Lexical Summary chamaq: To withdraw, to turn aside, to flee Original Word: חָמַק Strong's Exhaustive Concordance go about, withdraw self A primitive root; properly, to wrap; hence, to depart (i.e. Turn about) -- go about, withdraw self. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to turn away NASB Translation go here (1), go here and there (1), turned away (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs חָמַק verb turn away (intransitive) — Qal Perfect3masculine singular עָבָ֑ר ׳וְדוֺדִי ח Songs 5:6 and my beloved had turned away, passed on. Hithpa`el Imperfect2feminine singular עַדמָֿתַי תִּתְחַמָּקִין הַבַּת הַשּׁוֺבֵבָה Jeremiah 31:22 turn hither and thither, see Gf VB. Topical Lexicon Essential Sense חָמַק conveys the idea of slipping away, withdrawing, or becoming elusive. It pictures a person who was present a moment ago yet suddenly is beyond reach. The verb neither connotes deceit nor violence; it focuses on the surprising vanishing itself, the nearly audible whoosh of footsteps receding when one thought fellowship was secure. Occurrences in Scripture 1. Song of Songs 5:6 – the bride opens the door “but my beloved had turned and gone”. Only two appearances, yet each is strategically placed at a decisive emotional moment: the lover’s missed encounter and Israel’s long exile-wanderings. Literary and Historical Dimensions Song of Songs 5:6 The word falls in the poem’s central crisis. The bride rises in eagerness, yet the beloved has “withdrawn.” The scene captures the anguish of spiritual aloofness felt whenever fellowship with the Lord is neglected. Ancient Near-Eastern love poetry used sudden absence to heighten longing; Scripture appropriates that motif to illustrate the covenant dynamic of seeking and finding (compare Deuteronomy 4:29; Isaiah 55:6). Jeremiah speaks during the Babylonian upheaval. Israel had “turned away” repeatedly, and the same verb describes the nation’s restless estrangement. Yet the verse pivots immediately to hope: “For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth.” The elusiveness is not the final word; divine novelty overturns entrenched alienation. Theological Implications 1. Covenant Responsibility חָמַק underscores that nearness to God is never presumed. Relationship demands vigilance; absence is often self-inflicted (Hosea 5:15). The verb reminds readers that spiritual coldness can occur suddenly when apathy cracks open the door. 2. Divine Pursuit Paradoxically, God allows seasons of felt distance to intensify desire (Lamentations 3:8, 25-26). The withdrawal of the beloved in Song of Songs leads to a deeper search, mirroring the Lord’s method of drawing hearts after Him. 3. Promise of Return Jeremiah immediately couples the nation’s turning away with the pledge of a “new thing.” The same Scriptures that diagnose distance simultaneously announce restoration. חָמַק, therefore, frames both the problem of estrangement and the wonder of reconciliation (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Diagnose Restlessness When believers speak of God seeming far away, חָמַק supplies biblical vocabulary for the experience. Pastors can trace the pattern—apathy leads to perceived withdrawal—and guide repentance and renewed seeking. • Encourage Active Pursuit Song of Songs urges the faithful not to languish in disappointment but to rise, search, and call. Corporate worship, fasting, and Scripture meditation become acts of pursual reversing spiritual drift. • Offer Hope of Divine Initiative Jeremiah assures the wanderer that the Lord is already crafting a “new thing.” Counsel must balance the call to return with the announcement of grace that precedes and empowers that return (Ephesians 2:4-5). • Preach Christ’s Nearness In the Gospel the elusive becomes present: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus answers every anxious cry of, “I called him, but he gave no answer,” by promising, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). Summary חָמַק paints the poignant moment when intimacy turns into absence. Scripture uses the verb sparingly yet powerfully to expose the cost of neglect, to stir longing, and to spotlight the Lord’s astonishing resolve to bridge every distance His people create. Forms and Transliterations חָמַ֣ק חמק תִּתְחַמָּקִ֔ין תתחמקין chaMak ḥā·maq ḥāmaq tiṯ·ḥam·mā·qîn titchammaKin tiṯḥammāqînLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Songs 5:6 HEB: לְדוֹדִ֔י וְדוֹדִ֖י חָמַ֣ק עָבָ֑ר נַפְשִׁי֙ NAS: But my beloved had turned away [and] had gone! KJV: but my beloved had withdrawn himself, [and] was gone: INT: beloved my beloved had turned had gone my heart Jeremiah 31:22 2 Occurrences |
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