---
title: חָרֵב — be waste · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חָרֵב (2717), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 36 times: be waste. BDB 1906: Qal Niph. Hiph. Hoph. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2717.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-5.md)‎ / חָרֵב‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# חָרֵב

<!-- .meta -->
«חָרֵב» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be waste** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 36 times · **Key:** 2717 · **BDB:** חָרֵב³

### Glosses

they.will.be.waste (3); I.have.dried.up (2); it.will.be.desolate (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be waste [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2717/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

Qal Niph. Hiph. Hoph. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2717/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** be waste, desolate (NH חָרֵב id.; Aramaic חֲרוֹב, ܚܪܰܒ be laid waste; Zinj. חרב adj.; Arabic خَرِبَ be in ruins, waste, depopulated; Assyrian ḫarâbu, be waste, DlPr 175, ḫuribtu, desert, LotzTP);—Qal Impf. 3 fs. תֶּחֱרַ֔ב Je 26:9, תֶּחֱרָ֔ב Is 34:10; 3 mpl. יֶחֶרְבוּ Ez 6:6, יֶחֱרָ֑בוּ Am 7:9 Is 60:12; 3 fpl. תֶּחֱרַבְנָה Ez 6:2; 12:20; Imv. חֳרָבִי Is 44:27, חָרְבוּ (so, not חָֽרְבוּ—Theile—v. Köi. 244) Je 2:12; Inf. abs. חָרֹב Is 60:12;—be waste, desolate; of sanctuaries of Isr. Am 7:9 (‖ נָשַׁמּוּ), of altars Ez 6:6; of cities Je 26:9; Ez 6:6; 12:20 (‖ שׁמם); of nations Is 34:10, חָרֹב יֶחֱרָ֑בוּ 60:12 (‖ יֹאבֵדוּ); fig., in address to the heavens חָרְבוּ מְאֹד Je 2:12—(‖ שֹׁמּוּ, וְשַׂעֲרוּ), be very desolate (at sins of Isr.); others, be amazed, astounded (on relation of meanings v. שׁמם). Niph. Pt. f. נֶחֱרֶבֶת Ez 26:19 as adj., desolate city, i.e. uninhabited, v. context; נַחֲרָבוֹת 30:7 of desolate countries (‖ נָשַׁמּוּ). Hiph. Pf. הֶחֱרִיב Ez 19:7; 1 s. הֶחֱרַבְתִּי Zp 3:6; 3 pl. הֶחֱרִיבוּ Is 37:18 2 K 19:17; Impf. 1 s. אַחֲרִיב Is 42:15; Pt. מַחֲרִיב Ju 16:24; pl. c. sf. מַחֲרִיבַיִךְ Is 49:17;—lay waste, make desolate, human subj.; nations and lands Is 37:18 = 2 K 19:17, Is 42:15, cf. pt. Is 49:17 (‖ מְהָֽרְסַיִךְ); add prob. with We Am 4:9 (הֶחֱרַבְתִּי for the untranslateable הַרְבּוֹת) I have devastated your gardens and vineyards; pt. Ju 16:24 desolater of our country (‖ הִרְבָּה אֶת־חֲלָלֵ֑נוּ); obj. cities Ez 19:7; streets Zp 3:6 (‖ נָשַׁמּוּ). Hoph. Pf. 3 fs. הָחֳרָ֑בָה Ez 26:2 she is laid waste, of a city; Pt. מָחֳרָבוֹת Ez 29:12 laid waste, of cities (‖ שׁמם).

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 19 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (9 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (9 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חָרֵב» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2717/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Job 14:11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.14.11/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
אָֽזְלוּ־מַ֭יִם מִנִּי־יָ֑ם וְ֝נָהָ֗ר יֶחֱרַ֥ב וְיָבֵֽשׁ׃

*Word for word:* they.disappear waters from \[the\].sea and a.river it.dries.up and it.is.dry

*JPS 1917:* As the waters fail from the sea, and the river is drained dry;

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Isaiah 44:27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.44.27/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
הָאֹמֵ֥ר לַצּוּלָ֖ה חֳרָ֑בִי וְנַהֲרֹתַ֖יִךְ אוֹבִֽישׁ׃

*Word for word:* \[who\] says to the ocean-deep be.dried.up and rivers your I.will.make.dry

*JPS 1917:* That saith to the deep: 'Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers';

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [חֹר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2715.md)
- next →: [חֶרֶב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2719.md)
- ↑ back to [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-5.md)