H2820 H2820
To withhold, restrain, or spare; from holding back resources to showing mercy by staying one's hand
A verb whose semantic center is the act of holding back — whether restraining oneself, withholding goods, or sparing another from harm. Its range moves from Abraham not withholding his son (Gen 22:12) to the sage who 'spares' the rod (Prov 13:24) to Job's claim that God reserved calamity for a future day (Job 38:23). Spanish shifts between 'retiene,' 'escatimes,' and 'reservé,' while French uses 'retenir' broadly. The word quietly maps the moral landscape of what we give, what we keep, and what we choose not to inflict.
4. reserve, store up — Reserving or storing up something for a future occasion. In Job 38:23, God asks Job whether he has seen the storehouses of hail 'which I have reserved for the time of trouble.' This sole occurrence extends the withholding idea temporally: what is held back now is kept purposefully for later deployment. The sense carries an undertone of sovereign intentionality — not passive storage but strategic reservation. 1×
AR["ادَّخَرْتُهَا"]·ben["আমি-সঙ্চিত-রেখেছি"]·DE["[חשכתי]"]·EN["I-have-reserved"]·FR["retenir"]·heb["חשכתי"]·HI["मैंने-रखे-हैं"]·ID["Aku simpan"]·IT["trattenere"]·jav["Kula-simpen"]·KO["내가-아껴두었다"]·PT["reservei"]·RU["приберёг-Я"]·ES["reservé"]·SW["nimehifadhi"]·TR["sakladım"]·urd["میں نے بچا رکھے ہیں"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. restrain, hold back — Restraining, holding back, or keeping in check an action or force. God restrained Abimelech from sinning (Gen 20:6), Abigail restrained David from bloodshed (1 Sam 25:39), and Joab held back the army (2 Sam 18:16). Job resolves not to 'restrain' his mouth (Job 7:11). The emphasis is on curbing something that would otherwise proceed — an act of control or self-control. Spanish 'retiene' and French 'retint' capture this forceful checking. 14×
AR["أَحْبِسُ","امْنَعْ","تَحَفُّظٍ","تَكُفُّ","تُخَفِّفُ","تُمْسِكْ","حَفِظَ","كَفَّ","وَ-الْضَابِطُ","وَ-مَنَعْتُ","وَ-مُمْسِكٌ","يَحفَظُ","يَمْنَعُوا","يُخَفَّفُ"]·ben["আমি-সংযত-করব","এবং-যে-সংযত-করে","ও-আটকেছিলাম","তুমি-থামাও","থামো","ধরে-রাখেন","নিবৃত্ত-করলেন","নিবৃত্তি","রক্ষা-করুন","রক্ষা-করেছেন","রুখেছে-তারা","সংযত-করত","সংযত-হয়"]·DE["Finsternis","[אחשך]","[וחושך]","[חשכו]","[יחשך]","[תחשוך]","[תחשך]","bewahren-zurück","restrained","und-Finsternis","und-ich-hielt-zurück"]·EN["He-keeps-back","and-I-restrained","and-there-is-one-who-withholds","but-he-who-restrains","hold-back","is-restrained","keep-back","restrained","restraint","they-restrain","will-restrain","would-restrain","you-hold-back"]·FR["[חשכו]","[תחשך]","et-Je-retint","et-retenir","retenir","retint","ténèbres"]·heb["אחשוך","ו-אחשך","ו-חושך","חשוך","חשך","חשכו","יחשוך","יחשך","תחשוך"]·HI["और-मैने-रोक","और-रोकनेवाला","बचाता-है","रुकती-है","रोक","रोकता","रोका","रोकूँगा","रोके","रोकेगा"]·ID["Ia menahan","akan-menahan","dan-Aku-menahan","dan-ada-yang-menahan","ditahan","engkau-menahan-diri","menahan","tahanlah","tetapi-yang-menahan"]·IT["[חשכו]","[תחשך]","e-io-restrained","e-trattenere","tenebre","trattenere","trattenne"]·jav["Panjenengan-ipun-njagi","badhé-ngempet","cegaha","dipun-empet","kendel","lan-Kula-nyegah","lan-tiyang-kang-nahan","mandheg","nahan","ngempet","nyegah","piyambakipun-ngendheg","sami-kendel"]·KO["그가-막으신다","그러나-아끼는-자-는","그러나-억제하는-자-는","그리고-막았다","막아야-하니-네가","막으셨다","아꼼라","억제되지-않으리라","억제하겠다","억제하리라","억제하소서","억제하지","억제함이","억제했다"]·PT["E-retive","Retém","conterei","conteria","conteve","e-quem-retém","guarda","retenhas","retiveram;","retiveres","ser-refreado","é-aliviada"]·RU["а-сдерживающий","а-удерживающий","и-удержал","облегчало-бы","облегчится","пощады","сдерживайся","удержал","удержи","удерживает","удерживают","удержишься","удержу"]·ES["Retiene","ahorraría","contención","contuvo","detuvieron","es-aliviado","guardó","refrenaré","retiene","te-detengas","te-retienes","y-el-que-refrena","y-quien-retiene","y-retuve"]·SW["aliwazuia","amemzuia","anazuia","haipunguzwi","hili","izuia","kungewazuia","kuzuiwa","lakini-anayezuia","na-anayezuia","sitazuia","umzuie","usiache","utazuia"]·TR["Korur","azalır","esirge","esirgedi","geri-duruyorsan","korumak","tut","tutacağım","tutardı","tuttu","tuttular","ve-engelledim","ve-tutan"]·urd["اور-روکا-میں-نے","اور-روکنے-والا","بچاتا ہے","روک","روک-دیا","روکا","روکتی","روکنا","روکوں-گا","روکے","روکے-گا","کم-ہوتا"]
Gen 20:6, 1 Sam 25:39, 2 Sam 18:16, Job 7:11, Job 16:5, Job 16:6, Job 33:18, Ps 19:13, Prov 10:19, Prov 11:24, Prov 24:11, Isa 14:6 (+2 more)
2. withhold, keep from giving — Withholding goods, resources, or generosity — the refusal to give what one could. Genesis 22:12 and 22:16 celebrate Abraham because he 'did not withhold' his only son. Proverbs 21:26 contrasts the righteous who gives freely with the one who withholds. Job 30:10 laments that his accusers 'did not withhold' their spit from his face. The moral weight here falls on what is kept back — selfishness or faithfulness measured by what one does not release. 6×
AR["تَبْخَلِي","تَمْنَعْ","يَمنَعونَ","يَمْنَعُ","يَمْنَعْ"]·ben["আটকে-রেখেছেন","কৃপণতা-কোরো","ধরে-রাখেনি","রেহাই-করেছ","সংযত-করে"]·DE["[חשכו]","[יחשך]","[תחשכי]","hast-du-vorenthalten","hast-vorenthalten","hat-er-zurückgehalten"]·EN["he-withheld","hold-back","they-withheld","withholds","you-withheld"]·FR["[תחשכי]","il-withheld","retenir","tu-withheld"]·heb["חשך","חשכו","חשכת","יחשוך","תחשוכי"]·HI["तूने-रोका","रोकता-है","रोकते-हैं","रोका-है","रोको"]·ID["menahan","mereka menahan"]·IT["[תחשכי]","egli-withheld","trattenere","tu-withheld"]·jav["nahan","ngendhani","nyegah","piyambak-ipun-nahan"]·KO["그들이-아끼지-않는다","아꼈다","아꼼라","아끼지"]·PT["poupes","reteve","retiveste","retém","retêm"]·RU["жалей","пожалел","удержал","удерживает","удерживают"]·ES["escatimes","retiene","retuvieron","retuviste","retuvo"]·SW["haizuii","hawakuzuia","hukumzuia","kuzuia","zuie"]·TR["esirge","esirgedin","esirger","esirgeıd","tuttular"]·urd["تُو-نے-روکا","روکا","روکتا","روکنا","نہیں روکتے"]
3. spare, show mercy — Sparing someone by withholding punishment, destruction, or severity — mercy expressed as restraint. Proverbs 13:24 says whoever 'spares' the rod hates his child, making withholding paradoxically unloving. Psalm 78:50 says God 'did not spare' their lives from pestilence. Ezra 9:13 acknowledges that God punished 'less than our iniquities deserved' — a sparing that is itself grace. The verb frames mercy not as positive action but as the deliberate non-exercise of power. 6×
AR["أَشْفَقَ","حَبَسْتَ","مُمْسِكُ","يَمْنَعْ","يُحْفَظُ"]·ben["তিনি-রক্ষা-করেছিলেন","যে-সংযত-করে","রক্ষা-হয়","রেহাই-দিয়েছেন","সংযম-করেছ"]·DE["[חושך]","[חשכת]","[יחשך]","er-spared","spared"]·EN["have-withheld","he-spared","he-who-spares","is-spared","restraining","spared"]·FR["[חשכת]","retenir","spared","ténèbres"]·heb["חושך","חשך","חשכת","יחשך"]·HI["उसने-बचाया","दंड-दिया-है-हमें","बचाया-जाता-है","बचाया-है","रोकनेवाला"]·ID["Dia-menahan","Siapa-menahan","Yang-menahan","dihindarkan","menahan","telah-menahan"]·IT["[חשכת]","risparmiò","tenebre","trattenere"]·jav["dipunsimpen","nahan","nyegah","sampun-nyirep","tiyang-kang-nahan","tiyang-kang-nyegah"]·KO["아꼈다","아끼는-자-는","아끼는-자는","아끼셨다","아끼어지나니","참으셨다"]·PT["O-que-refreia","Quem-poupa","poupou","retiveste","é-poupado"]·RU["пощадил","сохраняется","удержал","удерживал-Он","удерживающий","щадящий"]·ES["El-que-retiene","castigaste-menos","es-reservado","ha-perdonado","libró"]·SW["amemhifadhi","anabakizwa","anayezuia","umetuzuia","zuia"]·TR["esirgedi","esirgenmiş","esirgeyen","kistirdin","kısıtlayan"]·urd["بخشا-ہے","بچایا","بچایا جاتا ہے","روکا-تُو-نے","روکنے-والا"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חָשַׂךְ vb. withhold, refrain (NH חָסַךְ, Aramaic חֲסַךְ, ܚܣܰܟ Palm. חסך remit, spare, VogNos. 6, 15; Sab. משחכן weaned (child) DHMZMG 1875, 608)— Qal Pf. חָשַׂךְ Gn 39:9 + 4 times (+ Ez 30:18 Ba; v. חשׁך; Is 38:17 v. infr.), חָשָׂ֑ךְ Is 14:6, חָֽשְׂכוּ Jb 30:10, חָשָׂ֑כוּ Je 14:10, etc.; Impf. יַחְשׂךְ Jb 16:5 + 2 times; 2 ms. תַּחְשׂךְ Is 58:1, תַּחְשׂוֹךְ Pr 24:11; 2 fs. תַּחְשׂ֑כִי Is 54:2,…