Lexical Summary chobel: Pledge, surety, security Original Word: חֹבֵל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance pilot, shipmaster Active participle from chabal (in the sense of handling ropes); a sailor -- pilot, shipmaster. see HEBREW chabal NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chebel Definition sailor NASB Translation captain* (1), pilots (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs חֹבֵל noun masculine sailor (denominative from חֶבֶל; i.e. rope-puller) — חֹבְלֵי הַיָּם Ezekiel 27:29; חֹבְלָ֑יִךְ Ezekiel 27:8,27,28; collective רַב הַחֹבֵל i.e. the captain Jonah 1:6. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Scope of the Term חֹבֵל denotes a professional seafarer—one who navigates, steers, and takes command of a vessel. In its five Old Testament appearances the word highlights those whose expertise keeps ships on course, whether in the bustling trade routes of Tyre or the storm-tossed Mediterranean that Jonah tries to cross. Occurrences in Scripture 1. Ezekiel 27:8 – Tyre’s shipmasters are praised for their skill: “The men of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you; they were your sailors.” Historical and Cultural Setting Seafaring in the ancient Near East was vital to international commerce, military power, and cultural exchange. The sailors of Tyre represented the pinnacle of maritime technology and economic reach in the eighth–sixth centuries BC. Their skills allowed the Phoenician city-state to dominate trade from the Red Sea to the Atlantic. By contrast, the ship in Jonah is likely a Phoenician or Cypriot merchant vessel plying the route from Joppa toward Tarshish (Spain). In both contexts, חֹבֵל points to trained professionals whose livelihood depends on reading winds, currents, and stars—apt metaphors for human reliance on expertise rather than on the LORD. Theological Insights 1. Divine Sovereignty over Human Expertise. The most accomplished sailors cannot avert Tyre’s ruin (Ezekiel 27) or Jonah’s storm (Jonah 1). Human mastery meets its boundary at God’s decree. Ministry Significance • Marketplace Witness: Sailors were global citizens, carrying news, goods, and religious ideas across the Mediterranean. Modern professionals in global industries occupy a similar missional frontier. Foreshadowing Christ and the Gospel While the Old Testament mariner often stands powerless before judgment, the Gospels present Jesus Christ as the Lord of the sea, calming storms with a word (Mark 4:39). The contrast underscores His unique authority: where חֹבֵל reaches its limits, Christ begins His display of dominion, inviting all who labor on life’s turbulent waters to find rest in Him. Key Takeaways for Believers • Acknowledge God’s supremacy over every sphere of human expertise. Forms and Transliterations הַחֹבֵ֔ל החבל וְחֹבְלָ֑יִךְ וחבליך חֹבְלֵ֣י חֹבְלָ֑יִךְ חֹבְלָֽיִךְ׃ חבלי חבליך חבליך׃ choeLayich choeLei ha·ḥō·ḇêl hachoVel haḥōḇêl ḥō·ḇə·lā·yiḵ ḥō·ḇə·lê ḥōḇəlāyiḵ ḥōḇəlê vechoeLayich wə·ḥō·ḇə·lā·yiḵ wəḥōḇəlāyiḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 27:8 HEB: בָ֔ךְ הֵ֖מָּה חֹבְלָֽיִךְ׃ NAS: O Tyre, were aboard; they were your pilots. KJV: [men], O Tyrus, [that] were in thee, were thy pilots. INT: become they were your pilots Ezekiel 27:27 Ezekiel 27:28 Ezekiel 27:29 Jonah 1:6 5 Occurrences |
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