Lexical Summary cheres: Earthenware, potsherd, clay, pottery Original Word: חֶרֶשׂ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance earthen, potsherd, stone A collateral form mediating between cherec and cheresh; a piece of pottery -- earth(-en), (pot-)sherd, + stone. see HEBREW cherec see HEBREW cheresh NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition earthenware, earthen vessel, sherd, potsherd NASB Translation earthen (1), earthen vessel (1), earthenware (8), earthenware vessel (1), earthenware vessel the vessels (1), fragments (1), potsherd (2), potsherds (1), sherd (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs חֶ֫רֶשׂ noun [masculine] earthenware, earthen vessel, sherd, potsherd, P and late (Late Hebrew חֶרֶס, Aramaic חֲרַס) — absolute ׳ח Leviticus 6:21 9t., חָ֑רֶשׂ Numbers 5:17 4t.; plural construct חַרְשֵׂי Isaiah 45:9; suffix חֲרָשֶׂיהָ Ezekiel 23:34. — 1 earthenware: ׳כְּלִיאח earthen vessel Jeremiah 32:14; especially P Leviticus 6:21; Leviticus 11:33; Leviticus 14:5,50; Leviticus 15:12; Numbers 5:17; without כְּלִי Proverbs 26:23; compare ׳בַּקְבֻּק יוֺצֵר ח Jeremiah 19:1; ׳לְנִבְלֵי ח Lamentations 4:2 they are reckoned as earthen vessels, simile of sons of Zion; חֶרֶשׂ אֶתחַֿרְשֵׂי אֲדָמָה Isaiah 45:9 a potsherd (perhaps = earthen vessel, see Proverbs 26:23 above) among earthen potsherds (of men, over against ׳י their potter); simile of dryness Psalm 22:16. 2 a fragment of earthenware, sherd Isaiah 30:14; Ezekiel 23:34; לְהִתְגָּרֵד ׳ח Job 2:8 a sherd to scrape himself; ׳חַדּוּדֵי ח Job 41:22 sharpest potsherds, figurative of sharp scales on belly of crocodile. חֲרֶשֶׂת see קִירחֲֿרֶשֶׂת. Topical Lexicon Material Setting in Israel’s Daily Life חֶרֶשׂ designates the humble clay vessel or the fragment that remains when such a vessel is broken. Because virtually every household fashioned, used, and discarded earthenware, the word evokes the ordinary world of cooking, storage, and transport in the Ancient Near East. Clay jars were inexpensive, porous, and easily replaced; once cracked, they were shattered and swept away, leaving the small shards (Job 2:8). Their ubiquity made them the perfect vehicle for vivid theological illustration. Ritual Purity and Sacrifice (Leviticus 6–15) In the sacrificial system the earthen pot was simultaneously useful and expendable. After a sin offering was boiled, “the clay pot in which it was boiled must be broken” (Leviticus 6:28). The same requirement appears in regulations for clean and unclean food (Leviticus 11:33) and for cleansing from infectious disease (Leviticus 14:5, 50). Because clay readily absorbed what was placed in it, breaking the vessel protected Israel from ritual defilement. The rule reinforces holiness: sin cannot simply be rinsed away; it demands decisive destruction of the vessel that comes into contact with it. Marriage, Jealousy, and the Earthen Jar (Numbers 5:17) For the ordeal of jealousy the priest “shall take holy water in a clay jar.” The fragile container underscores the fragile state of a marriage under suspicion and becomes part of the enacted parable: if the wife is unfaithful, judgment will shatter the union just as a jar can shatter. Human Frailty and Suffering Job sits on the ash heap, scraping his sores with a potsherd (Job 2:8); Leviathan’s belly is likened to “jagged shards of pottery” (Job 41:30). David laments, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd” (Psalm 22:15). The word thereby becomes a metaphor for the brittle limits of human existence exposed to pain, disease, or overwhelming adversaries. Wisdom’s Moral Mirror (Proverbs 26:23) “Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.” The proverb contrasts a shiny veneer with the cheap container beneath. The illustration warns against eloquence masking corruption; what matters is not the outward luster but the substance of the heart. Prophetic Acts and Oracles Jeremiah 19 employs a purchased earthen flask as a visual sermon. After proclaiming Judah’s stubborn idolatry, the prophet smashes the jar in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom to declare irrevocable judgment: Jerusalem will be broken “beyond repair.” Isaiah sounds a similar note: the clay pot that dares to quarrel with its Maker (Isaiah 45:9) is rebuked, while the shattering of a vessel “so ruthlessly that no fragment will be found” (Isaiah 30:14) pictures national collapse. Ezekiel’s oracle against adulterous Samaria and Jerusalem culminates in the graphic image of gnawing on potsherds (Ezekiel 23:34), conveying the bitterness of divine wrath. Conversely, Jeremiah 32:14 records that the title deeds for land were sealed “in a clay jar so they will last a long time,” portraying hope: even a fragile vessel can preserve an enduring promise when God’s word is at stake. Theological Themes: Potter and Clay חֶרֶשׂ inevitably evokes the potter-clay motif. Though the specific word focuses on the vessel, its presence highlights Yahweh’s sovereign right to shape, use, or destroy what He has formed. The earthen pot is accountable to the potter; to contest His purposes is folly (Isaiah 45:9). The image prepares the way for New Testament teaching: “We have this treasure in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7), where human weakness displays divine power. Archaeological Corroboration Excavations across Israel have uncovered countless pottery fragments, confirming the biblical picture of everyday life. Storage jars bearing seal impressions, cooking pots, and water jugs parallel the vessels mentioned in Leviticus, Jeremiah, and Numbers, grounding the text in recognizable material culture. Ministry Reflections 1. Holiness requires decisive rupture with defilement; some things must be broken and discarded. Related Old Testament Imagery • Potter (יֹצֵר) shaping the clay — Isaiah 29:16; Jeremiah 18:1-6 The seventeen occurrences of חֶרֶשׂ weave together daily life, ritual precision, prophetic drama, and theological depth, reminding the reader that the Almighty both employs and transcends the ordinary to reveal His holiness, judgment, and redemptive purpose. Forms and Transliterations חֲרָשֶׂ֛יהָ חֶ֔רֶשׂ חֶ֖רֶשׂ חֶ֛רֶשׂ חַרְשֵׂ֣י חָ֑רֶשׂ חרש חרשי חרשיה כַּחֶ֨רֶשׂ ׀ כחרש charaSeiha Chares charSei Cheres ḥă·rā·śe·hā ḥā·reś ḥar·śê ḥărāśehā ḥāreś ḥarśê ḥe·reś ḥereś ka·ḥe·reś kaCheres kaḥereśLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 6:28 HEB: וּכְלִי־ חֶ֛רֶשׂ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּבֻשַּׁל־ NAS: Also the earthenware vessel in which KJV: But the earthen vessel INT: vessel the earthenware which boiled Leviticus 11:33 Leviticus 14:5 Leviticus 14:50 Leviticus 15:12 Numbers 5:17 Job 2:8 Job 41:30 Psalm 22:15 Proverbs 26:23 Isaiah 30:14 Isaiah 45:9 Isaiah 45:9 Jeremiah 19:1 Jeremiah 32:14 Lamentations 4:2 Ezekiel 23:34 17 Occurrences |
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