הַר558 H2022
Mountain, hill, or highland region; a single peak, a range of mountains, or an inhabited hill country district.
One of the most common nouns in the Hebrew Bible, har denotes any elevated landmass from a solitary peak to an entire highland territory. When Scripture says Moses went up 'the mountain' (Exod 19:3), the word evokes a singular, awe-inspiring summit where heaven meets earth. In its plural form it sweeps across whole landscapes, as when the psalmist declares that the mountains tremble (Ps 46:2). Yet har also names inhabited regions: 'the hill country of Ephraim' is not a single summit but a rolling upland district, a usage confirmed by Romance-language glosses like 'monte de' and 'colline-pays-de' that highlight the territorial sense.
Senses
1. mountain, mount, hill — A single elevated landmass or peak, whether a famous named mountain like Sinai (Exod 19:2) or Zion, or any contextually identified hill. Multilingual glosses consistently render this with singular forms: 'la-montagne,' 'der-Berg,' 'el-monte.' This is the overwhelmingly dominant sense, covering named sacred mountains, battlefield high ground, and poetic imagery of God's dwelling place. 373×
AR["الجَبَلَ", "الجَبَلِ", "الْجَبَلَ", "الْجَبَلِ"]·ben["পর্বত", "পর্বতকে", "পর্বতে", "পর্বতের", "পর্বতের।"]·DE["der-Berg"]·EN["the-mountain"]·FR["la-montagne", "le-montagne"]·heb["ב-הר", "ה-הר"]·HI["पर-पहाड़", "पर्वत", "पहाड़", "पहाड़-की", "पहाड़-के"]·ID["gunung", "gunung-itu"]·IT["il-monte"]·jav["redi", "redi,", "redi-punika", "redi-punika,", "redi-punika.", "redi.", "redi;"]·KO["그-산", "그-산을", "그-산의", "그-산이", "이-산"]·PT["no-monte", "o-monte"]·RU["гора", "горе", "горой", "горою", "гору", "горы"]·ES["al-monte", "el-monte", "en-el-monte"]·SW["mlima", "mlimani"]·TR["dağ", "dağa", "dağdan", "dağı", "dağın"]·urd["-پہاڑ", "-پہاڑ-کے", "پہاڑ", "پہاڑ-کو", "پہاڑ-کی", "پہاڑ-کے"]
Exod 3:12, Exod 19:2, Exod 19:3, Exod 19:12, Exod 19:14, Exod 19:16, Exod 19:17, Exod 19:18, Exod 19:20, Exod 19:20, Exod 19:23, Exod 20:18 (+38 more)
2. mountains — Mountains as a plural or collective reference, encompassing geographic descriptions of multiple peaks, poetic and prophetic addresses ('O mountains of Israel,' Ezek 36:1), and passages where mountains as a class respond to God's power. The shift from singular to plural is not merely grammatical; the plural often carries a cosmic or rhetorical sweep, as in 'the mountains saw you and writhed' (Hab 3:10). Glosses like 'Montes,' 'les-montagnes,' and 'Berge' mark this collective sense across traditions. 118×
AR["أَيُّها-الجِبالُ", "الجِبال", "الجِبالَ", "الجِبالُ", "الجِبالِ", "الجِبَالَ", "الجِبَالُ", "الجِبَالِ", "الْجِبَالَ", "الْجِبَالُ", "جِبال", "جِبالًا"]·ben["-পর্বতগুলো", "-পর্বতের", "পর্বতগুলি", "পর্বতগুলিকে", "পর্বতগুলির", "পর্বতগুলো", "পর্বতগুলোর", "পর্বতমালা"]·DE["Berg", "Berge", "der-Berg", "der-Berge"]·EN["O-mountains", "mountains", "the-hills", "the-mountains"]·FR["les-montagnes", "montagnes"]·heb["ה-הרים", "הרים"]·HI["पर्वत", "पर्वतों", "पर्वतों-के", "पर्वतों-को", "पहाड़", "पहाड़ों", "पहाड़ों-को"]·ID["Gunung-gunung", "gunung-gunung", "hai-gunung-gunung"]·IT["i-monti", "monti"]·jav["Redi-redi", "ajur", "gunung-gunung", "pareden", "redi-redi"]·KO["산-들-은", "산-들-을", "산-들-이", "산-들이여", "산들-에", "산들-을", "산들-이", "산들은", "산들을", "산들이"]·PT["Os-montes", "montes", "os-montes"]·RU["Горы", "горы"]·ES["Montes", "las-montañas", "los-montes", "montañas", "montes"]·SW["milima"]·TR["daglar", "daglari", "daglarinin", "dağlar", "dağları", "dağların"]·urd["پہاڑ", "پہاڑو", "پہاڑوں", "پہاڑوں-نے", "پہاڑوں-پر", "پہاڑوں-کو", "ہَ-پہاڑ", "ہَ-پہاڑوں-کو"]
3. hill country, highland region — A mountainous district or highland region rather than a single peak, used for inhabited territories like the hill country of Ephraim (Josh 17:15), Judah, or Seir (Gen 36:8-9). Korean and French glosses often render this as 'hill country of' or 'colline-pays-de,' capturing the territorial nuance. Distinguished from senses 1 and 2 by context: when har precedes a tribal or regional name in construct, it typically means the upland district, not a solitary mountain. 56×
AR["بِ-جَبَلِ", "بِ-هَرِّ", "في-جَبَلِ", "فِي-جَبَلِ"]·ben["-পর্বতে", "-পাহাড়ে", "আশের", "পর্বতে", "পাহাড়ে", "পাহাড়ে-", "বে-পর্বত"]·DE["auf-dem-Gebirge", "in-Huegel-Land-von", "in-Huegel-von", "in-der-Berg-von", "in-der-Huegel-country-von", "in-mount", "in-mount-von"]·EN["in-hill-country-of", "in-hill-of", "in-mount", "in-mount-of", "in-mountain-of", "in-the-hill-country-of", "in-the-mountain-of", "on-mountain-of"]·FR["dans-colline-de", "dans-colline-pays-de", "dans-le-colline-country-de", "dans-le-montagne-de", "dans-montagne-de", "dans-mount", "dans-mount-de", "sur-montagne-de"]·heb["ב-הר"]·HI["पर-पर्वत", "पहाड़-में", "पहाड़-में-", "पहाड़में"]·ID["di-gunung", "di-pegunungan", "di-pegunungan-"]·IT["in-collina-country-di", "in-collina-di", "in-il-colle-paese-di", "in-il-monte-di", "in-monte", "in-monte-di", "su-monte-di"]·jav["ing-Redi", "ing-redi", "ing-redi-", "wonten-ing-pagunungan"]·KO["~의-산에", "산-에", "산에서-", "산지에", "에-산", "에-산-", "에-산에", "에서-산"]·PT["em-monte", "em-monte-de", "na-montanha-de", "no-monte-de"]·RU["в-горе", "на-горе"]·ES["en-el-monte-de", "en-monte", "en-monte-de", "está-en-monte"]·SW["katika-Mlima-wa", "katika-mlima", "katika-mlima-", "katika-mlima-wa", "mlima", "ya-Efraimu"]·TR["-dağında", "-de-dağ", "dağda", "dağında", "dağında-", "de-dağında"]·urd["میں-پہاڑ", "پہاڑ-میں", "پہاڑی-میں"]
Gen 31:23, Gen 31:25, Gen 36:8, Gen 36:9, Num 13:29, Josh 9:1, Josh 10:6, Josh 10:40, Josh 11:2, Josh 11:3, Josh 11:16, Josh 11:16 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
הַר558 n.m. Gn 7:19 mountain, hill, hill-country (NH id., pl. הָרִים, הֲרָרִים; Ph. הר †CIS i. 3, 17; Sab. sf. הרתהמו DHMZMG 1876, 673);—ה׳ abs. Jos 17:18 +; c. art. הָהָר Ex 3:12 +; c. ָה loc. הֶ֫רָה Gn 14:10, הָהָ֫רָה Gn 12:8 + 12 times; cstr. הַר Gn 10:30 +; sf. הַרֲרִי ψ 30:8, הֲרָרִי Je 17:3; הַרְכֶם ψ 11:1; הַרֲרָם Gn 14:6; pl. הָרִים Dt 11:11 +; c. art. הֶהָרִים Gn 7:19 +; cstr. הָרֵי Gn…