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חֻקָּה

𐤇𐤒𐤄

chuqqâh

H2708 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חקק to inscribe, engrave, decree

Definition

A formal regulation or decree given as binding, especially in the context of religious, ceremonial, or civil life in ancient Israel. Primarily refers to a decree or statute that is established as a fixed requirement, often associated with ritual, cultic, or legal matters. In certain contexts, it may also refer to prescribed portions, assigned times, or appointed customs based on established ordinance.

Semantic Range

statute, ordinance, decree, prescribed ritual, fixed regulation, customary law, legal enactment, required religious observance, established custom

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root חקק, which means 'to cut, inscribe, engrave.' The noun חֻקָּה is a feminine substantive form and directly related to חֹק (ḥōq), which means 'statute, decree.' While חֹק often stresses the fixed nature of the command (as something written or inscribed), חֻקָּה emphasizes the act or result of setting a law, decree, or ordinance, especially in cultic, ceremonial, or societal contexts.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, חֻקָּה typically appears in legal or cultic language to designate norms, statutes, or rituals that are given divine authority or considered unchangeable. These can be sacrificial regulations (e.g., Lev 10:13, 16:29), ritual requirements for festivals, purification, or priestly service, and other ceremonial decrees. In many passages, חֻקָּה is paired with מִשְׁפָּט ('ordinance,' 'judgment') and תּוֹרָה ('instruction'), each having distinct nuance but often overlapping. The term's association with royal and covenantal language illustrates its binding and enduring quality, distinct from more general terms for 'law.' In later traditions and translations (including the Septuagint and English versions), 'statute' or 'ordinance' is often used, but these may not always convey the strong ritual or covenantal undertone present in the Hebrew usage. The meaning and usage remain fairly stable from the earliest Israelite legal collections through the post-exilic period, although in later texts, it may also acquire the sense of habitual practice or custom.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of חֹק, and meaning substantially the same; {an enactment; hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage)}; appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חקק (ḥ-q-q) — to inscribe, engrave, decree

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2706 חֹק in my prescribed statutes
H2710 חָקַק in his inscribing it
H2711 חֵקֶק inscribed decrees of
H2712 חֻקֹּק Marked-Out Place

Word Forms

19 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2708-07 חֻקּוֹתַ֥/י chuqotay HNcbpc/Sp1cs my statutes my inscribed decrees 21
H2708-05 חֻקַּ֥ת chuqat HNcbsc statute inscribed statute of 20
H2708-02 בְּ/חֻקֹּתַ֖/י bechuqotay HR/Ncbpc/Sp1cs in my statutes in my inscribed decrees 10
H2708-06 חֻקּ֥וֹת chuqot HNcbpc statutes engraved statutes of 9
H2708-12 לְ/חֻקַּ֣ת lechuqat HR/Ncbsc a statute for an inscribed statute of 8
H2708-19 וְ/חֻקֹּתָ֔י/ו vechuqotayv HC/Ncbpc/Sp3ms and his statutes and his inscribed statutes 8
H2708-08 חֻקֹּתָ֥י/ו chuqotayv HNcbpc/Sp3ms his statutes his inscribed statutes 7
H2708-18 וְ/חֻקֹּתַ֔/י vechuqotay HC/Ncbpc/Sp1cs and my statutes and my inscribed decrees 6
H2708-01 בְּ/חֻקֹּ֣ת bechuqot HR/Ncbpc in the statutes in inscribed statutes of 5
H2708-04 חֻקָּ֤ה chuqah HNcbsa statute engraved ordinance 2

Occurrences in Scripture

105 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2708-07 Genesis 26:5 חֻקּוֹתַ֥/י chuqotay HNcbpc/Sp1cs my statutes my inscribed decrees
H2708-05 Exodus 12:14 חֻקַּ֥ת chuqat HNcbsc a statute inscribed statute of
H2708-05 Exodus 12:17 חֻקַּ֥ת chuqat HNcbsc statute inscribed statute of
H2708-05 Exodus 12:43 חֻקַּ֣ת chuqat HNcbsc statute inscribed statute of
H2708-09 Exodus 13:10 הַ/חֻקָּ֥ה hachuqah HTd/Ncbsa the statute the inscribed ordinance
H2708-05 Exodus 27:21 חֻקַּ֤ת chuqat HNcbsc a statute inscribed statute of
H2708-05 Exodus 28:43 חֻקַּ֥ת chuqat HNcbsc a statute inscribed statute of
H2708-12 Exodus 29:9 לְ/חֻקַּ֣ת lechuqat HR/Ncbsc as a statute for an inscribed statute of
H2708-05 Leviticus 3:17 חֻקַּ֤ת chuqat HNcbsc statute inscribed statute of
H2708-05 Leviticus 7:36 חֻקַּ֥ת chuqat HNcbsc statute inscribed statute of
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