H2763a H2763a
to devote to destruction, utterly destroy under the ban; consecrate irrevocably to God
One of the most theologically charged verbs in the Hebrew Bible, rooted in the concept of the herem — the irrevocable setting apart of persons, cities, or property either for total destruction or for exclusive divine ownership. The Moabite Stone uses the same word for devoting a conquered city to Chemosh, revealing the practice's deep antiquity across Semitic culture. In holy-war contexts (Deut 2:34; Josh 6:21), it demands total annihilation as an act of obedience. Yet the same root in Leviticus 27:28 and Micah 4:13 describes consecrating wealth to the LORD — destruction and dedication converging in the single idea that what is devoted to God cannot return to common use.
1. utterly destroy (Hifil active) — The dominant Hifil active sense: to devote persons, cities, or nations to utter destruction under the ban (herem) as an act of divine judgment or holy war. Spanish destruir totalmente and French consacré à destruction both capture the totality. Numbers 21:2–3 records Israel's vow to 'utterly destroy' Canaanite cities, and Deuteronomy 2:34–3:6 chronicles the annihilation of Sihon and Og's kingdoms. 44×
AR["إِبَادَةً","تُحَرِّمُ","حَرَمَهُمْ","حَرَّموا","حَرَّمَ","حَرَّمْنَا","فَ-حَرَمَ","وَ-حَرَّموا","وَ-حَرَّموها","وَ-حَرَّمَ","وَ-حَرِّمُوا","وَ-حَرِّمْ","وَحَرَّمْنَا","وَحَرَّمْنَاهَا"]·ben["এবং-তারা-ধ্বংস-করল","এবং-ধ্বংস-করল","এবং-ধ্বংসের-জন্য-উৎসর্গ-করলেন","এবং-নির্মূল-করলাম","এবং-সম্পূর্ণ-ধ্বংস-কর","এবং-সম্পূর্ণ-ধ্বংস-করল","তিনি-তাদেরকে-উৎসর্গ-করেছেন","নির্মূল-করে","সম্পূর্ণ-ধ্বংস","সম্পূর্ণ-ধ্বংস-করল","সম্পূর্ণ-ধ্বংস-করলেন","সম্পূর্ণরূপে-ধ্বংস","সে-সম্পূর্ণ-ধ্বংস-করল"]·DE["[החרימם]","devoting-zu-destruction","er-devoted-zu-destruction","er-geweiht-zu-destruction","und-du-wird-devote-zu-destruction","und-geweiht-zu-destruction","und-sie-geweiht-zu-destruction","und-wir-geweiht-zu-destruction","utterly-destroying"]·EN["He-has-devoted-them-to-destruction","and-devoted-to-destruction","and-they-devoted-to-destruction","and-we-devoted-to-destruction","and-you-will-devote-to-destruction","devoting-to-destruction","he-devoted-to-destruction","utterly-destroying"]·FR["devoting-à-destruction","entièrement-détruisant","et-consacré-à-destruction","et-ils-voué-à-destruction","et-nous-consacré-à-destruction","et-tu-fera-devote-à-destruction","et-voué-à-destruction","il-dévoué-à-destruction","il-voué-à-destruction","vouer-à-la-destruction"]·heb["החרים","החרימם","החרם","ו-החרים","ו-החרימו","ו-החרמת","ו-החרמתם","ו-יחרם","ו-נחרם"]·HI["उसने-समर्पित-किया","उस्ने-नशत-किय","और-नशत-कर","और-नशत-करो","और-नष्ट-किया","और-नाश-किया","और-वह-समर्पित-किया","नष्ट-करने-को","नाश-किया","समर्पित-करके","समर्पित-करते-हुए","समर्पित-करो","समर्पित-किया"]·ID["Dan-kami-menumpas","Dia-menumpas-mereka","dan-kami-menumpas","dan-menumpas","dan-menumpas-merekaiah-mereka","dan-menumpaskanlah","dan-tumpaslah","dengan-tumpas","ditumpas","ia-menumpas","ia-tumpas","menumpas"]·IT["devoting-a-destruction","e-consacrato-a-destruction","e-essi-consacrato-a-destruction","e-noi-consacrato-a-destruction","e-tu-vorrà-consacra-a-distruzione","egli-consacrato-a-destruction","egli-consacrato-a-distruzione","utterly-destroying","votare-allo-sterminio"]·jav["dhateng-panyembelihan","kanthi-sirnakaken-saèstu","lan-kita-numpes","lan-ngrusak","lan-numpes","lan-nyirnakaken","lan-panjenengan-numpes","numpes","piyambakipun-numpes","sirnakaken"]·KO["그-진멸하여","그가-완전히-멸하셨다","그리고-그들이-진멸했다","그리고-멸하였다","그리고-우리가-완전히-멸하게-하였다","그리고-우리가-진멸하였다","그리고-진멸하라","그리고-진멸하였다","그리고-진멸했다","멸하리라","반드시","진멸하여","진멸하였다","진멸했다"]·PT["E-devotaram-ao-cherem","completamente-destruir","destruindo","destruindo-completamente","destruiu","devotou-os-à-destruição","e-a-destruíram-completamente","e-destruirás","e-destruiu","e-destruímos","e-destruíram","e-devotou-ao-herem","¶ E-destruímos"]·RU["И-истребили-заклятием","И-истребили-мы","Он-обрёк-их-на-заклание","заклятием","заклятию-предай","и-истребил","и-истребили","и-истребили-мы","и-предай-заклятию","и-предайте-заклятию","и-предал-заклятию","и-уничтожили","истребив","истребил","истребил-заклятием","истребили","истребляя","предал-заклятию"]·ES["destruir-totalmente","destruyendo","destruyeron","destruyó","destruyó-completamente","los-ha-destruido-completamente","y-destruimos","y-destruirás-completamente","y-destruiréis-completamente","y-destruyeron","y-destruyeron-por-completo","y-destruyó","y-las-destruimos","y-lo-destruyeron"]·SW["Tukaiharibu","aliangamiza","alipoangamiza","amewaangamiza","hakika","kuangamiza","na-akaangamiza","na-akaiangamiza","na-akawaangamiza","na-mwangamize-kabisa","na-uwaangamize","na-wakaangamiza","na-wakauteketeza","tukaharibu","tukaiteketeza","uiangamize-kabisa"]·TR["Ve-lanetlediler","adadi-onlari","lanetledi","lanetleyerek","tamamen-yok-etti","ve-adadı","ve-lanetledi","ve-lanetlediler","ve-tamamen-yok-edin","ve-tamamen-yok-et","ve-yok-ettik","ve-yok-ettiler","yok-ederek"]·urd["اور-حرام-کر","اور-حرام-کرو","اور-حرام-کیا","اور-ہم-نے-تباہ-کیا","اور-ہم-نے-حرام-کیا","تباہ-کرتے-ہوئے","حرام-ضرور-","حرام-کر","حرام-کر-دیا","حرام-کر-کے","حرام-کیا"]
Num 21:2, Num 21:3, Deut 2:34, Deut 3:6, Deut 3:6, Deut 7:2, Deut 7:2, Deut 13:15, Deut 20:17, Deut 20:17, Josh 2:10, Josh 6:21 (+32 more)
▼ 6 more senses below
Senses
2. devote or consecrate to God — To consecrate or devote something irrevocably to the LORD as sacred property, the sacral rather than destructive face of herem. Spanish consagraré and French dévouer confirm the dedicatory sense. Leviticus 27:28 legislates what a person 'devotes' to God as most holy, and Micah 4:13 envisions Zion devoting the wealth of nations to the LORD of all the earth. 2×
AR["وَأُحَرِّمُ","يُحَرِّمُ"]·ben["উৎসর্গ-করে","এবং-তুমি-উৎসর্গ-করবে"]·DE["[והחרמתי]","devotes"]·EN["and-I-will-devote","devotes"]·FR["devotes","et-dévouer"]·heb["ו-החרמתי","יחרם"]·HI["और-समर्पित-करूंगी","समर्पित करेगा"]·ID["dan-Aku-akan-mempersembahkan","seseorang-mengutuk"]·IT["[והחרמתי]","devotes"]·jav["lan-panjenengan-badhé-ngarak-aken","tiyang-masrahaken"]·KO["그리고-바치리라","봉헌하는"]·PT["devotará","e-consagrarás"]·RU["заклянёт","и-посвятишь"]·ES["consagrare","y-consagraré"]·SW["ataiweka-wakfu","na-utaweka-wakfu"]·TR["adak-ederse","ve-adayacağım"]·urd["اور-حرام-کروں-گی","حرام-کرے"]
3. sense 3 — A single Hifil occurrence at Isaiah 11:15 where the LORD will 'devote to destruction' — or more precisely 'dry up' / 'split' — the tongue of the Egyptian sea. Spanish destruirá and French vouer à la destruction support the destructive reading, though the context blends herem-annihilation with miraculous geographical transformation as God remakes the exodus route. 1×
AR["وَ-يُجَفِّفُ"]·ben["ও-তিনি-ধ্বংস-করবেন"]·DE["[והחרים]"]·EN["and-will-devote-to-destruction"]·FR["et-vouer-à-la-destruction"]·heb["ו-החרים"]·HI["और-सुखा-देगा"]·ID["Dan-mengeringkan"]·IT["e-votare-allo-sterminio"]·jav["Lan-Panjenenganipun-badhé-nggaringaken"]·KO["머리시리라"]·PT["E-destruirá"]·RU["и-поразит"]·ES["Y-destruirá"]·SW["Na-atakauka"]·TR["ve-kurutacak"]·urd["اور-خشک-کرے-گا"]
4. sense 4 — A warning at Joshua 6:18 against taking devoted things, lest the one who takes them 'devote to destruction' the camp of Israel — making the whole community liable to the ban. Spanish anatematicéis and French tu vouer à destruction convey the contagion of herem: contact with the banned object spreads the curse to the entire camp, as tragically demonstrated in Achan's story (Josh 7). 1×
AR["تُحَرِّموا"]·ben["ধ্বংসের-জন্য-উৎসর্গিত-করবে"]·DE["du-weihen-zu-destruction"]·EN["you-devote-to-destruction"]·FR["tu-vouer-à-destruction"]·heb["תחרימו"]·HI["शापित-करोगे"]·ID["kamu-mengkhususkan"]·IT["tu-devote-a-destruction"]·jav["sampeyan-mendhet"]·KO["저주하면"]·PT["devoteis-ao-cherem"]·RU["взяли-заклятое"]·ES["anatematicéis"]·SW["mkachukua-marufuku"]·TR["lanetlersiniz"]·urd["حرام-ٹھہراؤ"]
5. sense 5 — The Hofal passive at Exodus 22:20 declaring that anyone who sacrifices to gods other than the LORD 'shall be devoted to destruction.' Spanish será destruido and French doit être consacré à destruction convey the judicial death sentence. This is herem as divine law: idolatry places the offender under the ban that is normally reserved for Canaan's nations. 1×
AR["يُحرَمُ"]·ben["ধ্বংস-হবে"]·DE["soll-sein-geweiht-zu-destruction"]·EN["shall-be-devoted-to-destruction"]·FR["--être-consacré-à-destruction"]·heb["יחרם"]·HI["नाश-किया-जाए"]·ID["ia harus ditumpas"]·IT["shall-essere-devoted-a-destruction"]·jav["dipunbinasaken,"]·KO["멸할지니"]·PT["será-destruído"]·RU["да-будет-истреблён"]·ES["será-destruido"]·SW["atateketezwa"]·TR["yok-edilecek"]·urd["ہلاک-کیا-جائے"]
6. sense 6 — A Hofal passive at Leviticus 27:29 declaring that any person devoted to the ban cannot be ransomed but 'shall surely be put to death.' Spanish fuere consagrado and French devra être consacré preserve the sacral-juridical force. This verse establishes the irreversibility of herem applied to persons — once devoted, no redemption price avails. 1×
AR["يُحَرَّمُ"]·ben["উৎসর্গ-হয়"]·DE["soll-sein-geweiht"]·EN["shall-be-devoted"]·FR["devra-être-consacré"]·heb["יחרם"]·HI["समर्पित किया जाए"]·ID["dikutuk"]·IT["dovra-essere-consacrato"]·jav["dipun-pasrahaken"]·KO["봉헌되는"]·PT["for-devotado"]·RU["будет-заклято"]·ES["fuere-consagrado"]·SW["imewekwa-wakfu"]·TR["adak-edilmiş"]·urd["حرام-کیا-جائے"]
7. sense 7 — A Hofal usage at Ezra 10:8 where the post-exilic assembly decrees that anyone who fails to appear within three days shall have his property 'devoted' — confiscated and forfeited. Spanish sería confiscada shifts the sense toward property seizure. Here herem has evolved from holy-war annihilation to communal discipline: forfeiture of goods and exclusion from the congregation, foreshadowing later Aramaic and Syriac excommunication practices. 1×
AR["يُحَرَّمُ"]·ben["অভিশপ্ত-হবে"]·DE["[יחרם]"]·EN["will-be-devoted-to-destruction"]·FR["[יחרם]"]·heb["יחרם"]·HI["जब्त-होगी"]·ID["biarlah-ditumpas"]·IT["[יחרם]"]·jav["badhe-dipunpasrahaken"]·KO["몰수될것이다"]·PT["seria-confiscado"]·RU["будет-заклят"]·ES["sería-confiscada"]·SW["mali-yake-itataifishwa"]·TR["haram-olacak"]·urd["حرام-کِیا-جائےگا"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [חָרַם] vb.Hiph. ban, devote, exterminate (MI17 החרמתה of devoting, dedicating a city to Chemosh, in cl. with כי explaining massacre of all inhabitants; the altar-hearth of י׳ there was dragged before Chemosh; حَرُمَ be prohibited, forbidden, unlawful, become sacred; ii. make, pronounce sacred, inviolable; Ethiopic ሐረመ prohibit from common use, consecrate to God, esteem unlawful; Palm. חרם =…