What does חָרַם (ḥāram) mean in the Bible?
חָרַם (ḥāram): Religious devotion through complete destruction; God's exclusive claim on warfare spoils and idolatrous peoples.
Hebrew · H2763
חָרַם
To seclude ; specifically (by a ban) to devote to religious uses (especially destruction); physical and reflexive, to be blunt as to the nose
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חָרַם H2763
Pronunciation ḥāram
What does חָרַם (ḥāram) mean in the Bible?
חָרַם (ḥāram): Religious devotion through complete destruction; God's exclusive claim on warfare spoils and idolatrous peoples.
Full entry for חָרַם (H2763) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2763?
The BSB source-word alignment has 52 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (3), devoting them to destruction (3), He devoted to destruction (3), and devote them to destruction (2), and devote to destruction (2).
Where does חָרַם (ḥāram) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 22:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Joshua (14), Deuteronomy (8), 1 Samuel (7), Jeremiah (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 . . . 3× Leviticus 27:28, Deuteronomy 7:2, Deuteronomy 20:17
devoting them to destruction 3× 2 Kings 19:11, 1 Chronicles 4:41, Isaiah 37:11
He devoted to destruction 3× Joshua 10:28, Joshua 10:37, Joshua 10:40
and devote them to destruction 2× Jeremiah 50:21, Daniel 11:44
and devote to destruction 2× 1 Samuel 15:3, 1 Samuel 15:18
and devoted to destruction 2× Deuteronomy 2:34, Joshua 10:39
Devote to destruction 2× Deuteronomy 13:15, Judges 21:11
[Israel] devoted 1× Numbers 21:3
[Joshua] devoted to destruction 1× Joshua 10:35
and devoted 1× 1 Samuel 15:20
and devoted [the city] to destruction 1× Judges 1:17
and devoted it to destruction 1× Joshua 10:1
but devoted 1× 1 Samuel 15:8
but they devoted to destruction 1× 1 Samuel 15:9
devote 1× Jeremiah 51:3
Devote her to destruction 1× Jeremiah 50:26
devoted them to destruction 1× Joshua 11:21
devoted to destruction 1× 2 Chronicles 32:14
devoting [them] to destruction 1× Joshua 11:11
devoting them 1× 2 Chronicles 20:23
disfigured 1× Leviticus 21:18
He devoted them to destruction 1× Joshua 11:12
he had devoted to destruction 1× Joshua 8:26
he must be set apart for destruction 1× Exodus 22:20
He will devote them to destruction 1× Isaiah 34:2
set apart for destruction 1× Leviticus 27:29
So I will devote them to destruction 1× Jeremiah 25:9
so that they would be set apart for destruction 1× Joshua 11:20
then you must devote them to complete destruction 1× Deuteronomy 7:2
Then you will devote 1× Micah 4:13
they devoted to destruction 1× Joshua 6:21
to devote them to destruction 1× 1 Samuel 15:9
to devote to destruction 1× 1 Kings 9:21
utterly destroying 1× Deuteronomy 3:6
We devoted them to destruction 1× Deuteronomy 3:6
we devoted to destruction 1× 1 Samuel 15:15
we will devote 1× Numbers 21:2
will devote to destruction 1× Isaiah 11:15
would forfeit 1× Ezra 10:8
you devoted to destruction 1× Joshua 2:10
you must devote them to complete destruction 1× Deuteronomy 20:17
you yourself be set apart for destruction 1× Joshua 6:18
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 22:20 יָֽחֳרָ֑ם to he must be set apart for destruction Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Leviticus 21:18 חָרֻ֖ם to disfigured Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular Leviticus 27:28 יַחֲרִם֩ to . . . Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Leviticus 27:29 יָחֳרַ֛ם to set apart for destruction Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Numbers 21:2 וְהַֽחֲרַמְתִּ֖י to we will devote Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular Numbers 21:3 וַיַּחֲרֵ֥ם to [Israel] devoted Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 2:34 וַֽנַּחֲרֵם֙ to and devoted to destruction Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural Deuteronomy 3:6 וַנַּחֲרֵ֣ם to We devoted them to destruction Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural Deuteronomy 3:6 הַחֲרֵם֙ to utterly destroying Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute Deuteronomy 7:2 הַחֲרֵ֤ם to then you must devote them to complete destruction Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 22:20
Aligned rows 52
Books represented 16
Exodus 1 Leviticus 3 Numbers 2 Deuteronomy 8 Joshua 14 Judges 2 1 Samuel 7 1 Kings 1 2 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 2 Ezra 1 Isaiah 3 Jeremiah 4 Daniel 1 Micah 1
Source forms
הֶחֱרִ֔ים 2x he·ḥĕ·rîm Joshua 8:26, Joshua 10:40
וַֽיַּחֲרִ֙ימוּ֙ 2x way·ya·ḥă·rî·mū Joshua 6:21, Joshua 10:39
הֶחֱרִ֑ים 1x he·ḥĕ·rîm Joshua 10:35
הֶחֱרִ֣ים 1x he·ḥĕ·rîm Joshua 11:12
הֶחֱרִ֥ים 1x he·ḥĕ·rîm 1 Samuel 15:8
הֶחֱרִ֣ימוּ 1x he·ḥĕ·rî·mū 2 Chronicles 32:14
הַחֲרִ֖ימוּ 1x ha·ḥă·rî·mū Jeremiah 51:3
הֶחֱרִֽימוּ׃פ 1x he·ḥĕ·rî·mū 1 Samuel 15:9
Parsing patterns
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular 6x Joshua 8:26, Joshua 10:28, Joshua 10:35, Joshua 10:40
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute 4x Deuteronomy 3:6, Deuteronomy 7:2, Deuteronomy 20:17, Joshua 11:11
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 3x Joshua 6:21, Joshua 10:39, Judges 1:17
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural 3x 1 Kings 9:21, 2 Kings 19:11, Isaiah 37:11
Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 3x Exodus 22:20, Leviticus 27:29, Ezra 10:8
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular 2x Numbers 21:2, Micah 4:13
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural 2x Deuteronomy 2:34, Deuteronomy 3:6
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x Numbers 21:3, Joshua 10:37
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Religious devotion through complete destruction; God's exclusive claim on warfare spoils and idolatrous peoples.
Source Gloss
to seclude ; specifically (by a ban) to devote to religious uses (especially destruction); physical and reflexive, to be blunt as to the nose
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Religious devotion through complete destruction; God's exclusive claim on warfare spoils and idolatrous peoples.
to seclude; specifically (by a ban) to devote to religious uses (especially destruction); physical and reflexive, to be blunt as to the nose BDB: ban Usage: make accursed, consecrate, (utterly) destroy, devote, forfeit, have a flat nose, utterly (slay, make away).
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 3 Aligned forms 25
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 21×
Perfect 1Sam 15:8 · Josh 8:26 · Josh 10:28 · Josh 10:35 · Josh 10:40 · Josh 11:12 · 1Sam 15:9 · 2Chr 32:14 · 1Sam 15:15 · 1Sam 15:20 · Josh 2:10 11×
Infinitive absolute Deut 3:6 · Deut 7:2 · Deut 13:16 · Deut 20:17 · Josh 11:11 5×
Imperfect Josh 6:18 · Judg 21:11 · Deut 7:2 · Lev 27:28 4×
Sequential imperfect Jer 51:3 1×
Hophal causative passive — the subject is caused to perform the action 3×
Imperfect Exod 22:19 · Ezra 10:8 · Lev 27:29 3×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 1×
Participle passive Lev 21:18 1×
Word Origins
חָרַם 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