H2721a H2721a
Drought, parching heat — extreme dryness or scorching warmth that withers vegetation and threatens life
The noun חֹרֶב (choreb) refers to the desiccating force of drought or extreme heat, the opposite of moisture and dew. Jacob invokes it vividly when recounting his years with Laban: 'by day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night' (Gen 31:40). Gideon uses it as a test — the fleece should remain dry while the ground is wet (Judg 6:37, 39). The prophets deploy it as a figure of divine judgment: Jeremiah calls drought upon Babylon's waters (Jer 50:38), Haggai links it to covenant unfaithfulness (Hag 1:11), and Zephaniah pairs it with desolation (Zeph 2:14). Spanish 'calor/sequía' and French 'sécheresse' capture the climatic harshness.
Senses
1. dryness, drought, heat — Extreme dryness, drought, or scorching heat that withers vegetation and threatens survival. Jacob cites it among the hardships of pastoral labor (Gen 31:40), Gideon uses it as the condition opposed to dew on the fleece (Judg 6:37, 39), and Job pairs it with snow-melt to describe nature's cycles (Job 24:19). The prophets invoke it as an instrument of divine judgment: drought summoned upon Babylon's waters (Jer 50:38), called upon the land for covenant violation (Hag 1:11), and associated with ruin (Isa 4:6; 25:4-5; Zeph 2:14). Spanish 'calor' and German 'Hitze' emphasize the heat aspect; French 'sécheresse' emphasizes the dryness. 12×
AR["الحَرِّ", "الْ-حَرُّ", "الْحَرَّ", "جَفافٌ", "جَفَافًا", "جَفَافٌ", "كَالْحَرِّ", "لِلْحَرِّ", "مِنَ-الحَرِّ", "مِنَ-الْحَرِّ"]·ben["-তাপ-থেকে", "খরা", "গরম", "গরমে-", "তাপ", "তাপ-থেকে", "যেমন-তাপ", "শুষ্কতা"]·DE["Hitze", "Schwert", "[כחרב]", "[מחרב]", "dryness", "zum-Schwert"]·EN["Like-heat", "a-drought", "drought", "dryness", "for", "from-heat", "heat", "to-the-heat"]·FR["comme-sécheresse", "de-sécheresse", "dryness", "heat", "sécheresse", "à-l’épée", "épée", "חרב"]·heb["חורב", "חרב", "כ-חורב", "ל-חורב", "מ-חורב"]·HI["गर्मी", "गर्मी-से", "जैसे-तपन", "तपन", "में-गर्मी", "सूखा", "से-तपन"]·ID["Seperti-panas", "dari-panas", "dari-terik", "kekeringan", "kepada-panas", "kering", "panas"]·IT["[כחרב]", "[לחרב]", "dalla-secchezza", "dryness", "heat", "spada"]·jav["garing", "kados-panas", "kanggé-panas", "panas", "saking-panas"]·KO["가묄을", "가뭄", "가뮄이", "더위-같이", "더위-에서", "더위가", "더위를", "마름이", "마름이면", "에게-더위"]·PT["Como-calor", "Seca", "calor", "de-calor", "do-calor", "para-o-calor", "seca", "seco"]·RU["Засуха", "жара", "засуху", "зной", "как-зной", "на-зной", "от-зноя", "сухо"]·ES["Como-calor", "al-calor", "calor", "de-calor", "del-calor", "sequedad", "sequía"]·SW["Kama-joto", "Ukame", "joto", "kavu", "kutoka-joto", "kutokana-na-joto", "kwenye-joto", "ukame"]·TR["Sicak-gibi", "kuraklık", "sicaklik", "sicaktan", "sıcak", "sıcaklık", "sıcağa-", "öfken"]·urd["خشک-سالی", "خشکی", "دھوپ-سے", "گرمی", "گرمی-سے", "گرمی-کی-طرح", "گرمی-کے-لیے"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. חֹ֫רֶב n.m. Gn 31:40 dryness, drought, heat, abs. ח׳ Gn 31:40 + 11 times + Dt 28:22 (for MT חֶרֶב; v. Di, sq. 𝔙; 𝔊 and 𝔊L om.);— 1. dryness Ju 6:37, 39, 40 (all of absence of dew); Je 50:38 (‖ יָבֵשׁ); so read also Zc 11:17 (for MT חֶרֶב, see v b and StaZAW i. 1881, 29), a drying up upon his arm (i. e. a withering) and upon his right eye. 2. drought Hg 1:11 + Dt 28:22 v. supr. 3. parching heat (of sun) Gn 31:40 (opp. קֶ֫רַח), Je 36:30 (opp. id.); Is 4:6; 25:4, 5(×2) of fever Jb 30:30.