חֹק127 H2706
Something prescribed: a statute, ordinance, or decree; an allotted portion or due; a fixed boundary or limit.
Hoq is one of the Hebrew Bible's core legal terms, derived from the root haqaq ('to engrave, inscribe, decree'). At its heart lies the idea of something fixed, prescribed, carved in stone — whether a divine law, an allotted food ration, or the boundary God set for the sea. Its most frequent use, covering the vast majority of its 128 occurrences, pairs it with mishpat ('judgment') as a standard doublet for God's comprehensive instruction to Israel: 'statutes and ordinances' (Exod 15:25; Lev 26:46). But the word carries a fascinating material concreteness beneath its legal abstraction. The 'prescribed portion' sense appears when Joseph secures grain rations for Egyptian priests (Gen 47:22) and when Agur prays for his daily bread — 'feed me my allotted portion' (Prov 30:8). Spanish estatuto and German Satzung both reflect the enacted-law dimension, while French décret leans toward authoritative pronouncement. Arabic farida captures the obligatory quality precisely. A third sense — cosmic boundary — emerges in wisdom poetry, where God sets a hoq for the sea (Prov 8:29; Job 26:10), decreeing limits the waters cannot cross.
Senses
1. statute, ordinance, decree — A prescribed law, ordinance, or statute established by divine or human authority — the dominant sense at 109 occurrences, forming the backbone of Torah's legal vocabulary. In Exod 15:25 God makes for Israel 'a statute and an ordinance' at Marah; in Lev 26:46 the hoqqim are the comprehensive regulations given at Sinai. The plural huqqim pairs systematically with mishpatim ('judgments') throughout Deuteronomy (4:5, 6, 8; 5:1; 6:1) and the Psalms (Ps 119 uses hoq/huqqim repeatedly). Spanish estatutos and German Satzungen both select enacted-law vocabulary, while Arabic farida/fara'id (from the root meaning 'to impose as obligation') captures the sense of divine imposition. French statuts and les ordonnances preserve the two-word pairing that mirrors the Hebrew doublet. The term implies permanence — these are not ad hoc rulings but enduring prescriptions engraved into Israel's covenant life. 109×
AR["-الفَرَائِضِ", "الفَرَائِضَ", "الْـ-فَرَائِضُ", "الْفَرَائِضَ", "الْفَرَائِضُ", "الْفَرَائِضِ", "فَرَائِضَكَ", "فَرَائِضِكَ"]·ben["-আমাকে-তোমার-নিয়ম", "-বিধিগুলি", "তোমার-নিয়ম", "নিয়মসমূহ", "বিধি", "বিধিগুলি", "বিধিগুলো", "বিধিসমূহ-যে", "সেই-বিধি", "সেই-বিধিগুলি"]·DE["dein-Satzungen", "der-Satzungen"]·EN["Your-statutes", "the-statutes"]·FR["le-statuts", "les-statuts", "tes-statuts"]·heb["ה-חוק", "ה-חוקים", "חוקיך"]·HI["-विधियों", "विधियाँ", "विधियां", "विधियों", "विधियों-को", "सारे-"]·ID["-ketetapan-ketetapan", "ketetapan-ketetapan", "ketetapan-ketetapan-Mu"]·IT["i-tuoi-statuti", "il-statuti"]·jav["paugeran-paugeran", "pranatan-Paduka", "pranatan-pranatan", "pranatan-punika"]·KO["규례들", "규례들과", "규례들을", "그-규례들과", "그-규례들을", "그-법령들이니라", "그-율례들과", "당신-의-율례들-을", "이-규례들을"]·PT["estatutos", "os-estatutos", "os-teus-estatutos", "teus-estatutos"]·RU["-уставы", "-установления", "-установлениям", "уставам", "уставам-Твоим", "уставы", "уставы-Твои"]·ES["estatutos-de-ti", "los-estatutos", "son-los-estatutos"]·SW["amri", "ndizo-sheria", "ni-sheria", "sheria", "sheria-zako"]·TR["-kurallar", "hükümlerini", "kurallar", "kurallara-", "kuralları", "kuralları-"]·urd["-آئین", "-فرائض", "آئین", "تیرے-فرائض", "ضابطے", "فرائض", "قانون", "قوانین", "یہ-احکام"]
Exod 15:25, Exod 15:26, Exod 18:20, Lev 10:11, Lev 26:46, Num 30:16, Deut 4:1, Deut 4:5, Deut 4:6, Deut 4:8, Deut 4:14, Deut 4:40 (+38 more)
2. allotted portion, due, ration — An allotted share, prescribed portion, or regular allowance — especially of food, priestly dues, or livelihood support — covering 11 occurrences. In Gen 47:22 the Egyptian priests had 'an allotted portion' (hoq) from Pharaoh and ate from their ration, which is why Joseph did not buy their land. In Lev 10:13-14 Aaron's priestly 'due' (hoq) from the offerings is specified. Prov 30:8 offers a deeply personal use: 'feed me my allotted bread' (lehem huqqi), a prayer for neither poverty nor wealth but the prescribed daily portion. In Prov 31:15 the capable woman gives 'a portion' (hoq) to her servant girls. Spanish porcion and French ration both shift away from legal vocabulary toward material-allocation language. The underlying metaphor is consistent with sense 1 — what is 'decreed' for someone becomes their rightful share — but the referent is sustenance rather than regulation. 11×
AR["حِصَّتَكِ", "فَريضَتي", "فَرِيضَةً", "فَرِيضَتَكُمْ", "فَرِيضَتَهُمْ", "مِنْ-فَرِيضَتِي", "نَصِيبَكَ", "وَ-فَريضَةً", "وَ-نَصِيبَ"]·ben["আমার-বক্ষে", "আমার-ভাগের", "এবং-বিধি-", "এবং-ভাগ", "তাদের-ভাগ", "তোমাদের-নির্দিষ্ট-পরিমাণ", "তোমার-বিধি", "তোমার-ভাগ", "নিয়ম"]·DE["Satzung", "dein-due", "dein-quota", "eine-Zuweisung", "ihre-Zuweisung", "und-Satzung", "und-der-due-von-"]·EN["and-a-portion", "and-the-due-of-", "more-than-my-portion", "my-portion", "portion", "portion-their", "portion-your", "your-due", "your-quota"]·FR["de-mon-décret-moi", "décret", "et-décret", "et-le-due-de-", "mon-décret-moi", "portion", "portion-leur", "ton-due", "ton-quota"]·heb["ו-חוק", "חוק", "חוק-ם", "חוקי", "חוקך", "חוקכם", "מ-חוקי"]·HI["और-भाग", "और-भाग-", "तेरा-भाग", "नियम", "भाग-अपना", "मेरा-भाग।", "मेरे-भाग-से-अधिक", "हिस्सा-अपना", "हिस्सा-तेरा"]·ID["bagianku", "bagianmu", "dan-bagian", "jatah", "jatah-mereka", "jatahmu,", "kuota-kamu", "lebih-dari-hukum-ku"]·IT["da-statuto-mio", "decreto", "e-il-due-di-", "e-statuto", "porzione", "porzione-loro", "statuto-mio", "tuo-due", "tuo-quota"]·jav["bagian-panjenengan", "cekap", "jatah-ipun", "lan-aturan", "lan-panduman-", "panduman-panjenengan", "pranatan", "pranatan-nipun", "saking-prenatan-kawula"]·KO["규례이다", "그들의-규례를", "그리고-몷이다-", "그리고-몹을", "나의-몹의", "나의-법보다", "너-의-몷이고", "너희의-할당량을", "네-몫을"]·PT["e-porção", "e-porção-de", "mais-que-minha-porção", "minha-porção", "porção", "porção-deles", "quota-vossa", "tua-porção"]·RU["долю-твою", "доля-твоя", "и-долю", "и-доля-", "норму-вашу", "от-определения-моего", "положенным-мне", "устав", "устав-свой"]·ES["mi-porción", "más-que-mi-porción", "porción", "porción-de-ti", "su-porción", "tu-porción", "vuestra-cuota", "y-porción", "y-porción-de-"]·SW["changu-kilichowekwa", "kiasi-chenu", "kwa-kuhani", "na-mgawo", "na-sehemu-", "sehemu-yako", "sheria-yao", "zaidi-ya-sheria-yangu"]·TR["görevinizi", "kanunumdan", "pay", "paylarını", "payımla", "payındır", "payını", "ve-payı", "ve-payı-"]·urd["اور-حصہ", "اور-حق", "تیرا-حصہ", "حصہ-اپنا", "حق-تیرا", "قانون", "قانون-اپنے-سے", "مقررہ-میری"]
3. boundary, limit, prescribed border — A fixed boundary, limit, or prescribed border — typically of the sea, land, or cosmic order — 7 occurrences concentrated in wisdom and creation poetry. In Prov 8:29 Wisdom recounts how God 'set a boundary' (hoq) for the sea so that the waters would not transgress his command; in Job 26:10 God 'inscribed a limit' (hoq-hag) on the face of the waters. Job 14:5 applies the concept to human mortality: a person's days are determined, 'you have appointed his limits' (huqqaw) that he cannot pass. Spanish limite and German Grenze both select spatial-boundary vocabulary distinct from the legal language of sense 1. Arabic hadd/hudud ('boundary, limit') from the root hadada provides a precise semantic parallel. This sense preserves the etymological core of haqaq — to cut, engrave, inscribe — applied to cosmic geography rather than legal codes. 7×
AR["الْحَدُّ", "حَدًّا", "حَدٍّ", "حَدَّهُ", "حَدّاً", "حُدُودَهُ"]·ben["[সীমা]", "তার-সীমা", "সীমা", "সীমা-", "সীমানা"]·DE["Satzung", "[חק]"]·EN["(his-limits)", "[his-limits]", "boundary-", "decree", "its-limit", "limit"]·FR["[חק]", "décret", "son-décret-lui"]·heb["חוק", "חוקו", "חוקיו"]·HI["उसकी-सीमाएँ", "सीमा", "सीमा-उसकी"]·ID["[batas-batasnya]", "batas", "batas-Nya", "batas-batas-Nya", "waktu"]·IT["[חק]", "decreto", "statuto", "statuto-suo"]·jav["wates", "wates-", "wates-nipun"]·KO["(그의-한계를)", "[그의-한계를]", "그것-의-경계-를", "법령-이", "법을-", "법이", "한계를"]·PT["(seus-decretos)", "Limite", "[seus-decretos]", "decreto", "decreto-dele", "limite"]·RU["меры", "предел", "предел-его,", "пределы", "пределы-его", "срок", "черту-"]·ES["Límite-", "decreto", "límite", "límite-de-él", "sus-límites"]·SW["Mpaka", "[mipaka-yake]", "kikomo", "mipaka-yake", "mpaka", "mpaka-wake", "muda"]·TR["[sınırı]", "kural", "sinir", "sınır", "sınır-", "sınırlarını", "sınırını-onun"]·urd["اُس-کی-حدیں", "حد", "حد-", "حد-اُس-کی", "وقت"]
4. sense 4 — A textually uncertain occurrence at Ps 74:11 where the MT consonantal text has been read differently by various traditions. The Ketiv appears to yield 'your bosom' (heqkha, from heq 'bosom') rather than a form of hoq ('statute'). English and Spanish translations render 'your bosom' or 'tu seno,' while French reads statut, following a different vocalization. The verse concerns God withdrawing his right hand — 'from the midst of your bosom, consume!' — making the 'bosom' reading contextually more natural. This occurrence is best treated as a textual-critical crux rather than a genuine sense of hoq; the confusion arises from the shared consonantal skeleton of hoq ('statute') and heq ('bosom, lap'). 1×
AR["[حَقِّكَ]"]·ben["[তোমার-বুক]"]·DE["[ketiv:Your-bosom]"]·EN["[ketiv:Your-bosom]"]·FR["statut"]·heb["[חוקך]"]·ID["pangkuan-Mu"]·IT["statuto"]·jav["dhadha-Panjenengan"]·KO["당신-의-품"]·PT["de-teu-seio"]·RU["недра-Твоего"]·ES["[tu-seno]"]·SW["[kifua-chako]"]·TR["[koynunun]"]·urd["[اپنے-جیب-سے]"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)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×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
חֹק127 n.m. Mi 7:11 something prescribed, a statute or due;—ח׳ Gn 47:22 + 22 times; חָק־ Ex 30:21 + 14 times; sf. חֻקִּי Pr 30:8 + 3 times; חָקְךָ Lv 10:13, 14 etc. + 4 times sfs.; pl. חֻקִּים Dt 4:5 + 31 times; cstr. חֻקֵּי Ex 18:16; חוּקֵּ֯י Ez 20:18; also חִקֲקֵי Ju 5:15; Is 10:1 (Ges§ 93, 1 R 7); חֻקָּו֯ Jb 14:5 etc. + 44 times sfs.— 1. prescribed task, assigned to Isr. in Egypt Ex 5:14 (E).…