2027. hereg
Lexical Summary
hereg: Slaughter, killing, massacre

Original Word: הֶרֶג
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: hereg
Pronunciation: HEH-reg
Phonetic Spelling: (heh'-reg)
KJV: be slain, slaughter
NASB: slaughter, killing
Word Origin: [from H2026 (הָרַג - killed)]

1. slaughter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be slain, slaughter

From harag; slaughter -- be slain, slaughter.

see HEBREW harag

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from harag
Definition
a slaughter
NASB Translation
killing (1), slaughter (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
הֶ֫רֶג noun masculineIsaiah 30:25 slaughter׳ה absolute Proverbs 24:11 2t. + Ezekiel 26:15 (ᵐ5 Co חֶרֶב); construct Isaiah 27:7 — of Jews' slaughter of their enemies Esther 9:5 ("" אַבְדָֿ֑ן); מָטִים לַהֶרֶג Proverbs 24:11 ("" לְקֻחִים לַמָּ֑וֶת); כְּהֶרֶג חֲרוּגָיו הֹרָ֑ג Isaiah 27:7; ביום הֶרֶג רַב Isaiah 30:25 (compare ׳אֶתשֶֿׁבֶר עַמּוֺ ביום חֲבשׁ י Isaiah 30:26). Ezekiel 26:15 read with ᵐ5 Co above

Topical Lexicon
Overview

הֶרֶג designates a violent taking of life, most often in a military or judicial context. Although relatively rare in the Old Testament, its five appearances cluster around decisive moments when God’s purposes of judgment, deliverance, and moral exhortation come into sharp focus.

Occurrences and Immediate Contexts

Esther 9:5 – The term describes the defensive onslaught by which the Jews “struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them” after Haman’s plot was overturned.
Proverbs 24:11 – Used figuratively in the call to “rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter,” urging active intervention on behalf of the vulnerable.
Isaiah 27:7 – A comparative question: “Has the LORD struck Israel as He struck her oppressors? Has she been slain as her slayers were?” The word highlights the measured nature of God’s dealings with His covenant people.
Isaiah 30:25 – Eschatological imagery: “On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams and watercourses on the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall,” portraying both judgment and subsequent blessing.
Ezekiel 26:15 – Oracle against Tyre: the coastlands tremble “when the wounded groan and the slaughter occurs within you,” underscoring the far-reaching impact of God’s judgment on proud nations.

Historical and Cultural Background

In Ancient Near Eastern warfare, mass killing was described in royal annals to prove a king’s supremacy. Scripture adopts the vocabulary yet recasts it theologically: victory or defeat is ultimately determined by the LORD. In Esther, the slaughter reverses a genocidal decree and preserves the messianic line. In Isaiah and Ezekiel, it signals the collapse of pagan power centers that opposed God’s kingdom purposes.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Justice and Mercy – הֶרֶג can mark either the fate of the wicked (Isaiah 30:25; Ezekiel 26:15) or the limited disciplinary measures God permits upon His own people (Isaiah 27:7). Judgment is never capricious; it is proportionate and morally coherent.
2. Human Responsibility – Proverbs 24:11 establishes a moral obligation to intervene when life is threatened, prefiguring the gospel imperative to rescue souls from eternal peril.
3. Covenant Preservation – Esther 9:5 illustrates how God safeguards His covenant people; the slaughter of their enemies is portrayed not as indiscriminate violence but as the means of securing redemptive history.

Prophetic and Eschatological Significance

Isaiah’s “day of great slaughter” anticipates the climactic Day of the LORD when oppressive structures (“towers”) collapse and creation itself is renewed (“streams and watercourses”). The motif foreshadows the final judgment revealed in Revelation, where decisive divine action precedes the establishment of universal peace.

Practical and Ministry Applications

• Sanctity of Life – The severity of הֶרֶג underscores the value God places on human life and the seriousness of taking it unjustly.
• Advocacy and Rescue – Proverbs 24:11 mandates active intervention against lethal injustice, informing ministries that oppose persecution, abortion, human trafficking, and other threats to life.
• Preaching Judgment with Hope – Passages employing הֶרֶג balance warning with promise. Faithful proclamation mirrors this balance, confronting sin while offering the mercy secured through Christ’s atoning death, the ultimate reversal of slaughter into salvation.
• Intercessory Confidence – As Mordecai and Esther fasted and prayed, believers today labor in prayer, trusting that God can overturn lethal decrees and bring deliverance in seemingly hopeless situations.

Summary

Though used only five times, הֶרֶג traces a line from historical deliverance, through ethical exhortation, to eschatological fulfillment. It reminds readers that God both judges and saves, and it summons His people to protect life, proclaim truth, and rest in the certainty that the Judge of all the earth will do right.

Forms and Transliterations
הֶ֙רֶג֙ הֶ֣רֶג הרג וְהֶ֖רֶג והרג כְּהֶ֥רֶג כהרג לַ֝הֶ֗רֶג להרג he·reḡ Hereg hereḡ kə·he·reḡ keHereg kəhereḡ la·he·reḡ laHereg lahereḡ veHereg wə·he·reḡ wəhereḡ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Esther 9:5
HEB: מַכַּת־ חֶ֥רֶב וְהֶ֖רֶג וְאַבְדָ֑ן וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ
NAS: with the sword, killing and destroying;
KJV: of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction,
INT: the stroke the sword killing and destroying did

Proverbs 24:11
HEB: לַמָּ֑וֶת וּמָטִ֥ים לַ֝הֶ֗רֶג אִם־ תַּחְשֽׂוֹךְ׃
NAS: And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh
KJV: and [those that are] ready to be slain;
INT: to death are staggering to slaughter Oh hold

Isaiah 27:7
HEB: הִכָּ֑הוּ אִם־ כְּהֶ֥רֶג הֲרֻגָ֖יו הֹרָֽג׃
KJV: him? [or] is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain
INT: has struck Or to the slaughter of his slain of his slain

Isaiah 30:25
HEB: מָ֑יִם בְּיוֹם֙ הֶ֣רֶג רָ֔ב בִּנְפֹ֖ל
NAS: of the great slaughter, when the towers
KJV: of the great slaughter, when the towers
INT: water the day slaughter of the great fall

Ezekiel 26:15
HEB: חָלָ֜ל בֵּהָ֤רֵֽג הֶ֙רֶג֙ בְּתוֹכֵ֔ךְ יִרְעֲשׁ֖וּ
NAS: groan, when the slaughter occurs
KJV: cry, when the slaughter is made
INT: the wounded occurs the slaughter the midst shake

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2027
5 Occurrences


he·reḡ — 2 Occ.
kə·he·reḡ — 1 Occ.
la·he·reḡ — 1 Occ.
wə·he·reḡ — 1 Occ.

2026
Top of Page
Top of Page