Lexical Summary
haras: To tear down, destroy, overthrow, break down
Original Word:הָרַס
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:harac
Pronunciation:hah-RAHS
Phonetic Spelling:(haw-ras')
KJV: beat down, break (down, through), destroy, overthrow, pluck down, pull down, ruin, throw down, X utterly
NASB:torn down, overthrow, tear down, thrown down, break down, break through, destroyed
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to pull down or in pieces, break, &Š destroy
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beat down, break down, through, destroy, overthrow, pluck down, pull down, ruin,
A primitive root; to pull down or in pieces, break, &? Destroy -- beat down, break (down, through), destroy, overthrow, pluck down, pull down, ruin, throw down, X utterly.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto throw down, break or tear down
NASB Translationbreak down (2), break through (2), broken down (1), destroyed (2), destroyers (1), overthrew (2), overthrow (5), overthrown (1), overthrows (1), pull you down (1), pull down (1), ruined (2), shatter (1), tear them down (1), tear you down (1), tear down (5), tears it down (1), tears down (1), thrown down (3), torn down (7), utterly overthrow (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(MI ; ? Arabic
,
bruise, bray, pound, crush (grain)) —
PerfectLamentations 2:2,17;Isaiah 14:17;Judges 6:25Ezekiel 13:14;Micah 5:10;Ezekiel 16:39;Ezekiel 26:4,121 Kings 19:10,14;ImperfectJob 12:14; suffixIsaiah 22:19;1 Chronicles 20:1;Proverbs 29:4Psalm 28:5; 3feminine singular suffix 3 masculine singularProverbs 14:1; 2masculine singularExodus 15:7;Jeremiah 24:6;Jeremiah 42:10Malachi 1:4; 3masculine pluralExodus 19:21,24;2 Kings 3:25;ImperativePsalm 58:7; suffix2 Samuel 11:25;InfinitiveJeremiah 31:28Jeremiah 1:10;Participle activeJeremiah 45:4;passive1 Kings 18:30; —
throw down, tear down, with accusative: altar(s)Judges 6:25;1 Kings 18:30;1 Kings 19:10,14; height (, where idol-altar stood ? compare below )Ezekiel 16:39; city (cities)Isaiah 14:17;2 Samuel 11:25;2 Kings 3:25;1 Chronicles 20:1 (compare MI27)Malachi 1:4 (object not expressed); wall(s)Ezekiel 13:14;Ezekiel 26:12; houseProverbs 14:1 (figurative of foolish woman's action); strongholds ()Lamentations 2:2;Micah 5:10; tower(s)Ezekiel 26:4; figurativeoverthrow (i.e.ruin) landProverbs 29:4 (opposed to ); object menExodus 15:7 (poem in E)Isaiah 22:19 (cast down Shebna from office); figurative, opposed to building up, of Yahweh's dealings with menPsalm 28:5, compare (without object)Jeremiah 24:6;Jeremiah 42:10; object indefiniteJeremiah 45:4; absoluteJeremiah 1:10;Jeremiah 31:28;Lamentations 2:17;Job 12:14.
break down, break awayPsalm 58:7break away their teeth in their mouth! figurative, addressed to God.
break through, intransitive, followed byExodus 19:21; followed by ,Exodus 19:24 (both J).
Perfect3feminine singularProverbs 24:31; 3pluralJeremiah 50:15;Joel 1:17; consecutiveEzekiel 30:4;Ezekiel 38:20;ImperfectJeremiah 31:40; 3feminine singularProverbs 11:11;Psalm 11:3;ParticipleEzekiel 36:35,36; —be thrown ortorn down; wall(s) of vineyardProverbs 24:31, of cityJeremiah 50:15; citiesEzekiel 36:35 compareEzekiel 36:36; figurativeruinedProverbs 11:11 (opposed to ); foundations,Ezekiel 30:4;Psalm 11:3; mountainsEzekiel 38:20; storehousesJoel 1:17 [see ]; valley east of JerusalemJeremiah 31:40it shall not be plucked up nor thrown down, apparently proverb. expression, implying destruction, removal.
Imperfect2masculine singular suffixExodus 23:24;Infinitive absoluteExodus 23:24;Participle plural suffixIsaiah 49:17; —overthrow, tear downExodus 23:24thou shalt utterly tear them down (J E; object = idols compare Di); participledestroyers, of ZionIsaiah 49:17 ("" ).
Topical Lexicon
Root Conceptהָרַס portrays an aggressive act of tearing down, demolishing, or overthrowing something that already exists. Whether the object is a house, altar, city wall, or even the very foundations of the earth, the verb consistently signals decisive, often violent removal. Because the Old Testament never presents chaos as virtuous, every instance either exposes human rebellion against God’s order or displays God’s holy zeal to cleanse, judge, and ultimately rebuild.
Cultic Purging of Idolatry
•Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:3 mandate Israel to “tear down” pagan altars, smash pillars, and burn Asherah poles. Haras here underscores covenant loyalty: God’s people cannot coexist with rival worship structures.
• Gideon obeys this command generations later (Judges 6:25–30), demolishing Baal’s altar and cutting down the Asherah beside it, igniting revival and confrontation.
• The kings who instituted reform—Asa (2 Chronicles 14:3), Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4), Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:4–7)—all “broke down” idolatrous high places. The verb frames their reforms as covenant renewal rather than mere political housecleaning.
Divine Judgment on Nations and Cities
• When Abraham’s descendants disobey, haras becomes the Lord’s instrument against them: “The LORD sent a pestilence on Israel… the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 24:15–16).
• Prophets apply haras to foreign powers as well: “Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city” (Isaiah 17:1); “Babylon… I will make it an everlasting desolation” (Jeremiah 51:26).
•Ezekiel 26–27 uses it repeatedly for Tyre. God’s sovereignty over history includes the demolition of arrogant cultures.
Covenantal Discipline and Restoration
Haras is never the last word. InIsaiah 58:12 the prophet looks forward to “the ancient ruins” being rebuilt.Amos 9:11–15 promises restoration of “the booth of David that has fallen.” Judgment demolishes what is corrupt so that God may rebuild what is pure. The verb therefore serves redemptive purposes.
Liturgical and Wisdom Imagery
•Psalm 11:3: “When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The psalmist’s lament turns haras into a metaphor for moral collapse.
•Psalm 52:5 contrasts the violent man’s tearing down with God’s ultimate uprooting of evil: “Surely God will bring you down forever.”
•Proverbs 14:1: “The foolish woman tears down her house with her own hands.” Here the verb moves from literal demolition to self-destructive folly.
Prophetic and Eschatological Horizons
Isaiah 24:19–20 depicts the earth itself “broken apart… split open” in cosmic judgment, pointing forward to New Testament language about heavens passing away.Micah 5:11 foresees the Messiah eliminating military reliance by “tearing down” strongholds. Thus haras anticipates the day when every idolatrous and humanly engineered refuge is removed so that the kingdom of God alone stands.
Christological Reflections
Jesus echoes haras theology when He prophesies the Temple’s destruction (Matthew 24:2) and speaks of the tearing down of His own body-temple (John 2:19). The physical tearing down of the Jerusalem Temple in A.D. 70 validates both Old Covenant warnings and New Covenant fulfillment: judgment clears the ground for the once-for-all sacrifice and the living temple of the Church.
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
1. Spiritual Reformation: Like Gideon and Josiah, believers must identify and demolish modern idols—anything rivalling Christ’s supremacy.
2. Discipleship: Churches may need to “tear down” entrenched traditions that obscure the gospel, trusting the Spirit to rebuild in holiness.
3. Counseling: Haras reminds the broken that God sometimes allows the demolition of false securities in order to establish lasting foundations in Christ.
4. Preaching: Passages employing haras provide sobering warnings yet hopeful vistas—judgment is real, but so is restoration for the repentant.
Representative Occurrences
Leviticus 14:45;Deuteronomy 7:5;Judges 6:30;2 Samuel 24:16;1 Kings 15:22;2 Kings 11:18;2 Kings 18:4;2 Chronicles 34:7;Psalm 11:3;Psalm 52:5;Proverbs 14:1;Isaiah 5:5;Isaiah 17:1;Isaiah 24:19;Jeremiah 1:10;Ezekiel 26:4;Micah 5:11;Amos 9:11.
Across its roughly forty-three occurrences, הָרַס unfailingly testifies that whatever stands opposed to God—whether idol, institution, or ideology—will eventually be torn down so that His righteous kingdom may endure forever.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶהֱר֑וֹס אֶהֱרֹ֔ס אהרוס אהרס הֲרָס־ הֶהָרֽוּס׃ הַנֶּ֣הֱרָס֔וֹת הָרֵס֙ הָרַ֖ס הָרַ֧ס הָרָ֑ס הָרָ֔סוּ הֹרֵ֔ס ההרוס׃ הנהרסות הרס הרס־ הרסו וְהַנֶּהֱרָס֖וֹת וְהָ֨רַסְתִּ֜י וְהָֽרְסוּ֙ וְהָרְס֤וּ וְהָרְסָ֖הּ וְהָרַסְתִּ֖י וְהָרַסְתָּ֗ וְלַהֲר֑וֹס וְלַהֲרֹ֖ס וְנֶהֶרְס֖וּ וְנֶהֶרְס֣וּ וַיֶּֽהֶרְסֶֽהָ׃ והנהרסות והרסה והרסו והרסת והרסתי ויהרסה׃ ולהרוס ולהרס ונהרסו יֵֽהָרֵס֑וּן יֵהָרֵ֛ס יֶ֝הֶרְסֵ֗ם יֶֽהֶרְס֛וּ יֶֽהֶרְסֶֽנָּה׃ יֶהֶרְס֤וּ יֶהֶרְסֶֽךָ׃ יַ֭הֲרוֹס יַהֲרֹ֡סוּ יהרוס יהרס יהרסו יהרסון יהרסך׃ יהרסם יהרסנה׃ מְהָֽרְסַ֥יִךְ מהרסיך נֶהֱרָֽסָה׃ נֶהֶרְס֖וּ נהרסה׃ נהרסו תְּהָ֣רְסֵ֔ם תֵּהָרֵֽס׃ תֶהֶרְסֶֽנּוּ׃ תַּהֲרֹ֣ס תהרס תהרס׃ תהרסם תהרסנו׃ ’e·hĕ·rō·ws ’e·hĕ·rōs ’ehĕrōs ’ehĕrōws eheRos hā·rā·sū hā·ras hā·rās hă·rās- hā·rês han·ne·hĕ·rā·sō·wṯ hanNeheraSot hannehĕrāsōwṯ haRas hāras hārās hărās- haRasu hārāsū haRes hārês haros he·hā·rūs hehaRus hehārūs hō·rês hoRes hōrês mə·hā·rə·sa·yiḵ mehareSayich məhārəsayiḵ ne·hĕ·rā·sāh ne·her·sū neheRasah nehĕrāsāh neherSu nehersū ta·hă·rōs tahaRos tahărōs tə·hā·rə·sêm tê·hā·rês ṯe·her·sen·nū tehaRes têhārês teHareSem təhārəsêm teherSennu ṯehersennū vaiYeherSeha vehanneheraSot veharasTa veHarasTi vehareSah vehareSu velahaRos veneherSu way·ye·her·se·hā wayyehersehā wə·hā·ras·tā wə·hā·ras·tî wə·hā·rə·sāh wə·hā·rə·sū wə·han·ne·hĕ·rā·sō·wṯ wə·la·hă·rō·ws wə·la·hă·rōs wə·ne·her·sū wəhannehĕrāsōwṯ wəhārastā wəhārastî wəhārəsāh wəhārəsū wəlahărōs wəlahărōws wənehersū ya·hă·rō·sū ya·hă·rō·ws Yaharos yahaRosu yahărōsū yahărōws yê·hā·rê·sūn yê·hā·rês ye·her·se·ḵā ye·her·sêm ye·her·sen·nāh ye·her·sū yehaRes yêhārês yehareSun yêhārêsūn yeherSecha yeherseḵā yeherSem yehersêm YeherSennah yehersennāh yeherSu yehersū
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