5482. charax

Lexicon

charax: Palisade, rampart, stake

Original Word: χάραξ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: charax
Pronunciation: khä'-räks
Phonetic Spelling: (khar'-ax)
Definition: Palisade, rampart, stake
Meaning: a palisade, mound for besieging.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

trench.

From charasso (to sharpen to a point; akin to grapho through the idea of scratching); a stake, i.e. (by implication) a palisade or rampart (military mound for circumvallation in a siege) -- trench.

see GREEK grapho

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as charagma
Definition
a pointed stake, a rampart
NASB Translation
barricade (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5482: χάραξ

χάραξ, χαρακος, ὁ (χαράσσω);

1. a pale or stake, a palisade ((Aristophanes, Demosthenes, others)).

2. a palisade or rampart (i. e. pales between which earth, stones, trees and timbers are heaped and packed together): Luke 19:43 (Isaiah 37:33; Ezekiel 4:2; Ezekiel 26:8; Polybius; Josephus, Vita43; Arrian exp. Alex. 2, 19, 9; Plutarch, others).

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: From the Greek verb χαράσσω (charassō), meaning "to sharpen" or "to engrave."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for χάραξ, similar concepts can be found in Hebrew terms related to fortifications or sieges, such as מָצוֹר (matsor, Strong's Hebrew 4692), meaning "siege" or "fortress," and מִבְצָר (mibtsar, Strong's Hebrew 4013), meaning "fortress" or "stronghold." These terms convey the idea of a fortified position or a military encampment, akin to the Greek χάραξ.

Usage: The word χάραξ appears in the New Testament in contexts related to military or defensive structures. It is used metaphorically to describe a siege or encirclement.

Context: • The term χάραξ is found in the New Testament in Luke 19:43, where Jesus prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem: "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you and hem you in on every side." (BSB)
• In this passage, χάραξ is translated as "embankment," referring to the siege works that would be constructed by the Roman army during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The use of χάραξ highlights the severity and inevitability of the coming judgment upon the city.
• Historically, a χάραξ would be a wooden stake or palisade used in military operations to fortify a position or to besiege a city. It was a common tactic in ancient warfare to build such structures to cut off supplies and reinforcements to the besieged.
• The prophetic use of χάραξ in Luke underscores the fulfillment of Jesus' words and serves as a warning of the consequences of rejecting His message. It reflects the broader biblical theme of divine judgment and the call to repentance.

Forms and Transliterations

εχάραξαν χαρακα χάρακα χάρακά χάρακας χάρακι charaka cháraká

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 19:43 N-AMS
GRK: ἐχθροί σου χάρακά σοι καὶ
NAS: will throw up a barricade against you, and surround
KJV: shall cast a trench about
INT: enemies of you a barricade you and

Strong's Greek 5482
1 Occurrence

χάρακά — 1 Occ.