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חַתְחַת

𐤇𐤕𐤇𐤕

chathchath

H2849 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חתת to be shattered, to be terrified, to be broken

Definition

A state of intense dread or terror, especially a sudden onset of fear resulting from alarming circumstances. The noun denotes the feeling (or the agent) of abrupt, paralyzing fear, often occasioned by threatening events or divine judgment.

Semantic Range

terror, panic, dread, catastrophic fear, object or agent causing fear, sudden overwhelming fright

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root חַת (ḥ-t-t), which conveys the notion of being broken, shattered, or terrified. חַתְחַת is a reduplicated form, intensifying the core sense of dread or overwhelming fear.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חַתְחַת appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible and carries the sense of overwhelming fright, sometimes personified or depicted as descending upon groups or individuals (e.g., Jer 48:43; Isa 24:17-18). Its usage suggests sudden, inescapable panic linked with catastrophe or pursuit, and it is frequently paired with similar terms (like 'pit' or 'snare') to emphasize the totality of disaster. Standard English translations often render it as 'terror,' but this may not fully represent the visceral dimension implied by the Hebrew. The word reflects both an internal psychological state and an external peril; it is used poetically as part of wordplay, especially in literary patterns (e.g., triple forms in prophetic judgment passages). Notably, later interpreters have sometimes expanded its sense to mean 'object of terror' or 'doom,' but the base meaning is best understood as an intensified terror or panic in the face of danger.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חַת; terror; fear.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חתת (ḥ-t-t) — to be shattered, to be broken, to be terrified

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2844 חַת he was shattered
H2845 חֵת Heth
H2847 חִתָּה shattering-terror of
H2850 חִתִּי and the Hittite
H2851 חִתִּית in their shattering-terror

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2849-01 וְ/חַתְחַתִּ֣ים vechatechatim HC/Ncmpa and terrors shattering terrors 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2849-01 Ecclesiastes 12:5 וְ/חַתְחַתִּ֣ים vechatechatim HC/Ncmpa and terrors shattering terrors
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