charash · be silent; plow, engrave

What it means

charash (חָרַשׁ) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “be silent; plow, engrave”.

Be silent, keep quiet, let something pass. The same Hebrew form also means plow, engrave, and devise or plot.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To stay quiet, without answering or speaking.
2. To drive the plow, opening furrows in the soil.
3. To plot evil in secret against someone.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Under this Strong number go two verbs written the same way: one is to plow, till and engrave (from there also to devise evil); the other is to be silent, keep quiet, and to act deaf. Of the family of the first is חָרָשׁ (craftsman); of the second, חֵרֵשׁ (deaf).

• Keeping silent, staying quiet Genesis 34:5Psalms 32:31 Samuel 10:27
• Asking God not to keep silent or act deaf Psalms 28:1Psalms 83:1
• Plowing the ground 1 Samuel 8:12Micah 3:12
• Figurative: plowing the back; plowing with someone else's heifer Psalms 129:3Judges 14:18
• Plotting evil 1 Samuel 23:9

How we translate it

In the sense of silence, “be silent” 8 times, “keep silent” 8, “keeps silent” 6, “kept silent” 6; addressed to God, “do not be deaf to me” (Psalm 28:1). In the other sense, “plow” 7 and “plowed” 5 (“Zion will be plowed {as} a field”, Micah 3:12); when the object is evil, “was plotting” or “those who plot”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• be silent ×8
• keep silent ×8
• plow ×7
• keeps silent ×6
• kept silent ×6
• plowed ×5
• be deaf ×4
• silent ×4
• those who plot ×3
• plots ×2
• others ×19

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×2
• Exodus×1
• Numbers×6
• Deuteronomy×1
• Judges×3
• 1 Samuel×4
• 2 Samuel×2
• 1 Kings×1
• 2 Kings×1
• Nehemiah×1
• Esther×3
• Job×11
• Psalms×10
• Proverbs×9
• Isaiah×5
• Jeremiah×4
• Hosea×2
• Amos×2
• Micah×2
• Habakkuk×1
• Zephaniah×1

• Genesis 24:21

  The man was gazing at her, keeping silent, to know whether YHWH had made successful his journey or not.

• Genesis 34:5

  Jacob heard that he had made Dinah his daughter unclean; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came.

• Exodus 14:14

  YHWH will fight for you, and you will keep silent.”

• Numbers 30:4

  and her father hears her vow and her obligation that she has bound on her soul, and her father keeps silent toward her, then all her vows shall stand, and every obligation that she has bound on her soul shall stand.

• Numbers 30:7

  and her husband hears of it and on the day he hears it keeps silent toward her, then her vows shall stand, and her obligations that she has bound on her soul shall stand.

• Numbers 30:11

  and her husband heard of it and kept silent toward her and did not forbid her, then all her vows shall stand, and every obligation that she bound on her soul shall stand.

• Numbers 30:14

  But if her husband indeed keeps silent toward her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her obligations that are on her; he has confirmed them, because he kept silent toward her on the day he heard of them.

• Deuteronomy 22:10

  You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

• Judges 14:18

  And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.”

• Judges 16:2

  It was told to the Gazites, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city, and kept quiet all night, saying, “Until the light of morning; then we will kill him.”

• Judges 18:19

  And they said to him, “Be quiet! Put your hand over your mouth, and come with us, and be for us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or for you to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”

• 1 Samuel 7:8

  And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not keep silent from us by ceasing to cry out to YHWH our Elohim, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”

• 1 Samuel 8:12

  and he will appoint for himself chiefs of thousands and chiefs of fifties, and some to plow his plowland and to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and the equipment of his chariots.

• 1 Samuel 10:27

  But wicked men said, “How can this one save us?” And they despised him and did not bring him tribute. But he was like one keeping silent.

• 1 Samuel 23:9

  David knew that Saul was plotting the evil against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring near the ephod.”

• 2 Samuel 13:20

  Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now then, my sister, keep quiet; he is your brother. Do not set your heart on this matter.” So Tamar lived, desolate, in the house of Absalom her brother.

• 2 Samuel 19:10

  And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now then, why are you silent about bringing back the king?”

• 1 Kings 19:19

  He went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing, twelve yoke of oxen were before him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed over to him and threw his cloak on him.

• 2 Kings 18:36

  But the people were silent and did not answer him a word, for it was the commandment of the king, saying, “Do not answer him.”

• Nehemiah 5:8

  and said to them, “We have bought our brothers, the Jews who were sold to the nations, according to what was in us; and will you also sell your brothers, so that they may be sold to us?” And they were silent and did not find a word.

• Esther 4:14

  For if you really keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and the house of your father will perish. And who knows whether for a time like this you have come to the kingdom?”

• Esther 7:4

  For we have been sold, I and my people, to destroy, to kill, and to make perish. And if we had been sold as male slaves and female slaves, I would have kept silent, for the adversary is not worth the harm to the king.”

• Job 1:14

  and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys grazing beside them,

• Job 4:8

  As I have seen, those who plow wickedness and those who sow suffering reap it.

• Job 6:24

  Teach me, and I will be silent; and make me understand how I have erred.

• Job 11:3

  Shall your idle talk silence men? Shall you mock, and there be none to put you to shame?

• Job 13:5

  Who would grant that you would be completely silent, and it would be wisdom for you.

• Job 13:13

  Be silent before me, and I will speak, and let whatever may pass over me.

• Job 13:19

  Who is he who will contend with me? For now I would be silent and expire.

• Job 33:31

  Pay attention, Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.

• Job 33:33

  If not, you listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

• Job 41:12

  I will not keep silent about its limbs, or the account of its powers, or the grace of its bearing.

• Psalms 28:1

  Of David. To you, YHWH, I call; my Rock, do not be deaf to me, lest you be silent to me and I become like those who go down to the pit.

• Psalms 32:3

  When I kept silent, my bones wore away through my roaring all the day.

• Psalms 35:22

  You have seen it, YHWH; do not be deaf; Adonai, do not be far from me.

• Psalms 39:12

  Hear my prayer, YHWH, and to my cry for help give ear; to my tears do not be deaf, for a resident alien I am with you, a temporary resident like all my fathers.

• Psalms 50:3

  Our Elohim comes and will not keep silent; fire before him devours, and around him it storms greatly.

• Psalms 50:21

  These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I would surely be like you. I will rebuke you and lay it out before your eyes.

• Psalms 83:1

  A song. A psalm of Asaph. Elohim, do not keep silent; do not be mute, and do not be still, El.

• Psalms 109:1

  For the director. Of David. A psalm. Elohim of my praise, do not be silent.

And 32 more times.