I was reading Exodus 22:19 זֹבֵ֥חַ לָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יָֽחֳרָ֑ם בִּלְתִּ֥י לַיהוָ֖ה לְבַדֹּֽו׃ and I had a question about the meaning of חרם. The first meaning Halot gives for this word is "excommunicate." That struck me as odd because I don't think I have any translation of the Hebrew Bible that ever translates it as "excommunicate." BDB gives "excommunicate" as a translation for Aramaic texts but I don't see any example of this in the Bible either. Does anyone know what their rationale for including this definition?
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy
חרם
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Re: חרם
Michael:
I don’t know from where they got “excommunicate”.
“
חרם to identify a person or object such that he is designated for special attention, e.g. consecrated to the Lord such that one can no longer make use of it for himself Ex 22:19, Lv 27:28, sentenced to destruction or condemned to death Nu 22:2, 3 ⇒ (physically) to (indicate by a) mark, as in to blemish, make imperfect → חרם marked ⇒ designated object or person to be consecrated Lv 27:28, Ez 44:29 or condemned to destruction Js 6:17, חרם marked such that blemished, disfigured, has imperfection
”
I don’t see from where “excommunication” comes.
Karl W. Randolph.
I don’t know from where they got “excommunicate”.
When reading through Tanakh, I notice the following understanding of the term:Michael W Abernathy wrote:I was reading Exodus 22:19 זֹבֵ֥חַ לָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יָֽחֳרָ֑ם בִּלְתִּ֥י לַיהוָ֖ה לְבַדֹּֽו׃ and I had a question about the meaning of חרם. The first meaning Halot gives for this word is "excommunicate." That struck me as odd because I don't think I have any translation of the Hebrew Bible that ever translates it as "excommunicate." BDB gives "excommunicate" as a translation for Aramaic texts but I don't see any example of this in the Bible either. Does anyone know what their rationale for including this definition?
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy
“
חרם to identify a person or object such that he is designated for special attention, e.g. consecrated to the Lord such that one can no longer make use of it for himself Ex 22:19, Lv 27:28, sentenced to destruction or condemned to death Nu 22:2, 3 ⇒ (physically) to (indicate by a) mark, as in to blemish, make imperfect → חרם marked ⇒ designated object or person to be consecrated Lv 27:28, Ez 44:29 or condemned to destruction Js 6:17, חרם marked such that blemished, disfigured, has imperfection
”
I don’t see from where “excommunication” comes.
Karl W. Randolph.
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Re: חרם
The Hebrew root חרם is a variant of the roots
גרם הרם חרם כרם קרם
GRM, of which we have the GEREM, 'skeleton', of 2Ki. 9:13 and Job 40:18.
HRM, of which we have the HARMON, 'palace, harem', of Amos 4:3.
XRM, of which we have the XEREM, 'designated, set apart', of Lev. 27:28. Also the 'collecting net', of Ez.32:3.
KRM of which we have the KEREM, 'vineyard, garden', of Gen. 9:20.
QRM of which we have the act QARAM, 'pile up, cover', of Ez. 37:6.
Hence, XRM is 'compile, isolate, fence off, set apart, dedicate', and by implication 'excommunicate'.
Isaac Fried, Boston University
גרם הרם חרם כרם קרם
GRM, of which we have the GEREM, 'skeleton', of 2Ki. 9:13 and Job 40:18.
HRM, of which we have the HARMON, 'palace, harem', of Amos 4:3.
XRM, of which we have the XEREM, 'designated, set apart', of Lev. 27:28. Also the 'collecting net', of Ez.32:3.
KRM of which we have the KEREM, 'vineyard, garden', of Gen. 9:20.
QRM of which we have the act QARAM, 'pile up, cover', of Ez. 37:6.
Hence, XRM is 'compile, isolate, fence off, set apart, dedicate', and by implication 'excommunicate'.
Isaac Fried, Boston University