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חׇרְבָּה

𐤇𐤓𐤁𐤄

chorbâh

H2723 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חָרַב to be dry, to be ruined, to be laid waste, to be desolate

Definition

A state of ruin, devastation, or desolation, particularly referring to land, cities, or settlements that have been laid waste. The term can describe physical destruction resulting from warfare, calamity, or abandonment, and often signifies the aftermath of judgment or disaster. It may also refer to a site that is uninhabited or in a condition of sterility, contrasting with formerly cultivated or settled space.

Semantic Range

ruin, wasteland, desolate place, state of devastation, a ruined city or building, uninhabited place, destroyed settlement, barren site

Root / Etymology

From the root חרב (to be dry, dried up, laid waste, be desolate). The word חׇרְבָּה is a feminine noun formation, denoting a place or condition characterized by the root idea of dryness or destruction. The root commonly appears in contexts of withering, depopulation, devastation, or the ruin of structures or territories.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חׇרְבָּה appears in diverse periods of Hebrew scripture, most frequently in prophetic literature to describe lands, cities, or sanctuaries devastated by conquest (e.g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel). It regularly signals not just physical destruction but also loss of population and productivity, denoting a return to an uncultivated, uninhabited state. In contrast to שְׁמָמָה (shemmamah), which can emphasize horror or astonishment at desolation, חׇרְבָּה focuses on the concrete reality of ruin and waste. In post-exilic texts, the restoration of חׇרְבּוֹת (plural) signifies communal hopes for renewal of former settlements. Standard translations such as 'desolation' or 'waste' reflect part of its sense, but can overlook its agricultural or urban associations. Though sometimes rendered as “desolation” in later Bible translations, the term is not strictly religious and describes both divine judgment and natural processes. Later Jewish and Christian usage (especially in mystical texts and translations) sometimes narrows or spiritualizes the meaning but in Biblical contexts the emphasis is on tangible physical ruin.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of חֹרֶב; properly, drought, i.e. (by implication) a desolation; decayed place, desolate (place, -tion), destruction, (laid) waste (place).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרב (ḥ-r-b) — to be dry, to be ruined, to be laid waste, to be desolate

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2717 חָרַב I will make desolate
H2718 חֲרַב was laid waste
H2719 חֶרֶב bladed weapons
H2720 חָרֵב destroying blade
H2721 חֹרֶב parched desolation

Word Forms

19 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2723-11 לְ/חָרְבָּֽה lecharebah HR/Ncfsa a desolation a ruined place 9
H2723-03 חָרְבָּ֔ה charebah HNcfsa ruins ruined place 6
H2723-08 חֳרָב֣וֹת choravot HNcfpa ruins laid-waste places 5
H2723-04 חָרְב֖וֹת charevot HNcfpc ancient ruins ruins of 3
H2723-12 לְ/חָרְב֥וֹת lecharevot HR/Ncfpc desolations to ruined places of 3
H2723-01 בָּ/חֳרָבוֹת֙ bachoravot HR/Ncfpa among ruins in the desolations 2
H2723-09 הֶ/חֳרָב֨וֹת hechoravot HTd/Ncfpa in these ruins the ruined places 2
H2723-18 וְ/הֶ/חֳרָב֖וֹת vehechoravot HC/Td/Ncfpa and the wastes and the ruins 1
H2723-10 כָּ/חֳרָב֤וֹת kachoravot HR/Ncfpa like-ruins like ruined places 1
H2723-06 חָרְבֹתָ֔י/ו charevotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms ruins-its his desolate ruins 1

Occurrences in Scripture

42 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2723-03 Leviticus 26:31 חָרְבָּ֔ה charebah HNcfsa waste ruined place
H2723-03 Leviticus 26:33 חָרְבָּֽה charebah HNcfsa ruins ruined place
H2723-16 Isaiah 5:17 וְ/חָרְב֥וֹת vecharevot HC/Ncfpc and ruins and desolations of
H2723-17 Isaiah 44:26 וְ/חָרְבוֹתֶ֖י/הָ vecharevoteyha HC/Ncfpc/Sp3fs and her ruins and her ruined places
H2723-01 Isaiah 48:21 בָּ/חֳרָבוֹת֙ bachoravot HR/Ncfpa in-deserts in the desolations
H2723-05 Isaiah 49:19 חָרְבֹתַ֨יִ/ךְ֙ charevotayikhe HNcfpc/Sp2fs your waste places your ruined places
H2723-07 Isaiah 51:3 חָרְבֹתֶ֔י/הָ charevoteyha HNcfpc/Sp3fs her waste places her ruins
H2723-04 Isaiah 52:9 חָרְב֖וֹת charevot HNcfpc waste places ruins of
H2723-04 Isaiah 58:12 חָרְב֣וֹת charevot HNcfpc ancient ruins ruins of
H2723-04 Isaiah 61:4 חָרְב֣וֹת charevot HNcfpc ruins ruins of
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