Word Study for H2614 (חָנַק) | Strong's Concordance

chânaq /khaw-nak'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root (compare חָנַךְ)

Meaningto be narrow; by implication, to throttle, or (reflex.) to choke oneself to death (by a rope)

KJV usagehang self, strangle.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of chânaq — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word chânaq, represented by H2614, is a primitive root meaning to be narrow. By implication, it means to throttle, or reflexively, to choke oneself to death by a rope. It is used in the specific actions of hanging oneself or strangling. This word is very rare, appearing only 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The two uses of H2614 illustrate its distinct applications. In the historical narrative of 2 Samuel, the word describes a deliberate act of suicide. When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he "hanged H2614 himself, and died, and was buried" 2 Samuel 17:23. In the prophetic book of Nahum, the term is used metaphorically to describe the ferocity of a predator, where the lion "strangled H2614 for his lionesses" Nahum 2:12, filling his den with prey.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words are contextually linked to the action of H2614, particularly in the account of Ahithophel:

H4191 mûwth: a primitive root; to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill; [idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) wise. This word immediately follows chânaq in Ahithophel's story, showing the direct result of his action 2 Samuel 17:23.
H6912 qâbar: a primitive root; to inter; [idiom] in any wise, bury(-ier). This word describes the final action taken after Ahithophel hanged himself and died, completing the sequence of events 2 Samuel 17:23.

Theological Significance

The significance of H2614 is found in its depiction of finality and violence.

Act of Self-Destruction: The term is used to document the ultimate act of despair. In the case of Ahithophel, his response to his counsel being rejected was to set his house in order and then hang himself, an irreversible act that led to his death 2 Samuel 17:23.
Predatory Violence: In Nahum, the word captures the raw, violent nature of a lion providing for its family. The act of strangling prey is a metaphor for overwhelming and deadly force Nahum 2:12.

Summary

In summary, H2614 is a precise and potent word used to describe death by constriction. Though it appears only twice, it effectively conveys two different scenarios: the deliberate, self-inflicted death of a man in despair 2 Samuel 17:23 and the violent, predatory act of an animal hunting Nahum 2:12. In both instances, chânaq denotes a fatal and conclusive action.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

יֵּחָנַק
מְחַנֵּק

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in 2 Samuel and Nahum (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

2 Samuel

Nahum

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.