חָתַךְ (cha.takh)
cha.takh
to determine
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb chatakh carries the core meaning of cutting or dividing, but in Scripture it appears exclusively in the Niphal stem with a specialized sense: to be determined, decreed, or settled. This single form transforms the physical act of cutting into an abstract concept of finality. It suggests that something has been decisively marked out or fixed in place, leaving no room for further alteration.
This word appears only once in the Old Testament, in Daniel 9:24. Here it describes the seven "seventy weeks" decreed for Israel. The usage implies a divine decision that has been firmly established and sealed. The imagery of cutting or dividing points to a boundary being set, after which the outcome is certain and unchangeable.
Translators typically render this as "determined" or "decreed," capturing the weight of a settled decree. The rarity of the word highlights its specific function: it does not describe a process in motion, but a finished decision. It marks the moment when God’s purpose is fixed, much like a line cut into stone cannot be erased.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word chatakh appears only once in the Old Testament, yet it carries immense weight. In Daniel 9:24, it describes seventy weeks that are 'decreed' for Israel. The imagery comes from cutting or dividing, suggesting a boundary that has been firmly set. This is not a vague hope but a settled divine decision.
For your faith, this offers deep comfort. It means God’s plans are not drifting or uncertain. When Scripture speaks of what is decreed, it points to a purpose that cannot be erased or altered. You can trust that the outcomes God has marked out for His people are secure and final.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it has been decreed1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נֶחְתַּ֥ךְ1×
Key Verses
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Daniel 9:24
“Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
This verse uses chatakh to show that the seventy weeks were a fixed divine decree, not a tentative plan.