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חָרִישׁ

𐤇𐤓𐤉𐤔

chârîysh

H2758 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חרש to plough, to engrave, to cut, to devise

Definition

Period, activity, or process of ploughing or tilling land; especially the season or act of preparing land for sowing by turning over the soil with a plough. The term connotes the agricultural activity fundamental to crop cultivation in ancient agrarian societies, and may refer to the event itself, the time designated for this action, or, less commonly, the land being worked. It does not denote the harvest or sowing itself, but specifically the preparatory step of loosening the soil.

Semantic Range

ploughing, act of tilling land, ploughing season, the period set aside for ploughing, land being tilled

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root חָרַשׁ (ḥ-r-sh), meaning 'to cut in, engrave, plough, devise.' The noun חָרִישׁ is derived as an action or event noun, denoting the activity or period associated with ploughing. While the root can also imply other actions involving carving or engraving, in this context it points specifically to the agricultural verb sense of 'to plough.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָרִישׁ appears in biblical texts primarily in agricultural contexts, denoting the ploughing season or the act itself (e.g., 1 Samuel 8:12 uses it for the preparation of arable land). In the early Israelite period, the ploughing season began with the autumn rains. Laws concerning the timing of agricultural activities (such as Exodus 34:21) sometimes mention חָרִישׁ alongside קָצִיר (harvest), emphasizing distinct phases of the agrarian calendar. In translation, the English 'earing time' (archaic) refers to this season, but modern terms 'ploughing' or 'ploughing time' are more precise. The term is not used for harvest, sowing, or other fieldwork, but strictly the preliminary breaking up of the soil. Related words, such as מַחֲרֵשֶׁת (plough), share the same root. Later Hebraic and post-biblical usage continues this sense but may broaden to other forms of intensive land preparation. The Hebrew agricultural calendar and associated social-economic laws (e.g., Sabbath rest for the land) often use the term to mark time or frame obligations.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָרַשׁ; ploughing or its season; earing (time), ground.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרש (ḥ-r-sh) — to plough, to cut in, to engrave, to devise

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2759 חֲרִישִׁי sultry-still
H2776 חֶרֶס pottery shard
H2789 חֶרֶשׂ her pottery-shards
H2790 חָרַשׁ I will silence
H2791 חֶרֶשׁ potters

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2758-03 חֲרִישׁ/וֹ֙ charisho HNcmsc/Sp3ms his plowing his ploughing 1
H2758-01 בֶּ/חָרִ֥ישׁ becharish HRd/Ncmsa in-plowing ploughing season 1
H2758-02 חָרִ֖ישׁ charish HNcmsa plowing ploughing season 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2758-02 Genesis 45:6 חָרִ֖ישׁ charish HNcmsa plowing ploughing season
H2758-01 Exodus 34:21 בֶּ/חָרִ֥ישׁ becharish HRd/Ncmsa in-plowing ploughing season
H2758-03 1 Samuel 8:12 חֲרִישׁ/וֹ֙ charisho HNcmsc/Sp3ms his plowing his ploughing
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