2682. chatsir

Lexical Summary

chatsir: grass, leeks, plant

Original Word: חָצִיר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chatsiyr
Pronunciation: khaw-tseer'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-tseer')
KJV: grass, hay, herb, leek
NASB: grass, leeks, plant
Word Origin: [perhaps originally the same as H2681 (חָצִיר - abode), from the greenness of a courtyard]

1. grass
2. also a leek (collectively)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

grass, hay, herb, leek

Perhaps originally the same as chatsiyr, from the greenness of a courtyard; grass; also a leek (collectively) -- grass, hay, herb, leek.

see HEBREW chatsiyr

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
green grass, herbage
NASB Translation
grass (19), leeks (1), plant (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. חָצִיר noun masculine^{Isaiah 15:6} green grass, herbage, absolute חָצִיר Numbers 11:5 16t.; construct חֲצִיר Isaiah 37:27 = 2 Kings 19:26; Psalm 129:6; —

1 grass, as food for animals 1 Kings 18:5; Job 40:15; Psalm 104:14; Psalm 147:8; Proverbs 27:25 ("" דֶּשֶׁא and עֵשֶׂב), Isaiah 15:6 ("" דֶּשֶׁא and יֶרֶק); specifically of leeks (as still sometimes in Aramaic, see Löw^{pp. 226, 228}) Numbers 11:5 (see Di); in simile of abundant growth Isaiah 44:4 (see ᵐ5 Ew Che); on Isaiah 35:7 see I. חָצִיר above

2 as type of what is quickly perishing Job 8:12, hence figurative of perishing enemies חֲצִיר גַּגּוֺת Isaiah 37:27 = 2 Kings 19:26 ("" דֶּשֶׁא, עֵשֶׂב), Psalm 129:6, i.e. having no depth of root; of wicked, soon to be cut down Psalm 37:2; with special reference to Israel's oppressors Isaiah 40:6 ("" [השׂרה] ציץ), Isaiah 40:7 ("" id.), Isaiah 40:7; Isaiah 40:8 ("" id.), Isaiah 51:12; in simile of frail man Psalm 90:5; man's days Psalm 103:15 ("" ציץ השׂדה).

IV. חצר (assumed as √ for reduplication חצרצר whence following; meaning unknown; perhaps onomatopoetic, see Thes Ol^{§§ 82 c.188 a} Sta^{§124 b}; see also Lag^{Or ii.18}).

Topical Lexicon

Physical and Agricultural Context

Originating in the semi-arid climates of the Ancient Near East, chatsir designates the short-lived green growth that springs up after seasonal rains. Whether covering open pastureland (Psalm 104:14) or sprouting on the flat clay rooftops of Palestinian houses (Psalm 129:6), the plant is quickly scorched by the relentless sun and hot east wind. Herds depended on its brief appearance for nourishment, and householders dried it for hay. Its rapid cycle from verdant shoot to brittle stubble supplied Scripture with a ready-made metaphor for the brevity of earthly life.

Symbol of Transience and Human Frailty

The Psalms, Wisdom literature, and Prophets repeatedly employ chatsir to stress the fragile, fleeting nature of humanity:
• “For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants” (Psalm 37:2).
• “As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind has passed over, it vanishes” (Psalm 103:15-16, cf. Psalm 90:5).
• Isaiah’s triple refrain climaxes the theme: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

By contrasting man’s mortality with the permanence of God’s word, the prophets call every generation to humble dependence upon divine revelation rather than human prowess.

Indicator of Divine Provision

Chatsir also illustrates God’s beneficent care over creation:
• “He makes the grass grow for livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate” (Psalm 104:14).
• Job notes that even the mighty Behemoth “eats grass like an ox” (Job 40:15), underscoring God’s universal provision.

Thus the same plant that epitomizes fragility simultaneously manifests the Lord’s sustaining goodness toward both animals and people.

Motif in Prophetic Judgment and Salvation

Prophets used grass imagery to portray both devastation and restoration:
• Sennacherib’s defeated army is compared to “the grass of the field and the green herb… scorched before it grows” (2 Kings 19:26; Isaiah 37:27).
• Moab’s drought leaves “the grass withered” (Isaiah 15:6), while messianic hope pictures the wilderness blossoming so that “the parched ground will become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water; in the haunts where jackals once lay, grass will become reeds and rushes” (Isaiah 35:7).

Grass, therefore, functions as a visual gauge of covenant blessing or curse: thriving pastures signal divine favor; withered blades herald judgment.

Liturgical and Wisdom Reflections

Proverbs employs the harvest of chatsir to counsel prudence: “When the hay is removed and new growth appears… the lambs will provide you with clothing” (Proverbs 27:25-26). Israel’s hymnbook echoes the lesson; God “covers the sky with clouds; He prepares rain for the earth; He makes grass grow on the hills” (Psalm 147:8), inviting worshipers to trust His orderly care.

Christological and Eschatological Echoes

1 Peter 1:24-25 cites Isaiah 40, applying the grass motif to contrast perishable flesh with the imperishable gospel “that was preached to you.” Jesus also draws on the image: “If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is here and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?” (Matthew 6:30). The New Testament thus reaffirms the Old Testament symbolism—human frailty finds permanence only in God’s redemptive word fulfilled in Christ.

Pastoral and Homiletical Applications

1. Mortality and Mission: Like grass, believers’ earthly days are brief; urgency in evangelism and holiness follows.
2. Confidence in Scripture: The withering of chatsir underscores the unchanging reliability of God’s word amid cultural flux.
3. Stewardship and Compassion: The Creator who nurtures grass calls His people to responsible care for creation and trust for daily provision.

Key References

Numbers 11:5; 1 Kings 18:5; 2 Kings 19:26; Job 8:12; Job 40:15; Psalm 37:2; Psalm 90:5; Psalm 103:15-16; Psalm 104:14; Psalm 129:6; Psalm 147:8; Proverbs 27:25; Isaiah 15:6; Isaiah 35:7; Isaiah 37:27; Isaiah 40:6-8; Isaiah 44:4; Isaiah 51:12.

Forms and Transliterations

הֶחָצִ֥יר החציר חֲצִ֣יר חָ֝צִ֗יר חָ֭צִיר חָצִ֑יר חָצִ֔יר חָצִ֖יר חָצִ֗יר חָצִ֣יר חָצִ֥יר חָצִ֨יר ׀ חָצִֽיר׃ חָצִיר֙ חציר חציר׃ כֶ֭חָצִיר כֶּחָצִ֣יר כֶּחָצִ֥יר כַּחֲצִ֣יר כחציר chaTzir Chechatzir ḥă·ṣîr ḥā·ṣîr ḥăṣîr ḥāṣîr he·ḥā·ṣîr hechaTzir heḥāṣîr ka·ḥă·ṣîr kachaTzir kaḥăṣîr ke·ḥā·ṣîr ḵe·ḥā·ṣîr kechaTzir keḥāṣîr ḵeḥāṣîr

Englishman's Concordance

Numbers 11:5
HEB: הָֽאֲבַטִּחִ֔ים וְאֶת־ הֶחָצִ֥יר וְאֶת־ הַבְּצָלִ֖ים
NAS: and the melons and the leeks and the onions
KJV: and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions,
INT: the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic

1 Kings 18:5
HEB: אוּלַ֣י ׀ נִמְצָ֣א חָצִ֗יר וּנְחַיֶּה֙ ס֣וּס
NAS: we will find grass and keep
KJV: we may find grass to save
INT: perhaps will find grass and keep the horses

2 Kings 19:26
HEB: וִ֣ירַק דֶּ֔שֶׁא חֲצִ֣יר גַּגּ֔וֹת וּשְׁדֵפָ֖ה
NAS: herb, As grass on the housetops
KJV: herb, [as] the grass on the housetops,
INT: and as the green herb grass the housetops is scorched

Job 8:12
HEB: וְלִפְנֵ֖י כָל־ חָצִ֣יר יִיבָֽשׁ׃
NAS: before any [other] plant.
KJV: it withereth before any [other] herb.
INT: before any plant withers

Job 40:15
HEB: עָשִׂ֣יתִי עִמָּ֑ךְ חָ֝צִ֗יר כַּבָּקָ֥ר יֹאכֵֽל׃
NAS: as you; He eats grass like an ox.
KJV: with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
INT: made well grass an ox eats

Psalm 37:2
HEB: כִּ֣י כֶ֭חָצִיר מְהֵרָ֣ה יִמָּ֑לוּ
NAS: quickly like the grass And fade
KJV: be cut down like the grass, and wither
INT: like the grass quickly down

Psalm 90:5
HEB: יִהְי֑וּ בַּ֝בֹּ֗קֶר כֶּחָצִ֥יר יַחֲלֹֽף׃
NAS: In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.
KJV: in the morning [they are] like grass [which] groweth up.
INT: fall the morning grass sprouts

Psalm 103:15
HEB: אֱ֭נוֹשׁ כֶּחָצִ֣יר יָמָ֑יו כְּצִ֥יץ
NAS: his days are like grass; As a flower
KJV: his days [are] as grass: as a flower
INT: are like grass his days A flower

Psalm 104:14
HEB: מַצְמִ֤יחַ חָצִ֨יר ׀ לַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וְ֭עֵשֶׂב
NAS: He causes the grass to grow
KJV: He causeth the grass to grow
INT: to grow the grass the cattle and vegetation

Psalm 129:6
HEB: יִ֭הְיוּ כַּחֲצִ֣יר גַּגּ֑וֹת שֶׁקַּדְמַ֖ת
NAS: Let them be like grass upon the housetops,
KJV: Let them be as the grass [upon] the housetops,
INT: them be like grass the housetops before

Psalm 147:8
HEB: הַמַּצְמִ֖יחַ הָרִ֣ים חָצִֽיר׃
NAS: for the earth, Who makes grass to grow
KJV: for the earth, who maketh grass to grow
INT: to grow the mountains grass

Proverbs 27:25
HEB: גָּלָ֣ה חָ֭צִיר וְנִרְאָה־ דֶ֑שֶׁא
NAS: [When] the grass disappears,
KJV: The hay appeareth,
INT: disappears the grass is seen the new

Isaiah 15:6
HEB: כִּֽי־ יָבֵ֤שׁ חָצִיר֙ כָּ֣לָה דֶ֔שֶׁא
NAS: Surely the grass is withered,
KJV: shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away,
INT: Surely is withered the grass died the tender

Isaiah 35:7
HEB: תַנִּים֙ רִבְצָ֔הּ חָצִ֖יר לְקָנֶ֥ה וָגֹֽמֶא׃
NAS: its resting place, Grass [becomes] reeds
KJV: where each lay, [shall be] grass with reeds
INT: of dragons resting Grass reeds and rushes

Isaiah 37:27
HEB: וִ֣ירַק דֶּ֔שֶׁא חֲצִ֣יר גַּגּ֔וֹת וּשְׁדֵמָ֖ה
NAS: herb, [As] grass on the housetops
KJV: herb, [as] the grass on the housetops,
INT: and the green herb grass the housetops blasted

Isaiah 40:6
HEB: כָּל־ הַבָּשָׂ֣ר חָצִ֔יר וְכָל־ חַסְדּ֖וֹ
NAS: flesh is grass, and all
KJV: All flesh [is] grass, and all the goodliness
INT: All flesh is grass and all loveliness

Isaiah 40:7
HEB: יָבֵ֤שׁ חָצִיר֙ נָ֣בֵֽל צִ֔יץ
NAS: The grass withers, the flower
KJV: The grass withereth, the flower
INT: withers the grass fades the flower

Isaiah 40:7
HEB: בּ֑וֹ אָכֵ֥ן חָצִ֖יר הָעָֽם׃
NAS: upon it; Surely the people are grass.
KJV: upon it: surely the people [is] grass.
INT: blows Surely are grass the people

Isaiah 40:8
HEB: יָבֵ֥שׁ חָצִ֖יר נָ֣בֵֽל צִ֑יץ
NAS: The grass withers, the flower
KJV: The grass withereth, the flower
INT: withers the grass fades the flower

Isaiah 44:4
HEB: וְצָמְח֖וּ בְּבֵ֣ין חָצִ֑יר כַּעֲרָבִ֖ים עַל־
NAS: up among the grass Like poplars
KJV: [as] among the grass, as willows
INT: will spring among the grass poplars by

Isaiah 51:12
HEB: וּמִבֶּן־ אָדָ֖ם חָצִ֥יר יִנָּתֵֽן׃
NAS: of man who is made like grass,
KJV: [which] shall be made [as] grass;
INT: the son of man grass is made

21 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2682
21 Occurrences

ḥā·ṣîr — 16 Occ.
ḵe·ḥā·ṣîr — 1 Occ.
he·ḥā·ṣîr — 1 Occ.
ka·ḥă·ṣîr — 1 Occ.
ke·ḥā·ṣîr — 2 Occ.