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חָצִיר

𐤇𐤑𐤉𐤓

châtsîyr

H2682 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חצר to enclose, surround, make a courtyard, be green or verdant (by extension)

Definition

Vegetation characterized by grasslike or herbaceous growth, usually referring to green, tender grass or herbage that sprouts with rainfall and dries quickly under heat. In some contexts, refers to edible greens such as leeks or other field herbs. Denotes both wild pasture grasses and cultivated field greens essential for animal fodder and rural subsistence.

Semantic Range

grass, herbage, fodder, green plant, edible herb, field green, leek (in extended sense); symbol of transience or impermanence

Root / Etymology

From the root חצר (ḥ-ṣ-r), meaning 'to enclose, surround, make a courtyard'; חָצִיר is likely derived as a collective noun for that which grows in an enclosed or open field, i.e., grass or herbage. The lexeme adapts the core sense of an 'enclosure' to refer to the growth typical of open spaces within settlements or pastures. An alternate folk etymology connects חָצִיר with greenness or the verdant character of such places, but the underlying semantic connection is with vegetation found in open cultivated or pastured areas.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָצִיר appears primarily in poetic and wisdom literature (e.g., Psalms, Isaiah, Job) to evoke the transience and ephemeral nature of life, paralleling the fleeting growth cycle of grass in the Levantine climate: quickly flourishing after rain but soon withered by sun and drought. While חָצִיר often refers generically to grass, it can also denote field herbs and, less commonly, edible greens like leeks (cf. Numbers 11:5, where a distinct word for leek appears but is transliterated similarly in later tradition). The term does not strictly distinguish between wild and cultivated plants, but its poetic function frequently emphasizes impermanence, contrasting with more resilient plants or trees. English translations typically render חָצִיר as 'grass' or 'herb,' but these may underspecify its breadth, which encompasses both pasture grass for animals and edible, green plants for humans. Later Jewish Greek translations sometimes used terms corresponding to 'leek' or broader 'herb.' The semantic overlap with שָׂעִיר ('barley' or 'grain') is minimal; with דֶּשֶׁא ('fresh grass, new growth'), there is more significant poetic interchange.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

perhaps originally the same as חָצִיר, from the greenness of a courtyard; grass; also a leek (collectively); grass, hay, herb, leek.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חצר (ḥ-ṣ-r) — to enclose, surround, make a courtyard; verdant growth within an enclosure

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1178 בַּעַל חָצוֹר Hazor Enclosed-Settlement
H2674 חָצוֹר in Hazor
H2681 חָצִיר enclosed courtyard
H2689 חֲצֹצְרָה in the silver trumpets
H2690 חָצַר the trumpet-sounding ones

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2682-01 חָצִ֗יר chatsir HNcmsa grass field herbage 16
H2682-04 כֶּ/חָצִ֥יר kechatsir HRd/Ncmsa like grass like herbage 2
H2682-03 כַּ/חֲצִ֣יר kachatsir HR/Ncmsc like the grass like pasture-herbage of 1
H2682-02 הֶ/חָצִ֥יר hechatsir HTd/Ncmsa leeks field herbage 1
H2682-05 כֶ֭/חָצִיר khechatsir HRd/Ncmsa like grass field herbage 1

Occurrences in Scripture

21 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2682-02 Numbers 11:5 הֶ/חָצִ֥יר hechatsir HTd/Ncmsa leeks field herbage
H2682-01 1 Kings 18:5 חָצִ֗יר chatsir HNcmsa grass field herbage
H2682-01 2 Kings 19:26 חֲצִ֣יר chatsir HNcmsc grass field herbage
H2682-01 Isaiah 15:6 חָצִיר֙ chatsir HNcmsa hay field herbage
H2682-01 Isaiah 35:7 חָצִ֖יר chatsir HNcmsa grass field herbage
H2682-01 Isaiah 37:27 חֲצִ֣יר chatsir HNcmsc grass field herbage
H2682-01 Isaiah 40:6 חָצִ֔יר chatsir HNcmsa grass field herbage
H2682-01 Isaiah 40:7 חָצִיר֙ chatsir HNcmsa grass field herbage
H2682-01 Isaiah 40:7 חָצִ֖יר chatsir-2 HNcmsa grass field herbage
H2682-01 Isaiah 40:8 חָצִ֖יר chatsir HNcmsa grass field herbage
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