---
title: אֶרֶץ — earth · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אֶרֶץ (776), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 2504 times: earth. BDB 1906: n.f. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אֶרֶץ

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«אֶרֶץ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **earth** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 2504 times · **Key:** 776 · **BDB:** אֶ֫רֶץ

### Glosses

the.land (719); land (709); earth (362)

### Meaning (OSHB)

earth [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/776/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/776/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. Gn 10:11 \& (seld.) m. Ez 21:24 earth, land (Ph. MI ארץ, Assyrian irṣitu COTGloss, Arabic أَرْضٌ, Sab. ארץֿ e.g. Os 9 DHMZMG 1875, 594, 614; Sem. Sprachf. 12, cf. PräBAS i. 374 n., Aramaic אֲרַע, ܐܰܪܥܳܐ )—א׳ abs. Gn 1:24 +; cstr. 2:11 +; אָ֑רֶץ 1:10 +; c. art. always הָאָ֫רֶץ 1:11 +; c. ה—ָloc. אַ֫רְצָה 11:31 +, (poet. = אָרֶץ Jb 34:13; cf. 1 S 25:23 1 K 1:31); sf. אַרְצִי 20:15 + אַרְצְךָ (אַרְצֶ֑ךָ) 12:1 +, etc.; pl. אֲרָצוֹת Je 28:8 + 65 times; cstr. אַרְצוֹת Ez 39:27 + 6 times; sf. אַרְצֹתָם Gn 10:5 + 2 times;— earth, whole earth (opp. to a part) Gn 18:18, 25; 22:18 (= הָאֲדָמָה 12:3) Je 25:26, 29, 30; 26:6 Is 37:16, 20 = 2 K 19:15, 19 Zc 4:10, 14 +. earth, opp. to heaven, sky Gn 1:2 Ex 20:4 Dt 5:8; 30:19 Ju 5:4 La 2:1 Is 37:16 = 2 K 19:15 ψ 146:6 1 Ch 21:16; 29:11 2 Ch 2:11 +; as permanent Ec 1:4; built on foundations, or pillars 1 S 2:8 ψ 104:5 Jb 38:4 Is 48:13; 51:13, 16 cf. also Is 24:18 ψ 82:5; firm, so that its shaking is something terrible, \& token of terrible power 1 S 14:5 2 S 22:8 = ψ 18:8 Jb 9:6 cf. ψ 46:3 \& v 7; so also Am 8:8 Is 2:19, 21; 24:18, 19, 20 ψ 60:4; 77:19; 99:1; 114:7; as hung on nothing Jb 26:7; with waters under it Ex 20:4 = Dt 5:8 cf. Gn 7:11; personified, especially as addressed, called to witness, etc. Dt 32:1 Je 6:19; 22:29 Is 1:2 Mi 1:2 Jb 16:18. earth = inhabitants of earth Gn 6:11; 11:1 1 K 2:2; 10:24 ψ 33:8; 66:4 + cf. תֵּבֵל א׳ Pr 8:31 Jb 37:12. land = country, territory, א׳ שִׁנְעָר Gn 10:10, א׳ מִצְרַיִם 21:21; cf. also 10:11; 11:28, 31; 13:10; 47:6, 27; 50:8 Is 7:18; 23:1, 13; 27:13 ψ 78:12 Je 25:20 1 Ch 1:43; personif. Is 62:4 Ec 10:16, 17. district, region Gn 19:28; 22:2 Jos 11:3 ψ 42:7. tribal territory Dt 34:2 Ju 21:21 1 S 9:4, 16; 13:7 1 K 15:20 Is 8:23; and still smaller territories 1 S 9:4, 5. piece of ground Gn 23:15. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel Gn 11:31; 12:1, 5, 6, 7; 31:3 Lv 14:34 Dt 17:14; 18:9 2 K 5:2, 4 +; especially obj. of יָרַשׁ possess Dt 3:20 + often Dt ψ al.; so after נָחַל Jos 19:49 +; נָתַן Dt 1:21 +. f. = inhabitants of land Lv 19:29 Ez 14:13 + cf. Dt 24:4 Zc 12:12 etc. g. used even of Sheʾôl Jb 10:21, 22 (cf. Assyrian irṣit la târat, land without return, in Descent of Ishtar, v. Jr 10.65); v. also ψ 139:15 Is 44:23. ground, surface of ground = אֲדָמָה q.v. Gn 1:26, 30; 18:2; 33:3; 38:9 Ex 4:3; 16:14 Ru 2:10 1 S 5:4 + very often in S. soil, as productive = אֲדָמָה Gn 1:11, 12 Lv 19:9; 25:19; 26:4 cf. Nu 14:7, 8 Is 36:17 = 2 K 18:32 ψ 72:6, 16; 107:34, 35 Ezr 9:12 Ne 9:35. אֶרֶץ in phrases: people of the land עַם־הָא׳ of non-Israelites Gn 23:7, 12, 13 (P) Nu 14:9 (JE); as well as Isr. Lv 20:4 (H) 2 K 15:5; 16:15; 21:24(×2); especially common people, opp. officials, princes Lv 4:27 (P) Ez 7:27 2 K 11:18, 19. in measurements of distance, כִּבְרַת הָא׳ the space or distance of country (v. כּברה) Gn 35:16, so כִּבְרַת א׳ some distance Gn 48:7 2 K 5:19. אֶרֶץ הַמִּישׁוֹר the country of the plain, level or plain country Dt 4:33 Je 48:21; א׳ מִישׁוֹר fig. ψ 143:10 (but read אֹרַח 𝔖 Bi Gr Che, cf. ψ 27:11). א׳חַיִּים land of the living ψ 27:13; א׳ הַחַיִּים ψ 142:6 +. קְצֵה הָא׳ end(s) of the earth Is 42:10; 43:6 (‖ רָחוֹק) ψ 135:7 Pr 17:24, so אַפְסֵי א׳ Pr 30:4 +; קְצוֹת הָא׳ Is 40:28; 41:5, 9. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late, Je 16:15 + 6 times Je; 23 times Ez; Is 36:20; 37:11 = 2 K 18:35; 19:11 (Is 37:18 read הַגּוֹיִם v. Che Di \& cf. 2 K 19:17); 22 times Chr; Dn 9:7; 11:40, 42; ψ 105:44; 106:27; 107:3; 116:9; besides these only P Gn 10:5, 20, 31 Lv 26:36, 39, except Gn 26:3, 4 (JR) 41:54 (JE); it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc., v. especially abs. Ez 20:32; 22:4; = the various petty divisions of Canaan afterward united under Israel’s control Gn 26:3, 4, cf. 1 Ch 13:2 אַרְצוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, 2 Ch 11:23 אַרְצוֹת יְהוּדָה.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 200 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אֶרֶץ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/776/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Exodus 15:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.15.12/)

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נָטִ֙יתָ֙ יְמִ֣ינְךָ֔ תִּבְלָעֵ֖מוֹ אָֽרֶץ׃

*Word for word:* you.stretched.out hand your.right it swallowed.them.up \[the\].earth

*JPS 1917:* Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand — the earth swallowed them.

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[Jeremiah 22:29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/JER.22.29/)

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אֶ֥רֶץ אֶ֖רֶץ אָ֑רֶץ שִׁמְעִ֖י דְּבַר־יְהוָֽה׃ס

*Word for word:* O.land O.land O.land hear the.word of.Yahweh

*JPS 1917:* O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD.

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