חָתַךְ
𐤇𐤕𐤊
châthak
H2852 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To cut, sever, divide (physically); to decide or determine (figuratively); to make a definitive judgment, apportion, prescribe. The primary meaning involves a physical act of cutting or dividing, while figurative uses extend to legal, judicial, and administrative contexts in which a decision is made or an allotment is assigned.
Semantic Range
to cut, to sever, to divide, to apportion, to decide, to determine, to decree, to prescribe
Root / Etymology
Root ח-ת-ךּ (חָתַךְ) is a common Semitic root meaning 'to cut' or 'to sever.' The verb form is used in Hebrew as a basic root, with related forms and cognates in other Semitic languages (cf. Aramaic חְתַךְ, Arabic خَتَكَ). The sense of 'to decree' or 'determine' develops from the idea of 'cutting' or 'fixing' a decision or fate.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חָתַךְ is used in the Hebrew Bible in both concrete and metaphorical senses. In concrete contexts it indicates cutting or dividing physical objects (e.g., flesh, material, land). More rarely, it is used metaphorically, especially in exilic and post-exilic texts (cf. Daniel 9:24), where the sense is extended to decisive acts such as decreeing or determining periods of time or destinies. The metaphor arises from the conceptual link between 'cutting' and issuing a clear, fixed verdict or allocation. English translations tend to render the figurative sense as 'decree,' 'determine,' or 'apportion,' but this can obscure the underlying imagery of severing or marking out by division. Unlike other Hebrew words for 'cut' (e.g., קָרַת), חָתַךְ carries specific nuance when used in legal and prophetic texts. Later usage in post-biblical Hebrew continues the figurative sense, particularly in judicial language.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to cut off, i.e. (figuratively) to decree; determine.
Bantu Hebrew
| Language | Bantu Word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bemba | kata | to cut | |
| Chichewa | katha | to be used up, exhausted (from cutting off) | |
| Chokwe | kata | to cut | |
| Kikongo | kata | to cut | |
| Kikuyu | gata | to cut |
Root Family
חָתַךְ (châthak) — to cut, to sever, to divide
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2852-01 |
נֶחְתַּ֥ךְ | nechetakhe | HVNp3ms |
have been decreed | was cut off | have been decreed | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2852-01 |
Daniel 9:24 | נֶחְתַּ֥ךְ | nechetakhe | HVNp3ms |
have been decreed | was cut off | have been decreed |