2755. chare yonim

Lexical Summary

chare yonim: "Dove's dung"

Original Word: חֲרֵי־יוֹנִים
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: charey-yowniym
Pronunciation: khar-ay yo-neem
Phonetic Spelling: (khar-ay'-yo-neem')
KJV: doves' dung
Word Origin: [from the plural of H2716 (חֶרֶא חֲרִי - dung) and the plural of H3123 (יוֹנָה - dove)]

1. excrements of doves {or perhaps rather the plural of a single word charapyown {khar-aw-yone'}
2. of similar or uncertain derivation, probably a kind of vegetable

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

doves' dung

From the plural of chere' and the plural of yownah; excrements of doves {or perhaps rather the plural of a single word charapyown {khar-aw-yone'}; of similar or uncertain derivation, probably a kind of vegetable -- doves' dung.

see HEBREW chere'

see HEBREW yownah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
see chere and yonah.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

חֲרֵי־יוֹנִים is a vivid Hebrew expression denoting human or animal excrement, famously rendered “dove’s dung” (2 Kings 6:25) and “dung” (2 Kings 18:27). Its two appearances frame scenes of siege warfare where starvation and humiliation reach grotesque extremes. The term therefore stands as a graphic witness to covenant judgment, the depravity that follows unrepented sin, and the compassionate deliverance the LORD alone can provide.

Scriptural Occurrences

• 2 Kings 6:25 records Samaria’s famine under Ben-Hadad of Aram: “a quarter of a cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver”.
• 2 Kings 18:27 recounts the Assyrian field commander’s taunt outside Jerusalem: “who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”.

Historical Context

1. Siege of Samaria (circa mid-9th century BC): Ben-Hadad’s encirclement reduced the Israelite capital to such scarcity that refuse became edible merchandise. The exorbitant prices listed by Scripture are historically credible, matching ancient Near-Eastern siege accounts.
2. Siege of Jerusalem (701 BC): Sennacherib’s envoy sought psychological warfare, predicting that Hezekiah’s defenders would soon share Samaria’s fate. Though the Assyrians spoke arrogantly, the threat was real; Assyrian annals and reliefs routinely depict starvation tactics.

Symbolism and Theological Themes

• Covenant Curses Realized Deuteronomy 28:53–57 warns of cannibalism and extreme hunger should Israel spurn the LORD. Both sieges display those curses, validating the prophets’ admonitions.
• Human Depravity Under Judgment The willingness to consume filth reveals how sin, unattended, degrades God’s image-bearers (cf. Lamentations 4:10).
• Contrasting Deliverance In Samaria, the LORD reversed the famine in a single day (2 Kings 7). In Jerusalem, He struck the Assyrian army (2 Kings 19:35). Dung-eating is therefore not the final word; divine mercy triumphs over deserved wrath.
• Prophetic Echoes Isaiah’s sign of eating “barley bread baked over dung” (Ezekiel 4:12–15) parallels the motif, emphasizing exile’s shame. The language anticipates the Messiah bearing reproach (Psalm 69:9), ultimately cleansing His people from every defilement (Hebrews 9:14).

Prophetic and Redemptive Implications

These episodes prefigure the Gospel pattern: judgment justly falls, human resources fail, yet the LORD intervenes for His covenant people. Samaria’s salvation came through despised lepers, hinting that God uses the lowly (1 Corinthians 1:27). Jerusalem’s deliverance vindicated faith in the unseen (2 Kings 19:14-19), foreshadowing the victory of the cross where shame is exchanged for glory (Hebrews 12:2).

Practical and Ministry Applications

• Preaching on Sin’s Consequences The graphic nature of חֲרֵי־יוֹנִים underscores that sin brings degradation far beyond initial compromise.
• Encouragement in Crisis Even when circumstances appear “worse than dung,” believers may trust the LORD who can reverse famine overnight (Psalm 46:1).
• Holiness and Purity The term challenges modern complacency toward moral filth. Just as refuse is abhorrent, so should impurity be to a redeemed conscience (2 Corinthians 7:1).
• Compassion for the Destitute The starving inhabitants of both cities remind the Church to care for those in physical and spiritual famine (James 2:15-16).

Related Scriptures

Deuteronomy 28:53-57; Psalm 69:9; Isaiah 36:12 (parallel to 2 Kings 18:27); Lamentations 4:10; Ezekiel 4:12-15; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 12:2.

Forms and Transliterations

דִּבְיֹונִ֖ים דביונים צֹואָתָ֗ם צואתם diḇ·yō·w·nîm diḇyōwnîm divyoNim ṣō·w·’ā·ṯām ṣōw’āṯām tzoaTam

Englishman's Concordance

2 Kings 6:25
HEB: [חֲרֵייֹונִים כ] (דִּבְיֹונִ֖ים ק) בַּחֲמִשָּׁה־
INT: fourth of a kab doves' dung five silver

2 Kings 18:27
HEB: [חֲרֵיהֶם כ] (צֹואָתָ֗ם ק) וְלִשְׁתּ֛וֹת
INT: the wall eat doves' dung and drink waste

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2755
2 Occurrences

diḇ·yō·w·nîm — 1 Occ.
ṣō·w·’ā·ṯām — 1 Occ.