H2789 H2789
Earthenware, pottery, or potsherd; clay vessels or their broken fragments, often symbolizing human frailty before God.
Refers to objects made of fired clay — from intact earthen vessels used in ritual purification and everyday storage to broken potsherds scraped across diseased skin or cast aside as worthless refuse. The Levitical laws repeatedly specify 'earthen vessels' (כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ) for purification rites, while the prophets use potsherds as a haunting metaphor for human insignificance: 'a potsherd among potsherds of the ground' (Isa 45:9). The Spanish 'tiesto' and French 'tesson' both capture the sense of a broken fragment, while English 'earthenware' preserves the material focus.
Senses
1. earthenware, clay (material) — Pottery or fired clay as a material substance, typically in the construct phrase 'earthen vessel' (כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ). Dominates the Levitical purity regulations where such vessels, being porous and unglazed, must be broken if contaminated (Lev 6:28, 11:33, 15:12). Also appears in Jer 32:14 for a storage jar and Prov 26:23 for silver glaze over clay — the material's cheapness contrasting with outward appearance. Spanish 'barro' and French 'argile' both emphasize the raw material itself. 12×
AR["خَزَفٍ","فَخَّارٍ","كَالفَخَّارِ"]·ben["ভাঙা-পাত্রের","মাটির","মাটির-পাত্র","মাটির-পাত্রের","মাটির-পাত্রের-মতো"]·DE["[חרש]","clay","earthenware","wie-ein-potsherd"]·EN["clay","earthenware","like-a-potsherd","of-clay","of-pottery"]·FR["argile","comme-tesson","terre-cuite","tesson","חרש"]·heb["חרס","חרש","כ-חרש"]·HI["जैसे-ठीकरा","ठीकरे-के","मिट्टी","मिट्टी-का","मिट्टी-की","मिट्टी-के","मिट्टी-के-बर्तन"]·ID["tanah","tanah-liat","tembikar","tembikar tajam"]·IT["[כחרש]","clay","di-pottery","earthenware","vaso"]·jav["grabah","grabah;","kados-pecahan-genteng","lemah","lempung","lempung;"]·KO["진흙-의","질그릇","질그릇-처럼","질그릇의","토기의"]·PT["barro","barro;","caco","como-caco","vaso-de-barro"]·RU["глиняные","глиняный","как-черепок","черепке","черепки"]·ES["barro","como-tiesto","tiesto"]·SW["Hrsh","cha-udongo","chungu","kama-chungu","udongo","vya-udongo","ya-udongo"]·TR["toprak","topraktan","toprağın","çömlek","çömlek-gibi"]·urd["-ٹھیکرے-کی-طرح","مٹی-کا","مٹی-کی","مٹی-کے","ٹوٹے-کھپڑے-کے","ٹھیکری"]
2. potsherd, shard (broken piece) — A broken shard or potsherd — a fragment of a shattered clay vessel. Job scrapes his sores with one (Job 2:8), and Isaiah uses the image powerfully: a piece 'too small to carry a coal' (Isa 30:14) and 'a potsherd among potsherds of the earth' challenging its Maker (Isa 45:9). Ezekiel's vivid prophecy has Jerusalem gnawing the shards of her own cup of judgment (Ezek 23:34). The sense shifts from useful material to broken refuse, carrying overtones of worthlessness and divine judgment. 5×
AR["خَزَفٌ","خَزَفَاتِ","شَقَفَةً","شَقْفَةٌ","شُقَفَهَا"]·ben["একটা-মাটির-খোলা","ঠিকরাগুলি-তার","মাটির-টুকরা","মাটির-পাত্র","মাটির-পাত্রগুলোর"]·DE["[חרש]","[חרשי]","[חרשיה]"]·EN["a-potsherd","a-shard","its-shards","potsherds-of"]·FR["tesson","חרש"]·heb["חרס","חרש","חרשי","חרשיה"]·HI["उसके-ठीकरों","ठीकरा","ठीकरों-में-से"]·ID["beling","beling-beling","pecahan-pecahannya","pecahan-tembikar","tembikar"]·IT["[חרשיה]","un-potsherd","vaso"]·jav["pecahan","pecahan-grabah","pecahan-pecahan","pecahan-piyambakipun"]·KO["그것의-파편들을","기와-조각을","조각이","질그릇들-중에","질그릇이"]·PT["caco","cacos-de","seus-cacos"]·RU["её","черепков","черепок"]·ES["tiesto","tiestos-de","tiestos-de-ella","un-tiesto"]·SW["chombo-cha-udongo","kigae","kipande-cha-chungu","vigae-vyake","vyombo-vya-udongo"]·TR["canak","canak-parcasi","canaklarin","çömlek-parçalarını","çömlek-parçası"]·urd["ٹکڑا","ٹکڑوں-کو","ٹھیکرا","ٹھیکروں-میں-سے"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H3701 1. silver (the metal) (391×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H0216 1. light (general / metaphorical) (116×)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×)H1270 1. iron (metal, tools, weapons; fig. strength/hardness) (76×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)G3037 1. stone / rock (59×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6697 1. rock, cliff, crag (49×)H3001 1. be dry, wither (intransitive) (45×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חֶ֫רֶשׂ n.[m.] earthenware, earthen vessel, sherd, potsherd, P and late (NH חֶרֶס, Aramaic חֲרַס)—abs. ח׳ Lv 6:21 + 9 times, חָ֑רֶשׂ Nu 5:17 + 4 times; pl. cstr. חַרְשֵׂי Is 45:9; sf. חֲרָשֶׂיהָ Ez 23:34.— 1. earthenware: כְּלִי־ח׳ earthen vessel Je 32:14; especially P Lv 6:21; 11:33; 14:5, 50; 15:12; Nu 5:17; without כְּלִי Pr 26:23; cf. בַּקְבֻּק יוֹצֵר ח׳ Je 19:1; לְנִבְלֵי ח׳ La 4:2 they…