H2790a H2790a
To plow, engrave, devise; agricultural plowing, metaphorical scheming of evil, passive 'be plowed,' and inscription.
Charash (I) is rooted in the ancient act of cutting a furrow — whether through soil with a plow, through metal with an engraving tool, or through the mind in devising a plan. The agricultural sense dominates, with vivid scenes like Elisha plowing with twelve yoke of oxen (1 Kgs 19:19) and Job's cattle plowing beside grazing donkeys (Job 1:14). But the Wisdom literature reveals a striking metaphorical development: the same verb that describes breaking ground comes to describe breaking faith — 'devising evil against your neighbor' (Prov 3:29). Arabic haratha ('to plow') and Ethiopic haresa preserve the agricultural core, while the semantic leap to mental scheming is a distinctly Hebrew innovation. The Proverbs clustering is unmistakable: five of six 'devising' occurrences sit in Proverbs, where the sages clearly exploited the agricultural metaphor — those who 'plow' iniquity harvest trouble (cf. Job 4:8; Hos 10:13).
4. to devise silently (Hifil) — To devise silently, plot in the Hiphil — a single occurrence at 1 Samuel 23:9, where David perceived that Saul was 'devising' evil against him. The Hiphil causative form intensifies the scheming aspect, adding a dimension of deliberate, calculated plotting. Spanish tramando ('scheming') and the cross-lingual rendering 'devising' across multiple languages confirm the mental-planning sense. The Hiphil's rarity (this single instance) suggests it may represent an intensified or more secretive register of the Qal 'devise' sense. 1×
AR["مُخَطِّطٌ"]·ben["চুপ-করে-রাখছে"]·DE["devising"]·EN["devising"]·FR["devising"]·heb["מחריש"]·HI["चुपके-बना-रहा-है"]·ID["merencanakan"]·IT["devising"]·jav["meneng-neneng-ngrèncana"]·KO["꾸미고-있다"]·PT["tramando"]·RU["замышляет"]·ES["tramando"]·SW["kimya"]·TR["planlıyor"]·urd["چال-چلا-رہا-ہے"]
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. to plow (Qal) — To plow, break up ground — the dominant Qal active sense at 15 occurrences, covering literal agricultural plowing with oxen and plow. Deuteronomy 22:10 prohibits plowing with an ox and donkey together; 1 Kings 19:19 introduces Elisha plowing with twelve yoke; Job 1:14 sets the pastoral scene of oxen plowing. The multilingual evidence is consistent: Arabic haratha, the Ethiopic cognate, and Spanish arar all denote agricultural ground-breaking. German and French renderings use specific plowing vocabulary (labourer in French). Amos 9:13's eschatological vision of the plowman overtaking the reaper uses this same concrete sense to picture abundance. 15×
AR["الحَارِثُونَ","الْحَارِثُ","تَحْرُثُ","حارِثي","حَرَثتُم-","حَرَثَ","حَرَثْتُمْ","وَ-لِ-حِرَاثَةِ","يَحرُثُ","يَحْرُثُ","يُحْرَثُ"]·ben["-চাষী","এবং-চাষ-করতে","চাষ-করছিল","চাষ-করতে","চাষ-করবে","চাষ-করে","চাষ-করেছ-","চাষ-করেছে","চাষী","চাষীরা;","চাষে","যারা-চাষ-করে","হাল-চাষ-করবে"]·DE["[החרש]","[חורש]","[חרשות]","[חרשי]","[חרשתם]","[יחרוש]","[יחרש]","du-hatte-plowed","du-soll-plow","plowed","plowers","plowing","und-zu-plow"]·EN["and-to-plow","does-one-plow","plowed","plowers","plowing","plows","shall-plow","the-plower","the-plowman","those-who-plow","you-had-plowed","you-have-plowed-","you-shall-plow"]·FR["[החרש]","[יחרש]","et-à-laboure","labourant","labourer","se-taire","tu-avait-plowed","tu-devra-labourer"]·heb["ה-חורש","ו-ל-חרוש","חוֹרש","חורש","חורשות","חורשי","חורשים","חרשו","חרשתם","חרשתם-","יחרוֹש","יחרוש","תחרוש"]·HI["और-के-लिए-जोतने","जोतता-है","जोतते-थे","जोतने-वाला","जोतनेवाले","जोता-है-","जोते-थे","जोतेगा","तुमने-जोता","हल-चलाने-वाला","हल-जोत-रहा-था","हल-जोतने-वाले"]·ID["dan-untuk-membajak","kamu-membajak","membajak","para-pembajak","pembajak","sedang-membajak","yang-membajak"]·IT["[החרש]","[חורש]","[חרשתם]","[יחרוש]","[יחרש]","arare","e-a-ara","plowing","tacque","tu-dovra-plow","tu-ebbe-arò"]·jav["badhé-mluku","ing-lembu","ingkang-ngluku","kang-ngluku","lan-kangge-mluku","mluku","ngluku","panjenengan-mluku","panjenengan-ngluku","sami-ngluku","tukang-mluku"]·KO["가는-자들-이","갈겠느냐","갈고","갈는-자가","갈리냐","갈아엎는-자들이","갈았도다","갈지","그-가는-자가","그리고-갈리고","발-갈고-있었다","밝으리라","밭-갈았다","밭갈리라","밭갈았느니라-"]·PT["Arastes","arador","arando","arará","ararás","e-para-arar","lavradores-de","lavraram","o-lavrador","os-lavradores","tivésseis-lavrado"]·RU["будет-пахать","и-чтобы-пахать","пахали","пахали-","пахари","пахарь","пашет","паши","пашут","пашущие","пашущий"]·ES["ara","aradores","aradores-de","arando","araron","arará","ararás","arasteis-","el-que-ara","hubierais-arado","se-ara","y-para-arar"]·SW["alikuwa-akilima","analima","atalima","kulima","mkulima","mlimaji","mmelima","mmelima-","na-kulima","utalima","wakilima","walilima","walimaji","walimao-wa","watalima"]·TR["suren","surer","sürdüler","sürdünüz-","sürecek","süreceksin","süren","sürenler","sürer","sürerken","sürmez","sürmüş-olsaydınız","ve-sürmek-için","çiftçi","çiftçiler"]·urd["اور-جوتنے-کو","تم-نے-جوتا-ہے-","تُو-ہل-چلائے","جوتنے-والے","ہل-نہ-چلاتے","ہل-چلا-رہا-تھا","ہل-چلائے-گا","ہل-چلاتا","ہل-چلاتا-ہے","ہل-چلاتے","ہل-چلانے-والا","ہل-چلانے-والوں-نے","ہل-چلایا"]
Deut 22:10, Judg 14:18, 1 Sam 8:12, 1 Kgs 19:19, Job 1:14, Job 4:8, Ps 129:3, Ps 129:3, Prov 20:4, Isa 28:24, Isa 28:24, Hos 10:11 (+3 more)
2. to devise evil (Qal) — To devise, plan, especially evil — 6 occurrences, five of them concentrated in Proverbs, where the verb metaphorically transfers the plowing action to mental scheming. 'Do not devise evil against your neighbor' (Prov 3:29); 'a heart that devises wicked plans' (Prov 6:18); 'those who devise evil' versus 'those who devise good' (Prov 12:20; 14:22). Spanish traman ('they scheme') and maquinar ('they contrive') correctly identify the conspiratorial register, while Korean and Swahili similarly shift from agricultural to mental vocabulary. The metaphor is transparent: as the plowman cuts furrows, the schemer cuts plans — and both expect a harvest. 6×
AR["تَكِدْ","مُدَبِّرو","مُدَبِّري","يَحْرُثُ"]·ben["পরিকল্পনা-করছে","পরিকল্পনা-করো","যা-পরিকল্পনা-করে","যারা-পরিকল্পনা-করে"]·DE["[חרש]","[חרשי]","[תחרש]"]·EN["are-for-those-who-devise","devise","devising","those-who-devise"]·FR["labourer"]·heb["חורש","חורשי","תחרוש"]·HI["गढ़नेवाला","गढ़नेवाले","गढ़नेवालों-के","गढ़नेवालों-के-लिए","योजना-बना"]·ID["bagi-yang-merencanakan","merencanakan","yang-merencanakan"]·IT["arare"]·jav["kang-ngrancang","ngrancang","tiyang-kang-ngrancang"]·KO["꿔하는","꿔하는-자-들-은","꿔하는-자-들-의","꿔하는-자-들-이다","꿔하지","꿔한다"]·PT["os-que-tramam","que-trama","quem-trama","trama","trames"]·RU["замышляет","замышляй","замышляющее","замышляющие","замышляющим","замышляющих"]·ES["los-que-planean","los-que-traman","maquina","que-maquina","trames"]·SW["anapanga","kwa-wanapanga","unaopanga","usipange","wanapanga"]·TR["düzenen","düzenleri","düzenlerin","düzenleyenler","kuran","tasarlama"]·urd["سوچ","سوچتا-ہے","سوچنے-والا","سوچنے-والوں-کے","سوچنے-والوں-کے-لیے","سوچنے-والے"]
3. to be plowed (Nifal) — To be plowed — 2 Niphal passive occurrences, both in the same prophetic oracle: Micah 3:12 and its quotation in Jeremiah 26:18, where Jerusalem 'shall be plowed as a field.' Spanish sera-arada ('shall be plowed') renders it directly. This is one of the most devastating images in prophetic literature — a city reduced to farmland, its very site returned to agricultural use. The passive form is essential: Jerusalem does not plow but is plowed, subjected to destruction from outside. 2×
AR["تُحْرَثُ","تُفْلَحُ"]·ben["চাষ-করা-হবে","চাষ-হবে"]·DE["[תחרש]"]·EN["will-be-plowed"]·FR["[תחרש]","se-taire"]·heb["תיחרש"]·HI["जोता-जाएगा","जोती-जाएगी"]·ID["akan-dibajak"]·IT["[תחרש]"]·jav["badhe-dipun-waluku","badhé-dipunwuluku"]·KO["갈리리라","갈리우리라"]·PT["será-arado","será-lavrada"]·RU["будет-вспахан","распашется"]·ES["será-arada"]·SW["italimwa"]·TR["sürülecek"]·urd["جوتا-جائے-گا","جوتی-جائے-گی"]
5. engraved (Qal Passive) — Engraved, inscribed on a surface — a single Qal passive participle at Jeremiah 17:1, where Judah's sin is described as 'engraved with an iron stylus, inscribed with a diamond point on the tablet of their heart.' Spanish grabado ('engraved') correctly identifies the craft sense. This connects charash back to its cognate in other Semitic languages — Aramaic charat ('to engrave') and Syriac 'to cleave, inscribe.' The image is devastating: sin is not superficial but cut permanently into the people's character, like an artisan's inscription in stone or metal. 1×
AR["مَحْفُورَةٌ"]·ben["খোদাই"]·DE["[חרושה]"]·EN["engraved"]·FR["[חרושה]"]·heb["חרושה"]·HI["खुदा-हुआ"]·ID["terukir"]·IT["[חרושה]"]·jav["sinerat"]·KO["새겼다"]·PT["gravado"]·RU["вырезан"]·ES["grabado"]·SW["imechorwa"]·TR["kazılı"]·urd["کھدا-ہوا-ہے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [חָרַשׁ] vb. cut in, engrave, plough, devise (NH id., plough, so Ethiopic ሐረሰ Ph. חרש, Aramaic (rare) חֲרַת engrave, ܚܪܰܬ cleave, plough, Arabic حَرَثَ plough)— Qal Pf. חָֽרְשׁוּ ψ 129:3, חֲרַשְׁתֶּם Ju 14:18 Ho 10:13; Impf. יַחֲרֹשׁ Is 28:24 Pr 20:4; יַחֲרוֹשׁ Ho 10:11 + Am 6:12 (v. infr.); 2 ms. תַּחֲרֹשׁ Dt 22:10 Pr. 3:29; Inf. cstr. חֲרֹשׁ 1 S 8:12; Pt. חֹרֵשׁ Gn 4:22 + 5 times; חוֹרֵשׁ…