cherem · devoted thing, net

What it means

cherem (חֵרֶם) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “devoted thing, net”.

A thing given over completely to God, which can no longer be bought back; the person or thing so given. Another word written the same way means "net".

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. What was given wholly to God and no one could keep for himself.
2. A mesh of knotted cords spread out to catch fish.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

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

• things devoted to destruction ×9
• thing devoted to destruction ×8
• net ×5
• nets ×4
• devotion to destruction ×3
• completely devoted ×2
• I have devoted to destruction ×1
• devoted thing ×1
• one devoted to destruction ×1
• what is devoted to destruction ×1
• others ×3

Where it appears

• Leviticus×4
• Numbers×1
• Deuteronomy×3
• Joshua×13
• 1 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×1
• 1 Chronicles×1
• Ecclesiastes×1
• Isaiah×2
• Ezekiel×5
• Micah×1
• Habakkuk×3
• Zechariah×1
• Malachi×1

• Leviticus 27:21

  And the field, when it goes free in the jubilee, shall be holy to YHWH, like a field completely devoted; it shall become the priest’s possession.

• Leviticus 27:28

  But nothing completely devoted that a man completely devotes to YHWH of all that he has, whether human being or beast or field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to YHWH.

• Leviticus 27:29

  No one devoted to destruction who is devoted to destruction from among human beings shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

• Numbers 18:14

  Everything wholly devoted in Israel shall be yours.

• Deuteronomy 7:26

  And you shall not bring an abomination into your house, and become a thing devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is a thing devoted to destruction.

• Deuteronomy 13:17

  Nothing of what is devoted to destruction shall cling to your hand, so that YHWH may turn from the burning of his anger and give you mercy and have mercy on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers,

• Joshua 6:17

  The city shall be a thing devoted to destruction, it and all that is in it, to YHWH. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

• Joshua 6:18

  But you, only keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, so that you do not devote them to destruction and then take from the things devoted to destruction and make the camp of Israel a thing devoted to destruction and bring ruin on it.

• Joshua 7:1

  But the sons of Israel committed an act of unfaithfulness regarding the things devoted to destruction: Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took from the things devoted to destruction, and the anger of YHWH burned against the sons of Israel.

• Joshua 7:11

  Israel has sinned; they have also transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have also taken from the things devoted to destruction; they have also stolen; they have also lied; and they have also put them among their own utensils.

• Joshua 7:12

  So the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their back before their enemies, for they have become a thing devoted to destruction. I will not be with you any more unless you destroy the things devoted to destruction from among you.

• Joshua 7:13

  Get up, sanctify the people and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for thus says YHWH, the Elohim of Israel: “A thing devoted to destruction is in your midst, Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you remove the things devoted to destruction from among you.”

• Joshua 7:15

  And it shall be that the one who is taken with the things devoted to destruction shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of YHWH and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”

• Joshua 22:20

  Did not Achan son of Zerah commit unfaithfulness with the things devoted to destruction, and anger came upon the whole community of Israel? And he, one man, did not expire alone in his iniquity.’”

• 1 Samuel 15:21

  But the people took from the spoil animals of the flock and herd, the firstfruits of what was devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to YHWH your Elohim in Gilgal.”

• 1 Kings 20:42

  He said to him, “Thus says YHWH: ‘Because you have let go from your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, your life will be for his life, and your people for his people.’”

• 1 Chronicles 2:7

  And the sons of Carmi: Achar, the one who brought ruin on Israel, who committed an act of unfaithfulness regarding the thing devoted to destruction.

• Ecclesiastes 7:26

  And I find more bitter than death the woman who is traps, and her heart nets, her hands bonds; the one who is good before Elohim will escape from her, but the sinner will be caught by her.

• Isaiah 34:5

  For my sword is drenched in the heavens; look, upon Edom it will come down, and upon the people I have devoted to destruction, for judgment.

• Isaiah 43:28

  So I profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and I gave Jacob to devotion to destruction, and Israel to revilings.”

• Ezekiel 26:5

  A spreading place for nets she will be in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken, declares Adonai YHWH; and she will become plunder for the nations.

• Ezekiel 26:14

  And I will make you a bare rock; a spreading place for nets you will be; you will not be built again, for I, YHWH, have spoken, declares Adonai YHWH.

• Ezekiel 32:3

  Thus says Adonai YHWH: I will spread over you my net with an assembly of many peoples, and they will haul you up in my net.

• Ezekiel 44:29

  The grain offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering, they shall eat them; and every thing devoted to destruction in Israel shall be theirs.

• Ezekiel 47:10

  And it will be that fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim; there will be a place for spreading nets; according to its kinds will be their fish, like the fish of the great sea, very many.

• Micah 7:2

  The faithful one has perished from the earth, and there is no upright one among human beings; all of them lie in wait for blood; each hunts his brother with a net.

• Habakkuk 1:15

  All of them he brings up with a hook; he drags them in his net and gathers them in his dragnet; therefore he rejoices and exults.

• Habakkuk 1:16

  Therefore he sacrifices to his net and offers up in smoke to his dragnet, for by them his portion is rich and his food fat.

• Habakkuk 1:17

  Will he therefore empty his net, and continually slay nations without sparing?

• Zechariah 14:11

  And they will dwell in it, and there will no longer be devotion to destruction; and Jerusalem will dwell securely.

• Malachi 4:6

  And he will turn the heart of fathers to children, and the heart of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with devotion to destruction.

And 7 more times.