Bible Word Study
חוּרָם
Chûwrâm · Churam, the name of an Israelite and two Syrians
חוּרָם
Churam, the name of an Israelite and two Syrians
Definition
Churam (חוּרָם) is a proper name borne by three distinct individuals in the Old Testament. The most prominent is Churam (also spelled Hiram in some translations), the king of Tyre, who was a crucial ally and trading partner of both King David and King Solomon, providing materials and skilled labor for building the royal palace and the temple in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 2:3, 2:11-13). Another is Churam-abi, a master craftsman sent by King Hiram of Tyre to Solomon, who was exceptionally skilled in working with bronze, gold, silver, iron, stone, wood, and fine fabrics (2 Chronicles 2:13-14, 4:16). A third, less prominent Churam is listed as a descendant of Benjamin in 1 Chronicles 8:5.
Biblical Usage
The name Churam is used exclusively in the books of Chronicles (1 Chronicles 8:5 and 2 Chronicles). In 2 Chronicles, it appears in contexts of international diplomacy, trade, and temple construction. The usage consistently highlights relationships between Israel and the Phoenician kingdom of Tyre, emphasizing Tyre's role in supplying materials and expertise for Israel's most significant national projects under Solomon.
Etymology
The name likely derives from the Hebrew root חוּר (chur, H2353), which can mean 'white,' 'pure,' or 'noble.' It is therefore understood to signify 'whiteness' or 'nobility.' It is a variant of the more common name חִירָם (Chiram, H2438), used for the same king of Tyre in the books of Samuel and Kings.
Semantic Range
The figure of Churam, particularly the king and the craftsman, illustrates God's providence in using people from outside the covenant nation of Israel to accomplish His purposes. Their involvement in building the temple shows that God's resources and skilled laborers can come from the nations, fulfilling the vision of Solomon that the temple would be a house of prayer for all peoples (1 Kings 8:41-43). It highlights themes of international cooperation under divine sovereignty. In the ancient Near East, names often carried meaningful attributes, and 'Churam' ('noble') would be a fitting name for royalty and skilled master craftsmen, who held high status. The alliance with Tyre was a standard practice of royal diplomacy, where smaller kingdoms like Israel traded agricultural products for the advanced technology, materials (like cedar wood), and craftsmanship of powerful mercantile city-states like Tyre. חִירָם (Chiram, H2438) — A variant spelling for the same king of Tyre, used primarily in the books of Samuel and Kings.
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]