Lexical Summary chaphash: To search, to explore, to examine Original Word: חָפַשׁ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be free A primitive root; to spread loose; figuratively, to manumit -- be free. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be free NASB Translation free (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [חָפַשׁ] verb be free — only Pu`al Perfect3feminine singular כִּי לֹא חֻמָּ֑שָׁה Leviticus 19:20 (H), because she was not freed (a freed-woman). Topical Lexicon Root Idea of Release חָפַשׁ conveys the act of setting someone at liberty. Scripture applies the term to the critical moment when an enslaved person moves from bondage into freedom, underscoring a change of status bestowed by lawful authority rather than seized by human striving. Canonical Context: Leviticus 19:20 The sole occurrence appears in the holiness code: “If a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man, but who has not been redeemed or given her freedom, an inquiry shall be held. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free.” (Leviticus 19:20) The verse places חָפַשׁ at the intersection of morality, justice, and compassion. While affirming sexual purity, the law recognizes the diminished agency of the slave girl and mitigates punishment accordingly. By mentioning the freedom that had not yet been granted, the text places emancipation squarely within Israel’s ethical horizon. Social and Legal Backdrop 1. Slavery in Israel was regulated, not endorsed without restraint. Release was expected in the seventh year (Exodus 21:2) and protected from exploitation (Deuteronomy 15:12–18). Redemptive Echoes in Israel’s Law The mention of “freedom given her” implicitly invites comparison with other liberation motifs: חָפַשׁ therefore belongs to a fabric of laws that reveal God’s character as the Liberator who hates oppression and upholds human dignity. Prophetic and Messianic Trajectory Later prophets proclaim a fuller deliverance: “Proclaim liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1), a text Jesus applies to Himself in Luke 4:18. Though Isaiah uses a different Hebrew root, the goal is identical: God-sent liberty that human efforts cannot secure. The Levitical statute sets the stage for Messiah’s greater emancipation—freedom from sin and death (John 8:36; Romans 8:2). Application in Ministry Today • Advocacy: Believers champion the oppressed, mirroring God’s concern that no one remain bound when freedom can be granted. Summary חָפַשׁ, though used only once, anchors a profound biblical theme: liberty bestowed by rightful authority. In Leviticus it guards the vulnerable; in the broader canon it anticipates the ultimate freedom granted through the Redeemer. Contemporary disciples honor this heritage by advancing justice, preaching deliverance, and living as those whom the Son has set free indeed. Forms and Transliterations חֻפָּֽשָׁה׃ חפשה׃ chupPashah ḥup·pā·šāh ḥuppāšāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 19:20 HEB: כִּי־ לֹ֥א חֻפָּֽשָׁה׃ NAS: because she was not free. KJV: they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. INT: because nor free 1 Occurrence |
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