2245. chabab

Lexical Summary

chabab: To love, to cherish, to embrace

Original Word: חָבַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chabab
Pronunciation: khaw-bab'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-bab')
KJV: love
NASB: loves
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to hide (as in the bosom), i.e. to cherish (with affection)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

love

A primitive root (compare chaba', chabah); properly, to hide (as in the bosom), i.e. To cherish (with affection) -- love.

see HEBREW chaba'

see HEBREW chabah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to love
NASB Translation
loves (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[חָבַב] verb love (Late Hebrew Pi`el id.; Arabic be loved; Ethiopic amore alicujus incendi Di; Aramaic kindle, be set on fire, , חַבֵּב love, embrace, חוּבָּא bosom) —

Qal Participle אַף חֹבֵב עַמִּים Deuteronomy 33:3 (Di reads עַמּוֺ, compare ᵐ5).

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Occurrence

חָבַב appears once, in Moses’ closing benediction over Israel: “Indeed, He loves the people; all Your holy ones are in Your hand. They follow in Your steps and accept Your words” (Deuteronomy 33:3).

Literary Context

The verb lies at the heart of the “Blessing of Moses,” a passage that functions as a covenantal epilogue to the Pentateuch. Moses is about to ascend Mount Nebo and die (Deuteronomy 34:1–5). Before his departure he pronounces a Spirit-inspired oracle that both celebrates YHWH’s past faithfulness and anticipates Israel’s future inheritance. The single word “loves” (חָבַב) captures the tenor of the entire blessing: the tribes are cherished, protected, taught, and commissioned.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Affection
• While אָהֵב (to love) is the common term for affection, חָבַב intensifies the thought by portraying love that encircles and guards. The image is not merely emotional warmth but a fierce, covenantal embrace (cf. Deuteronomy 7:7–8).
• Divine love is the ground of election. Israel’s identity rests on God’s prior choice, not on their numerical strength or righteousness (Deuteronomy 9:5).

2. Preservation of the Saints
• “All Your holy ones are in Your hand” evokes a shepherd cupping his flock. The phrase anticipates promises of secure preservation later echoed by Jesus: “No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29).

3. Discipleship and Submission
• The cherished people “follow in Your steps and accept Your words.” Love produces obedience. This pattern runs through Scripture: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3).

4. Holiness through Proximity
• The verse situates Israel at the Lord’s feet, a Rabbinic posture of learning. It prefigures the messianic call, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me” (Matthew 11:29).

Historical Significance

Moses speaks on the plains of Moab after forty years of wilderness testing. The people are poised to enter Canaan; their new leader Joshua will soon march forward. In that liminal moment, Moses assures them that history will unfold under the canopy of God’s cherishing love. Later prophets invoke the same motif when confronting apostasy (for example, Hosea 11:1–4) or encouraging faithfulness amid exile (Isaiah 43:1–4).

Redemptive Trajectory

חָבַב opens a canonical line that culminates in the New Covenant revelation of divine love at the cross. Paul writes, “God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The particular love shown to Israel in Deuteronomy foreshadows the universal offer of salvation in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:8).

Liturgical and Devotional Use

Jewish tradition reads Deuteronomy 33 on Simchat Torah, celebrating the gift of the Law. Christian hymnody echoes the theme in songs such as “Jesus Loves Me” and “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” emphasizing the same protective affection. In personal devotion, Deuteronomy 33:3 furnishes a prayer of assurance before undertaking new ventures or leadership transitions.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Assurance for Believers

The verb invites pastors to ground congregational identity in God’s initiative, combating performance-based spirituality.
• Leadership Model

Moses, though barred from Canaan, blesses the people he once chastised. Servant-leaders cherish those they serve even when personal dreams go unfulfilled.
• Discipleship Strategy

Instruction (“accept Your words”) flows from experienced love. Effective teaching couples doctrinal clarity with relational warmth.
• Missional Motivation

The same hand that held Israel now gathers a multinational church (Revelation 5:9). Evangelism springs from confidence that God already cherishes those He sends us to reach.

Christological Fulfillment

Jesus embodies חָבַב. At His baptism the Father declares, “You are My beloved Son” (Mark 1:11). In the Upper Room He assures His disciples, “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you” (John 15:9). On the cross He “loved [His own] to the very end” (John 13:1). The singular Old Testament occurrence explodes into fullest meaning in the person and work of Christ.

Summary

חָבַב, though rare in form, occupies a rich theological landscape: covenantal election, secure preservation, obedient discipleship, and Messianic fulfillment. It reminds every generation that the God who shepherded Israel still cherishes His people, holds them fast, and leads them forward by His Word.

Forms and Transliterations

חֹבֵ֣ב חבב choVev ḥō·ḇêḇ ḥōḇêḇ

Englishman's Concordance

Deuteronomy 33:3
HEB: אַ֚ף חֹבֵ֣ב עַמִּ֔ים כָּל־
NAS: Indeed, He loves the people; All
KJV: Yea, he loved the people;
INT: Indeed loves the people All

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2245
1 Occurrence

ḥō·ḇêḇ — 1 Occ.