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חָרַם

𐤇𐤓𐤌

châram

H2763 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To ban, prohibit for common use, or devote something irrevocably to a deity, often with the implication of destruction or removal from use. In Israelite religious practice, to place something or someone under a 'ban' (herem), marking it as permanently set apart: either for sacred use or, most frequently, for destruction as an act of devotion or obedience to divine command. The verb can also refer reflexively to becoming banned or being rendered taboo or off-limits.

Semantic Range

to prohibit or ban from use, to irrevocably dedicate or devote (often to destruction as a religious act), to annihilate under a religious ban, to render taboo, to place under herem, (rare) to designate as sacred property, (unrelated sense) to be disfigured in the nose (flat nose)

Root / Etymology

חָרַם is derived from the root ח־ר־ם, which conveys the core idea of separating or prohibiting, especially by instituting a ban. The root refers at its core to setting something apart (often in a prohibitive sense), and the verb form denotes the action of marking something as separated for divine purposes, which often included destruction but could sometimes include permanent dedication.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, חָרַם most frequently refers to placing people, cities, or objects under a ban, usually as part of warfare (e.g., in Deuteronomy and Joshua), where the devoted objects or persons are to be destroyed and not used for personal gain. The term is deeply associated with the Israelite practices of herem warfare, marking enemies or objects as taboo and destined for destruction as a means of carrying out divine judgment. This distinguished herem-destruction from ordinary spoils of war or consecration, emphasizing irreversible removal from human use. The verb's range includes both complete destruction and permanent dedication, though the destruction sense dominates. In rare cases (e.g., Lev 27:28), the term refers to unconditional dedication of property to YHWH. Later Jewish and postbiblical usage (and some modern Bible translations) sometimes render herem as 'curse' or 'anathema,' but these notions develop from its original sense of irrevocable, inviolable prohibition or devotion. The use of חָרַם for 'having a flat nose' (Lev 21:18, as a participle—הָרָם) is a different sense, likely a homophone with separate etymology, and unrelated to the main semantic domain.

Translation Consistency

primary "devote" 35 occurrences

Devote best captures the primary religious sense of חָרַם — to set something irrevocably apart for God, often with the implication of destruction or prohibition. It is the natural, commonly used translation in contexts of herem (and can be rendered as 'devote (to destruction)' or 'be devoted' where the destructive or taboo sense must be explicit), while still allowing consistent rendering across all forms.

Alternatives (17 occurrences):
"put under the ban" (4x) "utterly destroy" (3x) "destroy them utterly" (3x) "put under ban" (2x) "disfigured man" (1x) "place under ban" (1x) "place them under ban" (1x) "put her under ban" (1x) "utterly destroyed" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to seclude; specifically (by a ban) to devote to religious uses (especially destruction); physical and reflexive, to be blunt as to the nose; make accursed, consecrate, (utterly) destroy, devote, forfeit, have a flat nose, utterly (slay, make away).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חרם (ḥ-r-m) — to prohibit, to separate, to devote, to ban

Root ח־ר־ם to prohibit, to separate, to devote, to ban
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1179 בַּעַל חֶרְמוֹן Set-Apart Mountain
H2764 חֵרֶם in the ban-devoted thing
H2765 חֳרֵם Chorem
H2766 חָרִם Snub-Nosed
H2767 חׇרְמָה in Devoted-to-Destruction

Word Forms

30 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2763-08 הֶחֱרִ֔ים hecherim HVhp3ms he-devoted-to-destruction he put under ban he devoted 6
H2763-02 הַחֲרֵם֙ hacharem HVha utterly destroying to utterly devote to the ban to utterly devote to the ban 5
H2763-12 לְ/הַֽחֲרִימָ֑/ם lehacharimam HR/Vhc/Sp3mp by destroying them utterly to place them under the ban to destroy them utterly 3
H2763-20 וַֽ/יַּחֲרִ֨ימוּ֙ vayacharimu HC/Vhw3mp and utterly destroyed and they put under the ban and they put under the ban 3
H2763-30 יָֽחֳרָ֑ם yachoram HVHi3ms is devoted he will be placed under ban he will be devoted 3
H2763-03 הַֽחֲרִימָ֔/ם hacharimam HVhc/Sp3mp he might devote them to place them under the ban to devote them to destruction 2
H2763-15 תַּחֲרִ֖ימוּ tacharimu HVhi2mp you devote yourselves you shall put under the ban you shall devote 2
H2763-18 וַ/יַּחֲרֵ֥ם vayacharem HC/Vhw3ms and he devoted he put under ban and he devoted 2
H2763-09 הֶחֱרִימָ֥/ם hecherimam HVhp3ms/Sp3mp He has utterly destroyed them he has put them under the ban he devoted them 2
H2763-17 וַֽ/נַּחֲרֵם֙ vanacharem HC/Vhw1cp and we utterly destroyed and we placed under the ban and we devoted 2

Occurrences in Scripture

52 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2763-30 Exodus 22:19 יָֽחֳרָ֑ם yachoram HVHi3ms shall be destroyed he will be placed under ban he will be devoted
H2763-01 Leviticus 21:18 חָרֻ֖ם charum HVqsmsa disfigured ban-devoted one disfigured man
H2763-29 Leviticus 27:28 יַחֲרִם֩ yacharim HVhi3ms a man devotes he will put under ban he will devote
H2763-30 Leviticus 27:29 יָחֳרַ֛ם yachoram HVHi3ms is devoted he will be placed under ban it will be devoted
H2763-24 Numbers 21:2 וְ/הַֽחֲרַמְתִּ֖י vehacharameti HC/Vhq1cs then I will devote to destruction and I will put under the ban and I will devote to destruction
H2763-18 Numbers 21:3 וַ/יַּחֲרֵ֥ם vayacharem HC/Vhw3ms and he utterly destroyed he put under ban and he devoted
H2763-17 Deuteronomy 2:34 וַֽ/נַּחֲרֵם֙ vanacharem HC/Vhw1cp and we utterly destroyed and we placed under the ban and we devoted
H2763-17 Deuteronomy 3:6 וַ/נַּחֲרֵ֣ם vanacharem HC/Vhw1cp and we utterly destroyed and we placed under the ban and we devoted
H2763-02 Deuteronomy 3:6 הַחֲרֵם֙ hacharem HVha utterly destroying to utterly devote to the ban to utterly devote to the ban
H2763-02 Deuteronomy 7:2 הַחֲרֵ֤ם hacharem HVha utterly destroy to utterly devote to the ban to utterly devote to the ban
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