Biblical Lexicon

H2779 H2779

N-msc | 1cs | 7× in 2 senses

Noun meaning 'winter, cold/rainy season'; also 'autumn, harvest-time,' and by extension 'prime of life.'

This noun denotes the cooler part of the agricultural year, spanning what we might call late autumn through winter. In Genesis 8:22 it stands paired with qayits ('summer') in God's covenant promise that the seasons will never cease. It describes physical structures associated with cold weather, like the 'winter house' of Amos 3:15 and the room where Jehoiakim sits by his fire in the ninth month (Jeremiah 36:22). In one memorable figurative use, Job recalls 'my autumn' (chorpi), the prime of his life when God's friendship sheltered his tent (Job 29:4).

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Senses

1. winter, cold season — The winter or cold/rainy season of the year. Paired with qayits ('summer') in the foundational seasonal promise of Genesis 8:22 and Psalm 74:17, it anchors the annual cycle. Jeremiah 36:22 locates it in the ninth month (November-December), when Jehoiakim sits by a brazier. The 'winter house' of Amos 3:15 and the perennial waters of Zechariah 14:8 further confirm the seasonal reference. Spanish invierno and French hiver consistently render this cold-season meaning. 6×

NATURAL_WORLD › Physical Events and States › Winter Cold Season

AR["الشِّتاءِ", "الشِّتَاءِ", "مِنَ-الشِّتاءِ", "وَ-الشِّتاءَ", "وَ-شِتَاءٌ", "وَفِي-الشِّتَاءِ"]·ben["এবং-শীতকাল", "এবং-শীতে", "ও-শীত", "শীতকালে-থেকে", "শীতকালের", "শীতের"]·DE["[החרף]", "[ובחרף]", "[מחרף]", "und-Winter", "und-winter"]·EN["and-in-winter", "and-winter", "from-winter", "the-winter"]·FR["[החרף]", "[ובחרף]", "de-hiver", "et-hiver", "et-winter", "l'hiver"]·heb["ה-חוֹרף", "ה-חורף", "ו-ב-ה-חורף", "ו-חורף", "ו-חרף", "מ-חורף"]·HI["और-में-जाड़ा", "और-सरदी", "जाड़े-का", "शीतकालीन", "सर्दी-में"]·ID["Karena-musim-dingin", "Musim-Dingin", "dan-musim-dingin", "dan-pada-musim-dingin", "musim-dingin"]·IT["[החרף]", "[ובחרף]", "[וחרף]", "da-da-inverno", "e-winter"]·jav["ing-wanci-adhem", "lan-ing-mangsa-asrep", "lan-rendheng", "musim-adhem", "musim-asrep", "saha-asrep"]·KO["가을-에", "겨울-을", "겨울의", "그리고-겨울", "그리고-겨울에"]·PT["Por-causa-do-frio", "e-inverno", "e-no-inverno", "o-inverno"]·RU["зимнем", "зимний", "и-в-зиму", "и-зима", "и-зиму", "из-за-холода"]·ES["Por-el-frío", "e-invierno", "el-invierno", "y-en-el-invierno"]·SW["baridi", "kutokana-na-baridi", "majira-ya-baridi", "na-baridi-kali", "na-masika", "na-wakati-wa-baridi"]·TR["kıştan-dolayı", "kışın", "ve-kış", "ve-kışta"]·urd["-سردی-کے", "اور-سردیاں", "اور-سردیوں-میں", "سردی", "سردی-کے-سبب", "وَ-سردی"]

Gen 8:22, Ps 74:17, Prov 20:4, Jer 36:22, Amos 3:15, Zech 14:8

2. autumn, prime of life — Autumn or harvest-time, with a figurative extension to the prime or vigor of one's life. In Job 29:4, chorpi ('my autumn') recalls the season of ripeness and abundance as a metaphor for Job's former prosperity, when God's counsel was upon his tent. The Arabic cognate kharif ('freshly gathered fruit, autumn') and the Ethiopic sense of 'current year' support the harvest-season nuance. French mon-hiver-moi glosses it as winter, but the Hebrew context points to the earlier, more fruitful season. 1×

TIME › Time › Summer Season Fruit

AR["شَبابِي"]·ben["আমার-শরতের"]·DE["[חרפי]"]·EN["my-autumn"]·FR["mon-hiver-moi"]·heb["חורפי"]·HI["ईश्वर-की"]·ID["masa mudaku"]·IT["my-autumn-mio"]·jav["tuwa-kula"]·KO["나의-가을의"]·PT["minha-maturidade"]·RU["осени-моей"]·ES["mi-otoño"]·SW["za-ujana-wangu"]·TR["gençliğimin"]·urd["جوانی-میرے-کے"]

Job 29:4

BDB / Lexicon Reference

† חֹ֫רֶף n.m. harvest-time, autumn (Arabic خَرِيفٌ freshly gathered fruit, autumn (also rain of autumn or beginning of winter) = Sab. חֿרפ(ן) DHMZMG 1875, xxix. 597; Sab. חֿרף, חֿרפם = year, cf. Ethiopic ኀሪፍ annus currens Os(Levy)ZMG 1865, 168, 174 DHMZMG 1883, 369; Assyrian ḫarpu, SchrJPTh 1875, 341 KAT2 53 n. = COT i. 54 n.)—abs. ח׳ Zc 14:8 + 5 times; sf. חָרְפִּי Jb 29:4;—קַיִץ וָחֹרֶף Gn 8:22…