חָרֵב (cha.rev)
cha.rev
dry; desolate
H:AQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 8 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:A
Word Overview
The adjective ḥāreb describes a state of being dry, barren, or desolate. In the Hebrew Bible, it paints a vivid picture of land stripped of vegetation and water, leaving behind a wasteland. This term is not merely physical; it often carries a theological weight, symbolizing the consequences of judgment or the absence of God’s blessing.
Its usage is concentrated in specific prophetic and post-exilic contexts. In Jeremiah, ḥāreb frequently describes cities reduced to ruins, such as when the prophet laments the destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 4:23-26). Similarly, in Haggai, it characterizes the barren fields that result from the people’s neglect of God’s house (Haggai 1:6, 9), linking their spiritual apathy to tangible economic and agricultural failure.
The word appears eight times in Scripture, with a significant presence in Nehemiah, where it underscores the desolation of Jerusalem’s walls and gates before their restoration. The contrast between this dryness and the subsequent rebuilding highlights a key biblical theme: renewal follows repentance. Translators typically render ḥāreb as "desolate" or "waste," capturing both the physical emptiness and the spiritual void it represents.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we encounter the word ḥāreb, we are looking at a stark picture of dryness and desolation. It describes land stripped of water, cities reduced to ruins, or homes left empty. In the Bible, this state often reflects a spiritual reality where God’s blessing seems absent, leaving people feeling barren or abandoned.
Yet this word also sets the stage for hope. The prophets used it to show how far things had fallen, but always with an eye toward restoration. When Nehemiah saw Jerusalem lying waste, he did not just mourn; he began to rebuild. The dryness was not the end of the story. It was the starting point for renewal.
You may find yourself in a season that feels like ḥāreb—empty, tired, or disconnected from what used to bring life. This word reminds us that even in desolation, God is present. He sees the ruins and invites us to participate in His work of bringing new life. There is comfort in knowing that dry ground can become fertile again when we turn back to Him.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 8 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [is] desolate5×
- dry1×
- and/ dry1×
- <the>/ desolate1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חֲרֵבָ֔ה2×
- חָרֵֽב\׃1×
- חָרֵ֣ב1×
- חָרֵ֔ב1×
- חֲ֭רֵבָה1×
- וַ/חֲרֵבָ֑ה1×
- הֶ/חָרֵ֛ב1×
Key Verses
-
Nehemiah 2:17
Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.”
This verse captures the turning point where seeing the desolation of Jerusalem’s gates leads directly to the call for communal rebuilding and restoration.
-
Haggai 1:9
“You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says Yahweh of Armies, “Because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house.
Here the word links physical lack and economic failure directly to the neglect of God’s house, showing how spiritual apathy results in tangible emptiness.
-
Jeremiah 33:10
Yahweh says: “Yet again there will be heard in this place, about which you say, ‘It is waste, without man and without animal, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,’
The prophet uses this term to describe a place that seems permanently dead, only to immediately contrast it with God’s promise of future restoration and habitation.