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חֶרֶשׁ

𐤇𐤓𐤔

Cheresh

H2791 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ח־ר־ש to engrave, to plow, to devise (skillfully), to be silent

Definition

Potter, craftsman, or artisan working with clay. Also, in specific contexts, refers to secrecy, utter silence, or hidden activity. The primary meaning is 'potter,' but the word can denote general craft or skill, and in some rare usages can be linked to silence or secrecy, often deriving from related roots rather than the primary lexical item itself.

Semantic Range

potter, artisan, craftsman; rarely, one who acts in secrecy; silence (only by association with root); skilled work with clay or other materials

Root / Etymology

From the root ח־ר־ש (חרש), generally conveying the idea of engraving, crafting, or working. Derived from this root with the sense of 'one who shapes, forms, or engraves,' specifically of clay.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חֶרֶשׁ as 'potter' is attested primarily in texts from the monarchic period onward (e.g., Isa 29:16, Jer 18:2-4), frequently denoting an artisan skilled in working clay. In post-exilic books, craftsmen are often listed among populations or returned exiles (Ezra 2:35; Neh 7:38), which may point to specialized social roles. In rare cases, forms resembling this noun are contextually associated with secrecy or silence (cf. from verb חָרַשׁ), but such senses should be carefully distinguished from the artisan/craftsman meaning, as they originate from a separate but homographic root (חָרַשׁ 'to be silent, to be deaf, to do secretively'). English translations sometimes conflate 'potter' and 'craftsman' or add senses of 'secret acts,' but primary lexical meaning relates to skill in craft, particularly with clay. The link with magical craft or secrecy is not lexical for this noun itself, but a secondary association by proximity to the verbal root(s).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָרַשׁ; magical craft; also silence; cunning, secretly.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרש (ḥ-r-sh) — to engrave, to plow, to craft skillfully, to be silent

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2758 חָרִישׁ ploughing season
H2759 חֲרִישִׁי sultry-still
H2776 חֶרֶס pottery shard
H2789 חֶרֶשׂ her pottery-shards
H2790 חָרַשׁ I will silence

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2791-02 חֶ֣רֶשׁ cheresh HNcmsa secretly craft-skilled one 1
H2791-01 חֲרָשִׁ֖ים charashim HNcmpa craftsman potters 1
H2791-03 הַחֲרָשִֽׁים hacharashim HNp the craftsmen the craftsmen 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2791-02 Joshua 2:1 חֶ֣רֶשׁ cheresh HNcmsa secretly craft-skilled one
H2791-01 Isaiah 3:3 חֲרָשִׁ֖ים charashim HNcmpa craftsman potters
H2791-03 Nehemiah 11:35 הַחֲרָשִֽׁים hacharashim HNp the craftsmen the craftsmen
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