חָרֵב (cha.rev)
cha.rev
to dry; to destroy; to slay
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 28 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb ḥārab primarily describes a state of being dry or desolate. In its most common usage, it paints a picture of land that has lost its moisture and life, becoming a wasteland. This imagery appears frequently in the prophetic books, where God declares that He will dry up rivers or turn fertile regions into barren ruins as a consequence of judgment.
The word carries a strong sense of finality. When used in the Hiphil stem to mean "lay waste," it implies an active destruction that leaves no room for recovery. The sources note its use in historical narratives, such as 2 Kings 3:23, where it describes armies attacking and smiting down their enemies, linking physical desolation with violent conflict.
This term connects the natural world with divine action. Just as a riverbed becomes dry without water, a nation becomes desolate without God's presence or favor. The prophets use this concrete image to illustrate spiritual barrenness, showing how sin leads to a landscape that can no longer sustain life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ḥārab paints a stark picture of land that has lost its moisture and life. In the Hebrew Bible, it describes rivers running dry or fields turning into barren wastelands. This imagery is not just about weather; it connects the natural world with spiritual reality. When a nation turns away from God, the prophets use this concrete image to show how sin leads to a landscape that can no longer sustain life.
Yet this word also carries a sense of divine sovereignty. In Exodus and Isaiah, God uses His power to dry up the Red Sea or the rivers of Egypt. These acts demonstrate that He controls the very sources of life and judgment. The drying of waters often marks a turning point, clearing the way for redemption or serving as a warning against pride.
For your faith, this reminds us that true life flows from God alone. Just as a riverbed lies empty without water, our spirits feel desolate without His presence. We can trust that He is the source of living water, capable of bringing life to even the driest places in our own hearts and communities.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 28 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they were dried up2×
- they have made desolate2×
- so/ I may dry up2×
- kill2×
- it will be desolate2×
- who/ dried up1×
- they will become desolate1×
- they will be waste1×
- they have fought one another1×
- they have been dried1×
- they had been dried1×
- so/ it may be dried up1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יֶחֱרַ֥ב2×
- חֹרָ֑בוּ2×
- וְ/אַחְרִב֙2×
- הֶחֱרִ֜יבוּ2×
- תֶּחֱרָ֔ב1×
- תֶּחֱרַ֖ב1×
- נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙1×
- מַחֲרִ֣יב1×
- יֶחֱרָֽבוּ\׃1×
- יֶחֱרָ֑בוּ1×
- חָֽרְב֖וּ1×
- חָרֹ֥ב1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 8:13
In the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dry.
This verse marks the end of the flood judgment, showing that God's power to dry the earth also brings a new beginning for creation.
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Isaiah 50:2
Why, when I came, was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness. Their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst.
Here God uses the image of drying up the sea to demonstrate His unlimited power to redeem and deliver His people when they feel abandoned.
-
Isaiah 51:10
Isn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?
This reference recalls the Exodus, reminding readers that the same God who dried up the sea is the one who makes a way for the redeemed to pass over.
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Psalms 106:9
He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up; so he led them through the depths, as through a desert.
The psalmist celebrates how God rebuked the Red Sea, turning a barrier into a path through the depths as He led Israel through the desert.