2841. chashrah
Lexical Summary
chashrah: Lack, deficiency

Original Word: חַשְׁרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: chashrah
Pronunciation: khash-raw'
Phonetic Spelling: (khash-raw')
KJV: dark
NASB: mass
Word Origin: [from the same as H2840 (חִשּׁוּר - hubs)]

1. (properly) a combination or gathering, i.e. of watery clouds

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 Origin
from 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).
2. Preaching: חַשְׁרָה offers a vivid image for sermons on divine protection; the darkest clouds may be the very covering of God around His children.
3. Pastoral Care: When saints feel unable to “see” God, remind them that His presence may be obscured, not absent; the gathering clouds can signal forthcoming deliverance.

Related Biblical Imagery

• “Clouds and thick darkness surround Him” (Psalm 97:2).
• “He makes the clouds His chariot” (Psalm 104:3).
• “The LORD went before them...by a pillar of cloud” (Exodus 13:21).

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 GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman'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

Strong's Hebrew 2841
1 Occurrence


ḥaš·raṯ- — 1 Occ.

2840
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