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חָרוּל

𐤇𐤓𐤅𐤋

chârûwl

H2738 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חרל to be prickly, to be pointed, to be thorny

Definition

A type of thorny plant or bramble, often associated with uncultivated, neglected, or desolate places. It designates any spiny weed or shrub that proliferates in abandoned areas, such as ruined buildings or neglected fields, contrasting with cultivated plants. The term encompasses a range of similar thorny species found in the region.

Semantic Range

bramble, thorny weed, prickly plant, wild shrub, nettle, symbol of desolation or neglect

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root חָרַל (ḤRL), which is otherwise unused in the Hebrew Bible and is likely related to the concept of being prickly or pointed. The precise identification of root is uncertain, but the formation is that of a passive participle, suggesting 'thing which is thorny' or 'prickly one.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָרוּל appears only sparingly in biblical literature, such as in Isaiah 34:13 and Proverbs 24:31, invariably in contexts emphasizing abandonment, desolation, or lack of cultivation, where wild, thorny plants overrun fields once tended. The term does not identify a specific botanical species but serves as a general descriptor for spiny or thorny vegetation native to the Levant. Later translators often render it as 'nettle,' but this is imprecise; it may denote bramble or any of several thorny weeds common to the dry, uncultivated regions of ancient Israelite territory. The word is contrasted especially with cultivated plants like grapevines or grain, highlighting the reversal or loss of agricultural order. There is no clear shift in the word's meaning across different historical periods, but the context always points to neglect and disorder.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (shortened) חָרֻל; apparently, a passive participle of an unused root probably meaning to be prickly; properly, pointed, i.e. a bramble or other thorny weed; nettle.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרל (ḥ-r-l) — to be prickly, to be pointed, to be thorny

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2738-01 חָר֛וּל charul HNcmsa of weeds thorny bramble 2
H2738-02 חֲרֻלִּ֑ים charulim HNcmpa nettles thorny brambles 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2738-01 Zephaniah 2:9 חָר֛וּל charul HNcmsa of weeds thorny bramble
H2738-02 Proverbs 24:31 חֲרֻלִּ֑ים charulim HNcmpa nettles thorny brambles
H2738-01 Job 30:7 חָר֣וּל charul HNcmsa the nettles thorny bramble
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