### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **chakkâh**, represented by `{{H2443}}`, translates as **hook** or **angle**. It appears **3 times** across **3 unique verses** in the Bible. The definition, "a hook (as adhering); angle, hook," points to its use as a tool for capturing or fishing.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In scripture, `{{H2443}}` is consistently used in the context of fishing and capturing. It appears in a rhetorical question about man's inability to subdue the mighty leviathan, asking, "Canst thou draw out leviathan with an **hook**?" [[Job 41:1]]. In Isaiah, it describes the tools of fishermen who "cast **angle** into the brooks" and are now in a state of mourning [[Isaiah 19:8]]. Habakkuk uses the term metaphorically to describe an enemy army capturing people, stating, "They take up all of them with the **angle**" [[Habakkuk 1:15]], alongside other fishing implements.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the context and action associated with the **hook**:
* `{{H1771}}` **dayâg** (fisher): This is the person who uses the hook. The **fishers** are described as mourning and lamenting when their work fails [[Isaiah 19:8]].
* `{{H4365}}` **mikmereth** (drag, net): Often mentioned alongside the hook, this term refers to other fishing equipment like a **drag** or **net** used for gathering a catch ([[Habakkuk 1:15]], [[Isaiah 19:8]]).
* `{{H2764}}` **chêrem** (net, curse): This word for **net** appears with the hook in [[Habakkuk 1:15]] but also carries a figurative meaning of a "doomed object" or **curse**, linking the act of capture to destruction.
* `{{H7993}}` **shâlak** (cast): This verb describes the action of using the hook, as when the fishers **cast** their angle into the water [[Isaiah 19:8]].
### Theological Significance
The theological and metaphorical weight of `{{H2443}}` is significant despite its infrequent use.
* **Instrument of Judgment:** The hook is used figuratively to represent the tools of an oppressing army capturing people, treating them like fish [[Habakkuk 1:15]]. The captors rejoice over their success, showing misplaced faith in their own instruments of power.
* **Symbol of Human Frailty:** In Job, the question "Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook?" [[Job 41:1]] emphasizes the limits of human strength against a powerful, untamable creature, pointing to a power beyond man's control.
* **Livelihood and Despair:** The hook represents the livelihood of the fishers in Isaiah. When their efforts are rendered useless, they "shall mourn" and "shall lament" [[Isaiah 19:8]], showing how the failure of this simple tool can signify complete desolation.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H2443}}` **chakkâh** moves from its literal meaning as a simple fishing **hook** to a powerful symbol in scripture. It represents the means of capture, whether for sustenance, in judgment against a nation, or in the humbling context of humanity's inability to control all of creation. The use of this word illustrates how a common object can convey profound themes of power, divine judgment, and human limitation.
TRV