חֲזִיר (cha.zir)
cha.zir
swine
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun cha.zir refers to the pig, specifically distinguishing between domestic swine and the wild boar. In the biblical text, this animal appears in six verses, primarily within the legal codes of Leviticus and the poetic warnings of Proverbs and Isaiah. It is never presented as a creature of beauty or utility, but rather as an example of something that looks clean on the outside yet remains fundamentally unclean.
Its most significant role is theological: it serves as the primary symbol for forbidden food in Leviticus 11:7. The law highlights that while the pig has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud, marking it as ritually impure. This distinction became a sharp boundary marker for Israel’s identity, separating them from neighboring nations whose diets included pork.
In later prophetic and wisdom literature, the word carries heavy symbolic weight. Isaiah uses the image of pigs wallowing in filth to describe how sacred truths are treated with contempt (Isaiah 65:4), while Proverbs warns against feeding a pig pearls, illustrating the futility of offering wisdom to those who cannot value it (Proverbs 11:22). The animal thus stands as a lasting metaphor for spiritual blindness and defilement.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
In the ancient world, the pig was more than just an animal; it was a boundary marker. For Israel, the law in Leviticus and Deuteronomy made a clear distinction: though the pig had a split hoof, it did not chew the cud, marking it as unclean. This wasn't merely about diet. It was a daily reminder that God’s people were called to be set apart, reflecting His holiness in every detail of life.
Later, the prophets used this image to speak to spiritual conditions. Isaiah described those who treated sacred things with contempt as those who ate pig’s meat, sitting among graves and seeking secret places. The animal became a symbol for hearts that look outwardly acceptable but are inwardly defiled. It warns us against valuing appearance over true purity.
Today, this word invites us to examine our own lives. Are we focused on external forms while neglecting the heart? The call remains the same: to pursue genuine holiness that honors God from the inside out, trusting in His grace to cleanse and set us apart for His purposes.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ pig4×
- a pig2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ֠/חֲזִיר2×
- הַ/חֲזִ֔יר2×
- חֲזִ֔יר1×
- חֲזִ֑יר1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 11:7
The pig, because it has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you.
This verse establishes the physical criteria—split hoof but no cud chewing—that define the pig as ritually unclean, forming the basis for Israel’s dietary separation.
-
Isaiah 65:4
who sit among the graves, and spend nights in secret places; who eat pig’s meat, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
Here the pig’s meat symbolizes idolatrous practices and spiritual defilement, linking the animal to those who engage in secret, forbidden rituals among graves.
-
Isaiah 66:3
He who kills an ox is as he who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as he who breaks a dog’s neck; he who offers an offering, as he who offers pig’s blood; he who burns frankincense, as he who blesses an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations.
The prophet equates offering pig’s blood with killing a man or blessing an idol, showing how deliberate disobedience turns worship into abomination.