2590. chanat

Lexical Summary

chanat: To embalm

Original Word: חָנַט
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chanat
Pronunciation: khaw-nat'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-nat')
KJV: embalm, put forth
NASB: embalmed, embalm, ripened
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to spice
2. (by implication) to embalm
3. (also) to ripen

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

embalm, put forth

A primitive root; to spice; by implication, to embalm; also to ripen -- embalm, put forth.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to spice, make spicy, embalm
NASB Translation
embalm (1), embalmed (2), ripened (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

חָנַט verb spice, make spicy, embalm (Late Hebrew id., bud, blossom; Arabic become mature, II. prepare for burial, spices for a corpse; embalmer, Dozy^{i, 322 after} PS¹³²⁰; Aramaic , חֲנַט embalm; so Ethiopic (loan-word Di¹¹⁰)); —

Qal Perfect3feminine singular חָֽנְטָה Songs 2:13; Imperfect3masculine plural וַיַּחַנְטוּ Genesis 50:2,26; Infinitive construct לַחֲנֹט Genesis 50:2; —

1 spice, make spicy פַגֶּיהָ ׳הַתְּאֵנָה ח Songs 2:13 the fig-tree spiceth its figs, so VB De in translation (Ew De in notes Öttli and others prefer reddeneth, on account of spring season, compare the less common and perhaps secondary sense in Arabic become red (of leather) Lane^657a).

2 embalm, followed by accusative of person Genesis 50:2 (twice in verse) (performed by הָרֹפְאִים), Genesis 50:26.

חֲנֻטִים noun [masculine] plural abstract embalming, only ׳יְמֵי הַח Genesis 50:3 i.e. the days consumed in the embalming process = אַרְבָּעִים יוֺם see Di.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Scope

חָנַט (chanat) conveys the deliberate application of aromatic substances. Its biblical usage ranges from the Egyptian art of embalming to the natural release of fragrance in blossoming plant life. The term therefore links the sacred care for human bodies with the created beauty of God’s world.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Genesis 50:2 – “And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him.”
2. Genesis 50:3 – The required forty days underscore the seriousness of the process.
3. Genesis 50:26 – Joseph himself is embalmed, uniting patriarchal faith with Egyptian practice.
4. (A second occurrence of the verb in Genesis 50:2 underlies the narrative flow.)
5. Song of Songs 2:13 – “The fig tree ripens its early figs; the blossoming vines release their fragrance.” The verb switches from mortuary setting to joyful springtime imagery.

Cultural-Historical Background

In Egypt, embalming preserved the body for the afterlife according to their theology. Joseph, raised in that culture, used its medical specialists (“physicians”) to honor his father. The process involved aromatic gums, spices, and linen wrappings—costly materials that signified value and respect. Israel’s family accepted the custom not for pagan beliefs but as an act of filial piety and to allow a lengthy funeral journey to Canaan (Genesis 50:5-13).

Theological Significance

1. Respect for the Body: Scripture affirms that the human body, though mortal, is God’s handiwork (Psalm 139:14). The careful treatment of Jacob and Joseph prefigures later Israelite burial customs and ultimately the burial of Jesus with “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds” (John 19:39).
2. Hope Beyond Death: Jacob’s embalming did not negate his faith in resurrection (Genesis 49:29-33). Rather, it safeguarded the body until it could rest in the covenant land, mirroring the Christian conviction that physical death does not overturn God’s promises.
3. Fragrance as Life: Song of Songs 2:13 shifts chanat from death to life, portraying covenant love as an aroma filling the land. This balance shows that God’s redemptive plan covers both the grave and the garden (Romans 8:20-23).

Christological Connections

Joseph—who preserves life during famine, forgives his brothers, and oversees embalming—foreshadows Jesus, “the author of life” (Acts 3:15). The sweet spices placed on Jacob anticipate the myrrh and aloes used at Jesus’ burial, while the empty tomb proclaims a greater preservation: resurrection. Likewise, the fragrant vines of Song of Songs hint at the “aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15) that fills the world through the gospel.

Ministry Applications

• Dignity in Death: Christian funeral care should reflect the honor accorded Jacob and Joseph, affirming the value of each person created in God’s image.
• Witness of Hope: Thoughtful burial practices testify that believers await bodily resurrection, countering cultural tendencies either to idolize or to dismiss the body.
• Aroma of Life: Just as blossoming vines broadcast fragrance, Christians are called to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere (2 Corinthians 2:14). The same root that once signified embalming now summons the church to living witness.

Summary

חָנַט unites solemn care for the deceased with celebratory fragrance in the living world. From patriarchal graves to blossoming vineyards, the word traces a line from respectful burial to vibrant life, culminating in the gospel promise that the perishable will be clothed with the imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:53).

Forms and Transliterations

הַחֲנֻטִ֑ים החנטים וַיַּחַנְט֣וּ וַיַּחַנְט֥וּ ויחנטו חָֽנְטָ֣ה חנטה לַחֲנֹ֖ט לחנט chaneTah ha·ḥă·nu·ṭîm ḥā·nə·ṭāh hachanuTim haḥănuṭîm ḥānəṭāh la·ḥă·nōṭ lachaNot laḥănōṭ vaiyachanTu way·ya·ḥan·ṭū wayyaḥanṭū

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 50:2
HEB: אֶת־ הָרֹ֣פְאִ֔ים לַחֲנֹ֖ט אֶת־ אָבִ֑יו
NAS: the physicians to embalm his father.
KJV: the physicians to embalm his father:
INT: his servants the physicians to embalm his father embalmed

Genesis 50:2
HEB: אֶת־ אָבִ֑יו וַיַּחַנְט֥וּ הָרֹפְאִ֖ים אֶת־
NAS: So the physicians embalmed Israel.
KJV: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
INT: to embalm his father embalmed the physicians Israel

Genesis 50:3
HEB: יִמְלְא֖וּ יְמֵ֣י הַחֲנֻטִ֑ים וַיִּבְכּ֥וּ אֹת֛וֹ
KJV: the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians
INT: required is the period are embalmed wept Egyptian

Genesis 50:26
HEB: וָעֶ֖שֶׂר שָׁנִ֑ים וַיַּחַנְט֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ וַיִּ֥ישֶׂם
NAS: years; and he was embalmed and placed
KJV: old: and they embalmed him, and he was put
INT: and ten years was embalmed was put A coffin

Songs 2:13
HEB: הַתְּאֵנָה֙ חָֽנְטָ֣ה פַגֶּ֔יהָ וְהַגְּפָנִ֥ים ׀
NAS: The fig tree has ripened its figs,
KJV: The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
INT: the fig has ripened figs and the vines

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2590
5 Occurrences

ḥā·nə·ṭāh — 1 Occ.
ha·ḥă·nu·ṭîm — 1 Occ.
la·ḥă·nōṭ — 1 Occ.
way·ya·ḥan·ṭū — 2 Occ.