Zechariah 12:6). Its meaning is inferred from context and parallels in neighboring Semitic languages and archaeological evidence. In Zechariah, it is used in the phrase 'like a firepot among wood,' referring to a vessel for carrying live coals or burning material. In post-biblical Hebrew, similar terms carried the sense of brazier or censer, blurring the line between objects used for everyday heating and those for ritual or cultic purposes. English translations often render 'אָח' as 'hearth' or 'firepot,' but these may not capture its precise form or use in ancient Israelite homes, which usually featured portable firepots rather than built-in hearths. Unlike מַחְתָּה (fire-pan, often for ritual use), 'אָח' is a more general domestic term. Later rabbinic texts further expand its meaning, but such uses are chronologically and functionally secondary to the biblical sense. There is no evidence that the term denoted any religious or ethnic identity. The translation 'chafing dish' reflects a later understanding of the term as a heat-retaining vessel for warming food.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; a fire-pot or chafing dish; hearth.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אח (ʾ-ḥ) — fire-container, hearth, brazier, vessel for coals

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H251 אָח brother
H252 אַח your brothers
H253 אָח brother
H255 אֹחַ howling wild creatures
H264 אַחֲוָה the brotherhood

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H254-01 הָ/אָ֖ח haach HTd/Ncmsa the brazier the firepot 3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H254-01 Jeremiah 36:22 הָ/אָ֖ח haach HTd/Ncmsa the fire the firepot
H254-01 Jeremiah 36:23 הָ/אָ֑ח haach HTd/Ncmsa the brazier the firepot
H254-01 Jeremiah 36:23 הָ/אָֽח haach-2 HTd/Ncmsa the brazier the firepot
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