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חֲרַב

𐤇𐤓𐤁

chărab

H2718 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חרב to be dry, be desolate, destroy

Definition

To destroy, lay waste, or demolish, especially in the context of rendering places uninhabitable or devoid of life. Used primarily in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible to signify the act of destruction—of cities, buildings, or cultivated land—through human or divine agency.

Semantic Range

to destroy, demolish, lay waste, devastate (land or structures), depopulate (by making uninhabitable), make desolate

Root / Etymology

The word חֲרַב is the Aramaic verb form corresponding to the Hebrew root חרב (ḥ-r-b), meaning 'to be desolate' or 'to be laid waste.' In Aramaic, the verb retains the core sense of destruction or devastation, specifically as a causative or transitive sense: to cause destruction or to render desolate.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חֲרַב appears in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (notably in Ezra and Daniel), reflecting the lexicon of northwest Semitic languages employed during the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. Its meaning remains consistent with the Hebrew חרב (ḥārav), but in Aramaic usage it is confined to the causative sense (to make desolate). English translations often capture its nuance as 'destroy,' 'lay waste,' or 'demolish,' but may lose the broader connotation of rendering a place uninhabitable. Unlike related roots such as שׁמד (to exterminate, as in total annihilation of a people) or שׁחת (to corrupt, ruin, especially morally or structurally), חרב focuses on devastation through depopulation or physical desolation. Its usage is often in reference to the aftermath of conquest or divine judgment. Over time, in late biblical and post-biblical Aramaic, the root continues to convey devastation but may also refer to legal or ritual voiding (i.e., rendering null).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) a root corresponding to חָרַב; to demolish; destroy.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרב (ḥ-r-b) — dryness, desolation, destruction

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2717 חָרַב I will make desolate
H2719 חֶרֶב bladed weapons
H2720 חָרֵב destroying blade
H2721 חֹרֶב parched desolation
H2722 חֹרֵב in Dry-Place

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2718-01 הָֽחָרְבַֽת hacharevat AVHp3fs was destroyed was laid waste 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2718-01 Ezra 4:15 הָֽחָרְבַֽת hacharevat AVHp3fs was destroyed was laid waste
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