Lexical Summary chashrah: Lack, deficiency Original Word: חַשְׁרָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dark From the same as chishshur; properly, a combination or gathering, i.e. Of watery clouds -- dark. see HEBREW chishshur NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition collection, mass NASB Translation mass (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [חַשְׁרָה] noun feminine collection, mass, only (si vera 1.) חַשְׁרַתמַֿיִם 2 Samuel 22:12 (חֶשְׁכַּת in "" Psalm 18:12). Topical Lexicon חַשְׁרָה Meaning within 2 Samuel 22:12 Found only here, חַשְׁרָה describes the “mass” or “gathering” of the storm-clouds and waters that the Lord draws around Himself while coming in judgment and deliverance. David sings that God “made darkness a canopy around Him, a gathering of water and thick clouds” (2 Samuel 22:12). The term pictures the dense, swirling concentration of vapor that conceals yet simultaneously announces the Lord’s majestic presence. Theological Themes • Divine Transcendence and Immanence חַשְׁרָה underscores God’s unapproachable holiness. He veils Himself in storm-clouds, emphasizing transcendence (Psalm 18:11, the parallel psalm). Yet the same dark mass moves with Him to rescue His servant, showing immanence. Scripture often weds these truths: the God who “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16) is also “a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). • Revelation through Concealment Throughout the Bible the Lord both hides and reveals Himself in weather phenomena—Sinai’s thick cloud (Exodus 19:16), Ezekiel’s “great cloud with fire” (Ezekiel 1:4), and Christ’s future return “on the clouds” (Matthew 24:30). חַשְׁרָה contributes to this motif: concealment heightens awe while assuring that God acts on behalf of His people. • Judgment and Salvation in One Act The enveloping storm in David’s song brings destruction to enemies (2 Samuel 22:8–16) and deliverance to the king (22:17–20). The same mass of water that threatens the wicked becomes a shield for the righteous. As at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:19–24), God’s cloud-presence divides humanity according to response to His covenant. Historical and Literary Significance David likely composed the psalm late in life (see 2 Samuel 22:1). By using poetic rarities such as חַשְׁרָה he magnifies the singularity of the Lord’s intervention. The word’s scarcity serves the literary design: a once-in-a-lifetime deliverance merits a once-in-a-Bible term. Practical Ministry Application 1. Worship: Believers may celebrate God’s mysterious majesty—He is near yet hidden, awesome yet approachable through Christ (Hebrews 4:16). Related Biblical Imagery • “Clouds and thick darkness surround Him” (Psalm 97:2). Together with חַשְׁרָה, these references portray the sovereign Lord cloaked in creation, advancing His redemptive purposes from Exodus to Kingdom consummation. Forms and Transliterations חַֽשְׁרַת־ חשרת־ chashrat ḥaš·raṯ- ḥašraṯ-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Samuel 22:12 HEB: סְבִיבֹתָ֖יו סֻכּ֑וֹת חַֽשְׁרַת־ מַ֖יִם עָבֵ֥י NAS: around Him, A mass of waters, KJV: round about him, dark waters, INT: around canopies A mass of waters thick 1 Occurrence |