Word Study for H2846 (חָתָה) | Strong's Concordance

châthâh /khaw-thaw'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto lay hold of; especially to pick up fire

KJV usageheap, take (away).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of châthâh — 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 châthâh, represented by H2846, is a primitive root meaning to lay hold of; especially to pick up fire; heap, take (away). It is a rare term, appearing only 4 times across 4 unique verses in the Bible, often in vivid, metaphorical contexts.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H2846 describes the act of taking or gathering, particularly with fire. Proverbs uses it to pose a rhetorical question about the consequences of sin, asking if a man can take fire in his bosom without being burned Proverbs 6:27. In Isaiah, it illustrates utter destruction, where a shattered vessel is so broken that not even a sherd can be found to take fire from a hearth Isaiah 30:14. It is also used to describe the act of heaping coals of fire on an enemy's head Proverbs 25:22, and as a term for God's judgment, where He will take away the wicked Psalms 52:5.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words expand on the themes of destruction and removal associated with châthâh:

H5422 nâthats: This primitive root means to tear down. It is often used in commands to destroy idolatrous altars Exodus 34:13 and is used alongside H2846 to describe God's judgment Psalms 52:5.
H5255 nâçach: Meaning to tear away; destroy, pluck, root, this word parallels the action of H2846 in Psalms 52:5. It describes the LORD's action to destroy the house of the proud Proverbs 15:25.
H8327 shârash: This root means to root... or (by implication) to pluck from it. It appears with H2846 in the declaration that God will root out the wicked from the land of the living Psalms 52:5.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H2846 is centered on the concepts of consequence and judgment.

Inevitable Consequence: The use of the word in Proverbs serves as a powerful illustration that certain actions have unavoidable, damaging results, much like trying to take fire into one's lap Proverbs 6:27.
Utter Ruin: In the context of judgment, H2846 helps paint a picture of complete and irreversible destruction, where nothing of value can be salvaged or taken from the wreckage Isaiah 30:14.
Divine Action: The word is used to describe God's active role in judgment, where He will personally take away and remove the wicked from their place of security Psalms 52:5.

Summary

In summary, H2846 is a specific and impactful word that, despite its infrequent use, carries significant meaning. Primarily associated with the act of taking or heaping fire, it functions as a potent metaphor for the tangible consequences of sin, the totality of divine judgment, and the active removal of wickedness by God.

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 4 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Qal Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 2×
Qal Infinitive Construct 1×
Qal Participle Singular Masculine Absolute 1×

Singular: One.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Qal: The simple, basic stem — plain action in the active voice.
Absolute: The independent form of a noun (not bound to another).
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

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 4 verses across 3 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Proverbs (2 verses); never once in the other 36.

Psalms

Proverbs

Isaiah

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, 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.