חָרִיט
cha.rit
purse
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Charît (חָרִיט): A Rare Hebrew Term for a Purse The Hebrew word *charît* appears only twice in the biblical text, making it one of the rarer vocabulary items in Scripture. Its definition as "purse" indicates a container used for carrying or storing valuables, though the limited occurrences prevent detailed analysis of its specific size, material, or construction. The scarcity of this term's appearance—just two instances across the entire Hebrew Bible—suggests either that it was a less common item in daily life, that Hebrew speakers preferred alternative vocabulary for similar objects, or that its usage was restricted to particular contexts or time periods. Without additional occurrences to establish patterns of usage or metaphorical extensions, we cannot determine whether *charît* held any symbolic or theological significance beyond its literal meaning as a portable container for money or goods. The word remains primarily a straightforward descriptor of a practical, everyday object, offering little interpretive complexity beyond its basic semantic value.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences across the text