2747. cheret

Lexical Summary

cheret: stylus, engraving tool

Original Word: חֶרֶט
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: cheret
Pronunciation: kheh'-ret
Phonetic Spelling: (kheh'-ret)
KJV: graving tool, pen
NASB: graving tool, letters
Word Origin: [from a primitive root meaning to engrave]

1. a chisel or graver
2. also a style for writing

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

graving tool, pen

From a primitive root meaning to engrave; a chisel or graver; also a style for writing -- graving tool, pen.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
engraving tool, stylus
NASB Translation
graving tool (1), letters (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

חֶ֫רֶט noun [masculine] graving-tool, stylus —

1 graving-tool, with which Aaron fashioned (וַיָּצַר) the molten calf Exodus 32:4 (E).

2 stylus, for writing on tablet (גִּלָּיוֺן): כְּתֹב עָלָיו בְּחֶרֶט אֱנוֺשׁ Isaiah 8:1 write on it with a man's (i.e. an ordinary) stylus = in common characters, intelligible to all (see Benz^{Archaeology 290}).

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Scope

חֶרֶט (Strong’s Hebrew 2747) denotes a pointed instrument used for cutting, engraving, or writing—whether in metal, stone, or on a tablet. The word gathers significance less from its physical form than from the diverse ends to which it is put in the two passages where it appears.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Exodus 32:4 – Aaron “with an engraving tool” fashions the molten calf.
2. Isaiah 8:1 – Isaiah is commanded, “Take for yourself a large tablet and write on it in ordinary letters,” employing a writer’s stylus.

Historical Background

In the Ancient Near East, a single tool often served both the artisan and the scribe. Bronze or iron points engraved precious metals for idol-making, while reed or metal pens inscribed clay, leather, or wooden tablets coated with wax or plaster. The dual use of חֶרֶט captures a cultural reality: the same technology that enabled craftsmen to embellish objects could also communicate revelation in written form.

Contrasting Uses: Idolatry versus Prophetic Revelation

• Exodus 32:4 spotlights human creativity corrupted. The engraving tool becomes complicit in covenant betrayal, reshaping divinely gifted gold into an idol that provokes judgment (Exodus 32:7-10).
• Isaiah 8:1 exalts prophetic obedience. The stylus becomes the vehicle for a public inscription that warns Judah of impending Assyrian invasion—“Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz” (“Swift is the plunder, speedy is the spoil”). The same kind of instrument that once abetted idolatry now preserves divine truth.

This deliberate scriptural juxtaposition underlines that tools are morally neutral; righteousness or rebellion is determined by the hand that wields them.

Theological Insights

1. Stewardship of Skill: Human craftsmanship is a God-given capacity (Exodus 31:3-5). חֶרֶט reminds readers that artistic and literary gifts must serve, not supplant, the Creator.
2. Written Revelation: Isaiah’s stylus anticipates the permanence of Scripture. What is engraved cannot be easily erased (cf. Isaiah 30:8). God ensures His word is “more firmly confirmed” (2 Peter 1:19) by committing it to writing.
3. Heart Engraving: Whereas the calf was engraved externally, the new covenant promises that God will “write them on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). The physical stylus foreshadows the spiritual engraving of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:3).

Practical and Ministry Application

• Discernment in Technology: Whether pens, chisels, or digital platforms, believers must ask, “Does this tool magnify God or golden calves?”
• Faithful Communication: The prophetic use of חֶרֶט urges pastors, teachers, and writers to make the message plain and public (Habakkuk 2:2).
• Artistic Integrity: Christian artisans draw caution from Aaron’s misuse and inspiration from Isaiah’s obedience, creating works that direct worship toward Christ.

Foreshadowing Christ

The calf episode exposes the need for a Mediator; Moses intercedes, prefiguring Jesus Christ, who overturns idolatry and writes His law upon believers. Isaiah’s inscribed oracle anticipates Immanuel prophecies (Isaiah 8:8-10), culminating in the Word made flesh whose name is written “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16).

Related Biblical Themes

• Idolatry: Psalm 115:4-8; Acts 17:29.
• Authority of the Written Word: Deuteronomy 31:24-26; Revelation 1:11.
• Craftsmanship and Calling: Exodus 35:30-35; 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Thus חֶרֶט, though a small tool with only two explicit mentions, serves as a vivid emblem of the human vocation to shape material creation either in defiance of God or in faithful proclamation of His unchanging word.

Forms and Transliterations

בְּחֶ֣רֶט בַּחֶ֔רֶט בחרט ba·ḥe·reṭ baCheret baḥereṭ bə·ḥe·reṭ beCheret bəḥereṭ

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 32:4
HEB: וַיָּ֤צַר אֹתוֹ֙ בַּחֶ֔רֶט וַֽיַּעֲשֵׂ֖הוּ עֵ֣גֶל
NAS: and fashioned it with a graving tool and made
KJV: and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made
INT: their hand earthen A graving and made calf

Isaiah 8:1
HEB: וּכְתֹ֤ב עָלָיו֙ בְּחֶ֣רֶט אֱנ֔וֹשׁ לְמַהֵ֥ר
NAS: on it in ordinary letters: Swift
KJV: in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
INT: and write and letters ordinary Mahershalalhashbaz

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2747
2 Occurrences

ba·ḥe·reṭ — 1 Occ.
bə·ḥe·reṭ — 1 Occ.