חָתַל

# H2853 (חָתַל): To Entwine The Hebrew verb *chatal* means "to entwine," describing the physical action of twisting or wrapping things together in an interlocked pattern. The word appears only twice in the biblical text, which suggests it was either a specialized term used in particular contexts or a less common way of expressing this concept compared to other Hebrew verbs. The rarity of this word—appearing just twice in the entire Bible—limits our ability to establish a broad range of meanings or applications. However, the core semantic field involves interlacing or binding materials together. Without access to the specific biblical passages where it occurs, we cannot determine whether the entwining described involved rope, fiber, branches, or other materials, nor can we assess whether the term carried metaphorical significance beyond its literal meaning. The limited occurrences make *chatal* a peripheral rather than central vocabulary item in biblical Hebrew, likely reserved for describing a particular technical action that biblical authors encountered only occasionally in narrative, legal, or descriptive contexts.