חָכָה
cha.khah
to wait
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "חָכָה" (cha.khah), with Strong's number H2442, primarily conveys the concept of waiting. This action involves a pause in movement or activity, often accompanied by a sense of anticipation or expectation. In its semantic domain of Movement & Travel, "חָכָה" suggests a halt or delay in physical movement. The word is used 14 times in the Hebrew Bible, indicating its significance in the narrative. Its range of usage spans various contexts, including the waiting for God's guidance (Exodus 4:31), waiting for a promised outcome (Psalm 130:5), and waiting in anticipation of a future event (1 Samuel 10:27). Given its consistent association with concepts of pause, anticipation, or expectation, "חָכָה" holds importance in understanding how characters and communities respond to delays or uncertainties in the biblical narrative. Its repetition underscores the significance of patience and anticipation in the face of uncertainty.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
14 total occurrences across the text
Who long for death, but it doesn’t come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,
Job 32:4Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were elder than he.
Psalms 33:20Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield.
Psalms 106:13They soon forgot his works. They didn’t wait for his counsel,
Isaiah 8:17I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
Isaiah 30:18Therefore Yahweh will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you, for Yahweh is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.
Isaiah 30:18Therefore Yahweh will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you, for Yahweh is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.
Isaiah 64:4For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him.
Daniel 12:12Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred thirty-five days.
Hosea 6:9As gangs of robbers wait to ambush a man, so the company of priests murder on the path toward Shechem, committing shameful crimes.
Habakkuk 2:3For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hurries toward the end, and won’t prove false. Though it takes time, wait for it; because it will surely come. It won’t delay.
Zephaniah 3:8“Therefore wait for me”, says Yahweh, “until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour on them my indignation, even all my fierce anger, for all the earth will be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
2 Kings 7:9Then they said to one another, “We aren’t doing right. Today is a day of good news, and we keep silent. If we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let’s go and tell the king’s household.”
2 Kings 9:3Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Yahweh says, “I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ Then open the door, flee, and don’t wait.”