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חָרָבָה

𐤇𐤓𐤁𐤄

chârâbâh

H2724 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חרב to dry up, to be dry, to be laid waste, to be ruined

Definition

A tract of land that has become dry and desolate, often used to describe an area laid waste by natural or human-caused devastation, including ruin or desolation; refers specifically to land that was previously productive but has become arid.

Semantic Range

dry land, wasteland, parched area, site of ruins, land rendered unproductive, area devastated or abandoned, desolate region

Root / Etymology

From the root חָרֵב (חרב), which means 'to dry up, be dry, be ruined.' The feminine form חָרָבָה specifically refers to a state or place of dryness, desolation, or a dried-up area. The noun form draws directly from the root's sense of loss of vitality and water.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָרָבָה occurs sparingly in the Hebrew Bible, always in contexts emphasizing land that has undergone a process of desolation or ruin, especially as a result of divine judgment, warfare, or abandoned cultivation. The term is distinct from more general desert terms like מִדְבָּר (midbar), which refers to open pastureland or wilderness. Unlike מִדְבָּר, חָרָבָה implies a change from a former (often fertile) state to one of ruin and drought, thus focusing on the aftermath of destruction or neglect. In later biblical and post-biblical Hebrew, the term continues to connote not only geographic desolation but also metaphorical or social devastation. English translations such as “desert” and “dry land” are helpful but may not fully capture the overtones of a formerly thriving area reduced to ruin.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of חָרֵב; a desert; dry (ground, land).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

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

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2724-01 בֶּ/חָֽרָבָ֖ה becharavah HRd/Ncfsa on dry ground in a desolated land 4
H2724-03 הֶ/חָרָבָ֑ה hecharavah HTd/Ncfsa the dry ground desolated land 2
H2724-02 חָֽרָבָ֔ה charavah HNcfsa dry desolated land 1
H2724-04 לֶ/חָרָבָ֑ה lecharavah HRd/Ncfsa dry land to a desolated land 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2724-01 Genesis 7:22 בֶּ/חָֽרָבָ֖ה becharavah HRd/Ncfsa on the dry land in a desolated land
H2724-04 Exodus 14:21 לֶ/חָרָבָ֑ה lecharavah HRd/Ncfsa dry land to a desolated land
H2724-01 Joshua 3:17 בֶּ/חָֽרָבָ֛ה becharavah HRd/Ncfsa on dry ground in a desolated land
H2724-01 Joshua 3:17 בֶּ/חָ֣רָבָ֔ה becharavah-2 HRd/Ncfsa on dry ground in a desolated land
H2724-03 Joshua 4:18 הֶ/חָרָבָ֑ה hecharavah HTd/Ncfsa the dry ground desolated land
H2724-01 2 Kings 2:8 בֶּ/חָרָבָֽה becharavah HRd/Ncfsa on dry ground in a desolated land
H2724-02 Ezekiel 30:12 חָֽרָבָ֔ה charavah HNcfsa dry desolated land
H2724-03 Haggai 2:6 הֶ/חָרָבָֽה hecharavah HR/Ncfsa the dry land desolated land
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