Lexical Summary chabat: To beat, to strike, to knock Original Word: חָבַט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance beat off, out, thresh A primitive root; to knock out or off -- beat (off, out), thresh. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to beat off, beat out NASB Translation beat (2), beaten (1), beating (1), threshing (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [חָבַט] verb beat off, beat out (Late Hebrew id.; strike, beat, Arabic  , Aramaic  , חֲבַט) — Qal Imperfect יַחְבֹּט Isaiah 27:12; 3feminine singular וַתַּחְבֹּט Ruth 2:17; 2masculine singular תַּחְבֹּט Deuteronomy 24:20; Participle חֹבֵט Judges 6:11; — 1 beat off, זֵיתְךָ Deuteronomy 24:20. 2 beat out (grain), Gideon חֹבֵט חִטִּים בַּגַּת Judges 6:11, so Ruth 2:17, of small quantities; — distinct from threshing on open floor, with cattle; figurative of ׳יs judgment, and subsequent gathering of Israel Isaiah 27:12 (no object expressed), so Che Di Du; Ges Hi Kn Brd place below 1; VB undecided. Niph`al Imperfect יֵחָ֫בֶט Isaiah 28:27 fennel (קֵצַךְ) beaten out בַּמַּטֶּה. חֲבָיָה, חֲבִיָּה, חֳבָיָה see below חבה. חֶבְיוֺן see below חבה. Topical Lexicon Root Sense and Semantic Field חָבַט describes the vigorous striking or beating necessary to separate a useful part from its encasing husk or branch. Whether olives from boughs, grain from chaff, or seed from pod, the verb points to an intentional, measured force that brings hidden value into the open. Agricultural Practice in Ancient Israel In an agrarian society every household understood the cadence of חָבַט. The action typically followed harvest: olives were knocked from the tree with poles, stalks of grain were laid upon a threshing floor and struck, and aromatic seeds such as cumin were tapped free with lighter rods (Isaiah 28:27). The procedure demanded discernment; too light a stroke left fruit unloosed, too harsh a blow damaged the yield. Thus the verb carries connotations of skillful strength—force harnessed for a productive end. Humanitarian Legislation and Social Compassion (Deuteronomy 24:20) “When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.” The command binds חָבַט to covenant compassion. Even while exercising dominion over the crop, Israel must restrain the instinct to exhaust every resource. The single pass ensured a margin of mercy; what the rod could not dislodge became providential provision for society’s vulnerable. The law models a rhythm of labor, generosity, and trust that the church still emulates in stewardship and benevolence ministries. Personal Deliverance and Hidden Provision (Judges 6:11) Gideon is introduced while “threshing [חָבַט] wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.” The verb frames a scene of quiet resistance. Under oppression, Israel’s grain is scarce, and Gideon performs the beating in secrecy. Yet precisely there the Angel of the LORD appears, commissioning him as deliverer. The narrative shows God meeting His people in the ordinary work of חָבַט and transforming it into a platform for national salvation. Ministers today find encouragement that mundane faithfulness, even in constricted spaces, can attract divine visitation. Provision for the Outsider (Ruth 2:17) “So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.” Ruth, a Moabite widow, labors at the gleaning permitted by Deuteronomy’s law. Her evening חָבַט both validates Boaz’s kindness and underlines her diligence. The ephah she carries back previews the overflowing blessing she and Naomi will receive. The episode demonstrates that God’s redemptive plan welcomes the foreigner through the very mechanism intended for Israel’s poor, foreshadowing the grafting in of the nations. Prophetic Imagery of End-Time Gathering (Isaiah 27:12) “In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered one by one.” Here חָבַט becomes a divine action. The same discerning blows that separate grain will separate people unto salvation, not in bulk but “one by one.” The picture balances universality (“from the Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt”) with individual care. Eschatologically, the Lord’s harvesting strokes will be both wide-reaching and personally attentive. Measured Judgment and Gentle Instruction (Isaiah 28:27) “Caraway is not threshed with a sledge… but caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick.” The prophet highlights agricultural wisdom to rebuke Judah’s leaders: God’s judgments are never indiscriminate. Just as a farmer selects the appropriate instrument and pressure, the Lord tailors discipline to the nature of His people, preserving their integrity while removing impurity. Pastoral application flows naturally: correction within the church must imitate the Lord’s calibrated rod, firm yet restorative. Patterns of Separation and Revelation in Redemptive History Across its five occurrences חָבַט consistently serves a revelatory purpose: Each context underscores that the striking is never random. The blows expose, liberate, and refine, anticipating the greater threshing accomplished by Christ, who endured the rod of judgment that many sons might be brought to glory. Ministry Implications 1. Stewardship and Mercy: Leave margins when “beating the olives”; design budgets and schedules that intentionally reserve resources for the needy. Thus חָבַט, though a small agricultural verb, opens a robust theology of purposeful impact: divine and human blows that liberate life, sustain the poor, judge sin, and gather the redeemed. Forms and Transliterations וַתַּחְבֹּט֙ ותחבט חֹבֵ֤ט חבט יֵחָ֥בֶט יַחְבֹּ֧ט יחבט תַחְבֹּט֙ תחבט choVet ḥō·ḇêṭ ḥōḇêṭ tachBot ṯaḥ·bōṭ ṯaḥbōṭ vattachBot wat·taḥ·bōṭ wattaḥbōṭ yachBot yaḥ·bōṭ yaḥbōṭ yê·ḥā·ḇeṭ yeChavet yêḥāḇeṭLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 24:20 HEB: כִּ֤י תַחְבֹּט֙ זֵֽיתְךָ֔ לֹ֥א NAS: When you beat your olive tree, KJV: When thou beatest thine olive tree, INT: When beat your olive over Judges 6:11 Ruth 2:17 Isaiah 27:12 Isaiah 28:27 5 Occurrences |
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