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חִטָּה

𐤇𐤈𐤄

chiṭṭâh

H2406 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain wheat (plant and grain)

Definition

A cereal grain, specifically wheat, including both the plant itself and its edible grain. In the Hebrew Bible, חִטָּה refers to the primary cultivated grain used for making bread and as a staple foodstuff. It is distinguished from other grains like barley and spelt, and denotes both the standing crop and harvested product.

Semantic Range

wheat (plant), wheat (grain used for food), the wheat harvest, wheat as a unit of commerce or tribute

Root / Etymology

Root uncertain. Suggested affinity with non-Semitic or substrate agricultural terms (possibly Hittite or Egyptian), as direct cognates in other Semitic languages are not clearly attested. The form is not easily derived from any standard Semitic root with a transparent meaning.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חִטָּה appears frequently in biblical texts among lists of staple crops (e.g., Deuteronomy 8:8, Exodus 9:32) and is almost always paired with other grains, notably barley (שְׂעֹרָה, se'orah). Its preeminence as a crop is connected to the greater value and desirability of wheat in ancient Israelite agriculture, as compared to barley, which was considered coarser and often reserved for animal fodder or for poorer classes. The term signifies both the living plant (before harvest; e.g., Exodus 9:32) and the grain (as commodity or food; e.g., Genesis 30:14). It is not used generically for 'cereal' but specifically for wheat, in contrast with other grain terms. In later biblical and post-biblical Hebrew, חִטָּה continues to refer to wheat, and its significance as the chief grain persists into the Second Temple period and beyond. English translations accurately render the basic sense as 'wheat', though occasional translation as 'corn' in archaic English can be misleading due to the modern North American sense of 'corn.' The word does not indicate flour or bread products themselves, which are denoted by different Hebrew terms.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; wheat, whether the grain or the plant; wheat(-en).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חטה (ḥ-ṭ-h) — wheat (plant and grain)

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2406-03 חִטִּ֗ים chitim HNcfpa wheat wheats 16
H2406-02 חִטָּה֙ chitah HNcfsa wheat wheat 6
H2406-05 הַֽ/חִטִּ֔ים hachitim HTd/Ncfpa the wheat the wheats 3
H2406-07 וְ/הַ/חִטָּ֥ה vehachitah HC/Td/Ncfsa But the wheat and the wheat 1
H2406-08 וְ/הַ/חִטִּ֥ים vehachitim HC/Td/Ncfpa and the wheat the wheats 1
H2406-01 בְּ/חִטֵּ֣י bechitey HR/Ncfpc with wheat in wheats of 1
H2406-06 וְ/חִטִּ֥ים vechitim HC/Ncfpa and wheat wheat grains 1
H2406-04 חִטִּ֡ין chitin HNcfpa wheat wheat grains 1

Occurrences in Scripture

30 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2406-03 Genesis 30:14 חִטִּ֗ים chitim HNcfpa wheat wheats
H2406-07 Exodus 9:32 וְ/הַ/חִטָּ֥ה vehachitah HC/Td/Ncfsa But the wheat and the wheat
H2406-03 Exodus 29:2 חִטִּ֖ים chitim HNcfpa of wheat wheats
H2406-03 Exodus 34:22 חִטִּ֑ים chitim HNcfpa wheat wheats
H2406-02 Deuteronomy 8:8 חִטָּה֙ chitah HNcfsa of wheat wheat
H2406-02 Deuteronomy 32:14 חִטָּ֑ה chitah HNcfsa wheat wheat
H2406-03 Judges 6:11 חִטִּים֙ chitim HNcfpa wheat wheats
H2406-03 Judges 15:1 חִטִּ֗ים chitim HNcfpa wheat wheats
H2406-03 1 Samuel 6:13 חִטִּ֖ים chitim HNcfpa wheat wheats
H2406-03 1 Samuel 12:17 חִטִּים֙ chitim HNcfpa of wheat wheats
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