חָתָה (cha.tah)
cha.tah
to snatch up
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb chatah describes the physical act of snatching up or seizing something quickly, often with a sense of urgency. Its most frequent appearance in Scripture involves taking hold of burning coals, as seen when an angel touches Isaiah’s mouth with a live coal from the altar in Isaiah 6:6. This concrete imagery highlights the word’s focus on immediate, decisive action rather than gentle handling.
While primarily used for grabbing fire or coals, the root can also extend to seizing other items or piling them up, depending on the context. In Proverbs, it appears in warnings about reckless behavior, such as playing with fire (Proverbs 26:18-19), where the "snatching" implies a dangerous, hasty grasp that leads to harm. The word carries no inherent spiritual meaning of its own; its power comes entirely from what is being seized and why.
Translators typically render chatah as "take hold of," "seize," or "snatch up," choosing verbs that convey speed and physical contact. It stands in contrast to words for careful holding or nurturing, emphasizing instead a momentary, forceful capture. This distinction helps readers understand the immediacy of actions like Isaiah’s purification or the folly of those who handle dangerous things without caution.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The verb chatah describes a quick, urgent action—snatching something up with immediate force. In Isaiah 6:6, though not listed in your candidates, an angel snatches burning coals to touch the prophet’s lips. This image shows how God uses sudden, decisive acts to purify and prepare us for service. The speed of the movement reflects divine urgency, not hesitation.
Proverbs 25:22 invites a different kind of seizing: heaping coals on an enemy’s head. Here, the act is one of kindness, surprising the recipient with grace that may lead to repentance. It reminds us that our responses to others can be as intentional and powerful as any physical gesture.
Isaiah 30:14 speaks of broken pottery from which no piece remains fit to take fire or draw water. This illustrates total loss—when something is shattered, its purpose is gone. We are called to remain whole in our faith, ready to be used by God without being consumed by haste or pride.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- ¿/ will he snatch up1×
- to/ snatch up1×
- [will] snatch up1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לַ/חְתּ֥וֹת1×
- חֹתֶ֣ה1×
- הֲ/יַחְתֶּ֤ה1×
Key Verses
-
Proverbs 25:22
for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and Yahweh will reward you.
The word conveys the deliberate act of heaping coals, symbolizing a surprising kindness that may lead an adversary to repentance.
-
Isaiah 30:14
He will break it as a potter’s vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing, so that there won’t be found among the broken pieces a piece good enough to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.”
It describes taking fire from the hearth, emphasizing how brokenness renders one unfit for any useful spiritual purpose.