חַשְׁרָה (chash.rah)
chash.rah
collection
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun chashrah denotes a dense collection or mass, specifically describing a significant accumulation of water. With only one occurrence in the Hebrew Bible, it appears in 2 Samuel 17:13 to depict the overwhelming force of Absalom’s army.
In this context, the word conveys more than just presence; it suggests a heavy, gathering weight. The text uses chashrah to illustrate how the enemy forces would swarm over the land like a rising tide, leaving no place for escape or hiding. This imagery emphasizes the totality of the threat rather than mere numbers.
Because the term is rare, its precise nuance relies heavily on this single poetic description. It captures the visual of water pooling and spreading until it covers everything, serving as a powerful metaphor for an inescapable military advance.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word chashrah paints a picture of water rising so high that it covers everything in its path. In the Bible, this rare term describes an overwhelming accumulation, like a flood that leaves no room to hide. It reminds us that some forces in life feel too heavy to bear alone, much like the gathering waters mentioned in Scripture.
When we face situations where danger or trouble seems to surround us completely, this imagery offers a quiet comfort. If God can command such vast collections of water, He also holds our lives in His hands. We do not need to understand every detail of the storm; we only need to trust the One who stands above it.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a sieve of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חַֽשְׁרַת\־1×
Key Verses
-
II Samuel 22:12
He made darkness a shelter around himself, gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
This verse uses the term to describe how God surrounds Himself with gathering waters, showing His majestic power over nature.