חָרַף
châraph · H2778 · Hebrew · 41 occurrences
Meanings
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to reproach, to taunt, to insult, to defy, to blaspheme
Causative action by which humans make an effort to arouse an emotion of shame in (other) humans or deities; by their words or actions
ExamplesJudges 8:15 And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?’”
1 Samuel 17:10 Then the Philistine said, “I have defied the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man, so that we may fight together.”
1 Samuel 17:25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will make the man who kills him wealthy with great riches, and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
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Literally: to scorn one's life; hence: state in which humans are extremely courageous as if one attributes no value to one's life (to scorn (one's) life > to be very brave)
ExamplesJudges 5:18 “Zebulun was a people who risked their lives, And Naphtali too, on the high places of the field.
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State in which humans are bound with a promise to be given to marriage to someone (to be engaged to be (someone's) concubine)
ExamplesLeviticus 19:20 ‘Now if a man has sexual relations with a woman who is a slave acquired for another man, but who has in no way been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not, however, be put to death, because she was not free.
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to pass the winter
Action by which an animal spends the season of winter engaged in a certain activity
ExamplesIsaiah 18:6 They will be left together for mountain birds of prey, And for the animals of the earth; And the birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them, And all the animals of the earth will spend harvest time on them.
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
37 occurrences in 15 groups
- Not stated: they 6
- Not stated: he, she or it 6
- Not stated (infinitive) 6
- Not stated: you (one person) 5
- אֹיֵבenemy 4
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
27 occurrences in 12 groups
- נִיme 6
- אֱלֹהִיםGod, gods 4
- יִשְׂרָאֵלIsrael 3
- מַעֲרָכָהrow 3
- Other words · 8 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
13 occurrences in 13 groups
- Other words · 13 groups that occur once or twice (14) 14
With adverbsAdverbs
2 occurrences in 1 groups
- לֹאnot 2
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
3 occurrences in 2 groups
- נִיme 2
- ךָּyou 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- עָנָהto answer 1
- שׁוּבto return, to turn back 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
5 occurrences in 1 groups
- לto/for 5
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- חֶרְפָּהdisgrace, reproach 1
- קוֹלvoice, sound 1
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.
Near synonyms 1 word
- קָלַל qâlal · H7043 · light, fast, swift
- חָרַף (châraph, H2778) covers reproach/defiance/blasphemy, while קָלַל (qâlal, H7043) includes cursing/despising/bringing into contempt—these are distinct Hebrew words that genuinely express overlapping senses of verbal shaming or dishonoring actions.
In the other Testament 1 word
- ὀνειδίζω oneidízō · G3679 · to insult, insult, to reprimand
- Greek ὀνειδίζω renders the reproach/taunt semantic component of Hebrew חָרַף, focusing on verbal defamation and railing rather than the betrothal sense (which is a distinct Hebrew homograph).
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Shame002001002025
- The word denotes reproaching or taunting someone, as in Judges 8:15's account of the men of Succoth taunting Gideon and 1 Samuel 17:10's and 17:25's references to Goliath defying Israel.
- Confident002001002003
- The word can denote defying or boldly challenging an opponent, as in 1 Samuel 17:10's account of the Philistine defying the ranks of Israel.
- Associate002003002002
- The word can denote betrothing a woman, entering into a marital pledge with her, as in Leviticus 19:20's reference to a slave woman promised to another man.
- Time002002002010
- This code is shared with a related sense of this root used for the winter season rather than independently attested among this entry's own occurrences, which describe reproach, defiance, and betrothal.
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2778. charaph . I. [חָרַף] verb reproach (Late Hebrew Pi`el id.; Aramaic חֲרַף id.,…
. I. [חָרַף] verb reproach (Late Hebrew Pi`el id.; Aramaic חֲרַף id., sharpen, sharp, keen, acute); —
Qal Imperfect מִיָּמָ֑י לְבָבִי לֹאיֶֿחֱרַף Job 27:6; Participle suffix חֹרְפִי Psa 119:42; Pro 27:11; חוֺרְפֶיךָ Psa 69:10.
Piel. Perfect חֵרֵף Jdg 5:18 Jdg 5:6t.; חֵרַפְתָּ Isa 37:23 Isa 37:4t. etc. + 10 t. perfect; Imperfect יְחָרֵף 2Sa 21:21; 1Ch 20:7; יְחָ֫רֶף Psa 74:10 Psa 74:2t. suffix; Infinitive לְחָרֵף Isa 37:4-5t.; בְּחָֽרְפָם 2Sa 23:9 (but see below); Participle מְחָרֵף Psa 44:17; — reproach, — properly say sharp things against, — taunt, with accusative Jdg 8:15; 1Sa 17:10, 1Sa 17:25, 1Sa 17:26, 1Sa 17:36, 1Sa 17:45; 2Sa 21:21 1Ch 20:7; God, by injustice to the poor Pro 14:31; Pro 17:5; Yahweh, by idolatry Isa 65:7; Yahweh as the God of Israel 2Ki 19:4, 2Ki 19:16, 2Ki 19:22, 2Ki 19:23 = Isa 37:4; Isa 37:17; Isa 37:23; Isa 37:24 2Ch 32:17 (with לְ); with בְּ, Philistines 2Sa 23:9 ᵑ0 (but read דַּמִּים בְּפַס at Pas-dammîm, proper name, of a location, as 1Ch 11:12 We Dr); reproach, Neh 6:13 + Neh 42:11; Neh 44:17; Neh 55:13; Neh 57:4; Neh 74:10; Neh 74:18; Neh 79:12; Neh 89:52 (twice in verse); Neh 102:9; Zep 2:8, Zep 2:10; in poetry and figurative, despise, scorn, ׳ח למוּת נפשׁ Jdg 5:18.
III. [חָרַף] verb denominative remain in harvest-time (so Arabic ; English to winter) — only
Qal Imperfect3feminine singular תֶּחֱרָ֑ף עָלָיו הָאָרֶץ כָּלבֶּֿהֱמַת Isa 18:6 all the beasts of the earth shall spend the harvest-time upon it.
IV. [חָרַף] verb acquire (compare Arabic turn a thing from its proper way or manner, but also gain, acquire [subsistence] for one's family) — only
Niph`al Participle f. לְאִישׁ נֶחֱרֶפֶת שִׁפְחָה a maidservant acquired for a man (namely as his concubine) Lev 19:26 (H; compare Late Hebrew חֲרוּפָה of woman designated for a man).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 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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