Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֶ֫רֶץ2407 noun feminineGenesis 10:11 & (seldom)
masculineGenesis 13:16 earth, land (Phoenician, MI
ארץ, Assyrian
irƒitu COT
Gloss, Arabic
, Sabean
ארץֿ e.g. Os
9 DHM
ZMG 1875, 594, 614; Semitic Sprachf. 12, compare Prä
BAS i. 374 n., Aramaic
אֲרַע,
) —
׳א absolute
Genesis 1:24 +; construct
Genesis 2:11 +;
אָ֑רֶץ Genesis 1:10 +; with article always
הָאָ֫רֶץ Genesis 1:11 +; with
ָ ה locative
אַ֫רְצָה Genesis 11:31 +, (this form also in poetry =
אֶרֶץ Job 34:13 +); suffix
אַרְצִי Job 20:15 +;
(אַרְצֶ֑ךָ) אַרְצְךָ Job 12:1 +, etc.; plural
אֲרָצוֺת Jeremiah 28:8 65t.; construct
אַרְצוֺת Ezekiel 39:27 6t.; suffix
אַרְצֹתָם Genesis 10:5 2t.; —
1. a. earth, whole earth (opposed to a part) Genesis 18:18,25; Genesis 22:18 (= הָאֲדָמָה Genesis 12:3) Jeremiah 25:26,29,30; Jeremiah 26:6; Isaiah 37:16,20 = 2 Kings 19:15; 2 Kings 19:19; Zechariah 4:10; Zechariah 4:14 +.
b. earth, opposed to heaven, sky Genesis 1:2; Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 5:8; Deuteronomy 30:19; Judges 5:4; Lamentations 2:1; Isaiah 37:16 = 2 Kings 19:15; Psalm 146:6; 1 Chronicles 21:16; 1 Chronicles 29:11; 2Chron 2:11 +; as permanent Ecclesiastes 1:4; built on foundations, or pillars 1 Samuel 2:8; Psalm 104:5; Job 38:4; Isaiah 48:13; Isaiah 51:13,16 compare also Isaiah 24:18; Psalm 82:5; firm, so that its shaking is something terrible, & token of terrible power 1 Samuel 14:4; 2 Samuel 22:8 = Psalm 18:8; Job 9:6 compare Psalm 46:2 & Psalm 46:6; so also Amos 8:8; Isaiah 2:19,21; Isaiah 24:18,19,20; Psalm 60:4; Psalm 77:19; Psalm 99:1; Psalm 114:7; as hung on nothing Job 26:7; with waters under it Exodus 20:4 = Deuteronomy 5:8 compare Genesis 7:11; personified, especially as addressed, called to witness, etc. Deuteronomy 32:1; Jeremiah 6:19; Jeremiah 22:29; Isaiah 1:2; Micah 1:2; Job 16:18.
c. earth = inhabitants of earth Genesis 6:11; 1 Kings 2:2; 1 Kings 10:24; Psalm 33:8; Psalm 66:4 #NAME?׳תֵּבֵל א Proverbs 8:31; Job 37:12.
2 land =
a. country, territory, שִׁנְעָר ׳א Genesis 10:10, מִצְרַיִם ׳א Genesis 21:21; compare also Genesis 10:11; Genesis 11:28,31; Genesis 13:10; Genesis 47:6,27; Genesis 50:8; Isaiah 7:18; Isaiah 23:1; Isaiah 23:13; Isaiah 27:13; Psalm 78:12; Jeremiah 25:20; 1 Chronicles 1:43; personified Isaiah 62:4; Ecclesiastes 10:16,17.
b. district, region Genesis 19:28; Genesis 22:2; Joshua 11:3; Psalm 42:7.
c. tribal territory Deuteronomy 34:2; Judges 21:21; 1 Samuel 9:4,16; 1 Samuel 13:7; 1 Kings 15:20; Isaiah 8:23; and still smaller territories 1 Samuel 9:4,5.
d. piece of ground Genesis 23:15.
e. specifically land of Canaan, or Israel Genesis 11:31; Genesis 12:1; Genesis 12:5; Genesis 12:6; Genesis 12:7; Genesis 31:3; Exodus 14:34; Deuteronomy 17:14; Deuteronomy 18:9; 2 Kings 5:2,4 +; especially object of יָרַשׁ possess Deuteronomy 3:20 #NAME? Deuteronomy, Psalms and elsewhere; so after נָחַל Joshua 19:49 +; נָתַן Deuteronomy 1:21 +.
f. = inhabitants land Leviticus 19:29; Ezekiel 14:13 #NAME? Deuteronomy 24:4; Zechariah 12:12 etc.
g. used even of Sh®°ôl Job 10:21,22 (compare Assyrian irƒit la târat, land without return, in Descent of Ishtar, see Jr10. 65); see also Psalm 139:15; Isaiah 44:23.
3. a. ground, surface of ground = אֲדָמָה q. v. Genesis 1:26,30; Genesis 18:2; Genesis 33:3; Genesis 38:9; Exodus 4:3; Exodus 16:4; Ruth 2:10; 1 Samuel 5:4 + very often in Samuel.
b. soil, as productive = אֲדָמָה Genesis 1:11,12; Leviticus 19:9; Leviticus 25:9; Leviticus 26:4 compare Numbers 14:7,8; Isaiah 36:7 = 2 Kings 18:32; Psalm 72:6; Psalm 72:16; Psalm 107:34; Psalm 107:35; Ezra 9:12; Nehemiah 9:35.
4 אֶרֶץ in phrases:
a. people of the land ׳עַםהָֿא of non-Israelites Genesis 23:7,12,13 (P) Numbers 14:9 (JE); as well as Israel Leviticus 20:4 (H) 2 Kings 15:5; 2 Kings 16:15; 2 Kings 21:24 (twice in verse); especially common people, opposed to officials, princes Leviticus 4:27 (P) Ezekiel 7:27; 2 Kings 11:18,19.
b. in measurements of distance, ׳כִּבְרַת הָא the space or distance of country (see כּברה) Genesis 35:16, so ׳כִּבְרַת א some distance Genesis 48:7; 2 Kings 5:19.
c. אֶרֶץ הַמִּישׁוֺר the country of the plain, level or plain country Deuteronomy 4:33; Jeremiah 48:21; מִישׁוֺר ׳א figurative Psalm 143:10 (but read אֹרַח ᵑ6 Bi Gr Che, compare Psalm 27:11).
d. חַיִּים ׳א land of the living Psalm 27:13; הַחַיִּים ׳א Psalm 142:6.
e. ׳קְצֵה הָא end(s) of the earth Isaiah 42:10; Isaiah 43:6 ("" רָחוֺק) Psalm 135:7; Proverbs 17:24, so ׳אַפְסֵי א Proverbs 30:4 +; ׳קְצוֺת הָא Isaiah 40:28; Isaiah 41:5,9.
5 plural אֲרָצוֺת is almost wholly late, Jeremiah 16:15 6t. Jeremiah; 23t. Ezekiel; Isaiah 36:20; Isaiah 37:11 = 2 Kings 18:35; 2 Kings 19:11 (Isaiah 37:18 read הַגּוֺיִם see Che Di & compare 2 Kings 19:17); 22t. Chronicles; Daniel 9:7; Daniel 11:40,42; Psalm 105:44; Psalm 106:27; Psalm 107:3; Psalm 116:9; besides these only P Genesis 10:5,20,31; Leviticus 26:36,39, except Genesis 26:3,4 (JR) Genesis 41:54 (JE); it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc., see especially absolute Ezekiel 20:32; Ezekiel 22:4; = the various petty divisions of Canaan afterward united under Israel's control Genesis 26:3,4, compare 1 Chronicles 13:2 אַרְצוֺת יִשְׂרָאֵל, 2 Chronicles 11:23 אַרְצוֺת יְהוּדָה.
