חָדַר
𐤇𐤃𐤓
châdar
H2314 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To surround or enclose; to shut in or close off space, often forming a private or protected area. In extended usage, to make something inaccessible, to shelter, or to withdraw into a private chamber. Used with reference to both physical spaces (such as rooms, chambers, or enclosed areas) and contexts of seclusion, concealment, or defensive surrounding (as in a siege).
Semantic Range
to enclose, to surround (as with walls or besiegement), to shut in, to confine, to retreat into an inner room, to make private or inaccessible
Root / Etymology
Root: ח־ד־ר (ḥ-d-r). The root denotes the sense of enclosing, shutting in, or making separate. The verbal noun and its derivatives relate to ideas of chambers, enclosed spaces, or acts of withdrawing into seclusion. This verbal root lies behind several words for room or chamber, including חָדֶר (ḥeder, 'room, chamber').
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, חָדַר occurs infrequently as a verb but its associated nouns (חֶדֶר, room/chamber) are more common. The action typically refers to withdrawing into a private space, often for protection, secrecy, or intimacy. The sense may extend metaphorically to describe God or others hiding or withdrawing from public view. In the context of siege, the meaning broadens to the act of surrounding, enclosing on all sides, or confining. The semantic range remains close to the concrete meaning of physical enclosure but encompasses psychological and social dimensions (privacy, secrecy, protection). English translations sometimes render the term as 'to enter (an inner room),' 'to enclose,' or more figuratively 'to hide oneself.' The distinction from other roots, such as סגר (sgr, 'to shut/close'), is in the implication of enclosure as creating an inner/private space, rather than simply barring entry. Over time, derivatives of this root became standard terms for private rooms or inner chambers in both common buildings and palatial/residential contexts. There is no evidence that the term acquired strong metaphorical or spiritualized meanings in later periods, nor that it refers primarily to sanitation or toilet chambers (the 'privy' sense is a late or marginal usage, likely affected by translation traditions rather than Hebrew usage itself).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to inclose (as a room), i.e. (by analogy,) to beset (as in a siege); enter a privy chamber.
Bantu Hebrew
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+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
חדר (ḥ-d-r) — enclosing, shutting in, surrounding, withdrawing
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2315 | חֶדֶר | in the enclosed chamber of |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2314-01 |
הַ/חֹדֶ֖רֶת | hachoderet | HTd/Vqrfsa |
that enters | the enclosing one | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2314-01 |
Ezekiel 21:19 | הַ/חֹדֶ֖רֶת | hachoderet | HTd/Vqrfsa |
that enters | the enclosing one |