H2852 — חָתַךְ (châthak)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H2852
Original: חָתַךְ
Transliteration: châthak
Pronunciation: khaw-thak'
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: חָתַךְ (châthak) — primitive root; to cut off, decree
Occurrences: 1 in OT
First Occurrence: Daniel 9:24 — "Seventy weeks are determined (châthak) upon thy people"
Hapax Legomenon: YES — this word appears only once in the entire OT

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; properly, to cut off, i.e. (figuratively) to decree. KJV: "determine."

The physical root meaning is cutting — severing a portion from a whole. The figurative extension to "decree" or "determine" follows the same semantic path as several other Hebrew "cut" verbs (see Easily Confused Words below): an authoritative decision cuts off or marks out a defined portion from an undefined whole.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Meaning
Niphal	1	be determined, be decreed (passive)

The sole occurrence is Niphal Perfect 3ms (נֶחְתַּ֥ךְ), indicating a passive sense: the seventy weeks "have been cut off / decreed" — the action comes from a divine agent, not a human one.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
are determined	1	100%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Daniel	1	0.3

Total: 1 occurrence in 1 book. Exclusive to the apocalyptic/prophetic genre — specifically the 70-weeks prophecy.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Decreeing / Allotting a Fixed Period¶

Dan 9:24 — "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."

The cutting metaphor conveys precision: a specific quantity (70 weeks) is cut off from the larger flow of time and assigned a definite purpose. The Niphal stem indicates divine passive — God is the unstated agent who decrees.

Common Collocations¶

Since châthak is a hapax, all co-occurrences come from Daniel 9:24 only (1x each). The theologically significant ones are:

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
שָׁבוּעַ (shabua')	H7620	1x	"weeks are determined" — the time unit being cut off
שִׁבְעִים (shib'iym)	H7657	1x	"seventy weeks" — quantity of the decreed period
עַם ('am)	H5971	1x	"upon thy people" — the subjects of the decree
פֶּשַׁע (pesha')	H6588	1x	"to finish the transgression" — first purpose of the period
חַטָּאָה (chatta'ah)	H2403	1x	"to make an end of sins" — sin-ending purpose
כָּפַר (kaphar)	H3722	1x	"to make reconciliation for iniquity" — atonement purpose
צֶדֶק (tsedeq)	H6664	1x	"to bring in everlasting righteousness" — righteousness purpose
חָתַם (chatham)	H2856	1x	"to seal up the vision" — sealing purpose
מָשַׁח (mashach)	H4886	1x	"to anoint the most Holy" — anointing purpose

Word Family / Cognates¶

No cognates or derived nouns are attested in biblical Hebrew. The root חתך appears only here.

Synonyms¶

No synonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for H2852.

Antonyms¶

No antonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for H2852.

Easily Confused Words¶

Several Hebrew verbs share the semantic field of "cutting → decreeing/determining":

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
חָרַץ (chârats)	H2782	"determined," "decreed" (12x)	Means "to sharpen, decide" — emphasis on sharpness/decisiveness. Also in Daniel (9:26, 27; 11:36) for irrevocable decrees.
כָּלָה (kâlâh)	H3615	"determined" (4x)	Means "to complete, consume, finish" — emphasis on bringing to an end. Used for determined destruction (Dan 9:24; 11:36).
גָּזַר (gâzar)	H1504	"decree," "cut off" (13x)	Means "to cut, divide" — broader usage including physical cutting (1 Kgs 3:25) and being cut off from community (Isa 53:8).
כָּרַת (kârath)	H3772	"cut off" (288x)	The dominant "cut off" verb — used for covenant-making ("cut a covenant"), physical cutting, and divine judgment. Also in Dan 9:26 ("Messiah shall be cut off").

Note: חָתַם (châtham, H2856) — "to seal" — is phonetically similar to châthak and appears in the same verse (Dan 9:24, "seal up the vision"). Despite the similar consonants (חתך vs. חתם), the roots are unrelated: châthak = cut off; châtham = close up, seal.

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[002004002013] Think — search_relationships.py places châthak in a deliberation / deciding field with neighbors such as H6/A7 אבד, A230 אַזְדָּא, H238/H239 אזן, and H322 אֲחֹרַנִּית.

LXX Mapping¶

No LXX alignment data available for this hapax. The Theodotion Greek translation of Daniel 9:24 uses συνετμήθησαν (synetmēthēsan) from συντέμνω (syntemnō, "to cut short"), preserving the cutting metaphor. The LXX/OG translation uses ἐκρίθησαν (ekrithēsan) from κρίνω (krinō, "to judge, decide").