Defining our terms

Source: Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

חָרַם (ḥāram) Ban, devote, destroy utterly. (ASV and RSV similar, except that both prefer “devoted” or “devoted thing” in passages not dealing with destruction.)

חֵרֶם (ḥērem) devoted thing, ban.

The basic meaning is the exclusion of an object from the use or abuse of man and its irrevocable surrender to God. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “to prohibit, especially to ordinary use.” The word “harem,” meaning the special quarters for Muslim wives, comes from it. It is related also to an Ethiopic root, meaning “to forbid, prohibit, lay under a curse.” Surrendering something to God meant devoting it to the service of God or putting it under a ban for utter destruction.

The idea of devoting an object for service to God appears in Lev 27:28. Whatever is devoted to the Lord, whether man, animal, or property, is considered most holy by God and is therefore not to be sold or redeemed by substituting something else.

Usually ḥāram means a ban for utter destruction, the compulsory dedication of something which impedes or resists God’s work, which is considered to be accursed before God. The idea first appears in Num 21:2–3, where the Israelites vowed that, if God would enable them to defeat a southern Canaanite king, they would “utterly destroy” (i.e. consider as devoted and accordingly utterly destroy) his cities. This word is used regarding almost all the cities which Joshua’s troops destroyed (e.g. Jericho, Josh 6:21; Ai, Josh 8:26; Makkedah, Josh 10:28; Hazor, Josh 11:11), thus indicating the rationale for their destruction. In Deut 7:2–6, the command for this manner of destruction is given, with the explanation following that, otherwise, these cities would lure the Israelites away from the Lord (cf. Deut 20:17–18). Any Israelite city that harbored idolators was to be “utterly destroyed” (Deut 13:12–15; cf. Ex 22:19).

From: R. Laird Harris, Gleason Leonard Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 324.

Source: The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament

2763. חָרַם ḥāram: A verb meaning to destroy, to doom, to devote. This word is most commonly associated with the Israelites destroying the Canaanites upon their entry into the Promised Land (Deut. 7:2; Josh. 11:20). It indicates complete and utter destruction (Judg. 21:11; 1 Sam. 15:18); the severe judgment of God (Isa. 11:15); the forfeiture of property (Ezra 10:8); being “accursed” or set apart for destruction (Josh. 6:18). This latter application, being set apart, accounts for what appears to be a contradictory element in the verb. It is also used to mean devotion or consecration to the Lord (Lev. 27:28, 29; Mic. 4:13). Just as something accursed is set apart for destruction, so something devoted to God is set apart for His use.

2764. חֵרֶם ḥērem: A masculine noun meaning devoted things, devoted to destruction, devotion, things under ban, cursed. The basic meaning of the word, to be set aside or devoted, is qualified in several ways. Things, including persons, were set aside or devoted to a special function or an area of service by a declaration of God or His servants. The entire city of Jericho was a deadly threat to the formation of God’s people and fell under a ban, except for Rahab and her family (Josh. 6:17, 18), and was set aside for destruction. A person could be set aside for destruction (1 Kgs. 20:42) as well as an entire people, such as Edom (Isa. 34:5). The Lord set the Israelites apart for destruction when they turned to other gods (Deut. 13:17[18]; Isa. 43:28); the Israelites could not take idols of the conquered pagans into their houses, even when acquired in battle. These items were set aside for destruction only (Deut. 7:26). This term was the last word in the text of the Prophets (Mal. 4:6[3:24]) and expressed a potential curse on the entire restored exilic community of Israel. Happily, the Lord also announced a time when the ban for destruction would be lifted from Jerusalem forever (Zech. 14:11).

Various items could become holy, that is, devoted to cultic or holy use, as in the case of a field given to the Lord (Lev. 27:21); or the spoils of war could be set aside for religious use only (Num. 18:14; Josh. 6:18; 1 Sam. 15:21), including gold, silver, items of bronze or iron, and animals. These items, set aside exclusively to holy use, could not be used for everyday purposes, for to use such items in this way was a grave sin. Achan and others died for this offense (Josh. 7:1, 12, 15; 22:20).

From: Warren Baker, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 379–380.