H2859a H2859a
Father-in-law (wife's father); also once as mother-in-law (wife's mother) in the feminine form.
A kinship term rooted in the Arabic khātin ('circumciser'), reflecting the ancient Near Eastern practice where the bride's father performed circumcision on the groom before marriage. Almost every occurrence refers to Moses' father-in-law — Jethro/Reuel/Hobab — across the Exodus narratives (Ex 3:1; 18:1–27; Num 10:29; Judg 1:16; 4:11). One surprising use appears in Deut 27:23 with the feminine form ḥotanto, 'his mother-in-law,' within the covenant curses prohibiting illicit sexual relations. The Arabic etymological link to circumcision gives this seemingly ordinary kinship word a ritual depth that most modern translations leave unexplored.
Senses
1. father-in-law (wife's father) — The masculine construct form ḥoten, occurring 21 times, always meaning 'wife's father' or 'father-in-law.' Overwhelmingly tied to Moses' father-in-law across Exodus 3–18 (all from the E source), Numbers 10:29 (J), and Judges 1:16 and 4:11. Also used of the father-in-law of an unnamed Levite in Judg 19:4, 7, 9. French 'père-dans-loi' and German 'Vater-in-Gesetz' are calques of English 'father-in-law,' while the Hebrew itself carries the etymological memory of the circumcision rite that sealed the marriage covenant. 21×
AR["حَمي","حَمُو","حَمُوهُ","حَمِي","حَمِيهِ","لِ-حَمِيهِ"]·ben["তাঁর-শ্বশুর","তাঁর-শ্বশুরের","তার-শ্বশুরকে","তার-শ্বশুরের","শ্বশুর","শ্বশুরের"]·DE["-der-Vater-in-Gesetz-von","Vater-in-Gesetz-von","sein-Vater-in-Gesetz","zu-sein-Vater-in-Gesetz"]·EN["-the-father-in-law-of","father-in-law-of","his-father-in-law","to-his-father-in-law"]·FR["-le-père-dans-loi-de","père-dans-loi-de","son-père-dans-loi","à-son-père-dans-loi"]·heb["חותן","חותנו","חתן","ל-חותנו"]·HI["उसका-ससुर","उसका-ससुर-ने","को-ससुर-अपने","ससुर","ससुर-अपने","ससुर-के","ससुर-ने","से-ससुर-अपने"]·ID["kepada-mertuanya","mertua","mertuanya"]·IT["-il-padre-in-legge-di","a-suo-padre-in-legge","padre-in-legge-di","suo-padre-in-legge"]·jav["dhateng-marasepuhipun","marasepuh","marasepuhipun","maratuwa","mertua-jaler-nipun"]·KO["그의-장인","그의-장인-에게","그의-장인을","그의-장인의","그의-장인이","장인","장인-의","장인과","장인이","장인인"]·PT["a-seu-sogro","a-seu-sogro:","seu-sogro","seu-sogro,","sogro-de","sogro-seu"]·RU["тестем","тесть","тесть-его","тестю-своему","тестя","тестя-своего"]·ES["a-suegro-de-él","su-suegro","suegro-de","suegro-de-","suegro-de-él"]·SW["baba-mkwe-wake","kwa-mkwewe","mkwe-wa","mkwe-wake","mkwewe"]·TR["kayınbabası","kayınbabasına","kayınbabasının","kayınpederi","kayınpederine","kayınpederini","kayınpederinin"]·urd["اُس-کے-سسر-نے","اپنے-سسر-سے","اپنے-سسر-کو","اپنے-سسر-کی","سسر","سسر-اپنے"]
Exod 3:1, Exod 4:18, Exod 18:1, Exod 18:2, Exod 18:5, Exod 18:6, Exod 18:7, Exod 18:8, Exod 18:12, Exod 18:12, Exod 18:14, Exod 18:15 (+9 more)
2. mother-in-law (wife's mother) — A single feminine form ḥotanto in Deut 27:23, meaning 'his mother-in-law (wife's mother).' This lone occurrence appears in the Shechem covenant curses: 'Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law.' The multilingual glosses — Spanish 'suegra,' French 'mère-dans-loi,' German 'Mutter-in-Gesetz' — all correctly identify the feminine referent. Its placement among prohibited sexual relations (alongside sister, sister-in-law) shows the term functioning within kinship-boundary law rather than narrative. 1×
AR["حَمَاتِهِ"]·ben["তার-শাশুড়ির"]·DE["sein-Mutter-in-Gesetz"]·EN["his-mother-in-law"]·FR["son-mère-dans-loi"]·heb["חותנתו"]·HI["सास-अपनी-के"]·ID["ibu-mertuanya"]·IT["suo-madre-in-legge"]·jav["ibu-marasepuhipun"]·KO["그-장모와"]·PT["sua-sogra"]·RU["тёщей-своей"]·ES["su-suegra"]·SW["mama-mkwe"]·TR["kayınvalidesiyle"]·urd["اپنی-ساس"]
Related Senses
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×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)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×)H0001 1. father, immediate male parent (1031×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חֹתֵן n.verb. 1. m. wife’s father (Arabic خَاتِنٌ a circumciser, hence father-in-law, with ref. to circumcision performed on young men just before marriage; خَتَنٌ relation on wife’s side; v. WeProl. 1886, 355 Anm. 1; Skizzen iii, 154 StaZAW 1886, 143 Anm. NöZMG 1886, 187; otherwise DlPr 91 LagBN 116)—cstr. חֹתֵן Ex 18:1 + 9 times, חֹתֶנְךָ Ex 18:6, חֹתְנוֹ Ex 3:1 + 9 times;—usually of Moses’…