English · KJV
H6185

עֲרִירִי

ʻărîyrîy /ar-e-ree'/ Ask about this word
Rootfrom עָרַר
Meaningbare, i.e. destitute (of children)
KJV usagechildless.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻărîyrîy — 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 ʻărîyrîy, represented by H6185, means to be childless. Derived from a root meaning "bare" or "destitute," it appears 4 times across 4 unique verses in the Bible. The term carries significant weight, describing not just the absence of children but a state of being cut off from posterity and future legacy.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, H6185 is used in contexts of profound personal distress and severe judgment. Abram expresses his deep sorrow to God, stating, "I go childless" Genesis 15:2, which precedes God's covenant promise. In a legal context, it is the prescribed consequence for specific acts of incest; those who commit them "shall die childless" Leviticus 20:20 or "shall be childless" Leviticus 20:21. It is also used as a divine curse, as the LORD commands concerning a king, "Write ye this man childless," signifying that his lineage will not continue on the throne Jeremiah 22:30.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words highlight the consequences and context of being childless:

  • H2233 zeraʻ (seed; posterity): This word is closely tied to the concept of lineage. Being childless means having no seed to carry on one's legacy, a fate pronounced in judgment upon the man who would have no descendant prosper on the throne Jeremiah 22:30.
  • H2399 chêṭᵉʼ (a crime or its penalty; sin): In Leviticus, being childless is the direct penalty for certain transgressions. The law states that those who commit particular sexual sins "shall bear their sin," a consequence that manifests as dying without children Leviticus 20:20.
  • H4191 mûwth (to die): This word is explicitly linked to being childless in Leviticus, where the punishment for a specific sin is that "they shall die childless" Leviticus 20:20, indicating a final and irreversible end to their lineage.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H6185 is significant, often tied to themes of judgment and covenant.

  • Punishment for Sin: Being childless is presented as a severe legal and divine consequence for sin. The law in Leviticus establishes this as the penalty for specific illicit unions, where offenders "shall bear their sin" and ultimately "die childless" Leviticus 20:20.
  • A Divine Curse: Beyond a legal penalty, being made childless is a form of divine curse that ends a family line. This is most powerfully seen when the LORD decrees, "Write ye this man childless," ensuring his posterity would not prosper or rule Jeremiah 22:30.
  • Human Anguish and Covenant Hope: The state of being childless represents deep personal anguish and the apparent end of hope. Abram's lament, "I go childless" Genesis 15:2, is the backdrop against which God establishes His covenant, promising him descendants and turning a state of destitution into the foundation of a nation.

Summary

In summary, H6185 signifies more than the simple inability to have children. It is a powerful biblical concept representing judgment, the termination of a lineage, and profound human sorrow. The word illustrates the gravity of sin through its use as a divine curse and legal punishment (Leviticus 20:20, Jeremiah 22:30), while also setting the stage for God's covenant faithfulness in the face of human hopelessness Genesis 15:2.

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 an adjective across 4 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.

  • עֲרִירִים
  • עֲרִירִי

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H2233 זֶרַע from זָרַע; seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity; [idiom] carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), so H2399 חֵטְא from חָטָא; a crime or its penalty; fault, [idiom] grievously, offence, (punishment of) sin. H4191 מוּת a primitive root; to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill; [idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (b

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 4 verses across 3 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Leviticus (2 verses); never once in the other 36.

1
Genesis
2
Leviticus
1
Jeremiah

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.