H2442 H2442
To wait expectantly, often with hope; rarely, to lie in wait with hostile intent
A verb of patient expectation, typically directed toward God or his deliverance. The Pi'el intensive stem underscores the deliberate, sustained quality of this waiting -- it is not passive idleness but active, hopeful anticipation. Isaiah uses it of those who wait for the Lord (Isa 8:17; 30:18), and the psalmist declares that 'our soul waits for the LORD' (Ps 33:20). One striking outlier in Hosea 6:9 repurposes the same verb for predatory ambush, where priests 'lie in wait' like marauding bands -- a dark inversion of its usual hopeful tenor.
1. wait for, await expectantly — To wait patiently or expectantly for someone or something, typically with an attitude of hope, trust, or anticipation. Spanish 'esperar' and English 'wait for' capture this sense of purposeful expectation. The Qal participle in Isaiah 30:18 describes those 'waiting for' the Lord, while in Job 3:21 the desperate 'wait for death' inverts the hope but preserves the expectant posture. Daniel 12:12 pronounces blessing on the one who 'waits' and reaches the appointed number of days. Job 32:4 provides a mundane but revealing usage: Elihu 'waited' for Job to finish speaking before responding. 13×
AR["المُنْتَظِرونَ","الْمُنْتَظِرِينَ","انتَظَروا","انتَظَرَ","انتَظِرْها","انْتَظَرَتْ","انْتَظِرُونِي","تَنْتَظِرْ","لِ-مُنْتَظِرِهِ-","لِلْمُنْتَظِرِ","وَ-أَنتَظِرُ","وَانْتَظَرْنا","يَنْتَظِرُ"]·ben["-যে-অপেক্ষা-করে","অপেক্ষা-করবেন","অপেক্ষা-করে","অপেক্ষা-করেছিল","অপেক্ষা-করো-","অপেক্ষাকারীদের","এবং-আমরা-অপেক্ষা-করি","এবং-আমি-অপেক্ষা-করব","তারা-অপেক্ষা-করল","তুমি-অপেক্ষা-করবে","যারা-অপেক্ষা-করে","যারা-অপেক্ষা-করে-"]·DE["[המחכה]","[המחכים]","[וחכיתי]","[חוכי]","[חכה]","[חכו]","[יחכה]","[למחכה]","du-soll-wait","sie-wartete","und-wir-wait","wartet"]·EN["and-I-will-wait","and-we-wait","for-one-waiting","had-waited","the-one-waiting","they-waited","wait-","waits","who-wait","you-shall-wait"]·FR["[וחכיתי]","[חוכי]","[יחכה]","[למחכה]","attendre","et-nous-attends","le-attendre","tu-devra-attends"]·heb["ה-מחכה","ה-מחכים","ו-חיכינו","ו-חיכיתי","חוכי","חיכה","חיכו","חיכתה","חכה-","חכו-","יחכה","ל-מחכה","תחכה"]·HI["इंतज़ार-करता-था","इंतज़ार-करनेवाले","उन्होंने-प्रतीक्षा-की","और-मैं-प्रतीक्षा-करूंगा","तखक्केह","प्रतीक्षा-कर-","प्रतीक्षा-करता-है","प्रतीक्षा-करने-वाले","प्रतीक्षा-करने-वाले-के-लिए","प्रतीक्षा-करनेवाला","प्रतीक्षा-करेगा","प्रतीक्षा-करो-","वखिक्कीनू"]·ID["Dan-aku-akan-menantikan","Yang-menantikan","bagi-yang-menanti-nanti","dan-kita-menunggu","menanti","menunggu","nantikanlah-","tunggulah-","yang-menantikan"]·IT["[המחכה]","[חכה]","[חכו]","aspettare","attese","e-aspettare","e-noi-aspetta","had-waited","il-chi-wait","tu-dovrà-aspetta"]·jav["Lan-kawula-badhé-nengga","Sami-nengga","ingkang-ngarep-arep","kangge-ingkang-ngentosi-","lan-kita-ngantos","ngantos","ngentosi","sami-nengga","tiyang-ingkang-ngentosi","tiyang-ingkang-ngentosi-"]·KO["그-기다리는-자들이","그리고-기다린다면","기다렸나이다","기다렸다","기다리는-자들이","기다리는-자여","기다리니","기다리라","기다리라-","기다리실-것이다","기다리지","내가-기다리리라","에-기다리는-자를-위해"]·PT["E-esperarei","ao-que-espera-","e-esperamos","espera-","esperai","esperaram","esperará","esperarás","esperou","o-que-espera","os-que-esperam","que-esperam-n'"]·RU["-дождались","будет-ждать","будешь-ждать","для-ожидающего-","ждал","жди","ждите-","и-буду-ожидать","и-ждали","ожидала","ожидающие-","ожидающий","ожидающим"]·ES["Los-que-esperan","Y-esperaré","el-que-espera","esperadme","esperaron","esperará","esperarás","esperó","espéralo-","los-que-esperan-en","para-el-que-lo-espera-","y-esperamos"]·SW["Na-nitamngojea","alisubiri","amsubirie","atangoja","inangojea","kusubiri","kwa-wanaomngojea","na-tukasubiri","ngoja","ningojee","wanaomngojea","wanaongojea","yangojee"]·TR["bekle","bekle-","bekledi","beklediler","bekleyecek","bekleyene-","bekleyenler","bekleyenlere","bekleyin-","ha-bekleyene","ve-beklersek","ve-bekleyecegim"]·urd["انتظار کیا","انتظار-کر","انتظار-کرنے-والا","انتظار-کرنے-والے","انتظار-کرو","انتظار-کرے-گا","اور-انتظار-کروں-گا","اور-رُکے-رہیں","اُنتظار-کرنے-والے-کے-لیے-","اِنتظار-کرتی-ہے","جو-انتظار-کرنے-والے","رُک","وہ-انتظار-کرتے"]
2 Kgs 7:9, 2 Kgs 9:3, Job 3:21, Job 32:4, Ps 33:20, Ps 106:13, Isa 8:17, Isa 30:18, Isa 30:18, Isa 64:4, Dan 12:12, Hab 2:3 (+1 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. lie in wait, ambush — To lie in wait with hostile intent, lurking in ambush to attack. This single occurrence in Hosea 6:9 strikingly repurposes the verb of patient hope into predatory violence: priests are compared to marauding bands (גְּדוּדִים) who 'lie in wait' along the road to Shechem. Spanish 'acechadores' (ambushers) and the contextual shift from hopeful to hostile waiting mark this as a distinct sense, though the underlying image of watchful anticipation connects both meanings at the root level. 1×
AR["وَكَمَكمَنِ"]·ben["এবং-অপেক্ষার-মতো-"]·DE["[וכחכי]"]·EN["and-as-lying-in-wait-of"]·FR["et-attendre"]·heb["ו-כ-חכי"]·HI["और-घात-लगानेवालों-जैसे"]·ID["Dan-seperti-penghadang"]·IT["[וכחכי]"]·jav["lan-kados-wong-nyegat"]·KO["그리고-같으니라-기다림에"]·PT["E-como-esperar-de"]·RU["и-как-ждущие"]·ES["Y-como-acechadores"]·SW["Na-kama-wanaovizia"]·TR["ve-bekleyen-gibi"]·urd["اور-جیسے-غات-لگانے-والے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [חָכָה] vb. wait, await— Qal Pt. pl. cstr. חוֹכֵי Is 30:18, with לְ waiting for him (י׳). Pi. חִכָּה Jb 32:4; חִכְּתָה ψ 33:20; חִכִּיתִי Is 8:17; חִכּוּ ψ 106:13; חִכִּינוּ 2 K 7:9; Impf. יְחַכֶּה Is 30:18; תְּחַכֶּה 2 K 9:3; Imv. חַכֵּה־ Hb 2:3; חַכּוּ Zp 3:8; Inf. cstr. כְּחַכֵּי Ho 6:9 (Ephraimit. for חַכֵּה?); Pt. מְחַכֶּה Dn 12:12; cstr. מְחַכֵּה Is 64:3; pl. מְחַכִּים Jb 3:21;— 1. wait,…