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חֹרִי

𐤇𐤓𐤉

Chori

H2752 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חור hole, cave, excavation

Definition

A member of the people known as the Ḥorites, who inhabited the southern hill country of Seir before the Edomites. The term primarily designates an ethnonym, identifying the aboriginal population of the Seir region, and by extension, the land occupied by them. Less commonly, the term can be connected etymologically with cave-dwelling or inhabiting mountainous cave regions, due to association with the presumed root; however, lexical and archaeological evidence most consistently supports the ethnic/geographical usage.

Semantic Range

Horite (member of the pre-Edomite population in Seir), aboriginal inhabitant of Seir, possible (though uncertain) sense of cave-dweller or cave-inhabitant

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root חור (possibly meaning 'hole,' 'cave,' or 'excavation'), though the connection is debated. The word itself designates a people group, not a descriptive term. The exact derivation is uncertain, and it is possible the term is an exonym or borrowed ethnonym rather than a native Hebrew formation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, חֹרִי (Ḥorite) appears predominantly as the indigenous people inhabiting the land of Seir prior to its conquest by the descendants of Esau, later known as Edomites. In Genesis, Deuteronomy, and other historical texts, the Ḥorites are referenced as non-Israelite, non-Edomite inhabitants, distinguished by their pre-Edomite and possibly non-Semitic identity. The presumed etymological connection to 'cave-dweller' (from חוֹר, 'hole' or 'cave') stems from translation tradition and possibly folk etymology, but is not necessarily reflective of their self-identification or the true meaning of the name. English translations often render חֹרִי as 'Horite,' sometimes 'Horims' (KJV), but without sufficient lexical evidence for the 'troglodyte' sense apart from later interpretive traditions. The term is distinct from geographical or clan names elsewhere in the biblical text and must be read in its context as an ethnonym of southern hill country pre-Edomite peoples. No evidence connects this term to the later use of 'Jew' or 'Judean.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חוֹר; cave-dweller or troglodyte; a Chorite or aboriginal Idumaean; Horims, Horites.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חור (ḥ-w-r) — hole, cave, excavation

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

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2752-01 הַ/חֹרִ֖י hachori HTd/Ngmsa the Horites the Horite 5
H2752-02 הַ/חֹרִים֮ hachorim HTd/Ngmpa the-Horites the Horites 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2752-01 Genesis 14:6 הַ/חֹרִ֖י hachori HTd/Ngmsa the Horites the Horite
H2752-01 Genesis 36:20 הַ/חֹרִ֔י hachori HTd/Ngmsa the Horite the Horite
H2752-01 Genesis 36:21 הַ/חֹרִ֛י hachori HTd/Ngmsa the Horite the Horite
H2752-01 Genesis 36:29 הַ/חֹרִ֑י hachori HTd/Ngmsa the Horites the Horite
H2752-02 Deuteronomy 2:12 הַ/חֹרִים֮ hachorim HTd/Ngmpa the-Horites the Horites
H2752-01 Deuteronomy 2:22 הַ/חֹרִי֙ hachori HTd/Ngmsa the Horites the Horite
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