H2856 H2856
To seal, affix a seal or signet; to seal up or close; in passive, to be sealed or in a sealed state.
Chatam is the Hebrew verb for sealing — the decisive act of pressing a signet into clay or wax to authenticate, authorize, or permanently close a document. In the ancient Near East, a seal was identity, authority, and finality compressed into a single gesture. Scripture deploys the word across its full range: Jezebel seals letters with Ahab's signet (1 Kgs 21:8), Job's transgressions are 'sealed up in a bag' (Job 14:17), and Daniel is told to 'seal the book' until the end of time (Dan 12:4). The passive participle chatum ('sealed') becomes almost a technical term for documents bearing official authorization, as in Nehemiah's covenant. Arabic khatama and Ethiopic hatama are cognate loanwords, and the Aramaic chatam runs parallel — evidence of how central this legal-ritual act was across Semitic cultures.
Senses
1. to seal, affix a seal — The core Qal active sense: to seal, affix one's seal to a document or object for authentication, authorization, or closure. This covers royal sealing with a signet ring (1 Kgs 21:8; Esth 8:8, 8:10), God sealing up the stars so they cannot shine (Job 9:7), and the prophetic command to seal Isaiah's testimony (Isa 8:16). Spanish sellar, French sceller, and German siegeln all map directly. At 12 occurrences this is the productive verbal core from which all other senses derive — the agent presses the seal, and something is thereby made official, closed, or hidden. 12×
AR["(وَ-لِـ-خَتْمِ)", "اِختِم", "وَ-اخْتِمُوا", "وَ-اُخْتُمْ", "وَ-خَتَمَ", "وَ-خَتَمَتْ", "وَ-لِـ-خَتْمِ", "وَخَتَمْتُ", "وَخَتْمًا", "يَختِمُ", "يَخْتِمُ"]·ben["[এবং-সীলমোহর-করতে]", "আর-সীলমোহর-দিলাম", "আর-সীলমোহর-দেওয়া-হবে", "এবং-সীল-দিল", "এবং-সীলমোহর-করতে", "ও-মোহর-লাগাও", "ও-মোহর-লাগাল", "ও-সিল-কর", "তিনি-মুদ্রাঙ্কিত-করেন", "তিনি-সীলমোহর-করেন", "মুদ্রাঙ্কিত-কর", "মোহর-মারেন"]·DE["[ואחתם]", "[וחתום]", "[וחתם]", "[וחתמו]", "[ויחתם]", "[ולחתם]", "[חתום]", "[יחתום]", "[יחתם]", "und-sealed"]·EN["He-seals", "[ketiv:and-to-seal-up]", "and-I-sealed", "and-seal", "and-sealed", "and-sealing", "and-to-seal-up", "he-seals", "seal"]·FR["[וחתמו]", "[ויחתם]", "et-scella", "et-sceller", "sceller"]·heb["[ו-ל-חתום]", "ו-אחתום", "ו-חתום", "ו-חתמה", "ו-חתמו", "ו-יחתם", "ו-ל-חתום", "חתום", "יחתום"]·HI["[और-मुहर-लगाने-को]", "और-मुहर-करो", "और-मुहर-किया", "और-मुहर-लगा", "और-मुहर-लगाई", "और-मुहर-लगाई-जाएगी", "और-मुहर-लगाने-को", "मुहर-लगा", "मुहर-लगाता-है"]·ID["Ia memeteraikan", "Ia-menyegel", "Meteraikanlah", "[dan-menyegel]", "dan-aku-memeteraikan", "dan-dia-memeterai", "dan-dimeteraikan", "dan-meteraikan", "dan-meteraikanlah", "dan-untuk-memeterai"]·IT["[וחתם]", "[וחתמו]", "[ויחתם]", "[ולחתם]", "e-sealed", "e-sigillare", "sigillare"]·jav["Panjenengan-ipun-nyegel", "Segelaken", "lan-Kawula-nyap", "lan-cap", "lan-kangge-mungkasi", "lan-kangge-nyegel", "lan-nyap", "lan-piyambakipun-ncap", "lan-segelana", "nutup"]·KO["[그리고-인보하려]", "그가-봉인하신다", "그가-인치신다", "그리고-봉인하라", "그리고-봉인했다", "그리고-봉했다", "그리고-인봉하려", "봉인하신다", "봉하라"]·PT["[e-para-selar]", "e-para-selar", "e-sela", "e-selai", "e-selar", "e-selei", "e-selou", "sela"]·RU["[и-чтобы-запечатать]", "запечатай", "запечатлевает", "запечатывает", "и-запечатай", "и-запечатайте", "и-запечатал", "и-запечатала", "и-запечатывать", "и-чтобы-запечатать", "печатает"]·ES["[y-para-sellar]", "pone-sello.", "sella", "y-para-sellar", "y-sella", "y-sellad", "y-sellando", "y-sellé", "y-selló"]·SW["[na-kuhitimisha]", "anatia-muhuri", "anazitia-muhuri", "na-akatia-muhuri", "na-akatiia-muhuri", "na-kutia-muhuri", "na-nikaitia-muhuri", "na-tia-muhuri", "na-tiini-muhuri", "tia-muhuri"]·TR["[ve-mühürlemek]", "muhurle", "mühürler", "ve-kapa", "ve-mühürledi", "ve-mühürledim", "ve-mühürlemek-için", "ve-mühürlenecek", "ve-mühürleyin"]·urd["اور-مہر-لگاؤ", "اور-مہر-لگائی", "اور-مہر-لگائی-میں-نے", "اور-مہر-لگانا", "اور-مہر-لگانے-کے-لیے", "اور-مہر-کر", "مُہر-لگا", "مہر لگاتا ہے", "مہر-لگاتا-ہے", "وہ مہر لگاتا ہے"]
2. sealed (state) — The Qal passive participle used adjectivally: in a sealed state. At 10 occurrences this is the most frequent form after the active Qal, describing documents, springs, and objects that bear the mark of having been sealed. Deuteronomy 32:34 stores up God's judgments 'sealed among my treasures'; Song of Solomon 4:12 praises the beloved as 'a sealed fountain'; Nehemiah 9:38-10:1 lists those on 'the sealed document.' Spanish sellado and French scelle confirm the stative-adjectival reading. The passive participle has almost become a lexicalized adjective meaning 'officially closed and authenticated.' 10×
AR["ال-مَخْتُومِ", "ال-مَخْتُومِينَ", "الْمَخْتُومَ", "الْمَخْتُومِ", "حَتُوم", "مَخْتُومًا", "مَخْتُومٌ", "وَ-مَخْتُومَةٌ"]·ben["-সিলমোহর-করা", "-সীলমোহরকৃত", "ও-সিল-করা", "মোহর", "মোহরকারীদের", "সিলমোহর", "সিলমোহর-করা", "সিলমোহর।"]·DE["[החתום]", "[החתומים]", "[וחתמים]", "[חתום]", "[חתם]", "versiegelte"]·EN["and-sealed", "book", "sealed", "the-sealed"]·FR["[החתום]", "[החתומים]", "et-sceller", "sceller", "scellée.", "sealed"]·heb["ה-חתום", "ה-חתומים", "ו-חתומים", "חתום"]·HI["और-मुहर-लगे", "जिन्होंने-मुहर-लगाई-थी", "मुहर-बंद", "मुहर-लगाते-हैं", "मुहरबंद"]·ID["Disegel", "dan-termeterai", "dimeteraikan", "disegel", "tersegel", "yang-dimeterai", "yang-dimeteraikan", "yang-tersegel"]·IT["[החתום]", "[החתומים]", "[וחתמים]", "sealed", "sigillare"]·jav["cap-punika", "dipun-cap", "ingkang-dipun-cap", "ingkang-dipun-sap", "ingkang-kacap", "kacap", "kang-dipunsegel", "lan-dipun-segel"]·KO["그-봉인된-것", "그-봉인된-것을", "그-인장된-것", "그-인장된-것들", "그리고-봉인되었으니라", "봉인되었나이다", "봉한", "봉해져-있다", "봉해졌다", "봉해진"]·PT["Selado", "e-seladas", "o-selado", "os-selados", "selado"]·RU["запечатанной", "запечатанном", "запечатанную", "запечатанный.", "запечатано", "и-закрыты", "скреплённом-печатью"]·ES["Sellada", "el-sellado", "los-sellados", "sellado", "y-selladas"]·SW["iliyotiwa-muhuri", "imefungwa", "kilichofungwa", "kilichotiwa-muhuri", "kimefungwa", "muhuri", "na-kutiwa-muhuri"]·TR["muhurlu", "mühürlü", "mühürlüde", "mühürlülerde", "mühürlüyü", "ve-kapalı"]·urd["اور-مہر-ہیں", "مہر-بند", "مہر-شدہ", "مہر-کرنے-والوں", "مہربند"]
3. be sealed (passive) — The Nifal passive: to be sealed, focusing on the action of sealing from the document's perspective. Both occurrences are in Esther (3:12; 8:8), describing royal edicts being sealed with the king's ring. Spanish fue-sellado and the Nifal morphology distinguish this from the participle of sense 2: here the sealing is a narrated event ('it was sealed'), not a resulting state ('it is sealed'). The distinction matters legally — the act of sealing versus the status of being sealed. 2×
AR["وَ-خُتِمَ"]·ben["ও-মোহর-লাগানো", "ও-সিলমোহর-হল"]·DE["[ונחתום]", "[ונחתם]"]·EN["and-sealed", "and-was-sealed"]·FR["[ונחתום]", "[ונחתם]"]·heb["ו-נחתום", "ו-נחתם"]·HI["और-मुहर", "और-मुहर-लगी"]·ID["dan-dimeteraikan"]·IT["[ונחתום]", "[ונחתם]"]·jav["lan-dipun-cap"]·KO["그리고-봉인되었다", "그리고-봉인된"]·PT["e-selado"]·RU["и-запечатано"]·ES["y-fue-sellado", "y-sellado"]·SW["na-yamefungwa", "ya-mfalme"]·TR["ve-mühürlendi", "ve-mühürlenen"]·urd["اور-مہر-لگائی-جائے", "اور-مہر-لگائی-گئی"]
4. stop up, block — An extended Hifil sense: to stop up or block, applied to a bodily discharge in Leviticus 15:3. Whether the flesh 'seals over' or 'stops up' its flow, the metaphor transfers the closure of a sealed document to the closure of a physical opening. Spanish retuviere ('retained, held back') captures the blocking nuance. A single occurrence, but the Hifil causative stem and the bodily-fluid context clearly distinguish it from the documentary-sealing core. 1×
AR["اِنْسَدَّ"]·ben["বন্ধ-করেছে"]·DE["stopped-hinauf"]·EN["stopped-up"]·FR["stopped-en-haut"]·heb["החתים"]·HI["उसका स्राव"]·ID["tersumbat"]·IT["stopped-su"]·jav["kapeteg"]·KO["막힌다"]·PT["fechou"]·RU["задерживает"]·ES["retuviere"]·SW["imeziba"]·TR["tıkanırsa"]·urd["بند-ہو"]
5. shut up, seal tightly — The Piel intensive: to shut up or seal tightly with emphasis on completeness. Job 24:16 describes thieves who 'seal themselves up' by day, hiding in houses they marked for burglary at night. The Piel intensification suggests thorough, deliberate sealing — not a quick stamp but a careful barricading. Spanish se-sellan and French sceller both treat it as reflexive closing-up. Only one occurrence, but the stem distinction from the basic Qal is semantically real. 1×
AR["خَتَمُوا-"]·ben["তারা-সীল-করেছে-"]·DE["[חתמו]"]·EN["they-shut-up"]·FR["sceller"]·heb["חתמו"]·HI["वे-मुहर-लगाते-हैं"]·ID["mereka-menutup-diri"]·IT["sigillare"]·jav["piyambakipun-nutup-"]·KO["봉했는데-"]·PT["se-fecham"]·RU["запираются-"]·ES["se-sellan-"]·SW["wanajifunga"]·TR["mühürlerler-"]·urd["بند کرتے ہیں-"]
6. one who seals, sealer — The Qal active participle used as an agent noun: 'one who seals, the sealer.' In Ezekiel 28:12, the king of Tyre is called chotem toknit — variously rendered 'the sealer of perfection' or 'the signet of proportion.' Spanish sello-de ('seal of') and German chotem both preserve the nominal agent reading. The participial agent-noun usage is a standard Hebrew derivation, but the unique context in Ezekiel's oracle gives it a distinctive near-titular force. 1×
AR["خَاتِمُ"]·ben["সীলমোহর"]·DE["[חותם]"]·EN["sealer-of-"]·FR["sceller"]·heb["חותם"]·HI["मुहर"]·ID["meterai-"]·IT["[חותם]"]·jav["cap"]·KO["도장이었다-"]·PT["selo-de"]·RU["печать"]·ES["sello-de"]·SW["muhuri-wa"]·TR["mühürü"]·urd["مہر-"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [חָתַם] vb. seal, affix seal, seal up (NH id.; Aramaic חֲתַם, ܚܬܰܡ; Ethiopic ኀተመ Arabic خَتَمَ (whence خَاتَمٌ) is loan-word according to Frä252)— Qal Impf. 3 ms. יַחְתֹּם Jb 9:7; 33:6, יַחְתּוֹם Jb 37:7, וַיַּחְתֹּם Est 8:10, etc.; Imv. חֲתֹם Dn 12:4, חֲתוֹם Is 8:16, חִתְמוּ Est 8:8; Inf. abs. חָתוֹם Je 32:44; cstr. לַחְתֹּם Dn 9:24, + v 24 Kt (Qr לְהָתֵם); Pt. act. חוֹתֵם Ez 28:12; pass.…