חַסְרָה (chas.rah)
chas.rah
Hasrah
N:N-M-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-M-P
Word Overview
The name Chasrah, meaning “lack” or “deficiency,” appears in only one biblical passage: 2 Chronicles 34:22. It identifies a man who served as the grandfather of Shallum, the husband of the prophetess Huldah. This brief genealogical note places him within the family line connected to King Josiah’s religious reforms.
Lexical sources link Chasrah to Harhas (H2745), suggesting they are variant spellings of the same individual mentioned in 2 Kings 22:14 as the father of Tikvah. While the name itself carries a somber meaning, its presence in Scripture highlights the importance of family lineage in preserving prophetic authority during the divided monarchy period.
Translators typically retain the transliteration “Chasrah” or “Hasrah” rather than translating the meaning directly. This preserves the proper noun’s identity while allowing readers to appreciate the linguistic root. The word serves as a reminder that even names with negative connotations can be part of God’s redemptive history, as seen in the lineage of Huldah, whose prophecy guided Josiah’s restoration.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Chasrah appears only once in Scripture, tucked inside a genealogy in 2 Chronicles 34:22. It identifies the grandfather of Shallum, husband of the prophetess Huldah. The word itself means "lack" or "deficiency," yet it marks a crucial link in the family line that guided King Josiah’s reforms.
It is easy to feel that our own backgrounds or perceived shortcomings disqualify us from God’s work. This brief mention reminds us that God uses ordinary people, even those with names suggesting emptiness, to accomplish His purposes. Huldah’s prophecy restored Judah because God honored the lineage He provided.
Your history does not define your destiny in Christ. Whether you feel equipped or empty-handed, God can use your story to point others to Him. Trust that He is writing a redemptive narrative through every part of your life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Hasrah1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חַסְרָה֙1×
Key Verses
-
II Chronicles 34:22
So Hilkiah and those whom the king had commanded went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter), and they spoke to her to that effect.
This verse identifies Chasrah as the grandfather of Shallum, linking him to Huldah the prophetess whose words guided King Josiah’s spiritual restoration.