Original Word: הָרֶה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: hareh
Pronunciation: hah-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (haw-reh')
KJV: (be, woman) with child, conceive, X great
NASB: child, pregnant, conceive, pregnant woman, pregnant women, woman with child, women
Word Origin: [from H2029 (הָרָה - conceived)]

1. pregnant

woman with child, conceive, great

Or hariy (Hosea 14:1) {haw-ree'}; from harah; pregnant -- (be, woman) with child, conceive, X great.

see HEBREW harah

Word Origin
from harah
Definition
pregnant
NASB Translation
child (5), conceive (2), pregnant (3), pregnant woman (1), pregnant women (1), woman with child (1), women (1), women who were with child (1), women with child (1).

II. הָרָה adjective feminine pregnant — absolute ׳ה Genesis 16:11 10t.; construct הֲרַת Jeremiah 20:17; plural construct הָרוֺת Amos 1:13; suffix הָרוֺתֶיהָ 2 Kings 15:16; הָרֹתֵיהֶם 2 Kings 8:12; — pregnant, as attributive, ׳אִשָּׁה ה Exodus 21:22; as predicate Genesis 38:24 (לִזְנוּנִים), Genesis 38:25 (לְאִישׁ), 1 Samuel 4:19; 2 Samuel 11:5; Isaiah 7:14 (+ וְיֹלֶדֶת); in phrase הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ Genesis 16:11 (on resemblance to Isaiah 7:14 compare Peters^{Hebraica. Apr. 1885, 243; Apr. 1886, 175}), Judges 13:5,7; = substantive pregnant women, women with child Amos 1:13; 2 Kings 8:12; 2 Kings 15:16; Jeremiah 31:8, and, in simile, Isaiah 26:17; once of womb וְרַחְמָהּ הֲרַת עוֺלָם Jeremiah 20:17.

הֵרוֺן see הֵרָיוֺן below

[הָרִיָּה] adjective feminine pregnant, only plural as substantive וְהָרִיּוֺתָיו Hosea 14:1 (compare Assyrian êriiâtê Jäger^{BAS i. 473}).

Meaning and Range of the Term

הָרֶה describes the state of being pregnant or “with child.” Its appearances cover legal provisions, covenant promises, poetic lament, and prophetic judgment. In every setting the unborn life is treated as real, valuable, and consequential to the purposes of God.

Pregnancy as Divine Announcement and Promise

1. Genesis 16:11 introduces the word when the Angel of the LORD tells Hagar, “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son”. The pregnancy itself is the sign that God has heard her affliction and is shaping future history through Ishmael.
2. Isaiah 7:14 elevates the term to messianic hope: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel”. The physical conception becomes a pledge of the ultimate deliverance that God will accomplish in Jesus Christ.
3. Jeremiah 31:8 places expectant mothers in the procession of the restored remnant. Their presence verifies that the coming salvation is multigenerational and life-affirming.

Pregnancy within Israel’s Legal and Moral Order

Exodus 21:22 legislates penalties for striking a pregnant woman. The unborn child is protected by law, showing that biblical justice accounts for both mother and child. The text sets a trajectory for Christian ethics concerning the sanctity of life.

Pregnancy in Narratives of Sin and Redemption

1. Genesis 38:24-25 records Judah’s shock at Tamar’s pregnancy and her vindication through the signet, cord, and staff. The unborn twins become instruments by which God preserves the Messianic line.
2. 2 Samuel 11:5—Bathsheba’s message, “I am pregnant,” exposes David’s adultery. Yet from this same woman God later brings Solomon, reminding readers that divine grace can redeem even the gravest failure.
3. 1 Samuel 4:19 shows the wife of Phinehas going into labor at news of Israel’s defeat. Her child, Ichabod, bears a name that memorializes the departure of glory, illustrating how national apostasy impacts the next generation.

Pregnancy Portrayed in Poetic and Prophetic Imagery

Job 3:3 laments the night it was said, “A boy is conceived,” revealing the depth of Job’s anguish. Isaiah 26:17-18 compares Israel’s frustrated hopes to a woman who writhes in labor yet “gave birth to wind,” stressing the futility of human effort apart from God.

Pregnancy in Scenes of Violence and Judgment

2 Kings 8:12; 2 Kings 15:16; Hosea 13:16; Amos 1:13 graphically depict enemies who “rip open their pregnant women.” Such brutality is condemned and met with divine wrath, underscoring the seriousness with which God regards unborn life and highlighting the moral bankruptcy of nations that disregard it.

Theological Observations

• God’s sovereignty over the womb is unquestioned. Whether the context is promise (Isaiah 7), preservation (Genesis 38), or discipline (Hosea 13), pregnancy signals that life originates in God’s purposeful providence.
• Scripture treats both mother and child as bearers of covenant significance. Legal protections and prophetic judgments alike assume the personhood of the unborn.
• The motif prepares for the incarnation. Isaiah’s prophecy points ahead to the conception of Jesus Christ, where the fullest revelation of God joins human life from its earliest stage.

Ministry Significance

1. Sanctity of Life: The consistent biblical valuation of the unborn supports pastoral teaching that defends life from conception and offers compassionate care to mothers in crisis.
2. Hope in Brokenness: Narratives like Bathsheba’s illustrate that unplanned or sinful circumstances surrounding conception need not define the future; God’s redemptive purpose can still prevail.
3. Comfort in Suffering: Passages in Job and Isaiah validate the pain of unrealized hopes, giving language for lament while directing faith toward God’s ultimate deliverance.
4. Prophetic Warning: Texts describing violence against pregnant women call the church to advocate for the vulnerable and to confront cultures of death with the standards of divine justice.

Summary

הָרֶה traces a thematic arc from the earliest patriarchal accounts through Israel’s laws, poetry, and prophecy, culminating in messianic fulfillment. Each occurrence affirms that God’s dealings with humanity begin in the womb, that unborn life carries covenant weight, and that the Gospel’s hope extends to every generation yet unborn.

הֲרַ֥ת הֶהָ֥רוֹתֶ֖יהָ הָר֣וֹת הָרִ֣ינוּ הָרָ֑ה הָרָ֖ה הָרָ֣ה הָרָ֥ה הָרָה֙ הֹ֣רָה ההרותיה הרה הרות הרינו הרת וְהָרִיּוֹתָ֖יו וְהָרֹתֵיהֶ֖ם והריותיו והרתיהם hā·rāh hă·raṯ hā·rî·nū hā·rō·wṯ haRah hārāh haRat hăraṯ haRinu hārînū haRot hārōwṯ he·hā·rō·w·ṯe·hā heHaroTeiha hehārōwṯehā hō·rāh Horah hōrāh vehariyoTav veharoteiHem wə·hā·rî·yō·w·ṯāw wə·hā·rō·ṯê·hem wəhārîyōwṯāw wəhārōṯêhemInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts