חָצָץ (cha.tsats)
cha.tsats
gravel
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun cha.tsats refers to small stones or gravel, specifically pieces of rock that have been broken down into loose fragments. Its root suggests a process of division or comminution, highlighting how solid ground can be reduced to scattered, unstable debris. This imagery captures the physical reality of rough, uneven terrain where footing is difficult to maintain.
In Scripture, this word appears in just two verses, both within the poetic books of Lamentations and Proverbs. In Lamentations 3:1-2, the speaker describes his affliction by saying God has driven him into darkness without light, comparing his condition to dwelling in a place of desolation and deep gloom, akin to walking on gravel or broken stone. The metaphor emphasizes instability and discomfort.
Translators typically render cha.tsats as "gravel" or "broken stones," preserving the sense of roughness and lack of smoothness. This concrete detail grounds the emotional weight of the text in physical experience, illustrating how spiritual or emotional distress can feel like navigating a landscape that offers no secure path.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Life sometimes feels like walking on loose gravel, where every step is uncertain and your footing slips beneath you. The Hebrew word for gravel, chatsats, describes small, broken stones that offer no stability. When the writer of Lamentations speaks of having his teeth broken by gravel, he uses this harsh image to show how deep affliction can wear us down physically and emotionally.
This imagery reminds us that suffering is real and often uncomfortable. It does not promise an easy path, but it validates our pain. When we feel unstable or worn out, we are not alone in experiencing the rough terrain of life. God sees the weight we carry, even when the ground beneath us feels like scattered debris.
Yet, this raw honesty in Scripture invites us to bring our struggles to Him without pretense. We do not need to smooth over our pain or hide our exhaustion. Instead, we can find comfort in knowing that our Creator understands the weight of brokenness and walks with us through the hardest places.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- with <the>/ gravel1×
- gravel1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חָצָֽץ\׃1×
- בֶּֽ/חָצָץ֙1×
Key Verses
-
Lamentations 3:16
He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.
This verse uses gravel to describe physical pain and humiliation, showing how affliction can feel like being ground down by harsh, unyielding forces.
-
Proverbs 20:17
Fraudulent food is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth is filled with gravel.
Here, gravel represents the bitter aftermath of deceit, contrasting the initial sweetness of wrong actions with their eventual rough and painful consequences.