H2404 H2404
To cut or gather wood, especially firewood; in the passive, to be hewn or carved into shape.
A practical verb rooted in the daily labor of woodcutting, appearing most often in the phrase 'hewers of wood and drawers of water' that defines menial service (Josh 9:21, 23, 27; Deut 29:11). The Arabic hatab (firewood) and Ethiopic hataba (to gather firewood) confirm the tight semantic link to fuel-gathering. Deuteronomy 19:5 provides the most concrete image: a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and the axe head flies off. A single Pual occurrence in Psalm 144:12 shifts the meaning entirely, describing daughters 'carved' like pillars -- the same root applied not to rough fuel but to fine sculpture.
Senses
1. cut/hew wood — The active Qal sense of cutting, chopping, or gathering wood -- overwhelmingly firewood. The participial form khotevei etsim ('cutters of wood') is virtually a fixed phrase for menial labor assigned to the Gibeonites (Josh 9:21, 23, 27) and paired with water-drawing (Deut 29:11). Ezekiel 39:10 describes Israel gathering wood from the battlefield, and 2 Chronicles 2:9 lists woodcutters among Solomon's workforce. Arabic hatab and Ethiopic hataba both center on firewood, reinforcing the utilitarian focus. 8×
AR["حَطّابي","كَقَاطِعِي","لِلْحَطَّابِينَ","لِيَحْتَطِبَ","مِنْ-حَاطِبِ","وَ-حَطّابي","يَحْطِبُونَ"]·ben["-কাঠুরেদেরকে","এবং-কাঠুরে","কাটতে","কাটবে","কাঠুরে","কাঠুরেদের-মতো","থেকে-কাটে-যে"]·DE["[יחטבו]","[כחטבי]","[לחטבים]","cutters-von","und-cutters-von","von-cutter-von","zu-schnitt"]·EN["and-cutters-of","cutters-of","from-cutter-of","like-choppers-of","to-cut","to-the-woodcutters","will-they-cut"]·FR["[כחטבי]","[לחטבים]","couper","cutters-de","de-cutter-de","et-cutters-de","à-couper"]·heb["ו-חוטבי","חוטבי","יחטבו","כ-חוטבי","ל-ה-חטבים ׀","ל-חטוב","מ-חוטב"]·HI["और-काटनेवाले","काटनेवाले","काटनेवाले-से","काटेंगे","के-लिए-काटने","को-काटनेवालों","जैसे-काटनेवालों"]·ID["bagi-penebang-","dan-penebang","dari-penebang","mereka-akan-memotong","penebang","seperti-penebang-penebang","untuk-menebang"]·IT["[יחטבו]","[כחטבי]","[לחטבים]","a-tagliare","cutters-di","da-cutter-di","e-cutters-di"]·jav["dhumateng-para-tukang-nebang","kados-tukang-negor","kanggé-ngethok","lan-tukang-negor-","piyambakipun-ngethok","saking-tukang-negor","tukang-negor-"]·KO["그리고-나무-찍는-자들과","나무-베는-자들처럼-","나무-찍는-자들과","베려고","베지않을것이다","부터-베는-자(접)","에게-그-베는-자들"]·PT["aos-cortadores","como-cortadores-de","cortadores-de","cortarão","desde-cortador-de","e-cortadores-de","para-cortar"]·RU["будут-рубить","для-дровосеков","и-рубщики","как-рубящие","от-рубщика","рубить","рубщиками"]·ES["a-cortar","como-cortadores-de","cortadores-de","cortarán","desde-el-que-corta","para-los-leñadores","y-cortadores-de"]·SW["kama-wakataji-wa","kukata","kwa-wakataji","mkata-kuni","na-wakataji-wa","wakataji-wa","watakata"]·TR["-gibi-kesicileri","kesecekler","kesen-odunculara","kesmek-için","odun-kesenler","odun-kıranından-","ve-odun-kesenler"]·urd["اور-کاٹنے-والے","لکڑہاروں-کو","لکڑہاروں-کی-طرح","وہ-کاٹیں-گے","کاٹنے-والے","کاٹنے-والے-سے","کاٹنے-کو"]
2. carved/hewn (passive) — The Pual passive participle in Psalm 144:12 -- mechuttavot -- shifts from rough woodcutting to fine craftsmanship: daughters 'carved' or 'sculpted' like corner pillars of a palace. The same root that elsewhere describes splitting logs for fuel here evokes the artisan's chisel shaping stone or wood into something beautiful. Spanish esculpidas captures this elegance. The semantic leap from fuel-gathering to sculptural carving marks a genuine second sense, not merely a different stem. 1×
AR["مَنْحُوتَاتٍ"]·ben["খোদাই-করা,"]·DE["carved"]·EN["carved"]·FR["de-couper"]·heb["מחוטבות"]·HI["तराशी-हुई"]·ID["yang-dipahat"]·IT["[מחטבות]"]·jav["ukir-ukiran"]·KO["조각된"]·PT["esculpidas"]·RU["изваянные"]·ES["esculpidas"]·SW["zilizochongwa"]·TR["işlenmiş"]·urd["تراشی-ہوئی"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H???? 1. (4670×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [חָטַב] vb. cut or gather wood, usually firewood (NH id.; Arabic حَطَبٌ firewood, حَطَبَ collect firewood (v. Wetzst in De ψ 144:12); Ethiopic ሐጠበ cut (or gather) firewood)— Qal Impf. יַחְטְבוּ Ez 39:10; Inf. לַחְטֹב Dt 19:5; Pt. חֹטֵב Dt 29:10; pl. חֹטְבִים 2 Ch 2:9; cstr. חֹטְבֵי Jos 9:21 + 3 times; pass. pl. f. חֲטֻבוֹת Pr 7:16—cut or gather wood, sq. acc. Dt 19:5; 29:10 (‖ שׁאב מים); cf.…