← H2279 H2281 →

חָבַשׁ

𐤇𐤁𐤔

châbash

H2280 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To bind or wrap securely; to bandage by wrapping cloth or material around, especially in the context of medical care (binding up wounds), or to wind or wrap as with a turban or saddle. The verb commonly applies to actions of wrapping, bandaging, or securing something firmly around an object, person, or animal. In extended and figurative senses, it can mean to restrain, enclose, or equip, as with a saddle. In a few contexts, it refers to the activity of caring for the injured (bandaging wounds), thus associated with healing. The semantic range therefore includes literal acts of wrapping or binding and broader senses of preparation or care, with rare figurative development toward 'restraining' or 'governing.'

Semantic Range

to bind up (wounds), to wrap (with cloth), to gird or equip (with a saddle or turban), to enclose, to heal (by binding), to restrain, to prepare

Root / Etymology

From the root חבש, whose core sense is 'to bind, wrap, enclose.' The form חָבַשׁ is the basic verb form (qal), and other derived forms include the participle and nominal derivatives. The action originally expressed is the act of binding together, especially with strips of cloth (cf. medical bandaging) and by extension to wrapping objects such as turbans on the head or saddle cloths on animals.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָבַשׁ appears primarily with the meaning of binding up wounds, a key aspect of ancient Israelite medical practice (e.g., Isaiah 30:26; Hosea 6:1). The verb's literal use for binding with cloth (as in the wrapping of turbans or the securing of saddles on donkeys—Genesis 22:3; Exodus 29:9) reflects everyday practices in ancient society. By the exilic and post-exilic periods, the word retains its essential meaning, though metaphoric senses (such as in Psalm 147:3, 'He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds') become prominent in poetic and prophetic texts, where physical healing is a metaphor for restoration or care. KJV and English translations sometimes use 'govern' or 'rule' (as in 'governors'), but this is a late or secondary sense tied more to the idea of restraining or controlling—this should not be confused with standard terms for rulership. חָבַשׁ contrasts with other Hebrew terms like אָסַר (to bind, tie, often for imprisonment or captive restraint), and קָשַׁר (to bind, tie, with more neutral sense). The participle חֹבֵשׁ can describe a bandager, i.e., one who binds up, but later tradition sometimes rendered it as 'healer.' English versions tend to focus on the 'binding up' sense but may miss the nuances of preparation or enclosure implicit in everyday ancient usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to wrap firmly (especially a turban, compress, or saddle); figuratively, to stop, to rule; bind (up), gird about, govern, healer, put, saddle, wrap about.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

חבש (châbash) — to bind, to wrap, to enclose

Root חבש to bind, to wrap, to enclose

Word Forms

24 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2280-18 וַֽ/יַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ vayachavosh HC/Vqw3ms and saddled and he bound up and he saddled 5
H2280-02 חֲב֣וֹשׁ chavosh HVqv2ms bind to bind securely bind 3
H2280-04 חֲבֻשִׁ֗ים chavushim HVqsmpa saddled bound ones saddled 3
H2280-06 חִבְשׁוּ chiveshu HVqv2mp Saddle Bind up! Saddle 2
H2280-01 חֲבַשְׁתֶּ֔ם chavashetem HVqp2mp you bound up you bound up you bound up 1
H2280-03 חָב֥וּשׁ chavush HVqsmsa were wrapped bound-up one bound-up one 1
H2280-05 חִבֵּ֑שׁ chibesh HVpp3ms he dams up he bound up he dams up 1
H2280-07 חֹבֵ֔שׁ chovesh HVqrmsa a binder/healer binding-one one who binds 1
H2280-08 חֻבָּ֔שׁוּ chubashu HVPp3cp bandaged they were bound up they were bandaged 1
H2280-09 חֻ֠בְּשָׁה chubeshah HVPp3fs it has been bound up she was tightly bound it was tightly bound 1

Occurrences in Scripture

33 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2280-18 Genesis 22:3 וַֽ/יַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ vayachavosh HC/Vqw3ms saddled and he bound up and he saddled
H2280-21 Exodus 29:9 וְ/חָבַשְׁתָּ֤ vechavasheta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall bind and you bind and you shall bind
H2280-18 Leviticus 8:13 וַ/יַּחֲבֹ֥שׁ vayachavosh HC/Vqw3ms and-bound and he bound up and he bound up
H2280-18 Numbers 22:21 וַֽ/יַּחֲבֹ֖שׁ vayachavosh HC/Vqw3ms and he saddled and he bound up and he saddled
H2280-04 Judges 19:10 חֲבוּשִׁ֔ים chavushim HVqsmpa saddled bound ones saddled
H2280-04 2 Samuel 16:1 חֲבֻשִׁ֗ים chavushim HVqsmpa saddled bound ones saddled
H2280-18 2 Samuel 17:23 וַ/יַּחֲבֹ֣שׁ vayachavosh HC/Vqw3ms and saddled and he bound up and he saddled
H2280-10 2 Samuel 19:27 אֶחְבְּשָׁה echebeshah HVqi1cs I-will-saddle I will bind I will saddle
H2280-18 1 Kings 2:40 וַֽ/יַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ vayachavosh HC/Vqw3ms and saddled and he bound up and he saddled
H2280-06 1 Kings 13:13 חִבְשׁוּ chiveshu HVqv2mp Saddle Bind up! Saddle
H2280-20 1 Kings 13:13 וַ/יַּחְבְּשׁוּ vayachebeshu HC/Vqw3mp and they saddled and they bound securely and they saddled
H2280-17 1 Kings 13:23 וַ/יַּחֲבָשׁ vayachavash HC/Vqw3ms he saddled and he bound up and he saddled
H2280-06 1 Kings 13:27 חִבְשׁוּ chiveshu HVqv2mp Saddle Bind up! Saddle
H2280-19 1 Kings 13:27 וַֽ/יַּחֲבֹֽשׁוּ vayachavoshu HC/Vqw3mp And they saddled and they bound and they saddled
H2280-16 2 Kings 4:24 וַֽ/תַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ vatachavosh HC/Vqw3fs and she saddled and she bound and she saddled
H2280-08 Isaiah 1:6 חֻבָּ֔שׁוּ chubashu HVPp3cp bandaged they were bound up they were bandaged
H2280-07 Isaiah 3:7 חֹבֵ֔שׁ chovesh HVqrmsa a binder/healer binding-one one who binds
H2280-02 Isaiah 30:26 חֲבֹ֤שׁ chavosh HVqc binds up to bind securely to bind up
H2280-12 Isaiah 61:1 לַ/חֲבֹ֣שׁ lachavosh HR/Vqc to bind up to bind up to bind up
H2280-15 Ezekiel 16:10 וָ/אֶחְבְּשֵׁ֣/ךְ vaechebeshekhe HC/Vqw1cs/Sp2fs and I wrapped you and I bound you and I wrapped you
H2280-02 Ezekiel 24:17 חֲב֣וֹשׁ chavosh HVqv2ms bind to bind securely bind
H2280-04 Ezekiel 27:24 חֲבֻשִׁ֛ים chavushim HVqsmpa bound bound ones bound ones
H2280-09 Ezekiel 30:21 חֻ֠בְּשָׁה chubeshah HVPp3fs it has been bound up she was tightly bound it was tightly bound
H2280-13 Ezekiel 30:21 לְ/חָבְשָׁ֥/הּ lechaveshah HR/Vqc/Sp3fs to bind it to bind her to bind her
H2280-01 Ezekiel 34:4 חֲבַשְׁתֶּ֔ם chavashetem HVqp2mp you bound up you bound up you bound up
H2280-11 Ezekiel 34:16 אֶחֱבֹ֔שׁ echevosh HVqi1cs I will bind up I bind I will bind up
H2280-22 Hosea 6:1 וְ/יַחְבְּשֵֽׁ/נוּ veyachebeshenu HC/Vqi3ms/Sp1cp and He will bind us up and he will bind us up and he will bind us up
H2280-03 Jonah 2:6 חָב֥וּשׁ chavush HVqsmsa were wrapped bound-up one bound-up one
H2280-14 Psalms 147:3 וּ֝/מְחַבֵּ֗שׁ umechabesh HC/Vprmsa and binds up and binding up and binding up
H2280-23 Job 5:18 וְ/יֶחְבָּ֑שׁ veyechebash HC/Vqi3ms and binds up and he will bind and will bind
H2280-05 Job 28:11 חִבֵּ֑שׁ chibesh HVpp3ms he dams up he bound up he dams up
H2280-24 Job 34:17 יַחֲב֑וֹשׁ yachavosh HVqi3ms govern he will bind up he will bind up
H2280-02 Job 40:13 חֲבֹ֣שׁ chavosh HVqv2ms bind to bind securely bind
← H2279 Hebrew Lexicon H2281 →