חֶרֶב
chereb · H2719 · Hebrew · 413 occurrences
A word for 2 things
- SwordWarfare462 verses
- Battering ramSiege instruments6 verses
Meanings
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chisel, knife
Sharp object; made out of iron or flint; used as tool for various purposes
ExamplesExodus 20:25 ‘And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your chisel on it, you will profane it.
Joshua 5:2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.”
Joshua 5:3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
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sword
Offensive weapon consisting of long blade for cutting or thrusting or both, and hilt with hand-guard; made out of iron; used in warfare; symbol of aggression and punishment
ExamplesGenesis 3:24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 27:40 “And by your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.”
Genesis 34:25 Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob’s sons—Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers—each took his sword and came upon the city undetected, and killed every male.
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battering-ram
A long, heavy object, made of wood and covered on one end with metal, rammed by soldiers against the wall or gate of a city under siege; it sometimes had a point since the purpose of the ramming was to wedge a hole in the wall; others were blunt on the end; it could be held and swung by soldiers, or sometimes it was suspended by ropes from a moveable wooden tower
ExamplesEzekiel 26:9 “And he will direct the blow of his battering rams against your walls, and he will tear down your towers with his axes.
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sword > war
Action by which humans are engaged in an armed conflict with other humans, accompanied by deeds of aggression
ExamplesGenesis 31:26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?
Exodus 5:3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will strike us with plague or with the sword.”
Exodus 18:4 And the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
93 occurrences in 26 groups
- הוּhis 26
- יmy 14
- הֶםtheir 11
- ךָyour 10
- אִישׁman, person, each 3
- Other words · 21 groups that occur once or twice (29) 29
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
12 occurrences in 11 groups
- חַדsharp 3
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11
Named alongside itApposition
6 occurrences in 6 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 1
- חָדַרto surround 1
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 1
- נָשַׂגto overtake, to catch up with, to afford 1
- רַעevil, bad 1
- שֶׁפֶטjudgement 1
What it doesIt is the subject
49 occurrences in 22 groups
- אָכַלto eat, to devour 10
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 9
- שָׁלַףto pull out 4
- הָיָהto be, to become 3
- שָׁכֹלbereaved of children 3
- Other words · 17 groups that occur once or twice (20) 20
What is done to itIt is the object
80 occurrences in 25 groups
- שָׁלַףto pull out 14
- לָקַחto take, to receive 8
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 8
- רוּקto draw (a sword), to empty 7
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 6
- חָגַרto be girded with 5
- Other words · 17 groups that occur once or twice (24) 24
What it is said to bePredicate
16 occurrences in 20 groups
- Other words · 20 groups that occur once or twice (20) 20
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 1
- אִישׁman, person, each 1
- לָשׁוֹןtongue, language 1
- שֵׁןtooth, ivory 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
156 occurrences in 10 groups
- בin/on/with 202
- לto/for 20
- מִןfrom 17
- אֵלto, toward 8
- עַלon, upon, over, against 8
- כlike/as 7
- Other words · 4 groups that occur once or twice (5) 5
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
90 occurrences in 23 groups
- פֶּהmouth 35
- חָלָלslain, wounded 16
- פָּנִיםface, presence, before 14
- יָדhand, power 4
- Other words · 19 groups that occur once or twice (21) 21
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 2 words
- ῥομφαία rhomphaía · G4501 · sword, war, fighting
- ῥομφαία (rhomphaía, G4501) is a Greek translation equivalent of חֶרֶב (chereb, H2719), both denoting cutting/striking weapons (sword, knife, dagger); the Hebrew term has broader semantic range including tools (axe, mattock), while the Greek term specifically denotes a long, broad-bladed sword or sabre, representing the military-weapon subset of the Hebrew lexeme's meaning.
- μάχαιρα máchaira · G3162 · sword, dagger, war
- Greek μάχαιρα (máchaira, G3162) serves as the standard LXX rendering of Hebrew חֶרֶב (chereb, H2719) across the semantic range of bladed weapons and cutting implements, encompassing sword, knife, dagger, and tool contexts with direct translation equivalence.
Semantic domains 3 entries
- Tools001003001001017
- The word can denote a cutting implement such as a knife or mattock used for ordinary work, one sense among the range of edged tools this word covers.
- Weapons001003001001020
- The word denotes a sword, the primary weapon of hand-to-hand combat, as in Genesis 3:24's flaming sword and Genesis 27:40's reference to living by the sword.
- Conflict002003002006
- The word denotes the sword as an instrument and symbol of armed conflict, as in Genesis 31:26's and 34:25's accounts of violent confrontation.
Word family 8 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2719. chereb חֶ֫רֶב411 noun feminineIsa 21:15 sword (as weapon; Aramaic חַרְבָּא, ,…
חֶ֫רֶב411 noun feminineIsa 21:15 sword (as weapon; Aramaic חַרְבָּא, , Zinjirli חרב; Arabic dart, javelin) — absolute חֶ֫רֶב Gen 3:24 +; חָ֑רֶב Exo 17:13 +; construct חֶ֫רֶב Deu 33:29 +; suffix חַרְבִּי Exo 15:9 Exo 15:13t.; חַרְבְּךָ Gen 27:40 Gen 27:7t.; חֵרְבֶּ֑ךָ 1Sa 17:33; Psa 17:13; חַרְבּוֺ Num 22:23-24t.; חַרְבְּכֶם Jer 2:30; Eze 33:26; חַרְבָּם Psa 37:15; Psa 44:4; plural חֲרָבוֺת Isa 21:15 Isa 21:5t.; construct חַרְבוֺת Jos 5:2 Jos 5:2t.; suffix חַרְבוֺתָיו Eze 26:9; חַרְבוֺתָם Isa 2:4-5t.; חַרְבֹתֵיהֶם Mic 4:3 Mic 4:2t.; —
1. a. sword, as weapon of war Gen 48:22 (E), Jdg 7:14, Jdg 7:20; 1Sa 21:9, and so in all periods; two-edged (short) sword ׳ח אָרְכָּהּ גֹּמֶד פֵיוֺ֖ת שְׁנֵי וְלָהּ Jdg 3:16, compare ׳ח מִּיּוֺת Pro 5:4 (in simile), ׳ח מִּיפִיּוֺת Psa 149:6; see also ח ׳צוּר edge of sword Psa 89:44.
b. gird on sword = הח ׳חָגַר 1Sa 17:39; 1Sa 25:13 (3 t. in verse); Psa 45:4 (יָרֵך עַל ׳ח ׳הח), ירך על שִׂים Exo 32:27, compare especially 2Sa 20:8.
c. draw the sword הח ׳הֵרִיק Exo 15:9; Lev 26:33; Eze 5:2, Eze 5:12; Eze 12:14; Eze 28:7, הח ׳הוציא Eze 21:8; Eze 21:10, הח ׳פתח Psa 37:14; Ezekiel 21:33, נטשׁ Isa 21:15 (Gr Che לטשׁ see below); usually הח ׳שׁלף Num 22:23, Num 22:31; Jos 5:13; Jdg 3:22; Jdg 8:10, Jdg 8:20; Jdg 9:54; 1Sa 17:51; 1Sa 31:4 = 1Ch 10:4; 1Ch 21:16, and as characteristic of warriors ח ׳שֹׁלֵף Jdg 20:2, Jdg 20:15, Jdg 20:17, Jdg 20:25, Jdg 20:35, Jdg 20:46; 2Sa 24:9; 2Ki 3:26; 1Ch 21:5 (twice in verse); אֶלהַֿח יָדוֺ ׳וַתִּדְבַּק 2Sa 23:10, insert also in || 1Ch 11:13 (Dr).
d. whet, sharpen the sword הח ׳לטשׁ Psa 7:13 (compare Isa 21:15 above), but also שׁנן Deu 32:41 compare Psa 64:4, הוּחַדָּה Eze 21:14; Eze 21:16.
e. put up the sword into the sheath הח ׳הֵשִׁיב אֶלנְֿדָנָהּ 1Ch 21:27 (sheath of sword is elsewhere תַּעַר 1 Samuel 7:51; 2Sa 20:8; Jer 47:6; Eze 21:8).
f. slay with sword ׳בח הרג Jos 10:11; Jos 13:22 +; in אנשׁים ימותו 1Sa 2:33, insert בְּחֶרֶב before ᵐ5 אנשׁים We Dr; rarely בח ׳הכה Jos 11:10; 2Ki 19:37 = Isa 37:38; very often לְפִיחֿ ׳הִכָּה smite according to the mouth of the sword i.e. as the sword can devour (2Sa 2:26; 2Sa 11:25) = without quarter Num 21:24 (E) Deu 13:16; a Deu 20:13; Jos 11:11-12, Jos 11:14 (all D) Jdg 18:27; Jdg 21:10; 1Ki 10:25; Job 1:15, Job 1:17; also with העיר as sole object Jos 8:24; Jos 10:28, Jos 10:30, Jos 10:32, Jos 10:35, Jos 10:37, compare Jos 10:39; Jos 19:47; Jdg 1:8, Jdg 1:25; Jdg 20:37; 1Sa 22:19 (twice in verse); 2Sa 15:14; לפיחֿ ׳הרג Gen 34:26 (J); לפיחֿ ׳החרים Deu 13:16b (including הָעִיר in object), Jos 6:21; 1Sa 15:8, לפיחֿ ׳חלשׁ Exo 17:13 (E); לפיחֿ ׳נפל Jos 8:24; Jdg 4:16; י ׳ל֗֗֗פיחֿ׳וַיָּהָם Jdg 4:15; — (׳לפיחֿ is chiefly in Joshua and Judges (21 t.), in Hexateuch only J E D; but Job post-exilic).
g. הח ׳אכלה etc., of the sword as devouring: — בָשָׂר חַרְבִּי תּאֹכֵל Deu 32:42 (poetry), 2Sa 2:26; 2Sa 11:25; 2Sa 18:8; Isa 1:10; Jer 2:30; Jer 46:10, Jer 46:14; Nahum 2:14.
h. slain by sword is ׳חֲלַלחִֿ Num 19:16 (P) and frequently Ezekiel, ׳חַלְלֵיחֿ Eze 31:17-18, Eze 32:21, Eze 32:25, Eze 32:28, Eze 32:29, Eze 32:30, Eze 32:32; Eze 35:8 ח ׳מְחֻלְלֵי Ezekiel 35:26 < Co ׳חלליחֿ (on text of Eze 32:20, Eze 32:22, Eze 32:31 see Co).
i. ח ׳שְׁבֻיוֺת Gen 31:26 are captives of (taken by) sword.
j. sword frequently agent of ׳י Jdg 7:20; Isa 34:6; Jer 12:12; Jer 47:6 etc., — so Deu 28:22, but read חֹרֶב see below I. חרב (compare on other hand 1Sa 17:47); note especially Gen 3:24 הַמִּתְהַמֶּכֶת הח ׳לַהַט; in poetry ח ׳לַהַכ Nah 3:3, ח ׳בְּרַק Deu 32:41.
k. ׳ח figurative of tongue Psa 57:5; compare Psa 59:8; figurative of violence war, etc., Gen 27:40; in simile Pro 5:4 (of grievous end of dealings with strange women).
2 knife ׳ח צֻרִים flint knives for use in circumcision Jos 5:2-3,(see WeSkizzen iii, 166); Eze 5:1-2,הַגַּלָּבִים ׳ח תַּעַר חַדָּה (according to Co use of sword as razor is significant).
3 of tools used in hewing stone עליה הֵנַפְתָּ חַרְבְּךָ Exo 20:25; בח ׳יִתֹּץ Eze 26:9, according to most = tools, axes, 'steel' (Co ' Eisen '), but possibly swords as implement ready to hand; 2Ch 34:6 Qr בְּחַרְבֹתֵיהֶם with their tools; read perhaps בְּחָרְבֹתֵיהֶם in their ruins, Be, who compare Psa 109:10; see חָרְבָּה below II. חרב (ᵑ9 ᵐ5 omit חרב).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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