Bible Word Study
חֳרֵם
Chŏrêm · Chorem, a place in Palestine
חֳרֵם
Chorem, a place in Palestine
Definition
Chorem (חֳרֵם) is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Palestine, mentioned only once in the Bible. It appears in the list of cities allotted to the tribe of Naphtali during the conquest of Canaan (Joshua 19:38). As a place name, it signifies a town or fortified settlement within the tribal territory. The name itself is derived from the Hebrew root meaning 'devoted' or 'set apart,' which may hint at the city's status or history, though the biblical text provides no further narrative details about events there.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a geographical proper noun in the Old Testament. Its single occurrence is in Joshua 19:38, within a detailed inventory of cities given to Naphtali. The context is purely administrative, listing Chorem among other fortified towns in the tribal allotment. There are no narrative stories or prophetic references associated with this location, making its usage straightforward and limited to this one catalog.
Etymology
Chorem is derived from the Hebrew root חָרַם (ḥāram, H2763), which carries the core meaning 'to devote,' 'to ban,' or 'to destroy utterly.' As a place name, it is a nominal form of this root. The etymology suggests the location might have been 'devoted' in some sense, possibly consecrated or set apart, though the specific reason is not explained in scripture. Related words from the same root include חֵרֶם (ḥērem, H2764), meaning 'a devoted thing' or 'ban.'
Semantic Range
As a place name in ancient Israel, Chorem represents one of many settlements allocated to the tribes following the conquest. Its inclusion in Joshua 19 underscores the fulfillment of God's promise to give the land of Canaan to the Israelites. The name's connection to the root for 'devotion' may reflect a common practice of naming locations based on significant events or characteristics, possibly related to the practice of 'ḥērem' (holy war or dedication to God) during the conquest period, though the text does not specify. No direct synonyms as a proper noun. Related conceptually to other place names from the same root, but none are listed in Strong's.
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]