What does חָרַב (ḥārab) mean in the Bible?
חָרַב (ḥārab): Devastation through deprivation: drought imagery extends to destruction of land, cities, and life itself.
Hebrew · H2717
חָרַב
To parch (through drought) i.e. (by analogy,) to desolate , destroy , kill
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חָרַב H2717
Pronunciation ḥārab
What does חָרַב (ḥārab) mean in the Bible?
חָרַב (ḥārab): Devastation through deprivation: drought imagery extends to destruction of land, cities, and life itself.
Full entry for חָרַב (H2717) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2717?
The BSB source-word alignment has 40 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include will be laid waste (4), . . . (2), been dried (2), have laid waste (2), I have dried up (2).
Where does חָרַב (ḥārab) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 8:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (12), Ezekiel (8), Jeremiah (5), 2 Kings (4).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It will be laid waste 4× Ezekiel 6:6, Ezekiel 12:20, Amos 7:9
. . . 2× 2 Kings 3:23, Isaiah 60:12
been dried 2× Judges 16:7, Judges 16:8
have laid waste 2× 2 Kings 19:17, Isaiah 37:18
I have dried up 2× 2 Kings 19:24, Isaiah 37:25
a desolate 1× Ezekiel 26:19
and deserted 1× Jeremiah 26:9
and devastated 1× Ezekiel 19:7
and dry up 1× Isaiah 19:6
and it dried up 1× Psalms 106:9
and wreckers 1× Isaiah 49:17
appalled 1× Jeremiah 2:12
Be dry 1× Isaiah 44:27
becomes parched 1× Job 14:11
dries up 1× Isaiah 50:2
had dried up 1× Genesis 8:13
have clashed swords 1× 2 Kings 3:23
I have made 1× Zephaniah 3:6
I will dry up 1× Jeremiah 51:36
I will lay waste 1× Isaiah 42:15
it will lie desolate 1× Isaiah 34:10
Kill 1× Jeremiah 50:27
Kill them 1× Jeremiah 50:21
now that she lies in ruins 1× Ezekiel 26:2
ruined 1× Ezekiel 30:7
run dry 1× Nahum 1:4
the ruined 1× Ezekiel 29:12
was dry 1× Genesis 8:13
who destroyed 1× Judges 16:24
who dried up 1× Isaiah 51:10
will be parched 1× Isaiah 19:5
will be utterly destroyed 1× Isaiah 60:12
will run dry 1× Hosea 13:15
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 8:13 חָֽרְב֥וּ to had dried up Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Genesis 8:13 חָֽרְב֖וּ to was dry Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Judges 16:7 חֹרָ֑בוּ to been dried Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person common plural Judges 16:8 חֹרָ֑בוּ to been dried Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person common plural Judges 16:24 מַחֲרִ֣יב to who destroyed Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular construct 2 Kings 3:23 הָחֳרֵ֤ב to . . . Verb - Hofal - Infinitive absolute 2 Kings 3:23 נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙ to have clashed swords Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural 2 Kings 19:17 הֶחֱרִ֜יבוּ to have laid waste Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural 2 Kings 19:24 וְאַחְרִב֙ to I have dried up Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - first person common singular Job 14:11 יֶחֱרַ֥ב to becomes parched Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 8:13
Aligned rows 40
Books represented 12
Genesis 2 Judges 3 2 Kings 4 Job 1 Psalms 1 Isaiah 12 Jeremiah 5 Ezekiel 8 Hosea 1 Amos 1 Nahum 1 Zephaniah 1
Source forms
הֶחֱרִ֜יבוּ 2x he·ḥĕ·rî·ḇū 2 Kings 19:17, Isaiah 37:18
וְאַחְרִב֙ 2x wə·’aḥ·riḇ 2 Kings 19:24, Isaiah 37:25
יֶחֱרַ֥ב 2x ye·ḥĕ·raḇ Job 14:11, Isaiah 19:5
תֶּחֱרַ֔בְנָה 2x te·ḥĕ·raḇ·nāh Ezekiel 6:6, Ezekiel 12:20
אַחֲרִ֤יב 1x ’a·ḥă·rîḇ Isaiah 42:15
אַחֲרִ֣יב 1x ’a·ḥă·rîḇ Isaiah 50:2
הָחֳרֵ֤ב 1x hā·ḥo·rêḇ 2 Kings 3:23
הָחֳרָֽבָה׃ 1x hā·ḥo·rā·ḇāh Ezekiel 26:2
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 3x Isaiah 60:12, Ezekiel 6:6, Amos 7:9
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - first person common singular 2x 2 Kings 19:24, Isaiah 37:25
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular 2x Isaiah 42:15, Isaiah 50:2
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural 2x 2 Kings 19:17, Isaiah 37:18
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2x Ezekiel 19:7, Nahum 1:4
Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person common plural 2x Judges 16:7, Judges 16:8
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural 2x Jeremiah 2:12, Jeremiah 50:27
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural 2x Ezekiel 6:6, Ezekiel 12:20
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Devastation through deprivation: drought imagery extends to destruction of land, cities, and life itself.
Source Gloss
to parch (through drought) i.e. (by analogy,) to desolate , destroy , kill
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Devastation through deprivation: drought imagery extends to destruction of land, cities, and life itself.
to parch (through drought) i.e. (by analogy,) to desolate, destroy, kill BDB: be waste Usage: decay, (be) desolate, destroy(-er), (be) dry (up), slay, × surely, (lay, lie, make) waste.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 5 Aligned forms 34
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 16×
Imperfect Amos 7:9 · Ezek 6:6 · Isa 60:12 · Ezek 12:20 · Isa 19:5 · Job 14:11 · Isa 34:10 · Jer 26:9 9×
Sequential imperfect Jer 2:12 · Jer 50:27 · Isa 44:27 · Jer 50:21 4×
Perfect Gen 8:13 2×
Infinitive absolute Isa 60:12 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 8×
Perfect 2Kgs 19:17 · Isa 37:18 · Ezek 19:7 · Nah 1:4 · Zeph 3:6 5×
Imperfect Isa 42:15 · Isa 50:2 2×
Participle active Judg 16:24 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 3×
Participle passive Ezek 26:19 · Ezek 30:7 2×
Perfect 2Kgs 3:23 1×
Pual intensive passive — intensive action received by the subject 2×
Perfect Judg 16:7 · Judg 16:8 2×
Hophal causative passive — the subject is caused to perform the action 3×
Infinitive absolute 2Kgs 3:23 1×
Perfect Ezek 26:2 1×
Participle passive Ezek 29:12 1×
Word Origins
חָרַב is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain