eRhema Explore
Word

אֶרֶץ

ʼerets · H776 · Hebrew · 2,504 occurrences

See all 2,504 in Search

Place

Meanings

  1. earth, ground, land, country, region, area

    The earth as opposed to the sky; sometimes used in a more specific sense to denote part of the earth, such as the dry land as opposed to the sea, or a specific region, area, country, or plot of land

    Examples

    Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

    Genesis 1:2 And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

    Genesis 1:10 And God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of the waters He called “seas”; and God saw that it was good.

  2. short distance

    Literally: distance of land; hence: a reference to a relatively short distance

    Examples

    Genesis 35:16 Then they journeyed on from Bethel; but when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe difficulties in her labor.

    Genesis 48:7 “Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died, to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

    2 Kings 5:19 He said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went some distance from him.

  3. heaven and earth, universe

    A more or less fixed phrase: the heavens and the earth, equivalent to a single lexical item: the totality of God's creation

    Examples

    Genesis 2:4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.

    Psalm 148:13 They are to praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven.

    Jeremiah 10:13 When He utters His voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens, And He makes the clouds ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses.

How it’s used In 10 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

836 occurrences in 147 groups

Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles

314 occurrences in 73 groups

Named alongside itApposition

56 occurrences in 38 groups

What it doesIt is the subject

203 occurrences in 87 groups

What is done to itIt is the object

343 occurrences in 85 groups

Second object ofSecond object

6 occurrences in 3 groups

What it is said to bePredicate

32 occurrences in 22 groups

What is said to be itIt is the predicate

37 occurrences in 24 groups

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

1,181 occurrences in 11 groups

In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive

496 occurrences in 128 groups

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
אֲדָמָה ʼădâmâh · H127 · ground, earth, land
Both refer to earth, ground or land. אֲדָמָה (ʼădâmâh, H127) refers to soil, territory and cultivated ground, whereas אֶרֶץ (ʼerets, H776) has the broader range of land or earth.
In the other Testament 3 words
γῆ gē · G1093 · earth, world, land
Greek γῆ is the standard rendering of Hebrew אֶרֶץ, covering the full semantic range from soil or ground to land or country to the earth as a whole.
οἰκουμένη oikouménē · G3625 · earth, world, empire
οἰκουμένη specifically denotes the inhabited world or ecumene (often the Roman-governed world in NT contexts), whereas אֶרֶץ has broader semantic range including ground, country, territory, and earth in general without the inhabited-world restriction.
χώρα chṓra · G5561 · land, region, territory
Greek χώρα (chṓra, G5561) translates Hebrew אֶרֶץ (ʼerets, H776) when denoting territory, region, or land as a bounded space, often with emphasis on the inhabited area or geographical extent rather than the physical ground substance itself.
Semantic domains 2 entries
Land001002002
אֶרֶץ designates the earth or land as a physical domain, from the creation of heaven and earth to the dry ground God calls 'earth.'
Spatial Referents003002005
The word also functions as a broad spatial referent — a country, territory, or the whole world — locating people and events within a bounded or general space.
Word family 5 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

אֶרֶץʼerets · H776אֲרַע ʼăraʻ · H772 · earth, interior · 21×אַרְעִית ʼarʻîyth · H773 · bottom · 1×אֲרַק ʼăraq · H778 · earth · 1×

Also from the root אֶרֶץ

מְלֵחָה mᵉlêchâh · H4420 · salt land, salt waste · 3×
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H776. erets אֶ֫רֶץ2407 noun feminineGen 10:11 & (seldom) masculineGen 13:16 earth, land…
H776. erets
אֶ֫רֶץ2407 noun feminineGen 10:11 & (seldom) masculineGen 13:16 earth, land (Phoenician, MI ארץ, Assyrian irƒitu COTGloss, Arabic , Sabean ארץֿ e.g. Os9 DHMZMG 1875, 594, 614; Semitic Sprachf. 12, compare PräBAS i. 374 n., Aramaic אֲרַע, ) — ׳א absolute Gen 1:24 +; construct Gen 2:11 +; אָ֑רֶץ Gen 1:10 +; with article always הָאָ֫רֶץ Gen 1:11 +; with ָ ה locative אַ֫רְצָה Gen 11:31 +, (this form also in poetry = אֶרֶץ Job 34:13 +); suffix אַרְצִי Job 20:15 +; אַרְצְךָ (אַרְצֶ֑ךָ) Job 12:1 +, etc.; plural אֲרָצוֺת Jer 28:8 65t.; construct אַרְצוֺת Eze 39:27 Eze 39:6t.; suffix אַרְצֹתָם Gen 10:5 Gen 10:2t.; —
1. a. earth, whole earth (opposed to a part) Gen 18:18, Gen 18:25; Gen 22:18 (= הָאֲדָמָה Gen 12:3) Jer 25:26, Jer 25:29, Jer 25:30; Jer 26:6; Isa 37:16, Isa 37:20 = 2Ki 19:15; 2Ki 19:19; Zec 4:10; Zec 4:14 +.
b. earth, opposed to heaven, sky Gen 1:2; Exo 20:4; Deu 5:8; Deu 30:19; Jdg 5:4; Lam 2:1; Isa 37:16 = 2Ki 19:15; Psa 146:6; 1Ch 21:16; 1Ch 29:11; 2Ch 2:11 +; as permanent Ecc 1:4; built on foundations, or pillars 1Sa 2:8; Psa 104:5; Job 38:4; Isa 48:13; Isa 51:13, Isa 51:16 compare also Isa 24:18; Psa 82:5; firm, so that its shaking is something terrible, & token of terrible power 1Sa 14:4; 2Sa 22:8 = Psa 18:8; Job 9:6 compare Psa 46:2 & Psa 46:6; so also Amo 8:8; Isa 2:19, Isa 2:21; Isa 24:18-19, Isa 24:20; Psa 60:4; Psa 77:19; Psa 99:1; Psa 114:7; as hung on nothing Job 26:7; with waters under it Exo 20:4 = Deu 5:8 compare Gen 7:11; personified, especially as addressed, called to witness, etc. Deu 32:1; Jer 6:19; Jer 22:29; Isa 1:2; Mic 1:2; Job 16:18.
c. earth = inhabitants of earth Gen 6:11; 1Ki 2:2; 1Ki 10:24; Psa 33:8; Psa 66:4 +?א ׳תֵּבֵל Pro 8:31; Job 37:12.
2 land =
a. country, territory, ׳א שִׁנְעָר Gen 10:10, ׳א מִצְרַיִם Gen 21:21; compare also Gen 10:11; Gen 11:28, Gen 11:31; Gen 13:10; Gen 47:6, Gen 47:27; Gen 50:8; Isa 7:18; Isa 23:1; Isa 23:13; Isa 27:13; Psa 78:12; Jer 25:20; 1Ch 1:43; personified Isa 62:4; Ecc 10:16-17,.
b. district, region Gen 19:28; Gen 22:2; Jos 11:3; Psa 42:7.
c. tribal territory Deu 34:2; Jdg 21:21; 1Sa 9:4, 1Sa 9:16; 1Sa 13:7; 1Ki 15:20; Isaiah 8:23; and still smaller territories 1Sa 9:4-5,.
d. piece of ground Gen 23:15.
e. specifically land of Canaan, or Israel Gen 11:31; Gen 12:1; Gen 12:5; Gen 12:6; Gen 12:7; Gen 31:3; Exodus 14:34; Deu 17:14; Deu 18:9; 2Ki 5:2, 2Ki 5:4 +; especially object of יָרַשׁ possess Deu 3:20 +? Deuteronomy, Psalms and elsewhere; so after נָחַל Jos 19:49 +; נָתַן Deu 1:21 +.
f. = inhabitants land Lev 19:29; Eze 14:13 +? Deu 24:4; Zec 12:12 etc.
g. used even of Sh®°ôl Job 10:21-22, (compare Assyrian irƒit la târat, land without return, in Descent of Ishtar, see Jr10. 65); see also Psa 139:15; Isa 44:23.
3. a. ground, surface of ground = אֲדָמָה q. v. Gen 1:26, Gen 1:30; Gen 18:2; Gen 33:3; Gen 38:9; Exo 4:3; Exo 16:4; Rth 2:10; 1Sa 5:4 + very often in Samuel.
b. soil, as productive = אֲדָמָה Gen 1:11-12, Lev 19:9; Lev 25:9; Lev 26:4 compare Num 14:7-8, Isa 36:7 = 2Ki 18:32; Psa 72:6; Psa 72:16; Psa 107:34; Psa 107:35; Ezr 9:12; Neh 9:35.
4 אֶרֶץ in phrases:
a. people of the land ׳עַםהָֿא of non-Israelites Gen 23:7, Gen 23:12, Gen 23:13 (P) Num 14:9 (JE); as well as Israel Lev 20:4 (H) 2Ki 15:5; 2Ki 16:15; 2Ki 21:24 (twice in verse); especially common people, opposed to officials, princes Lev 4:27 (P) Eze 7:27; 2Ki 11:18-19,.
b. in measurements of distance, הָא ׳כִּבְרַת the space or distance of country (see כּברה) Gen 35:16, so א ׳כִּבְרַת some distance Gen 48:7; 2Ki 5:19.
c. הַמִּישׁוֺר אֶרֶץ the country of the plain, level or plain country Deu 4:33; Jer 48:21; ׳א מִישׁוֺר figurative Psa 143:10 (but read ᵑ6 אֹרַח Bi Gr Che, compare Psa 27:11).
d. ׳א חַיִּים land of the living Psa 27:13; ׳א הַחַיִּים Psa 142:6.
e. הָא ׳קְצֵה end(s) of the earth Isa 42:10; Isa 43:6 (|| רָחוֺק) Psa 135:7; Pro 17:24, so א ׳אַפְסֵי Pro 30:4 +; הָא ׳קְצוֺת Isa 40:28; Isa 41:5, Isa 41:9.
5 plural אֲרָצוֺת is almost wholly late, Jer 16:15 Jer 16:6t. Jeremiah; 23t. Ezekiel; Isa 36:20; Isa 37:11 = 2Ki 18:35; 2Ki 19:11 (Isa 37:18 read הַגּוֺיִם see Che Di & compare 2Ki 19:17); 22t. Chronicles; Dan 9:7; Dan 11:40, Dan 11:42; Psa 105:44; Psa 106:27; Psa 107:3; Psa 116:9; besides these only P Gen 10:5, Gen 10:20, Gen 10:31; Lev 26:36, Lev 26:39, except Gen 26:3-4, (JR) Gen 41:54 (JE); it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc., see especially absolute Eze 20:32; Eze 22:4; = the various petty divisions of Canaan afterward united under Israel's control Gen 26:3-4, compare 1Ch 13:2 יִשְׂרָאֵל אַרְצוֺת, 2Ch 11:23 יְהוּדָה אַרְצוֺת.

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Land2,449 occurrencesSpatial Referents3 occurrences

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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