Lexical Summary chathullah: Swaddling cloth, wrapping Original Word: חֲתֻלָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance swaddling band From chathal; a swathing cloth (figuratively) -- swaddling band. see HEBREW chathal NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chathal Definition swaddling band NASB Translation swaddling band (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [חֲתֻלָּה] noun feminine swaddling-band (see BaNB 146) — only בְּשׂוּמִי עָנָן לְבֻשׁוֺ וַעֲרָפֶל חֲתֻלֶּתוֺ Job 38:9 when I made cloud its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling-band, figurative of dark clouds enveloping the sea. Topical Lexicon Biblical Usage and Occurrence The word appears once in Scripture, in Job 38:9, where the Lord asks Job, “when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket”. The term pictures a soft covering or swaddling wrap spread around the primeval sea at Creation. Context within Job 38 Job 38 opens the LORD’s majestic interrogation of Job. By likening the newborn earth to an infant carefully wrapped, God underscores His intimate, fatherly governance of the universe. The single occurrence of the term therefore carries rhetorical weight: it evokes nurture, order and protection at the very moment God restrained chaotic waters (Job 38:8–11). Imagery and Symbolism of Swaddling Clothes 1. Care and Protection – As a mother secures her child, God encloses the earth, providing boundaries (Psalm 104:6–9). Connections to Other Scriptural Passages • Ezekiel 16:4 describes neglected infancy: “you were not… wrapped in cloths,” highlighting the tenderness implicit in Job 38:9. Historical and Cultural Background In the ancient Near East, newborns were bound in long cloth strips for warmth, limb development and security. The practice symbolized acceptance into the family and the caregiver’s responsibility. Thus, the single Hebrew term imports rich domestic imagery into a cosmic setting; the Lord treats the forces of nature as a midwife would a child. Theological Themes • Sovereignty – The Creator’s ability to restrain the seas demonstrates absolute dominion (Job 38:10–11). Practical and Devotional Insights 1. Confidence in God’s Care: Believers, like the primordial earth, rest secure in God’s encompassing hands (1 Peter 5:7). Summary Though appearing only once, the term paints a vivid portrait of the LORD as cosmic parent, wrapping the newborn world in protective cloths. It anchors doctrines of creation, providence and incarnation, offering pastors and students a potent image of God’s gentle sovereignty. Forms and Transliterations חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃ חתלתו׃ chatullaTo ḥă·ṯul·lā·ṯōw ḥăṯullāṯōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 38:9 HEB: לְבֻשׁ֑וֹ וַ֝עֲרָפֶ֗ל חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃ NAS: And thick darkness its swaddling band, KJV: thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, INT: garment and thick swaddling 1 Occurrence |
    |