← H3753 H3755 →

כֶּרֶם

𐤊𐤓𐤌

kerem

H3754 noun

SILEX Entry

Root כרם to plant, to cultivate, to tend (specifically grapevines)

Definition

A cultivated tract of land specifically planted with grapevines; vineyard. The word chiefly designates land set aside for the cultivation of grapes, developed for the production of wine, fresh fruit, and raisins. In broader usage, it can refer to an individual vine or the collective yield of such land, but most often indicates the managed environment of grapevines in ancient agricultural society.

Semantic Range

vineyard, tract cultivated with grapevines, grape plantation, place of wine production, metaphor for a community or nation; occasionally, the vine itself; the produce or yield from a vineyard

Root / Etymology

Root/Etymology: Root כ-ר-ם (כרם), meaning 'to tend' or 'to cultivate,' though the root is unattested as a verb in biblical Hebrew and the etymology remains somewhat uncertain. The noun כֶּרֶם denotes a plot of land dedicated to grapevines, and its form and usage are unique among agricultural terms of the Hebrew Bible. Cognates are found in other Northwest Semitic languages (e.g., Ugaritic krm), also meaning 'vineyard'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כֶּרֶם is a well-attested term denoting a specialized, intensively managed area within the rural landscape dedicated to vine cultivation. Vineyards played a crucial role in ancient Israelite economy, ritual, and subsistence, associated with wine production as well as food. The management of a כֶּרֶם involved planting, protecting (with hedges or walls), pruning, and harvesting, reflecting significant economic investment. Use of the term spans from the patriarchal narratives (Genesis) through the monarchy, up to post-exilic texts. The vineyard functions both literally (as property or agricultural setting) and metaphorically (e.g., as a symbol for Israelite society in prophetic literature). The term differs from גַּן (gan, 'garden') or שָׂדֶה (sadeh, 'field'), which encompass broader kinds of cultivation. English translations usually render כֶּרֶם as 'vineyard', which effectively captures its specific nuance. In later Judean and Greco-Roman contexts, vineyards remained central, though ancient management practices and social structures may have evolved. The place name בֵּית הַכֶּרֶם ('house of the vineyard') attests to its importance as a toponym. Metaphorical usage in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Song of Songs often reflects the social, spiritual, or national implications of vineyard imagery. Translation tradition sometimes places emphasis on abundance ('increase of the vineyard,' 'vintage'), but the primary sense remains the land and its cultivation. Not to be confused with later post-biblical terms for 'vineyard' or 'winepress', though they may be related in later Hebrew.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root of uncertain meaning; a garden or vineyard; vines, (increase of the) vineyard(-s), vintage. See also בֵּית הַכֶּרֶם.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

כרם (k-r-m) — to plant, to cultivate, to tend (grapevines)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3755 כֹּרֵם vineyard-tenders
H3756 כַּרְמִי Vineyard-born one
H3757 כַּרְמִי the Karmite
H3759 כַּרְמֶל in the fertile land
H3760 כַּרְמֶל in the fertile-land region

Word Forms

34 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3754-16 כֶּ֨רֶם֙ kerem HNcbsa vineyard vineyard 12
H3754-15 כְּרָמִ֥ים keramim HNcbpa vineyards vineyards 9
H3754-19 כְרָמִ֖ים kheramim HNcbpa vineyards vineyards 8
H3754-08 כַּרְמְ/ךָ֖ karemekha HNcbsc/Sp2ms your vineyard your vineyard 6
H3754-27 וּ/כְרָמִ֔ים ukheramim HC/Ncbpa and vineyards and vineyards 5
H3754-05 הַ/כְּרָמִ֑ים hakeramim HTd/Ncbpa the vineyards the vineyards 4
H3754-26 וּ/כְרָמֵ֖י/נוּ ukherameynu HC/Ncbpc/Sp1cp and our vineyards and our vineyards 4
H3754-20 כֶ֔רֶם kherem HNcbsa vineyard grape-vineyard 4
H3754-12 כַּרְמִֽ/י karemi HNcbsc/Sp1cs my vineyard my vineyard 4
H3754-34 וְ/כֶ֣רֶם vekherem HC/Ncbsa and vineyard and vineyard 3

Occurrences in Scripture

92 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3754-07 Genesis 9:20 כָּֽרֶם karem HNcbsa a vineyard grapevine plantation
H3754-20 Exodus 22:4 כֶ֔רֶם kherem HNcbsa vineyard grape-vineyard
H3754-13 Exodus 22:4 כַּרְמ֖/וֹ karemo HNcbsc/Sp3ms of his vineyard his vineyard
H3754-22 Exodus 23:11 לְ/כַרְמְ/ךָ֖ lekharemekha HR/Ncbsc/Sp2ms with your vineyard to your vineyard
H3754-32 Leviticus 19:10 וְ/כַרְמְ/ךָ֙ vekharemekha HC/Ncbsc/Sp2ms and your vineyard and your vineyard
H3754-08 Leviticus 19:10 כַּרְמְ/ךָ֖ karemekha HNcbsc/Sp2ms of your vineyard your vineyard
H3754-08 Leviticus 25:3 כַּרְמֶ֑/ךָ karemekha HNcbsc/Sp2ms your vineyard your vineyard
H3754-32 Leviticus 25:4 וְ/כַרְמְ/ךָ֖ vekharemekha HC/Ncbsc/Sp2ms and your vineyard and your vineyard
H3754-30 Numbers 16:14 וָ/כָ֑רֶם vakharem HC/Ncbsa and vineyards vineyard
H3754-29 Numbers 20:17 וּ/בְ/כֶ֔רֶם uvekherem HC/R/Ncbsa or through vineyard and in a vineyard
← H3753 Hebrew Lexicon H3755 →