1615. gir

Lexical Summary

gir: Chalk, lime

Original Word: גִּר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: gir
Pronunciation: geer
Phonetic Spelling: (gheer)
KJV: chalk(-stone)
NASB: chalk
Word Origin: [perhaps from H3564 (כּוּר - Furnace)]

1. lime (from being burned in a kiln)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

chalkstone

Perhaps from kuwr; lime (from being burned in a kiln) -- chalk(-stone).

see HEBREW kuwr

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
chalk, lime
NASB Translation
chalk (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

גִּר noun [masculine] chalk, lime (perhaps Aramaic loan-word compare Frä⁹; Aramaic (also Biblical Aramaic) גִּיר ; Arabic is loan-word Frä^l.c.) — מִזְבֵּחַ כְּאַבְנֵי גִר Isaiah 27:9.

Topical Lexicon

Hebrew Term and Context

גִּר appears once in the Old Testament, describing “crushed chalk” or plaster-like limestone used to illustrate the shattering of pagan altars in Isaiah 27:9. The image belongs to an oracle that promises Israel’s future cleansing: “By this, therefore, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for… when he makes all the altar stones like crushed chalk” (Isaiah 27:9).

Cultural and Material Background

Chalkstone and quicklime were common in ancient Palestine. Soft limestone from the central hill country could be quarried, burned, and pulverized:
• Construction: Houses, cisterns, and city walls often relied on limestone blocks. Pulverized stone served as mortar or plaster (compare Deuteronomy 27:2–3, though a different Hebrew word is used).
• Agriculture: Lime sweetened acidic soils and disinfected by removing parasites.
• Ritual and funerary practice: Whitewash marked tombs (Matthew 23:27 reflects the custom).
• Judgment imagery: Amos 2:1 cites lime production from burned bones—a grim picture of total destruction.

Theological Symbolism in Isaiah 27:9

1. Total demolition of idolatry. Turning altar stones to chalk portrays irreversible ruin; the pulverized dust can never be reassembled. Israel’s syncretistic worship is destined for permanent removal.
2. Atonement through purification. Pulverization parallels sin reduced to nothing. As lime whitens walls, divine grace whitens Jacob’s record. “Though your sins are scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).
3. Covenant restoration. The verse sits in a section (Isaiah 24–27) that foretells worldwide judgment but culminates in God’s vineyard blossoming (Isaiah 27:6). Destroyed altars pave the way for exclusive Yahweh worship.

Related Scriptural Motifs of Purification and Destruction of Idolatry

• Exodus 34:13—altars of Canaanites shattered.
• 2 Kings 23:15–16—Josiah grinds Bethel’s altar to dust.
• Psalm 51:7—“Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
• Ezekiel 36:25—God sprinkles clean water on Israel.
• 2 Corinthians 10:4–5—strongholds and lofty opinions are demolished.
• Revelation 18:21—Babylon cast down like a millstone.

Christological Fulfillment and New Covenant Application

Isaiah 27:9 anticipates the cross, where Christ destroys every barrier (Ephesians 2:14) and disarms rulers and authorities (Colossians 2:15). The pulverized stones prefigure sin judged in the body of Jesus, securing a purified people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Just as chalk cannot reconstruct a pagan altar, the believer’s former bondage is irretrievably broken (Romans 6:6).

Practical Ministry Insights

• Preaching: Use the chalkstone metaphor to illustrate decisive repentance. The gospel does not remodel old idols; it reduces them to dust.
• Discipleship: Encourage believers to identify and “pulverize” hidden altars—habits, relationships, or ideologies competing with Christ.
• Counseling: Isaiah 27:9 offers hope for those burdened by persistent guilt. God’s atonement is thorough; He leaves no fragment of condemnation behind (Romans 8:1).
• Corporate worship: Occasional teaching on Israel’s future restoration fosters confidence that God completes what He begins, both in Israel and in the Church (Philippians 1:6).

Summary

גִּר, though rare, conveys a vivid lesson: God’s redemptive work utterly dismantles idolatry and cleanses His people, pointing ultimately to the finished work of Jesus Christ and the holy, purified community He is forming for His glory.

Forms and Transliterations

גִר֙ גר gir ḡir

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 27:9
HEB: מִזְבֵּ֗חַ כְּאַבְנֵי־ גִר֙ מְנֻפָּצ֔וֹת לֹֽא־
NAS: like pulverized chalk stones;
KJV: of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder,
INT: the altar stones chalk pulverized will not

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 1615
1 Occurrence

ḡir — 1 Occ.