Lexical Summary
chaneph: To be profane, defiled, polluted, godless
Original Word: חָנֵף
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chaneph
Pronunciation: khaw-nafe'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-nafe')
KJV: corrupt, defile, X greatly, pollute, profane
NASB: polluted, completely polluted, pollute, pollutes, turn to godlessness
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to soil, especially in a moral sense
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
corrupt, defile, greatly, pollute, profane
A primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense -- corrupt, defile, X greatly, pollute, profane.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto be polluted or profane
NASB Translationcompletely polluted (1), pollute (1), polluted (6), pollutes (1), turn to godlessness (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Arabic
👁 Image incline, decline, hence
👁 Image inclining to a right state, but in Hebrew of
inclining away from right, irreligion, profaneness, compare
👁 Image have a 👁 Image i.e.
distortion of foot; Syriac in derivatives
be profane, etc.; Late Hebrew Hiph`il, Aramaic Aph`el
act falsely toward, flatter,
hypocrisy; Assyrian
hanpu, ruthlessness; hanâpu, exercise ruthlessness toward, Tel Amarna Zim
ZA vi, 1891, 256) —
Perfect3feminine singular Isaiah 24:5; 3plural Jeremiah 23:11; Imperfect3feminine singular Jeremiah 3:1; Micah 4:11; Jeremiah 3:9; Psalm 106:38; Infinitive absolute Jeremiah 3:1; —
be polluted: of land Isaiah 24:5; Jeremiah 3:1 (twice in verse); Psalm 106:38; of Zion Micah 4:11.
= be (compare below) i.e. profane, godless Jeremiah 23:11. — apparentlytrans , Gf strike out , Gie cites Ges § 121,1, but read rather Hiph`il with Manuscripts Ew and others (see also Gf. Gie).
Imperfect Numbers 35:33; Daniel 11:33; 2feminine singular Jeremiah 3:2; 2masculine plural ; —
pollute: the land Numbers 35:33 (twice in verse) (by blood; P), Jeremiah 3:2 (by idolatry, etc.) + Jeremiah 3:9 (see above)
make profane, godless Daniel 11:32 with accusative of person
Topical Lexicon
Overview חָנֵף (Strong’s 2610) portrays the idea of moral and ritual pollution that offends the holiness of God and therefore threatens covenant relationship, communal life and the very land in which God’s people dwell. Its eleven uses trace a line from the Torah through the Writings and Prophets to the apocalyptic visions of Daniel, consistently depicting the downward spiral that occurs when blood-guilt, idolatry or hypocrisy take root.
Primary Spheres of Defilement
1. Land and Bloodshed – Numbers 35:33; Psalm 106:38; Isaiah 24:5
2. Marital and Sexual Infidelity – Jeremiah 3:1-9
3. Priestly and Prophetic Hypocrisy – Jeremiah 23:11
4. Covenant Apostasy under Foreign Pressure – Daniel 11:32
5. National Scorn for Zion – Micah 4:11
Land, Blood and Atonement
The word first appears in the legislation governing homicide: “Do not defile the land where you live, for bloodshed defiles the land” (Numbers 35:33). Here חָנֵף links spilled blood to territorial desecration that can be cleansed only by the execution of the murderer. Later texts reinforce the theme. Psalm 106:38 laments that child sacrifice “polluted the land,” while Isaiah 24:5 universalizes the charge: “The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws.” The principle is clear: the Creator binds the moral order so tightly to creation that sin leaves a tangible stain requiring divine redress.
Idolatry and Immorality
Jeremiah uses חָנֵף four times (3:1, 3:2, 3:9; 23:11) to expose Judah’s spiritual adultery. Just as a wife’s serial unfaithfulness would “utterly defile” the land (Jeremiah 3:1), so Israel’s alliances with idols contaminate both people and soil. In Jeremiah 3:9 the prophet equates idolatry with sexual immorality: “Because of the magnitude of her adultery, she defiled the land.” The imagery presses home that false worship inevitably generates ethical collapse.
Religious Leaders under Judgment
Jeremiah 23:11 turns the spotlight on clergy: “Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness.” When spiritual guides become חָנֵף, the sanctuary itself is polluted. The passage warns that institutional prestige offers no shield against divine scrutiny; holiness must mark every sphere of ministry.
Apostasy in the Last Days
Daniel 11:32 projects the verb into a future crisis: “With flattery he will corrupt those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.” Here political manipulation entices nominal believers into covenant pollution, contrasting them with a remnant that stays faithful. The verse underscores the perennial danger of compromise under cultural or governmental pressure—an issue as current for the modern church as for the Maccabean era or the eschaton.
Hostile Nations and the Hope of Zion
Micah 4:11 records the taunt of foreign powers: “Let her be defiled, and let our eyes look upon Zion.” Enemies of God’s people desire their moral collapse, yet the larger oracle promises Jerusalem’s vindication. God not only condemns defilement but also pledges to reverse it, safeguarding His redemptive purposes through judgment and restoration.
Theological Trajectory and Fulfillment
Across its occurrences, חָנֵף highlights four interconnected doctrines:
• The holiness of God demands purity in worship, ethics and social justice.
• Sin is never private; it defiles community, institutions and environment.
• Atonement is costly—ultimately realized in the blood of Christ, who “suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people through His own blood” (Hebrews 13:12).
• God preserves for Himself a faithful remnant and will one day purge creation of all defilement (Revelation 21:27).
Pastoral and Missional Implications
• Preaching: Expose the gravity of sin beyond individual guilt, stressing its societal and cosmic repercussions.
• Worship: Guard congregational life against hypocrisy; leadership must embody integrity lest the sanctuary be defiled.
• Social Ethics: Defend innocent life and oppose practices that shed blood or exploit the vulnerable, recognizing their polluting effect on the nation.
• Discipleship: Equip believers to resist cultural seduction (Daniel 11:32) by cultivating a deep knowledge of God.
• Hope: Announce the sure promise that God will cleanse His people and His creation, motivating holiness rooted in grace.
Thus חָנֵף serves as a sober reminder of sin’s defiling power and a clarion call to pursue the purity secured and guaranteed by the Redeemer.
Forms and Transliterations
וַתֶּחֱנַ֖ף וַתֶּחֱנַ֥ף וַתַּחֲנִ֣יפִי ותחניפי ותחנף חָנ֥וֹף חָנְפָ֖ה חָנֵ֑פוּ חנוף חנפה חנפו יַחֲנִ֖יף יחניף תֶּחֱנַ֖ף תֶּחֱנָ֔ף תַחֲנִ֣יפוּ תחניפו תחנף chaneFah chaNefu chaNof ḥā·nə·p̄āh ḥā·nê·p̄ū ḥā·nō·wp̄ ḥānəp̄āh ḥānêp̄ū ḥānōwp̄ ṯa·ḥă·nî·p̄ū tachaNifu ṯaḥănîp̄ū te·ḥĕ·nap̄ te·ḥĕ·nāp̄ techeNaf teḥĕnap̄ teḥĕnāp̄ vattachaNifi vattecheNaf wat·ta·ḥă·nî·p̄î wat·te·ḥĕ·nap̄ wattaḥănîp̄î watteḥĕnap̄ ya·ḥă·nîp̄ yachaNif yaḥănîp̄
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
