Bible Word Study
חָרִיף
Chârîyph · Chariph, the name of two Israelites
חָרִיף
Chariph, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Chariph (חָרִיף) is a proper noun referring to two Israelite men in the post-exilic period. The name appears in the context of lists of returning exiles and signatories to a covenant renewal. In Nehemiah 7:24, Chariph is listed among the men of the people of Israel who returned from Babylon. In Nehemiah 10:19, a Chariph is recorded as one of the leaders who sealed the binding agreement to follow God's law. The name itself is derived from a Hebrew root meaning 'autumnal' or 'harvest-time,' suggesting a possible connection to the season of ingathering.
Biblical Usage
This proper noun is used exclusively in the book of Nehemiah, appearing only twice. Both occurrences are in administrative or covenantal lists from the post-exilic restoration period. In Nehemiah 7:24, it identifies a head of a family among the returning exiles. In Nehemiah 10:19, it identifies a leader who pledged to obey God's commandments alongside Nehemiah and other officials. The usage is purely for personal identification within historical records.
Etymology
The name Chariph comes from the Hebrew root חָרַף (charaph, H2778), which carries the primary sense of 'to reproach' or 'taunt,' but also has a derived meaning related to the autumn harvest season ('to pluck early'). The nominal form חָרִיף (chariph) specifically means 'autumnal' or 'harvest-time.' As a personal name, it likely signified a connection to that season, perhaps indicating a time of birth or an agricultural association.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names often held significant meaning, reflecting circumstances of birth, character hopes, or praise to God. A name meaning 'autumnal' or 'harvest' like Chariph would evoke themes of God's provision, the cycle of seasons, and the ingathering of crops. In the post-exilic context of Nehemiah, individuals bearing such names were part of the community rebuilding Judah's identity and renewing their covenant with God, the ultimate provider.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]