The Hebrew noun hereg means slaughter, killing, or the act of putting to death. Appearing about 17 times in the Old Testament, it describes both judicial executions and unjust massacres, often pointing to the gravity and horror of violent death.
Hereg carries the weight of mortality and violence throughout the Old Testament. Esther 9:5 uses the word to describe the defensive killing of those who attacked the Jewish people — a legally authorized execution of threats. In Psalm 44:22, the psalmist laments that 'for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered' — a verse Paul quotes in Romans 8:36 to contextualize Christian suffering. This Psalm verse, in its NT context, does not describe defeat but triumphant endurance: 'In all these things we are more than conquerors.' Isaiah 53:7 uses the related verb tabach for the silent lamb led to slaughter — a prophetic portrait of the Suffering Servant bearing death on behalf of others. The theology of hereg ultimately points to the death of Christ who took the ultimate slaughter so that His people would escape divine judgment.