Lexical Definition

‎אֶרֶץ‎ ʼerets (eh'-rets) land: country/planet ^H:N-F
from an unused root probably meaning to be firm

[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.

• the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
1b2) district, region
1b3) tribal territory
1b4) piece of ground
1b5) land of Canaan, Israel
1b6) inhabitants of land
1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world
1b8) city (-state)
1c) ground, surface of the earth
1c1) ground
1c2) soil
1d) (in phrases)
1d1) people of the land
1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)
1d3) level or plain country
1d4) land of the living
1d5) end(s) of the earth
1e) (almost wholly late in usage)
1e1) lands, countries
1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan

See Greek: ἄγριος · ἀγρός · ἄνθρωπος · γῆ · ἔδαφος · ἔθνος · ἔξωθεν · κατοικέω · ὁδός · οἰκέω · οἶκος · οἰκουμένη · ὅριον · οὐρανός · πίπτω · χώρα

Extended Information

Hebrew of: אֶרֶץ

• : country/field

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎אֶ֫רֶץ‎₂₄₀₇ noun feminine^{Gen 10:11} & (seldom) masculine^{Gen 13:16} earth, land (Phoenician, MI ‎ארץ‎, Assyrian irƒitu COT^Gloss, Arabic , Sabean ‎ארץֿ‎ e.g. Os⁹ DHM^{ZMG 1875, 594, 614}; Semitic Sprachf. 12, compare Prä^{BAS i. 374 n.}, Aramaic ‎אֲרַע‎, ) — ‎׳‎‎א‎ absolute Gen 1:24 +; construct Gen 2:11 +; ‎אָ֑רֶץ‎ Gen 1:10 +; with article always ‎הָאָ֫רֶץ‎ Gen 1:11 +; with ‎ָ  ה‎ locative ‎אַ֫רְצָה‎ Gen 11:31 +, (this form also in poetry = ‎אֶרֶץ‎ Job 34:13 +); suffix ‎אַרְצִי‎ Job 20:15 +; ‎(אַרְצֶ֑ךָ) אַרְצְךָ‎ Job 12:1 +, etc.; plural ‎אֲרָצוֺת‎ Jer 28:8 + 65 t.; construct ‎אַרְצוֺת‎ Ezek 39:27 + 6 t.; suffix ‎אַרְצֹתָם‎ Gen 10:5 + 2 t.; —

1. a. earth, whole earth (opposed to a part) Gen 18:18; Gen 18:25; Gen 22:18 (= ‎הָאֲדָמָה‎ Gen 12:3) Jer 25:26; Jer 25:29; Jer 25:30; Jer 26:6; Isa 37:16; Isa 37:20 = 2Kgs 19:15; 2Kgs 19:19; Zech 4:10; Zech 4:14 +.
b. earth, opposed to heaven, sky Gen 1:2; Exod 20:4; Deut 5:8; Deut 30:19; Judg 5:4; Lam 2:1; Isa 37:16 = 2Kgs 19:15; Ps 146:6; 1Chr 21:16; 1Chr 29:11; 2Chr 2:11* +; as permanent Eccl 1:4 built on foundations, or pillars 1Sam 2:8; Ps 104:5; Job 38:4; Isa 48:13; Isa 51:13; Isa 51:16 compare also Isa 24:18; Ps 82:5 firm, so that its shaking is something terrible, & token of terrible power 1Sam 14:4; 2Sam 22:8 = Ps 18:8*; Job 9:6 compare Ps 46:2* & vPs 46:6* so also Amos 8:8; Isa 2:19; Isa 2:21; Isa 24:18; Isa 24:19; Isa 24:20; Ps 60:4*; Ps 77:19*; Ps 99:1; Ps 114:7 as hung on nothing Job 26:7 with waters under it Exod 20:4 = Deut 5:8 compare Gen 7:11 personified, especially as addressed, called to witness, etc. Deut 32:1; Jer 6:19; Jer 22:29; Isa 1:2; Mic 1:2; Job 16:18.
c. earth = inhabitants of earth Gen 6:11; 1Kgs 2:2; 1Kgs 10:24; Ps 33:8; Ps 66:4 + compare ‎׳‎‎תֵּבֵל א‎ Prov 8:31; Job 37:12.

2. land =
a. country, territory, ‎שִׁנְעָר‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎ Gen 10:10, ‎מִצְרַיִם‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎ Gen 21:21 compare also Gen 10:11; Gen 11:28; Gen 11:31; Gen 13:10; Gen 47:6; Gen 47:27; Gen 50:8; Isa 7:18; Isa 23:1; Isa 23:13; Isa 27:13; Ps 78:12; Jer 25:20; 1Chr 1:43 personified Isa 62:4; Eccl 10:16; Eccl 10:17.
b. district, region Gen 19:28; Gen 22:2; Josh 11:3; Ps 42:7*.
c. tribal territory Deut 34:2; Judg 21:21; 1Sam 9:4; 1Sam 9:16; 1Sam 13:7; 1Kgs 15:20; Isa 8:23* and still smaller territories 1Sam 9:4; 1Sam 9:5.
d. piece of ground Gen 23:15.
e. specifically land of Canaan, or Israel Gen 11:31; Gen 12:1; Gen 12:5; Gen 12:6; Gen 12:7; Gen 31:3; Deut 17:14; Deut 18:9; 2Kgs 5:2; 2Kgs 5:4 +; especially object of ‎יָרַשׁ‎ possess Deut 3:20 + often Deuteronomy, Psalms and elsewhere; so after ‎נָחַל‎ Josh 19:49 +; ‎נָתַן‎ Deut 1:21 +. feminine = inhabitants land Lev 19:29; Ezek 14:13 + compare Deut 24:4; Zech 12:12 etc.
g. used even of Sh®°ôl Job 10:21; Job 10:22 (compare Assyrian irƒit la târat, land without return, in Descent of Ishtar, see Jr^{10. 65}); see also Ps 139:15; Isa 44:23.

3. a. ground, surface of ground = ‎אֲדָמָה‎ q. v. Gen 1:26; Gen 1:30; Gen 18:2; Gen 33:3; Gen 38:9; Exod 4:3; Exod 16:4; Ruth 2:10; 1Sam 5:4 + very often in Samuel.
b. soil, as productive = ‎אֲדָמָה‎ Gen 1:11; Gen 1:12; Lev 19:9; Lev 25:9; Lev 26:4 compare Num 14:7; Num 14:8; Isa 36:7 = 2Kgs 18:32; Ps 72:6; Ps 72:16; Ps 107:34; Ps 107:35; Ezra 9:12; Neh 9:35.

4. ‎אֶרֶץ‎ in phrases:
a. people of the land ‎׳‎‎עַםהָֿא‎ of non-Israelites Gen 23:7; Gen 23:12; Gen 23:13 (P) Num 14:9 (JE); as well as Israel Lev 20:4 (H) 2Kgs 15:5; 2Kgs 16:15; 2Kgs 21:24 (twice in verse); especially common people, opposed to officials, princes Lev 4:27 (P) Ezek 7:27; 2Kgs 11:18; 2Kgs 11:19.
b. in measurements of distance, ‎׳‎‎כִּבְרַת הָא‎ the space or distance of country (see ‎כּברה‎) Gen 35:16, so ‎׳‎‎כִּבְרַת א‎ some distance Gen 48:7; 2Kgs 5:19.
c. ‎אֶרֶץ הַמִּישׁוֺר‎ the country of the plain, level or plain country Deut 4:33; Jer 48:21 ‎מִישׁוֺר‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎ figurative Ps 143:10 (but read ‎אֹרַח‎ ᵑ6 Bi Gr Che, compare Ps 27:11).
d. ‎חַיִּים‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎ land of the living Ps 27:13 ‎הַחַיִּים‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎ Ps 142:6*.
e. ‎׳‎‎קְצֵה הָא‎ end(s) of the earth Isa 42:10; Isa 43:6 (|| ‎רָחוֺק‎) Ps 135:7; Prov 17:24, so ‎׳‎‎אַפְסֵי א‎ Prov 30:4 +; ‎׳‎‎קְצוֺת הָא‎ Isa 40:28; Isa 41:5; Isa 41:9.

5. plural ‎אֲרָצוֺת‎ is almost wholly late, Jer 16:15 + 6 t. Jeremiah; 23 t. Ezekiel; Isa 36:20; Isa 37:11 = 2Kgs 18:35; 2Kgs 19:11 (Isa 37:18 read ‎הַגּוֺיִם‎ see Che Di & compare 2Kgs 19:17); 22 t. Chronicles; Dan 9:7; Dan 11:40; Dan 11:42; Ps 105:44; Ps 106:27; Ps 107:3; Ps 116:9 besides these only P Gen 10:5; Gen 10:20; Gen 10:31; Lev 26:36; Lev 26:39, except Gen 26:3; Gen 26:4 (J^R) Gen 41:54 (JE); it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc., see especially absolute Ezek 20:32; Ezek 22:4 = the various petty divisions of Canaan afterward united under Israel's control Gen 26:3; Gen 26:4, compare 1Chr 13:2 ‎אַרְצוֺת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, 2Chr 11:23 ‎אַרְצוֺת יְהוּדָה‎.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References