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חָשַׁב

𐤇𐤔𐤁

châshab

H2803 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חָשַׁב to weave, to plan, to devise, to consider, to reckon

Definition

To plan, devise, consider, or reckon; to think about something with intentionality, whether in the context of craftsmanship (e.g., designing or skillfully working materials), the formation of plans or devices (often with moral or strategic connotations, positive or negative), or mental processes such as valuing, regarding, or esteeming.

Semantic Range

to weave, to fabricate, to design skillfully, to devise (a plan or scheme), to think, to consider, to reckon, to evaluate, to count, to regard as, to impute, to esteem, to purpose, to invent

Root / Etymology

From the root חשב, which in basic form conveys the idea of weaving together or intertwining. The development from literal 'weaving' to figurative senses like planning, devising, and considering stems from the metaphor of intricately connecting thoughts or plans as threads in a fabric.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, חָשַׁב is used both in concrete, technical senses (e.g., Exod 28:6, where it describes the skilled weaving work for the garments of the high priest) and in more abstract or mental domains (e.g., Gen 15:6, counting or reckoning righteousness; Ps 140:3, devising evil). The sense of intentional, skillful activity ties the literal and figurative uses. The verb applies to making plans, both positive (good, wise thinking, or artistic skill) and negative (plotting or scheming harm), depending on context. In post-exilic literature and Late Biblical Hebrew, the emphasis often shifts more to valuing, considering, or estimating. English translations sometimes fail to capture the full semantic range: ‘impute’ or ‘count’ focus on mental/evaluative sense, but the word can imply a creative or cunning aspect, not merely calculation. Some related verbs like זָמַם (zamam, to plan) can overlap in sense but are more narrowly focused on malicious intent, while חָשַׁב can cover both neutral/positive and negative creative, intellectual, or evaluative activities.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to plait or interpenetrate, i.e. (literally) to weave or (generally) to fabricate; figuratively, to plot or contrive (usually in a malicious sense); hence (from the mental effort) to think, regard, value, compute; (make) account (of), conceive, consider, count, cunning (man, work, workman), devise, esteem, find out, forecast, hold, imagine, impute, invent, be like, mean, purpose, reckon(-ing be made), regard, think.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חשב (ḥ-š-b) — weaving, planning, devising, considering, reckoning

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2804 חֲשַׁב accounted ones
H2805 חֵשֶׁב with intricately woven sash of
H2807 חֲשֻׁבָה and Chashubah
H2808 חֶשְׁבּוֹן Reckoning-City
H2809 חֶשְׁבּוֹן in Heshbon

Word Forms

52 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2803-12 חֹשֵׁ֖ב choshev HVqrmsa am-thinking planning one 14
H2803-50 יֵחָשֵׁ֛ב yechashev HVNi3ms will be considered he will be reckoned 10
H2803-01 חָשַׁ֔ב chashav HVqp3ms he devised he devised 8
H2803-09 חָשְׁב֣וּ chashevu HVqp3cp have devised they devised 6
H2803-37 וְ/חִשַּׁב֙ vechishav HC/Vpq3ms then shall calculate and he devised 5
H2803-48 יַחְשֹׁ֑ב yacheshov HVqi3ms considers he plans 5
H2803-21 נֶחְשָׁ֔בוּ necheshavu HVNp3cp shall be counted were reckoned 4
H2803-27 תֵּחָשֵׁ֖ב techashev HVNi3fs is reckoned she will be considered 4
H2803-19 נֶחְשַׁ֥בְנוּ necheshavenu HVNp1cp are we counted we were reckoned 3
H2803-33 וַ/יַּחְשְׁבֶ֥/הָ vayachesheveha HC/Vqw3ms/Sp3fs and he credited it and he reckoned her 3

Occurrences in Scripture

124 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2803-33 Genesis 15:6 וַ/יַּחְשְׁבֶ֥/הָ vayachesheveha HC/Vqw3ms/Sp3fs and he credited it and he reckoned her
H2803-19 Genesis 31:15 נֶחְשַׁ֥בְנוּ necheshavenu HVNp1cp reckoned us we were reckoned
H2803-33 Genesis 38:15 וַֽ/יַּחְשְׁבֶ֖/הָ vayachesheveha HC/Vqw3ms/Sp3fs thought her and he reckoned her
H2803-06 Genesis 50:20 חֲשַׁבְתֶּ֥ם chashavetem HVqp2mp you meant you devised
H2803-02 Genesis 50:20 חֲשָׁבָ֣/הּ chashavah HVqp3ms/Sp3fs meant it he devised her
H2803-12 Exodus 26:1 חֹשֵׁ֖ב choshev HVqrmsa a skillful workman planning one
H2803-12 Exodus 26:31 חֹשֵׁ֛ב choshev HVqrmsa a skilled workman planning one
H2803-12 Exodus 28:6 חֹשֵֽׁב choshev HVqrmsa a skilled craftsman planning one
H2803-12 Exodus 28:15 חֹשֵׁ֔ב choshev HVqrmsa skillful planning one
H2803-16 Exodus 31:4 לַ/חְשֹׁ֖ב lacheshov HR/Vqc to devise to devise
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