Lexical Summary chatsats: gravel Original Word: חָצָץ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance arrow, gravel stone From chatsats; properly, something cutting; hence, gravel (as grit); also (like chets) an arrow -- arrow, gravel (stone). see HEBREW chatsats see HEBREW chets NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chatsats Definition gravel NASB Translation gravel (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs חָצָץ noun [masculine] gravel (as divided, comminuted; Aramaic חֲצִיצָא,  ) — only absolute ׳ח Proverbs 20:17; Lamentations 3:16 [חֲצָצֶיךָ Psalm 77:18 see חֵץ]. — ׳יְמַלֵּאפִֿיהוּ ח Proverbs 20:17 figurative of a liar; שִׁנָּ֑י ׳וַיַּגְרֵס בח Lamentations 3:16 and he hath crushed my teeth with gravel-stones, figurative of ׳י's dealings with sufferer. Topical Lexicon Entry: חָצָץ (ḥāṣāṣ) Physical Setting ḥāṣāṣ denotes loose, sharp pebbles that collect on Near-Eastern paths, riverbeds, threshing floors, and mortar for construction. Such fragments were unavoidable underfoot, recognizable to every Israelite, and easily pressed into service as metaphor. In the dry season gravel filled wadi channels; in the rains it was swept along in torrent, clattering and cutting. Ancient bakers sometimes added coarse grit to stretch flour, a fraud later exposed by the crunch between the teeth. Poetic Imagery in Psalm 77:17 Psalm 77 recalls the Red Sea deliverance and pictures the stormy theophany at Sinai. “The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth” (Psalm 77:17). In the parallelism the “arrows” evoke lightning, but the underlying word ḥāṣāṣ points to sharp, stone-like missiles driven by wind and rain. The psalmist thus likens God’s lightning bolts to gravel shot across the heavens, underscoring the Lord’s absolute command of nature in behalf of His people. Moral Warning in Proverbs 20:17 “Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth is full of gravel” (Proverbs 20:17). Sweetness quickly gives way to the jarring crunch of ḥāṣāṣ. Solomon exposes the fleeting pleasure of dishonest gain; sin promises flavor yet delivers pain that cannot be ignored or swallowed. The word picture also hints at divine retribution: just as gravel breaks teeth, so deceit shatters the perpetrator’s life. Lament and Discipline in Lamentations 3:16 “He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust” (Lamentations 3:16). Jeremiah personifies Jerusalem under judgment. The Lord, not chance or enemy, presses ḥāṣāṣ against Judah’s teeth. The same substance that unmasks human deceit in Proverbs here becomes an instrument of covenant discipline. Yet within the same chapter hope rises: “Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). Gravel does not have the last word; it serves the larger purpose of restoration. Theological Themes 1. Sovereignty: ḥāṣāṣ illustrates that even the smallest stones obey God’s purposes—whether hurled from the heavens, hidden in bread, or set against rebellious teeth. Historical Notes • Excavations show gravel-packed thresholds in Iron Age homes; walking barefoot over them left an indelible memory for Hebrew poets. Ministry Applications • Preaching: Contrast the deceptive “sweetness” of sin with the inevitable “crunch” of consequences (Proverbs 20:17). Christological Trajectory On the cross Christ tasted the full grit of judgment so believers might enjoy bread without gravel. The imagery anticipates Revelation 21, where no deceit remains and nothing injurious lies underfoot, fulfilling the hope embedded in every passage that employs ḥāṣāṣ. Forms and Transliterations בֶּֽחָצָץ֙ בחצץ חֲ֝צָצֶ֗יךָ חָצָֽץ׃ חצץ׃ חצציך be·ḥā·ṣāṣ bechaTzatz beḥāṣāṣ chaTzatz chatzaTzeicha ḥă·ṣā·ṣe·ḵā ḥā·ṣāṣ ḥāṣāṣ ḥăṣāṣeḵāLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 77:17 HEB: שְׁחָקִ֑ים אַף־ חֲ֝צָצֶ֗יךָ יִתְהַלָּֽכוּ׃ KJV: a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. INT: the skies yet arrows flashed Proverbs 20:17 Lamentations 3:16 3 Occurrences |
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