2338. chut

Lexical Summary

chut: repairing

Original Word: חוּט
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chuwt
Pronunciation: khoot
Phonetic Spelling: (khoot)
KJV: join
NASB: repairing
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to the root of H2339 (חוּט - thread), perhaps as a denominative]

1. to string together, i.e. (figuratively) to repair

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

join

(Aramaic) corresponding to the root of chuwt, perhaps as a denominative; to string together, i.e. (figuratively) to repair -- join.

see HEBREW chuwt

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to the root of chut
Definition
to repair (foundations)
NASB Translation
repairing (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[חוּט or חִיט] verb repair (foundations); —

Hilph. Imperfect3masculine plural יַחִ֫יטוּ Ezra 4:12 (si vera lectio [Nö^GGA. Nö^{1884, 1018} Str^{§ 13 b}]), rare from for יְהִיטוּן K^{§§ 16, 5. 26. 1} M^{§ 63 g. Anm.}, but perhaps read this, and regard as

Qal (original meaning dubious; Arabic is sew, = ᵑ7 חוּט, Syriac , compare Biblical Hebrew חוּט thread; Syriac Pa. Also join together (so here Schulth^ZAW Schulth^{xxii (1902).} Schulth^162Anm.), compare Arabic conjunxit trabes (de Goeje^{Bibl. Geogr. Arab., Participle iv (1879), Glossary 231: compare Participle viii (1894), Glossary P. xx}); Frä^{ZAW xix (1899), 180} conjecture pull down and clear away (for rebuilding), compare —aia‰u Dl^{WB 274}; Jen^{KB vi. 344} compare Assyrian —â‰u, observe, learn Dl^WB I. היט), i.e. examine, test; Hpt^{Gu. Ezra-Neh 62} conjectures √ חטט excauate, compare Arabic secure site by a mark, found a town; Str^{Gr (1905) 40} יְהִיבוּ (after Seybold), compare Ezra 5:16; and others conjecture build wall, denominative, compare Arabic wall (√ guard, surround)).

Topical Lexicon

Occurrence and Context

Strong’s Hebrew 2338 appears once—in the Aramaic letter preserved at Ezra 4:12: “They have already completed the walls and repaired the foundations”. The word is part of the verb clause reporting the work being done on the ruined city. The hostile officials of Samaria wrote this report to intimidate Artaxerxes and halt the rebuilding of Jerusalem that had been authorized in earlier Persian decrees (Ezra 1:2-4; Ezra 5:13).

Historical Implications

1. Persian Policy. Artaxerxes’ predecessors allowed subject peoples to restore native cults, provided loyalty was maintained. The opponents therefore accuse the Jews of fortifying a city that had once resisted imperial control (2 Kings 24:20-25:7).
2. Political Strategy. The sole use of this word in the Old Testament underscores the calculated nature of the accusation. The letter’s language is crafted to sound technical and official, suggesting that even the smallest stages of construction—including work “at the foundations”—constituted a military threat.
3. Covenant Continuity. The foundations of Jerusalem had been destroyed as covenant judgment (Lamentations 2:9). Their repair testifies to the faithfulness of God’s promise that exile would not abolish His purposes for Zion (Isaiah 44:26-28; Jeremiah 29:10-14).

Theological Insights

• Restoration from Ruin. The vocabulary places emphasis on work begun from the ground up. Spiritually, the exiles had to rebuild their identity beginning with the “foundation” of obedience to God’s word (Ezra 3:2).
• Spiritual Warfare. Opposition surfaces precisely when God’s people advance His work (Nehemiah 4:7-9; Acts 14:22). The singular occurrence of the term mirrors the pointed, momentary attacks that nevertheless cannot cancel divine purposes.
• Divine Sovereignty over Nations. Although a Persian monarch ultimately halted the project temporarily (Ezra 4:23), God later moved another king to permit its resumption (Ezra 6:1-12). The interplay of royal decrees illustrates Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is a watercourse in the hand of the LORD; He directs it wherever He pleases”.

Prophetic Resonance

Jerusalem’s repaired foundations anticipate the eschatological city whose “foundations are in the holy mountains” (Psalm 87:1) and the heavenly Jerusalem that “has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). The opposition in Ezra foreshadows the end-time assault against God’s dwelling but likewise guarantees its ultimate vindication (Revelation 21:2-3).

Lessons for Modern Ministry

• Start with foundations. Biblical proclamation and discipleship form the groundwork for any enduring work of God (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).
• Expect resistance. Faithful service invites challenge, yet steadfastness prevails because the mission rests on divine commission (Matthew 16:18).
• Appeal to higher authority. Like Ezra’s community, believers rely on the written decree of the King—Scripture—when accusations arise (Acts 4:19-20).
• Remember God’s timing. A delay in visible progress does not signal abandonment. “The vision awaits an appointed time… it will surely come” (Habakkuk 2:3).

Summary

Though recorded only once, Strong’s 2338 encapsulates the critical moment when God’s people moved from ruin toward restoration. Set within the wider redemptive narrative, it testifies that divine purposes advance—even through opposition—until the foundations of His kingdom are fully and eternally established.

Forms and Transliterations

יַחִֽיטוּ׃ יחיטו׃ ya·ḥî·ṭū yaChitu yaḥîṭū

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 4:12
HEB: ק) וְאֻשַּׁיָּ֖א יַחִֽיטוּ׃
NAS: the walls and repairing the foundations.
KJV: the walls [thereof], and joined the foundations.
INT: complete the foundations and repairing

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2338
1 Occurrence

ya·ḥî·ṭū — 1 Occ.