2755. chare yonim

Lexicon

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')
Definition: "Dove's dung"
Meaning: excrements of doves, a 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

Word Origin: Derived from חֲרֵי (charei), meaning "excrements," and יוֹנִים (yonim), meaning "doves."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There are no direct corresponding Greek entries for חֲרֵי־יוֹנִים, as this term is specific to the Hebrew text and its context within the Old Testament narrative. However, the concept of famine and desperation is echoed in various New Testament passages that discuss scarcity and reliance on God during times of need.

Usage: The term appears in the context of a severe famine described in the Bible, where unusual and desperate food sources were sought.

Context: The term חֲרֵי־יוֹנִים (charei-yonim) is found in 2 Kings 6:25, during the account of the siege of Samaria by the Arameans. The famine was so severe that the people resorted to purchasing "dove's dung" at a high price. The Berean Standard Bible translates this passage as: "There was a great famine in Samaria, and they besieged it until a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver."

The interpretation of "dove's dung" has been debated among scholars. Some suggest it refers literally to the excrement of doves, which might have been used as a last resort for food or fuel. Others propose that it could be a colloquial term for a type of edible plant or seed, possibly a legume or a type of wild vegetable, which was consumed during the famine.

The context of the passage highlights the extreme conditions and desperation faced by the inhabitants of Samaria, emphasizing the dire circumstances and the lengths to which people would go to survive.

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.