H2717c H2717c
To attack, fight, smite down; wage war against (rare Aramaic-influenced verb distinct from harav 'to dry up')
A rare verb (harav III), distinct from the common harav meaning 'to be dry/desolate,' with cognates in Arabic (haraba, 'to plunder, wage war') and Syriac ('to smite, slay'). It appears in military contexts: God commands an attack on Merathaim and Pekod (Jer 50:21, 27), and the Moabite kings are reported to have 'fought together' and struck one another down (2 Kgs 3:23). The martial sense is confirmed by parallel verbs like haharem ('utterly destroy') and the mutual-combat construction.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To attack or wage war, used of military assault and mutual combat. In Jeremiah 50:21, the Qal imperative harov commands attack on Babylon's territories, paired with 'utterly destroy (haharem) after them.' Jeremiah 50:27 extends this to slaughtering Babylon's warriors ('slay all her bulls'). In 2 Kings 3:23, the Niphal/Hophal describes the Moabite kings attacking one another (nehervu hammelakhim). The multilingual evidence shows translators split between 'slay/kill' (English, Spanish 'mata') and 'sword' (German 'Schwert,' French 'epee'), the latter conflating this verb with herev ('sword'), a common confusion given the shared consonantal root. 4×
AR["أَهْلِكْ", "اذْبَحُوا", "تَحَارَبَ", "حَقًّا"]·ben["ধ্বংস-হয়েছে", "বধ-কর", "সত্যিই"]·DE["Schwert", "gewiss-zerstoerte", "sein-Schwert", "waren-zerstoerte"]·EN["slay", "surely-destroyed", "were-destroyed"]·FR["[חרבו]", "certainement-détruisit", "furent-détruisit", "sécheresse"]·heb["החרב", "חרבו", "חרוב", "נחרבו"]·HI["कट-गए-हैं", "निश्चय-से", "मार", "मारो"]·ID["Pastilah-saling-membunuh", "bunuhlah", "telah-saling-membunuh"]·IT["certamente-distrusse", "erano-distrusse", "la-sua-spada", "spada"]·jav["Tumpes", "prajahana", "sami-katumpesan", "sembelehna"]·KO["멸망했다", "죽여라", "진멸하라", "확실히"]·PT["Matai", "certamente-destruíram", "foram-destruídos", "mata"]·RU["Убивайте", "мечом", "поразили-друг-друга", "уничтожь"]·ES["Ciertamente-a-espada", "mata", "maten", "se-han-destruido"]·SW["Ueni", "kwa-hakika-", "uua", "wameharibiwa"]·TR["kat-yap", "kesin", "yikildilar", "yikim"]·urd["ذبح-کرو", "ضرور", "قتل-کر", "مارے-گئے"]
Related Senses
H2719 1. sword, weapon of war (410×)H4196 1. altar (place of sacrifice) (403×)H7393 1. chariot, chariotry (117×)H7198 1. bow (weapon) (72×)H7979 1. table (71×)H7782 1. ram's horn trumpet (69×)H4294 2. staff, rod, scepter (63×)H4043 1. shield, defensive weapon (60×)H0646 1. ephod (priestly garment) (49×)H8504 1. blue (violet-blue yarn/fabric) (49×)H2595 1. spear, lance (48×)H2671 1. arrow, projectile weapon (46×)H4818 1. chariot, war-chariot (44×)H3658 1. lyre, harp (stringed instrument) (42×)H1537 1. Gilgal (place name) (41×)H0713 1. purple (fabric/dye) (38×)H0905 3. poles, staves (37×)H7392 1. Qal participle: rider, charioteer (37×)H4501 1. cultic lampstand (menorah) (36×)H0212 1. wheel (35×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† III. [חָרַב] vb. (Aramaic and rare) attack, smite down (cf. Arabic حَرَبَ plunder, iii. wage war with, vi. fight together, حَرْبٌ war, battle; Syriac ܚܪܰܒ smith, slay)— Qal Imv. ms. חֲרֹב Je 50:21 attack (+ וְהַחֲרֵם אַחֲרֵיהֶם); mpl. חִרְבוּ v 27 obj. כָּל־פָּרֶיהָ, fig. of men of Babylon. Niph. Pf. 3 pl. נֶחֶרְבוּ המלכים (v. Hoph.) הָחֳרֵב 2 K 3:23 the kings have attacked one another, fought…