Original Word: חָרַץ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: charats
Pronunciation: khaw-rats'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-rats')
KJV: bestir self, decide, decree, determine, maim, move
NASB: decreed, determined, act promptly, decided, decisive, maimed, uttered
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to point sharply, i.e. (literally) to wound
2. (figuratively) to be alert, to decide

bestir self, decide, decree, determine, maim, move

A primitive root; properly, to point sharply, i.e. (literally) to wound; figuratively, to be alert, to decide -- bestir self, decide, decree, determine, maim, move.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to cut, sharpen, decide
NASB Translation
act promptly (1), bark* (1), decided (1), decisive (1), decreed (3), determined (3), maimed (1), uttered (1).

I. חָרַץ verb cut, sharpen, decide (Late Hebrew id., cut in, decide, Aramaic in derivatives; Assyrian —arâƒu, dig, decide, —ariƒu, trench, Zehnpf^{BAS i. 502}; Phoenician חרץ decision, Hoffm^{AGG xxxvi, May 1889, 11}) —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳ח Joshua 10:21; חָרָ֑צְתָּ 1 Kings 20:40; Imperfect יֶחֱרַץֿ Exodus 11:7; 2masculine singular תֶּחֱרָ֑ץ 2 Samuel 5:24; Passive participle חָרוּץ Isaiah 10:22; Leviticus 22:22; plural חֲרוּצִים Job 14:5 (see also חָרוּץ below); —

1 cut, mutilate Leviticus 22:22 (עַוֶּרֶת אוֺ שָׁבוּר אוֺחָֿרוּץ אוֺ יַבֶּלֶת).

2 sharpen, figurative the tongue, כֶּֿלֶב לְשֹׁנוֺ לְ׳לֹא יֶח Exodus 11:7 (J), i.e. utter no sound against Israel, Joshua 10:21.

3 decide 1 Kings 20:40 (absolute); so participle pass חרוצים ימיו Job 14:5 his days are determined, fixed ("" מִסְמַּר חדשׁיו), Isaiah 10:22 ׳כִּלָּיוֺן ח; act with decision 2 Samuel 5:24.

Niph`al Participle נֶחֱרָצָה Isaiah 10:23 3t.; נֶחֱרֶצֶת Daniel 9:26 (both these forms infinitive construct according to Ba^{NB 90}); decisive ׳כָּלָה וְנֶח Isaiah 10:23; Isaiah 28:22; Daniel 9:27 a consumption and strict decision (i.e. that which is strictly determined), נֶעֱשָׂ֑תָה ׳כי נ Daniel 11:36; שֹׁמֵמוֺת ׳נח Daniel 9:26 strict determining of desolation.

Overview of Usage

חָרַץ threads through Scripture whenever an irrevocable decision, decree, or sharp action comes into view. Whether divine or human, military or cultic, the word always carries the note of something settled, incisive, and unalterable.

God’s Sovereign Decrees

From Job 14:5—“Man’s days are determined; You have decreed the number of his months and set limits he cannot exceed”—to the climactic eschatology of Daniel 9:26-27 and Daniel 11:36, חָרַץ discloses the unassailable certainty of divine purpose. Israel’s history, the rise and fall of kings, and even the appearance of the Anointed One move under a timetable already “decreed.” The term therefore undergirds the biblical doctrine of providence: God’s plans are not merely foreseen; they are fixed and executed.

Judgment and Eschatology

Isaiah 10:22-23 and Isaiah 28:22 speak of a “destruction decreed” that sweeps the land but simultaneously “overflows with righteousness.” חָרַץ thus anchors both wrath and mercy in the same sovereign act: judgment refines a remnant while vindicating God’s holiness. Daniel extends the theme into the last days; desolations, wars, and the downfall of a blasphemous king all unfold on schedule. Eschatological preaching that employs these texts can therefore insist that end-time events are neither random nor negotiable; they are predetermined by Him who “declares the end from the beginning.”

Prompt Obedience and Warfare

In 2 Samuel 5:24 David is told that once he hears the “sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees,” he must “act quickly.” חָרַץ here urges decisive, immediate obedience once the divine signal is clear. Military campaigns in Scripture succeed not by human calculation alone but by swift alignment with God’s settled strategy. Christian leadership today can draw from this the call to act without hesitation when Scripture clarifies God’s direction.

Protection of the Covenant People

Exodus 11:7 promises that “among all the Israelites not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.” Joshua 10:21 records that after victory “no one dared to threaten the Israelites.” In both cases חָרַץ underscores the impossibility of any hostile “sharpening” against God’s elect when He has decreed their safety. Pastoral application points believers to the security enjoyed when their lives are hidden with Christ, whose victory is likewise irrevocable.

Standards of Worship

Leviticus 22:22 forbids presenting an animal that is “blind, injured, or maimed.” The same verb that announces cosmic decrees also condemns blemished worship. The sanctuary tolerates nothing marred by human mutilation. The principle extends to spiritual sacrifices today; worship must be rendered with integrity, avoiding anything “cut” or compromised by sin.

Human Limitations

Job 14:5 folds personal mortality into the grand sweep of divine determination. The span of life is neither random nor self-determined; it is “cut” to a precise length. The acknowledgment of this limit encourages humility and motivates stewardship of the days allotted.

Implications for Ministry Today

1. Preaching: Texts containing חָרַץ invite proclamation of God’s absolute sovereignty, the certainty of His promises, and the sure outcome of redemptive history.
2. Discipleship: Believers gain assurance that their times are in God’s hand, freeing them from fatalism while fostering trust.
3. Apologetics: The consistent usage of חָרַץ across narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, and apocalyptic literature demonstrates the coherence of Scripture’s message regarding divine decree.
4. Ethics: Because God’s decisions are final, human decisions should reflect prompt obedience (2 Samuel 5:24), uncompromised worship (Leviticus 22:22), and confident hope even amid coming judgment (Isaiah 28:22).

Though only twelve occurrences, חָרַץ functions as a vital thread, stitching together God’s meticulous governance, man’s duty of decisive obedience, and the unshakable certainty of the promised future.

וְנֶ֣חֱרָצָ֔ה וְנֶחֱרָצָ֑ה וְנֶחֱרָצָ֜ה ונחרצה חֲרוּצִ֨ים ׀ חָר֖וּץ חָר֣וּץ חָרַ֞ץ חָרָֽצְתָּ׃ חרוץ חרוצים חרץ חרצת׃ יֶֽחֱרַץ־ יחרץ־ נֶחֱרֶ֖צֶת נֶחֱרָצָ֖ה נחרצה נחרצת תֶּחֱרָ֑ץ תחרץ chaRatz chaRatzeta chaRutz charuTzim ḥā·rā·ṣə·tā ḥā·raṣ ḥă·rū·ṣîm ḥā·rūṣ ḥāraṣ ḥārāṣətā ḥārūṣ ḥărūṣîm ne·ḥĕ·rā·ṣāh ne·ḥĕ·re·ṣeṯ necheraTzah necheRetzet neḥĕrāṣāh neḥĕreṣeṯ te·ḥĕ·rāṣ techeRatz teḥĕrāṣ venecheraTzah wə·ne·ḥĕ·rā·ṣāh wəneḥĕrāṣāh ye·ḥĕ·raṣ- yecheratz yeḥĕraṣ-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts