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שְׁחַרְחֹרֶת

𐤔𐤇𐤓𐤇𐤓𐤕

shᵉcharchôreth

H7840 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root שׁחר to be black, to be dark, to grow dark

Definition

A noun describing a dark or blackish color or appearance, especially denoting something black or very dark in hue. Figuratively, it may refer to the state of being dark-complexioned, duskiness, or swarthiness, often used to describe a person's skin tone or as a poetic reference to darkness.

Semantic Range

blackness, dark color, swarthiness, dark-complexioned, duskiness (of skin); poetically, a metaphor for darkness or obscurity

Root / Etymology

From the root שָׁחַר (sh-ḥ-r), meaning 'to be black' or 'to become dark.' The root's primary sense is connected with darkness or blackness, with the noun שְׁחַרְחֹרֶת as a specific feminine form describing something characterized by blackness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שְׁחַרְחֹרֶת appears rarely, notably in poetic or metaphorical contexts (e.g., Song of Songs 1:6), where it describes the speaker’s dark complexion. The term is derived from the root שָׁחַר, often associated with blackness or dusk. Unlike later translations that may render the term as 'black' or 'swarthy' with cultural connotations, the ancient reference is descriptive rather than evaluative, emphasizing a natural physical characteristic or visual quality. In pre-exilic and exilic periods—especially in poetic passages—such color terms served to evoke aesthetic, environmental, or ethnic imagery, without the later social or religious implications associated in post-biblical usage. The closest related term is שָׁחֹר ('black'), but שְׁחַרְחֹרֶת is distinguished by its feminine form and contextually poetic use.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁחַר; swarthy; black.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שחר (sh-ḥ-r) — to be black, to be dark, to grow dark

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4891 מִשְׁחָר earliest dawn-light
H6890 צֶרֶת הַשַּׁחַר the dawn-light
H7815 שְׁחוֹר black soot
H7835 שָׁחַר dawn-light
H7836 שָׁחַר I earnestly-seek you

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7840-01 שְׁחַרְחֹ֔רֶת shecharechoret HAafsa swarthy/dark dark-complexioned 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7840-01 Song of Songs 1:6 שְׁחַרְחֹ֔רֶת shecharechoret HAafsa swarthy/dark dark-complexioned
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