חָרֵר (cha.rer)
cha.rer
parched
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun charer describes a parched or dry region, appearing only once in the Old Testament at Jeremiah 17:6. In this specific context, it depicts a landscape so devoid of moisture that it cannot support life, serving as a stark image for spiritual barrenness.
Jeremiah uses this rare word to contrast two ways of living. The person who trusts in human strength is likened to a shrub in the charer, rooted in the salt flats where no lush vegetation grows. The term emphasizes total exposure and lack of sustenance, highlighting the vulnerability of relying on oneself rather than on God.
Because this word is so uncommon, its single appearance carries significant weight. It forces the reader to visualize a place where water is entirely absent, making the metaphor for spiritual desolation immediate and vivid. Translators typically render it as "parched land" or "dry region," preserving the sense of environmental hostility.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word charer paints a picture of a landscape stripped of all moisture, a place where life cannot take root. It appears only once in Scripture, in Jeremiah 17:6, to describe the condition of those who trust in their own strength rather than in God. This image is not just about physical dryness; it speaks to a spiritual state of isolation and vulnerability. When we rely on ourselves, we may find ourselves like a shrub in such a parched place, exposed and unable to see the good that comes.
Yet this warning carries a gentle invitation to look elsewhere for our sustenance. The contrast in Jeremiah points us toward a different kind of existence—one rooted in trust and supported by God’s faithfulness. Even when our circumstances feel barren or uncertain, we are called to place our hope in the One who provides life where there seems to be none. This rare word reminds us that true security does not come from our own efforts but from resting in His care.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- parched places1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חֲרֵרִים֙1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 17:6
For he will be like a bush in the desert, and will not see when good comes, but will inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, an uninhabited salt land.
This is the only occurrence of charer, used to depict the spiritual desolation and isolation of those who trust in human strength.