חֹבְלִים
chov.lim
union
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# חֹבְלִים (Chov.lim) – Union The Hebrew term חֹבְלִים (chov.lim) carries the meaning of "union" and appears only twice in the biblical text. This rarity makes it a specialized term rather than a common vocabulary item. The limited attestation suggests the word referred to a specific concept or practice that was not frequently discussed in the texts that survived in the biblical canon. Without access to the specific passages where this word appears or the broader context of its usage, the definition "union" indicates the term likely referred to some form of binding together, joining, or collective arrangement. Given that it occurs precisely twice, these two instances would be crucial to understanding whether the term was applied consistently to similar phenomena or whether it had somewhat different applications depending on context. The scarcity of this lexeme in biblical Hebrew makes it a valuable indicator of specialized vocabulary in ancient Israelite culture. Words that appear only twice often reflect particular historical moments, technical practices, or concepts that held limited relevance to the broader biblical narrative. Any thorough understanding of חֹבְלִים would require close examination of its two occurrences and their respective contexts.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences across the text
So I fed the flock of slaughter, especially the oppressed of the flock. I took for myself two staffs. The one I called “Favor”, and the other I called “Union”, and I fed the flock.
Zechariah 11:14Then I cut apart my other staff, even Union, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.