עֲרוֹעֵר
𐤏𐤓𐤅𐤏𐤓
ʻărôwʻêr
H6176 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A type of bush or shrub, specifically referring to a desert-adapted plant, likely the juniper (possibly the broom tree, Retama raetam) or a comparable arid-region shrub. In biblical usage, it evokes the image of an isolated, stunted, or desolate plant growing in wilderness or barren locations, often used metaphorically to describe a state of desolation, abandonment, or vulnerability.
Semantic Range
desert shrub, barren bush, juniper, broom tree, symbol of desolation or isolation
Root / Etymology
From the root עָרַר, meaning 'bare, stripped, destitute.' The reduplicated form עֲרוֹעֵר or עַרְעָר likely intensifies the sense of bareness or exposure. The noun refers to a type of shrub found in arid or exposed settings.
Historical & Contextual Notes
This term appears in poetic and prophetic contexts (e.g., Jeremiah 17:6), often to represent human desolation or cursing—one who is as vulnerable as a desert shrub in parched places. The precise botanical identification is uncertain; juniper and broom tree are both suggested, but the key nuance is its function as a symbol of exposure and rootlessness in wilderness. The term should be distinguished from broader terms for trees (עֵץ), as well as from more specific and positively connoted desert plants such as the tamarisk. The English 'juniper' is a traditional rendering but may obscure the plant’s harsh, treeless environment which is the focus of the metaphor in biblical literature.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or עַרְעָר; from עָרַר reduplicated; a juniper (from its nudity of situation); health.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ערר (ʿ-r-r) — to bare, strip, make destitute
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6177 | עֲרוֹעֵר | Exposed-Region |
| H6185 | עֲרִירִי | stripped-of-heirs |
| H6199 | עַרעָר | the bare desert-shrub |
| H6209 | עָרַר | utterly strip bare |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6176-01 |
כַּ/עֲרוֹעֵ֖ר | kaaroer | HR/Ncmsa |
like Aroer | like a barren shrub | 1 |
H6176-02 |
כְּ/עַרְעָ֣ר | kearear | HR/Ncmsa |
like a bush | bare desert shrub | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6176-02 |
Jeremiah 17:6 | כְּ/עַרְעָ֣ר | kearear | HR/Ncmsa |
like a bush | bare desert shrub |
H6176-01 |
Jeremiah 48:6 | כַּ/עֲרוֹעֵ֖ר | kaaroer | HR/Ncmsa |
like Aroer | like a barren shrub |