H5214 H5214
break up (fallow ground), till freshly; plow untilled land
This verb means to break up untilled ground, to plow fallow land that has been lying dormant. Both occurrences appear in prophetic calls to spiritual renewal, using agricultural imagery. Jeremiah commands, 'Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns' (Jer 4:3). Hosea similarly urges, 'Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord' (Hos 10:12). The verb takes a cognate accusative—'break up the breakup,' i.e., break up the unbroken ground. This is about preparation, creating receptive soil before planting.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Both prophets employ this imperative as a metaphor for repentance and spiritual preparation. Jeremiah 4:3 uses it in a call to Judah: 'Break up your fallow ground'—stop trying to plant in hard, thorn-infested soil. The image is preparation for receiving God's word properly. Hosea 10:12 makes the spiritual application explicit: 'Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.' Unbroken ground can't receive seed; an unbroken heart can't receive truth. French 'labourer' (to work/plow) and Spanish 'romper' (break up) both capture the initial hard work of turning neglected soil, preparing what has grown hard for new growth. 2×
AR["احرُثوا", "اِحْرُثُوا"]·ben["চাষ-কর", "চাষ-করো"]·DE["[נירו]"]·EN["break-up"]·FR["[נירו]", "labourer"]·heb["נירו"]·HI["जोतो"]·ID["Bajakanlah"]·IT["[נירו]"]·jav["macul", "sami-babad"]·KO["갈아업어라", "개간하라"]·PT["Arai", "lavrai"]·RU["распахайте", "распашите"]·ES["Romped", "romped"]·SW["limeni"]·TR["açın", "sürün"]·urd["توڑو", "جوتو"]
Related Senses
H3754 1. vineyard, cultivated grape plot (92×)H0730 1. cedar tree or wood (73×)H1612 1. vine, grapevine (55×)H3293a 1. forest, wood, thicket (55×)H5560 1. fine flour (53×)H5193 1. plant vegetation (48×)H2232 1. sow seed, plant crops (41×)H1715 1. grain, cereal crop (40×)H7114b 1. reap, harvest grain (36×)H2132 1. olive tree (34×)H8184 1. barley (34×)H2406 1. wheat (grain crop) (30×)H7070 1. reed, cane (plant) (30×)H7848 1. acacia (28×)H8328 1. root of a plant (28×)H8384 1. fig tree (25×)H5488 1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') (24×)G0290 1. a vineyard (23×)G2325 1. reap, harvest a crop (21×)G4687 1. sow seed, plant (21×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [נִיר] vb. break up, freshly till;— Qal Imv. mpl. נִ֫ירוּ, c. acc. cogn. נִיר Ho 10:12 Je 4:3.