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חָרִיץ

𐤇𐤓𐤉𐤑

chârîyts

H2757 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חרץ to cut, incise, sharpen, decide

Definition

A cutting instrument, specifically a threshing-sledge with sharp teeth used for threshing grain; by extension, a slice or incision, and in some contexts a piece or cake of pressed curds (cheese). The primary definition revolves around the notion of something incised or grooved for cutting or slicing purposes. The semantic range includes objects or products involving physical cutting, such as implements for agriculture (threshing-sledge or harrow), slices of food, and occasionally cheese made by cutting or pressing curds.

Semantic Range

threshing-sledge, cutting implement, groove, incision, slice, cake of cheese, pressed curd

Root / Etymology

Root: חרץ. The core verbal root חָרַץ (ḥārats) means 'to cut, decide, sharpen, or incise.' חָרִיץ (ḥārîyts) is a noun form derived from this root, signifying something produced by incision or with cutting capacity — such as a groove, sledge, or slice. The link to cheese comes from ancient methods whereby curds were cut or shaped.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, חָרִיץ most often refers to an agricultural tool, specifically the threshing-sledge, comprising a wooden board imbedded with sharp stones or metal, and used to separate grain from chaff by crushing and slicing the stalks on a threshing floor. Metonymically, by its cutting action, it could denote a 'slice' (e.g., a piece of pressed cheese or curd). The Septuagint sometimes renders this as 'wagon' or 'cart' when referring to the agricultural implement, which does not capture the nuanced role of the threshing-sledge in ancient Israelite agricultural practice. Some English translations render the cheese-meaning as 'cake,' 'slice,' or directly as 'cheese,' depending on interpretive tradition. Because the word is always tied to an object that is cut or incised, its range is narrower than חָרוּץ (ḥārûts), which has developed additional senses such as 'decision' or 'determined.' In later Hebrew and Aramaic, similar roots continue to refer to cutting tools or furrows. The word's usage does not pertain to religious identity, but rather to everyday material culture.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or חֲרִץ; from חָרַץ; (compare חֲרוּץ); properly, incisure or (passively) incised; hence, a threshing-sledge (with sharp teeth); also a slice (as cut); [phrase] cheese, harrow.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרץ (ḥ-r-ṣ) — cutting, incising, sharpening, deciding

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2742 חֲרוּץ sharp-cutting sledges of
H2743 חָרוּץ determined one
H2782 חָרַץ he decisively determined
H2783 חֲרַץ his vigor-loin
H2785 חַרְצַן from sharp grape-kernels

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2757-02 וּ/בַ/חֲרִצֵ֨י uvacharitsey HC/R/Ncmpc and under threshing sledges cutting-sledges of and in cutting-sledges of 2
H2757-01 חֲרִצֵ֤י charitsey HNcmpc cheeses cut-slices of slices of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2757-01 1 Samuel 17:18 חֲרִצֵ֤י charitsey HNcmpc cheeses cut-slices of slices of
H2757-02 2 Samuel 12:31 וּ/בַ/חֲרִצֵ֨י uvacharitsey HC/R/Ncmpc and under threshing sledges cutting-sledges of and in cutting-sledges of
H2757-02 1 Chronicles 20:3 וּ/בַ/חֲרִיצֵ֤י uvacharitsey HC/R/Ncmpc and with picks of cutting-sledges of and with cutting-sledges of
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