חֹנֶף
𐤇𐤍𐤐
chôneph
H2612 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
State or quality of being profane, morally perverted, or irreverent toward what is considered sacred; can also denote hypocrisy or the outward appearance of piety masking underlying corruption. The primary meaning centers on fundamental deviation from, or contempt for, what is upright or sacred, often through overt impiety, moral corruption, or false religiosity.
Semantic Range
profanity, irreverence, moral pollution, religious hypocrisy, perversion of justice or piety, outward pretense of righteousness masking corruption
Root / Etymology
From the root חנף, which conveys the sense of being profane, polluted, or hypocritical. The noun form חֹנֶף derives from this root and encapsulates the concept of moral or religious perversion, especially by feigning piety while acting wickedly.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, חֹנֶף is predominantly used to describe actions or states that constitute a turning away from, or contempt for, divine standards—particularly behavioral or moral norms expected of the Israelite community. It appears mostly in poetic or wisdom literature (e.g., Job, Proverbs) and prophetic texts as a strong condemnation of those who not only act wickedly but often cloak their wrongdoing in pretense of piety (cf. Job 13:16; Prov 11:9). The nuance can range from overt impiety to subtle hypocrisy, and the English term 'hypocrisy' does not fully capture the Hebrew sense of blatant profanation or moral pollution. The root and noun are distinct from terms for 'sin' or 'wickedness' which focus more generally on wrongdoing; חֹנֶף emphasizes distortion of the sacred or the moral order, especially by those who feign righteousness. Its usage does not correspond directly to the later religious usage of 'hypocrite' as a generic moral term. Over time, particularly in post-exilic literature, the connotation of religious duplicity becomes more prominent. The standard translation as 'hypocrisy' in older English Bibles narrows the full conceptual range of the Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from חָנֵף; moral filth, i.e. wickedness; hypocrisy.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
חנף (ḥ-n-p̄) — to be profane, to be polluted, to act hypocritically
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2610 | חָנֵף | she acted corruptly |
| H2611 | חָנֵף | in impious ones of |
| H2613 | חֲנֻפָה | godless corruption |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2612-01 |
חֹ֗נֶף | chonef | HNcmsa |
hypocrisy | profane corruption | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2612-01 |
Isaiah 32:6 | חֹ֗נֶף | chonef | HNcmsa |
hypocrisy | profane corruption |