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חָרַב

𐤇𐤓𐤁

chârab

H2717 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חרב to be dry, to dry up, to devastate, to make desolate

Definition

To be dry, to be dried up, to be desolate or devastated. The verb חָרַב primarily denotes the state or process of becoming dry, particularly as a result of drought or cessation of water, and by extension, refers to being laid waste, devastated, or brought to ruin. In figurative and extended uses, the word expresses the devastation of land, cities, or peoples through human or divine agency, resulting in desolation or destruction. In rare cases, it is used to describe the action of slaying or destroying living beings.

Semantic Range

to be dry, to dry up (land, rivers), to be parched, to be made desolate or devastated (of cities, lands, sanctuaries), to destroy, to cause to perish (rarely of persons), to lay waste, to decay

Root / Etymology

Root: חרב. The core root meaning relates to being dry, to dry up, or to be parched. The derived verb חָרַב retains this original idea but expands metaphorically to mean 'to be made waste, destroyed, or ruined' in various contexts. The root appears in both qal (simple) and intensifying/conjugated forms (e.g., hiphil) with active or causative senses, such as 'to make dry/desolate.' The root is not related to the noun חֶרֶב (ḥerev, 'sword'), which has a different etymology despite similar spelling.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In early Israelite texts, חָרַב most often describes land or water sources that have dried up due to natural causes (Job 14:11; Isaiah 19:5), emphasizing agricultural or existential vulnerability. In later texts, especially prophetic and poetic passages, the verb takes on broader connotations of devastation and destruction wrought by military action, divine judgment, or abandonment (e.g., Isaiah 6:11; Jeremiah 44:22). The term is frequently used of cities, nations, or sanctuaries left empty or ruined after conquest or calamity. Occasionally, חָרַב can be applied to persons, indicating being slain or cut off, though this is less common and often contextually dependent. English translations such as 'destroy,' 'make desolate,' or 'lay waste' reflect some, but not all, of its semantic possibilities, sometimes obscuring the underlying imagery of dryness and parching at the root of the term. Hebrew has other terms for destruction (e.g., שָׁדַד shadad 'to devastate by violence'), but חָרַב is distinctive for its use in portraying ruin through deprivation of water or life-sustaining resources, as well as in metaphorical applications to social or cultic devastation. In post-exilic texts, the word can carry a heightened sense of abandonment and desolation related to national tragedy, notably the destruction of Jerusalem or the Temple.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or חֲרֵב; a primitive root; to parch (through drought) i.e. (by analogy,) to desolate, destroy, kill; decay, (be) desolate, destroy(-er), (be) dry (up), slay, [idiom] surely, (lay, lie, make) waste.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרב (ḥ-r-b) — to be dry, to dry up, to devastate, to make desolate

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2718 חֲרַב was laid waste
H2719 חֶרֶב bladed weapons
H2720 חָרֵב destroying blade
H2721 חֹרֶב parched desolation
H2722 חֹרֵב in Dry-Place

Word Forms

29 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2717-03 חָֽרְב֥וּ charevu HVqp3cp be desolated they dried up 3
H2717-20 תֶּחֱרַ֔בְנָה techeravenah HVqi3fp shall-be-laid-waste they will become desolate 2
H2717-02 חֲרֵבָ֔ה charevah HAafsa is waste desolated 2
H2717-27 יֶחֱרַ֥ב yecherav HVqi3ms dries up he will dry up 2
H2717-07 חֹרָ֑בוּ choravu HVPp3cp been dried they were made desolate 2
H2717-12 הֶחֱרִ֑יב hecheriv HVhp3ms he dries up he made desolate 2
H2717-23 וְ/אַחְרִב֙ veacheriv HC/Vhi1cs and I dried up and I will make desolate 2
H2717-28 יֶחֱרָֽבוּ yecheravu HVqi3mp shall be laid waste they will become desolate 2
H2717-19 תֶּחֱרָ֔ב techerav HVqi3fs it will lie desolate she will become desolate 2
H2717-13 הֶחֱרִ֜יבוּ hecherivu HVhp3cp have laid waste they made desolate 2

Occurrences in Scripture

42 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2717-03 Genesis 8:13 חָֽרְב֥וּ charevu HVqp3cp were dried up they dried up
H2717-03 Genesis 8:13 חָֽרְב֖וּ charevu-2 HVqp3cp was dried they dried up
H2717-07 Judges 16:7 חֹרָ֑בוּ choravu HVPp3cp been dried they were made desolate
H2717-07 Judges 16:8 חֹרָ֑בוּ choravu HVPp3cp been dried they were made desolate
H2717-14 Judges 16:24 מַחֲרִ֣יב machariv HVhrmsc ravager desolating one
H2717-09 2 Kings 3:23 הָחֳרֵ֤ב hachorev HVHa have surely fought to be made desolate
H2717-18 2 Kings 3:23 נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙ necherevu HVNp3cp they are destroyed they were laid desolate
H2717-13 2 Kings 19:17 הֶחֱרִ֜יבוּ hecherivu HVhp3cp have laid waste they made desolate
H2717-23 2 Kings 19:24 וְ/אַחְרִב֙ veacheriv HC/Vhi1cs and I dried up and I will make desolate
H2717-27 Isaiah 19:5 יֶחֱרַ֥ב yecherav HVqi3ms will be wasted he will dry up
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