הָרַס hâraç — to pull down or in pieces, break, destroy
Translated in the KJV as beat down, break (down, through), destroy, overthrow, pluck down, pull down, ruin, throw down, × utterly.
a primitive root; to pull down or in pieces, break, destroy.
hâraç in each stem
Qal (Pa'al)
Imperfect (yiqtol) 11Sequential perfect (weqatal) 6Perfect (qatal) 5Imperative 2Infinitive construct 2Jussive 1Participle (passive) 1Wayyiqtol 1Participle (active) 1
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.
And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them.
Niph'al
Imperfect (yiqtol) 3Perfect (qatal) 3Sequential perfect (weqatal) 2Participle (passive) 2
If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
Pi'el
Infinitive absolute 1Imperfect (yiqtol) 1Participle (active) 1
Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
What the stems mean
A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›