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חָרֵב

𐤇𐤓𐤁

chârêb

H2720 adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Parched, dried up, or waste—describing land, places, or objects that are dried, barren, or desolate due to lack of water or abandonment. Commonly used to denote lands or places left uninhabited and rendered unproductive or ruined by violent events, such as invasion, judgment, or drought.

Semantic Range

parched, dried up, desolate, waste, barren, ruined, uninhabited, lifeless

Root / Etymology

From the root חָרַב (ḥārav), which means 'to dry up, be parched, be desolate'. חָרֵב is the adjective form, describing something characterized by barrenness or desolation. The root conveys the idea of dryness, lack of fertility, or devastation resulting in uninhabitable conditions.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָרֵב appears in biblical texts to characterize places or objects rendered lifeless, typically after destruction or abandonment. In early Israelite texts, the word often marks territory rendered useless after warfare or divine judgment (e.g., prophetic oracles). Its contrast is with fertile, watered, or inhabited land (such as יַעַר 'forest' or אֲרָצוֹת נוֹשָׁבוֹת 'inhabited lands'). Over time, the term maintained its strong association with judgment but was also used in expanded poetic or hyperbolic sense for utter devastation. English translations often render חָרֵב as 'desolate', 'waste', or 'dry', but may flatten nuance, especially where the term encompasses both physical dryness and sociopolitical ruin. In post-exilic writings, it can signal loss of national identity, connection to land, or aftermath of exile.

Translation Consistency

primary "desolate" 3 occurrences

Occurs most often in existing renderings and naturally covers the main semantic range (parched, dried up, barren, ruined, uninhabited). 'Desolate' works well as both adjective and verb in English and yields natural, consistent translations across contexts; alternatives like 'dry' or 'waste' are narrower or less idiomatic.

Alternatives (5 occurrences):
"desolation" (2x) "or dry" (1x) "lies waste" (1x) "dry" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָרַב; parched or ruined; desolate, dry, waste.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרב (ḥ-r-b) — dry up, destroy, lay waste

Root חרב to dry up, to be parched, to be desolate
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2717 חָרַב I will make desolate
H2718 חֲרַב was laid waste
H2719 חֶרֶב bladed weapons
H2721 חֹרֶב parched desolation
H2722 חֹרֵב in Dry-Place

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2720-01 חָרֵ֣ב charev HAamsa lies waste destroying blade desolation 3
H2720-04 הֶ/חֳרֵב֛וֹת hechorevot HTd/Aafpa the-desolate the desolate ones the desolate ones 2
H2720-02 חֲ֭רֵבָה charevah HAafsa dry parched-desolate dry 1
H2720-05 וַ/חֲרֵבָ֑ה vacharevah HC/Aafsa or dry parched or dry 1
H2720-03 הֶ/חָרֵ֛ב hecharev HTd/Aamsa waste the desolation the desolation 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2720-05 Leviticus 7:10 וַ/חֲרֵבָ֑ה vacharevah HC/Aafsa or dry parched or dry
H2720-01 Jeremiah 33:10 חָרֵ֣ב charev HAamsa desolate destroying blade desolate
H2720-03 Jeremiah 33:12 הֶ/חָרֵ֛ב hecharev HTd/Aamsa waste the desolation the desolation
H2720-04 Ezekiel 36:35 הֶ/חֳרֵב֛וֹת hechorevot HTd/Aafpa the waste the desolate ones the desolate ones
H2720-04 Ezekiel 36:38 הֶ/חֳרֵב֔וֹת hechorevot HTd/Aafpa the-desolate the desolate ones the desolate ones
H2720-01 Haggai 1:4 חָרֵֽב charev HAamsa lies waste destroying blade lies waste
H2720-01 Haggai 1:9 חָרֵ֔ב charev HAamsa lies waste destroying blade desolation
H2720-02 Proverbs 17:1 חֲ֭רֵבָה charevah HAafsa dry parched-desolate dry
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