Original Word: חָרִיץ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chariyts
Pronunciation: khaw-REETS
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-reets')
KJV: + cheese, harrow
NASB: cuts, sharp instruments, sharp instruments
Word Origin: [from H2782 (חָרַץ - decreed)]

1. (properly) incisure or (passively) incised
2. (hence) a threshing-sledge (with sharp teeth)

cheese, harrow

Or charits {khaw-reets'}; from charats; properly, incisure or (passively) incised (compare charuwts); hence, a threshing-sledge (with sharp teeth): also a slice (as cut) -- + cheese, harrow.

see HEBREW charats

see HEBREW charuwts

Word Origin
from charats
Definition
a cut, thing cut, sharp instrument
NASB Translation
cuts (1), sharp instruments (1), sharp...instruments (1).

[חָרִיץ] noun masculine^{1Samuel 17:18} a cut, thing cut, sharp instrument; — plural construct חֲרִיצֵי 1 Samuel 17:18; 1 Chronicles 20:3; חֲרִצֵי 2 Samuel 12:31; —

1 הֶחָלָב ׳ח 1 Samuel 17:18 cuts of milk i.e. cheeses.

2 sharp instrument of iron, 2 Samuel 12:31 = 1 Chronicles 20:3 הַבַּרְזֶל וּבַמְּגֵרָוֺת ׳בַּמְּגֵרָה ובח (compare Amos 1:3 below חרוץ 1, and Dr^Sm).

Semantic Range and Imagery

חָרִיץ carries the idea of something sharply cut or incised and, by extension, the product of that cutting. In Scripture this takes two very different but complementary forms: (1) solid dairy slices brought as provisions and (2) iron tools designed to cut, pierce, or break up hard material. Both senses retain the imagery of a decisive edge.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. 1 Samuel 17:18

“Also take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are doing and bring back a token from them.”

2. 2 Samuel 12:31

“He brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he made them pass through the brick kiln.”

3. 1 Chronicles 20:3 (parallel to 2 Samuel 12:31).

Cultural and Historical Background

• Dairy Provision. In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, cheese was a durable, high-protein food. By sending “ten cheeses” to the front, Jesse supplied both nourishment and honor. Such gifts to a commander acknowledged the chain of command and smoothed relations between civilian households and the military (compare Genesis 43:11).

• Iron Implements. By David’s day the Iron Age was well established in Canaan. Iron picks (or saws, depending on the translation) were advanced, labor-saving devices used for quarrying stone, cutting timber, and breaking up soil. After the fall of Rabbah, David repurposed these tools for forced labor, a common ancient practice toward defeated peoples (contrast with Israel’s earlier bondage in Exodus 1:11-14, where the roles are reversed).

Literary and Theological Significance

1 Samuel 17 places חָרִיץ at the hinge of David’s life. The humble errand of delivering cheese places him within earshot of Goliath’s taunts, setting in motion the public unveiling of the Lord’s chosen king. The sharp-edged imagery of the word subtly anticipates David’s future role as the one who will “cut off” the reproach from Israel (17:26, 36).

In 2 Samuel 12, the same root surfaces in an altogether different setting—David’s conquest of Rabbah in the shadow of his sin with Bathsheba. The iron picks symbolize both the king’s authority and the ruthless consequences that follow disobedience. The contrast between the nourishing cheese of chapter 17 and the punitive iron tools of chapter 12 frames David’s rise and his moral failure, underscoring the biblical principle that leadership is fruitful only when tempered by righteousness.

Ministerial Insights

• Provision precedes promotion. David’s willingness to serve in menial tasks made him a vessel for the Lord’s larger purposes. Ministry often begins with quiet acts of faithfulness that place believers in the path of divine appointments (Luke 16:10).

• Tools can bless or oppress. Iron picks in the hands of a wise builder raise temples; in the grip of an unrestrained ruler they enforce tyranny. The same gifts and resources entrusted to the church today—technology, influence, wealth—must be wielded under the yoke of Christ (Colossians 3:17).

• Sharpened lives. Whether as wholesome provision or cutting instrument, חָרִיץ points to the necessity of being honed for the Master’s use (2 Timothy 2:21). The Spirit forms “cheeses” that sustain and “picks” that shape, and He determines the context in which each believer serves.

Practical Application

1. Cultivate readiness to serve in small, often unseen tasks, trusting God to weave them into larger kingdom purposes.
2. Exercise authority with humility, remembering how quickly legitimate power can turn oppressive when disconnected from obedience.
3. Submit to the Spirit’s sharpening process, confident that every incision He makes—whether for nourishment or construction—works toward the building up of the body of Christ.

וּבַחֲרִיצֵ֤י וּבַחֲרִצֵ֨י ובחריצי ובחרצי חֲרִצֵ֤י חרצי chariTzei ḥă·ri·ṣê ḥăriṣê ū·ḇa·ḥă·ri·ṣê ū·ḇa·ḥă·rî·ṣê ūḇaḥăriṣê ūḇaḥărîṣê uvachariTzeiInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts