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חָוַר

𐤇𐤅𐤓

châvar

H2357 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חור to be white, to become white, to pale

Definition

To become pale or white in color, particularly affecting the face, often indicating a physical or emotional reaction such as shock, fear, shame, or distress; rarely, in a purely physical sense, to lose color or brightness.

Semantic Range

to become pale (especially in the face), to blanch from fear or shame, lose normal color, to be whitened (rare physical or luminous reference)

Root / Etymology

Root חור, whose core idea relates to whiteness or brightness. The verb חָוַר derives from this root with the nuance of becoming white or losing normal color, usually as an involuntary reaction. The formation reflects a denominative/causative use: to make or become white, metaphorically indicating emotional or physical effects.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָוַר typically occurs in poetic or heightened narrative contexts to describe the vivid reaction of turning pale, especially in the face of intense emotion—fear, shame, anguish, or even awe. In the Hebrew Bible, appearance is a marker of inner experience, so the verb is associated not only with physical paleness but also its psychological or social cause, such as the shame of defeat or the dread of disaster. This verb is distinct from other Hebrew roots associated with leprosy (צָרַע) or general illness (חָלָה). Main occurrences are in later biblical poetry or prophetic passages; it does not appear frequently in narrative sections. English translation as 'blanch,' 'wax pale,' or 'grow white' covers the physiological aspect, but the underlying emotional state is often contextually strong. The term does not carry the later English sense of cowardice or fainting unlinked to visible change, and is not a common everyday verb in biblical usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to blanch (as with shame); wax pale.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חור (ḥ-w-r) — whiteness, brightness, becoming white, paling

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1032 בֵּית חוֹרוֹן Horon
H1133 בֶּן־חוּר Chur
H2352 חוּר Holes
H2353 חוּר Chur
H2354 חוּר Chur

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2357-01 יֶחֱוָֽרוּ yechevaru HVqi3mp will-grow-pale they will become pale 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2357-01 Isaiah 29:22 יֶחֱוָֽרוּ yechevaru HVqi3mp will-grow-pale they will become pale
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