Lexical Summary cherabon: Desolation, Ruin Original Word: חֲרָבוֹן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance drought From charab; parching heat -- drought. see HEBREW charab NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chareb Definition drought NASB Translation fever heat (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [חֵרָבוֺן] noun masculine drought, only plural construct בְּחַרְבֹנֵי קַ֫יִץ Psalm 32:4 metaphor of fever heat. Topical Lexicon Biblical SettingThe noun חֲרָבוֹן appears once, in Psalm 32:4, within David’s testimony of the misery that accompanies concealed sin: “For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah” (Berean Standard Bible). In the agrarian world of ancient Israel, the “heat of summer” captured the draining, withering power of months without rain. The single occurrence sets the term firmly in the realm of parched desolation—a physical image chosen by the Holy Spirit to portray the spiritual drought that overtakes the unrepentant heart. Theological Themes 1. Divine Pressure and Conviction David attributes his desiccated vitality not merely to psychological guilt but to the heavy hand of the Lord. חֲרָבוֹן thus becomes an emblem of divine chastening. God’s covenant love refuses to allow His people to thrive while harboring sin (see also Hebrews 12:6). 2. Sin, Silence, and Drought The psalm’s movement from drought to refreshment (Psalm 32:5 – 7) parallels the covenant pattern in Deuteronomy 28:15 – 24, where drought is listed among the consequences of disobedience. חֲרָבוֹן echoes that warning, underscoring the internal barrenness produced when confession is withheld. 3. Restoration and Refreshing Once David confesses, the oppressive dryness is replaced by “songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7). The contrast invites comparison with passages where God promises water to the thirsty (Isaiah 44:3; John 7:37 – 38). The single word therefore participates in the larger redemptive motif: drought for rebellion, living water for repentance and faith. Historical and Cultural Background • Mediterranean Climate: Israel’s hot, rainless summers were a yearly trial. Crops and cisterns depended on spring rains; by mid-summer, the ground cracked and vegetation browned. The psalm’s audience would instantly feel the metaphor’s force. Ministry Implications • Preaching and Teaching: The term invites pastors to connect tangible experience (exhaustion under relentless heat) with the invisible weight of unrepentant sin, driving listeners to the gospel’s promise of refreshing. Intertextual Echoes While חֲרָבוֹן itself is unique to Psalm 32:4, the concept resonates with: These parallels affirm the consistent biblical pattern: without repentance, human vitality withers; with confession and faith, God supplies reviving grace. Summary חֲרָבוֹן captures the oppressive heat of an Israeli summer to illustrate the inner desiccation produced by unconfessed sin. Its single appearance anchors a rich theological message: God’s heavy hand may parch the soul, yet that very pressure is meant to drive sinners to the fountain of mercy, where drought gives way to abundant life. Forms and Transliterations בְּחַרְבֹ֖נֵי בחרבני bə·ḥar·ḇō·nê becharVonei bəḥarḇōnêLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 32:4 HEB: נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְשַׁדִּ֑י בְּחַרְבֹ֖נֵי קַ֣יִץ סֶֽלָה׃ NAS: was drained away [as] with the fever heat of summer. KJV: is turned into the drought of summer. INT: was drained my vitality the fever of summer Selah 1 Occurrence |