Word Study for H2738 (חָרוּל)

chârûwl /khaw-rool'/ Ask about this word

Rootor (shortened) חָרֻל · apparently, a passive participle of an unused root probably meaning to be prickly

Meaningproperly, pointed, i.e. a bramble or other thorny weed

KJV usagenettle.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of chârûwl — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word chârûwl, represented by H2738, is a term for a bramble or other thorny weed, often translated as nettle. It appears 3 times across 3 unique verses in the Bible. The word's definition suggests something prickly or pointed, and it is used to describe thorny plants found in desolate or neglected areas.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H2738 is used to illustrate conditions of desolation and neglect. In a prophecy against Moab and Ammon, their land is doomed to become a "breeding of nettles" and a place of "perpetual desolation" Zephaniah 2:9. The book of Proverbs uses the image of a field where nettles had covered its face as a clear sign of the owner's sloth and the resulting decay Proverbs 24:31. In Job, the word describes the wild environment where outcasts are gathered together under the nettles for shelter Job 30:7.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context in which chârûwl appears:

H7063 qimmâshôwn (a prickly plant; thorn): This word is used alongside nettles in Proverbs to describe a field completely overgrown due to neglect, emphasizing the theme of wildness and decay Proverbs 24:31.
H7880 sîyach (bush, plant, shrub): In Job, the desperate and lowly are described as braying among the bushes and gathering under nettles, showing that these plants grow together in wastelands that serve as a refuge for outcasts Job 30:7.

Theological Significance

The symbolic weight of H2738 is tied to its depiction of uncultivated and wild spaces.

Symbol of Neglect and Decay: The presence of nettles signifies the consequences of laziness and failure to maintain order, as seen in the overgrown field in Proverbs Proverbs 24:31.
Marker of Divine Judgment: In Zephaniah, nettles serve as a sign of God's judgment, transforming a once-inhabited land into a wasteland, much like Sodom and Gomorrah Zephaniah 2:9.
Habitat of the Outcast: The plant is part of the harsh, wild landscape that becomes the dwelling place for the impoverished and socially rejected, as described in Job Job 30:7.

Summary

In summary, H2738 is not merely a botanical term but a powerful symbol in scripture. It consistently represents a state of abandonment, whether caused by human neglect or divine judgment. Through its use, the Bible paints a vivid picture of desolation, where the absence of cultivation gives way to a wilderness inhabited only by wild plants and those cast out from society.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 3 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

חָרוּל
חֲרֻלִּים

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 3 verses across 3 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Job, Proverbs, and Zephaniah (1 verse each); never once in the other 36.

Job

Proverbs

Zephaniah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.