Original Word: חֹרֶף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: choreph
Pronunciation: kho-ref'
Phonetic Spelling: (kho'-ref)
KJV: cold, winter (-house), youth
NASB: winter, autumn, prime
Word Origin: [from H2778 (חָרַף - To reproach)]

1. (properly) the crop gathered
2. (by implication) the autumn (and winter) season
3. (figuratively) ripeness of age

cold, winter house, youth

From charaph.; properly, the crop gathered, i.e. (by implication) the autumn (and winter) season; figuratively, ripeness of age -- cold, winter (-house), youth.

see HEBREW charaph.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
harvest time, autumn
NASB Translation
autumn (1), prime (1), winter (5).

חֹ֫רֶף noun masculine harvest-time, autumn (Arabic freshly gathered fruit, autumn (also rain of autumn or beginning of winter) = Sabean חֿרפ (ןׅ DHM^{ZMG 1875, xxix. 597}; Sabean חֿרף, חֿרפם = year, compare Ethiopic annus currens Os (Levy)^{ZMG 1865, 168, 174} DHM^{ZMG 1883, 369}; Assyrian —arpu, Schr^{JPTh 1875, 341} KAT^253n. = COT^{i. 54 n}.) — absolute ׳ח Zechariah 14:8 5t.; suffix חָרְמִּי Job 29:4; — קַיִץ וָחֹרֶף Genesis 8:22 (J), Psalm 74:17; Zechariah 14:8; ׳בֵּית הַח autumn-house or palace Amos 3:15; Jeremiah 36:22 (+ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁיעִי in the 9th month, i.e. Nov-Dec.); ׳מח עָצֵל לֹא יַחֲרשׁ Proverbs 20:4 a sluggard ploughs not after harvest; as implying maturity, בִּימֵי חָרְמִּי Job 29:4 in the days of my autumn (prime).

Definition and Seasonal Scope

חֹרֶף (chōrep) denotes the cold, rainy portion of the Palestinian agricultural year, beginning in late autumn and extending through early spring. The term can embrace both the literal chill of winter and the broader concept of harvest-time that precedes the rains. Its semantic flexibility allows Scripture to employ the season for covenantal assurances, moral exhortation, and prophetic imagery.

Occurrences in Scripture

Genesis 8:22; Job 29:4; Psalm 74:17; Proverbs 20:4; Jeremiah 36:22; Amos 3:15; Zechariah 14:8.

Climatic and Agricultural Context

In ancient Israel the Mediterranean climate divides the year into two major seasons: the dry, hot summer and the cool, wet winter. Chōrep signals the return of the early rains (Deuteronomy 11:14), softening the hard soil left by summer heat and enabling the sowing of barley and wheat. Livestock are brought from upland grazing to shelter, while families gather around indoor hearths (Jeremiah 36:22). Winter houses, often built of hewn stone with small windows, offered protection from the damp winds sweeping off the Mediterranean.

Covenantal Assurance

Chōrep enters biblical history immediately after the Flood. “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease” (Genesis 8:22). Winter here functions as a perpetual pledge that the rhythms of creation, undermined by judgment, have been re-established by divine grace. Every returning chōrep testifies that the promise still holds.

Wisdom and Personal Reflection

Job recalls “when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent” (Job 29:4). The season of winter/harvest becomes a poetic marker for the mature strength of his life, suggesting ripeness rather than decline. Conversely, Proverbs 20:4 warns, “The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there”. The chill of chōrep exposes laziness, illustrating that opportunities disregarded in the present yield poverty in the future.

Liturgical and Devotional Use

Psalm 74:17 proclaims, “You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter”. The pairing of seasons in praise underscores divine sovereignty over time and space, encouraging worshipers to trust God through fluctuating circumstances.

Prophetic Imagery of Judgment and Restoration

1. Jeremiah 36:22 presents Jehoiakim in his “winter house,” complacently slicing Jeremiah’s scroll and casting it into the fire. The cozy setting heightens the king’s hardened contempt for God’s word.
2. Amos 3:15 announces, “I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house”. Paired mansions symbolize opulent indifference; their destruction warns that no seasonal refuge can shield from covenantal justice.
3. Zechariah 14:8 looks beyond judgment: “And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem… in summer and in winter”. Continuous flow through both seasons envisions an eschatological reversal of drought and death, anticipating the Spirit’s life-giving abundance.

Theological Themes

• God’s Faithfulness: Recurring winter frames a reliable calendar anchored in divine promise (Genesis 8:22).
• Human Responsibility: Winter calls for preparation and diligence (Proverbs 20:4), reminding believers that spiritual foresight guards against future barrenness.
• Judgment and Protection: Structures labeled “winter houses” expose either sinful luxury (Amos 3:15) or the false security of rulers (Jeremiah 36:22).
• Eschatological Fulfillment: The arrival of living water in winter (Zechariah 14:8) points to Messiah’s kingdom where blessing overrides natural limitations.

Practical Applications for Ministry

1. Encourage congregations to view physical seasons as parables of God’s steadfastness. The onset of cold weather signals not abandonment but a cycle ordained for growth.
2. Use Proverbs 20:4 to exhort believers toward timely obedience—spiritual disciplines practiced in apparent dormancy bear fruit when harvest arrives.
3. Challenge material complacency by contrasting Jehoiakim’s winter comfort with his rejection of Scripture; true refuge is found in submission to God’s word.
4. Draw comfort from Zechariah 14:8 when ministering to those in “winter seasons” of suffering; divine life flows even when circumstances seem cold and barren.

Summary

חֹרֶף weaves through Scripture as more than meteorology. Each appearance—whether in covenant promise, wisdom reflection, prophetic warning, or eschatological hope—invites God’s people to recognize His unbroken governance of time and to align their lives with rhythms of faithful labor, repentant humility, and confident expectation.

הַחֹ֔רֶף הַחֹ֖רֶף החרף וָ֝חֹ֗רֶף וָחֹ֛רֶף וּבָחֹ֖רֶף ובחרף וחרף חָרְפִּ֑י חרפי מֵ֭חֹרֶף מחרף charePi ha·ḥō·rep̄ ḥā·rə·pî haChoref haḥōrep̄ ḥārəpî mê·ḥō·rep̄ Mechoref mêḥōrep̄ ū·ḇā·ḥō·rep̄ ūḇāḥōrep̄ uvaChoref vaChoref wā·ḥō·rep̄ wāḥōrep̄Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts