Original Word: חֻקָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: chuqqah
Pronunciation: khook-kaw'
Phonetic Spelling: (khook-kaw')
NASB: statutes, statute, customs, ordinance, statutory, appointed, due
Word Origin: [feminine of H2706 (חוֹק - statutes), and meaning substantially the same]

1. appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute

appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute

Feminine of choq, and meaning substantially the same -- appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute.

see HEBREW choq

Word Origin
fem. of choq
Definition
something prescribed, an enactment, statute
NASB Translation
appointed (1), customs (5), due (1), fixed order (1), fixed patterns (1), ordinance (5), ordinances (1), statute (25), statutes (62), statutory (2).

חֻקָּה₁₀₄ noun feminine^{Exodus 13:10} something prescribed, enactment, statute; — ׳ח Numbers 9:14 2t.; construct חֻקַּת Exodus 12:14 28t.; plural חֻקּוֺת Jeremiah 5:24 12t.; חֻקֹּת Leviticus 20:23; Jeremiah 31:35; suffix חֻקּוֺתַי Genesis 26:5 14t.; חֻקֹּתַי Leviticus 18:4 21t. etc.; —

1 singular statute, of special ritual laws: of passover Exodus 13:10 (J); elsewhere only in P (and H), חקת הפסח Exodus 12:43; Numbers 9:12,14; התורה ׳ח Numbers 19:2; Numbers 31:21; משׁפט ׳ח Numbers 27:11; Numbers 35:29; עולם ׳ח Exodus 12:14,17; Exodus 27:21; Exodus 28:43; Exodus 29:9; Leviticus 3:17; Leviticus 7:36; Leviticus 10:9; Leviticus 16:29,31,34; Leviticus 23:21,31; Leviticus 24:3; Numbers 10:8; Numbers 15:15; Numbers 18:23; Numbers 19:10,21 (all P), Leviticus 17:7; Leviticus 23:14,41 (H); חֻקָּה אַחַת לַגֵּר ולאזרךְ Numbers 9:14; Numbers 15:15.

2 plural statutes:

a. of nature שׁמים ׳ח Job 38:33; Jeremiah 33:25; of moon and stars Jeremiah 31:35; of weeks of harvest Jeremiah 5:24.

b. figurative of a firmly established custom הגוי(םׅ ׳ח Leviticus 20:23 (H) 2 Kings 17:8; העמים ׳ח Jeremiah 10:3 עמרי ׳ח Micah 6:16; idolatry ישׂראל ׳ח 2 Kings 17:19; sexual offences Leviticus 18:30 (H).

c. דוד ׳ח statutes of David 1 Kings 3:3.

d. "" משׁפטים 2 Samuel 22:23 = Psalm 18:23 (of the law known to David); "" מצות Psalm 89:32; ׳ברית וח 1 Kings 11:11; elsewhere of the prescriptions of the codes of D, H, P, Ezekiel: usually חקות ומשׁפטים Leviticus 18:5,26; Leviticus 19:37; Leviticus 20:22 (H), Leviticus 25:18; Numbers 9:3 (P), 1 Kings 11:33; Ezekiel 5:7; Ezekiel 11:20; Ezekiel 18:9; Ezekiel 20:11,13,19,21; preceded by מצות Deuteronomy 30:16; followed by מצות Leviticus 26:15 (H), Deuteronomy 11:1; 1 Kings 6:12; תורה ומצוה 2 Kings 17:34; or else משׁפטים וחקות Leviticus 18:4; Leviticus 26:43 (H), Ezekiel 5:6 (twice in verse); Ezekiel 18:17; Ezekiel 20:16,24; Ezekiel 37:24; preceded by מצות Deuteronomy 8:11; in different order, ועדות ׳מצות ומ ׳ח 1 Kings 2:3; frequently also ומצות ׳ח Leviticus 26:3 (H), Deuteronomy 6:2; 1 Kings 11:38; 2Chronicles 7:19; or ׳מצות (ו)ח Deuteronomy 10:13; Deuteronomy 28:15,45; Deuteronomy 30:10; 1 Kings 9:6; 1 Kings 11:34; Ezekiel 43:11 (Co), 2 Kings 17:13; followed by תורות Genesis 26:5 (R); מצות ׳ועדות וח 2 Kings 23:3; ׳תורה וח Jeremiah 44:10; ׳ותורה וח ועדות Jeremiah 44:23; ותורות ׳ח Ezekiel 44:5; Ezekiel 43:11 (Co); ׳תורות יח Ezekiel 44:24; special ordinances are המזבח ׳ח Ezekiel 43:18; ׳בית י ׳ח Ezekiel 44:5; חיים ׳ח Ezekiel 33:15 (which are life to those who keep them); עולם תמיד ׳ח (ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ9 Talm Co strike out עולם) Ezekiel 46:14.

e. phrases of obedience are ׳הלך ב Leviticus 18:3; Leviticus 20:23; Leviticus 26:3 (H), 1 Kings 3:3; 1 Kings 6:12; 2 Kings 17:8,19; Jeremiah 44:10,23; Ezekiel 5:6,7; Ezekiel 11:20; Ezekiel 18:9,17; Ezekiel 20:13,16,19,21; Ezekiel 33:15; שׁמר Leviticus 18:4,5,26; Leviticus 19:19,37; Leviticus 20:8,22 (H), Genesis 26:5 (R), Deuteronomy 6:2; Deuteronomy 8:11; Deuteronomy 10:13; Deuteronomy 11:1; Deuteronomy 28:45; Deuteronomy 30:10,16; 1 Kings 2:3; 1 Kings 9:6; 1 Kings 11:11,34,38; 2 Kings 17:13; 2 Kings 23:3; Ezekiel 18:19,21; Ezekiel 37:24; Ezekiel 43:11; Ezekiel 44:24; עשׂה Leviticus 25:18 (P), Deuteronomy 28:15; 1 Kings 11:33; ׳עשׂה כח 2 Kings 17:34; אֶשְׁתַּעֲשָׁ֑ע ׳בח Psalm 119:16; phrases of disobedience are ׳מאס ח Ezekiel 20:24 ׳מאס בח Leviticus 26:15 (H); געל Leviticus 26:43 (H); עזב2Chronicles 7:19; חלל Psalm 89:32. — [חֹק and חֻקָּה differ somewhat in shade of meaning and frequency in various writings: e.g. חֹק oftener in Job Psalms Proverbs (חֻקָּה not at all Proverbs, once Job), and in Chronicles (חֻקָּה only 2 Chronicles 7:19); חֻקָּה often in Kings, rarely in Hexateuch except in P (H); in prophets, חֹק occurs Amos 2:4; Isaiah 5:14; Isaiah 24:5; Micah 7:11 Jeremiah 3 t., Ezekiel 6 t., חֻקָּה only Ezekiel, Jeremiah (6 t.) and Micah 6:16; חֻקִּים especially in Deuteronomy and Psalm 119, חֻקּוֺת especially in H, Ezekiel and sometimes (8 t.) Deuteronomy; חֹק עוֺלָם usually = due, ׳חֻקַּת ע much more often statute, ordinance, etc.]

Essential Meaning and Scope

חֻקָּה (ḥuqqāh) denotes a statute, fixed ordinance, or prescribed institution issued by divine authority. Unlike general “law” (תּוֹרָה) that can include instruction and narrative, a חֻקָּה is a specific appointment set in place by God, binding in perpetuity unless explicitly superseded by further revelation. Its range spans ceremonial rites, civic regulations, priestly duties, commemorative festivals, dietary restrictions, and even royal obligations.

Divine Origin and Authority

The recurring formula “a statute forever throughout your generations” (for example, Exodus 27:21) highlights that these enactments originate with the LORD and not with human councils. Their permanence flows from the character of the Lawgiver rather than the endurance of Israel’s institutions. Leviticus 18:4–5 sets the pattern: “You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. Keep My statutes and judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them.” Because the LORD grounds the command in His own name, disobedience becomes a personal affront to Him rather than a mere civil infraction.

Relationship to Covenant

Every חֻקָּה stands within covenant framework. At Sinai the people pledged, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). Statutes thus serve as concrete expressions of covenant fidelity. Deuteronomy frequently links חֻקָּה with “judgments” and “commandments,” integrating ritual and ethical expectations so that covenant love is never divorced from covenant obedience (Deuteronomy 6:17; 11:1).

Cultic and Ceremonial Statutes

1. Passover: “This is a night to be kept for the LORD… it is a night of vigil for all the Israelites for generations to come” (Exodus 12:42).
2. Day of Atonement: “It shall be a statute forever for you: on the tenth day of the seventh month you are to deny yourselves” (Leviticus 16:29).
3. Lamp and Bread: Continual maintenance of the menorah and showbread is called “a statute forever” (Leviticus 24:3, 9).
4. Sacrificial Portions: Parts of certain offerings belong permanently to the priests (Leviticus 7:34–36).

Such statutes preserve institutional memory of redemption, mediate atonement, and teach holiness through symbol and repetition.

Civil and Social Statutes

Numbers 27:11 assigns inheritance law for daughters as “a statute and judgment.” Deuteronomy 19:3–13 codifies asylum rights in cities of refuge, providing a humane check on blood vengeance. These reveal God’s concern for justice, order, and protection of the vulnerable.

Royal Statute

Before Israel demanded a monarch, the LORD described “the procedure of the king” (1 Samuel 10:25), and later 2 Chronicles 35:4 records David’s “written statute” concerning Levitical duties in worship, showing that divine statutes guide royal as well as priestly functions.

Prophetic Assessment

Prophets appeal to חֻקָּה to indict Israel’s covenant breach. Ezekiel laments, “Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things… and have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26). Yet Ezekiel also forecasts restoration: “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27). The prophets neither negate statutes nor treat them as obsolete; they insist on internal obedience that accords with external observance.

Post-Exilic Renewal

Ezra and Nehemiah reestablish statutory worship. Nehemiah 10:29–32 records a covenant oath “to follow the Law of God… and to obey and carefully observe all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD.” The renewed community sees national survival bound to honoring the ancient חֻקָּה.

Theological Themes

• Holiness: Statutes separate Israel unto God (Leviticus 20:22–26).
• Remembrance: Memorial ordinances keep redemptive acts before each generation.
• Mediated Grace: Sacrificial statutes point beyond themselves to the need for a perfect atonement.
• Obedience of Faith: Keeping statutes is never meritorious apart from covenant relationship but evidences trust in the Redeemer.

Anticipation of Fulfillment in Christ

Hebrews presents the ceremonial statutes as “a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1). Christ fulfills the Day of Atonement typology (Hebrews 9:11–14) and Passover imagery (1 Corinthians 5:7). Yet moral and creational principles embedded in statutes (such as sexual ethics of Leviticus 18) carry forward in New Testament exhortation (1 Thessalonians 4:3–8).

Ministry Implications for the Church

1. Preach the whole counsel of God, including statutory passages, to reveal the character of God and the scope of redemption.
2. Use statutes to teach about Christ’s work, avoiding both antinomian dismissal and legalistic misapplication.
3. Emphasize continuity of God’s moral will while recognizing fulfilled ceremonial aspects.
4. Call believers to Spirit-empowered obedience: “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10), echoing Ezekiel’s promise of Spirit-wrought fidelity to statutes.

Representative Old Testament Occurrences

Exodus 12:17; 15:25; Leviticus 10:13; 16:31; 23:21; Numbers 9:14; 18:23; Deuteronomy 4:1; 12:1; 1 Kings 3:3; 2 Kings 17:34; 2 Chronicles 33:8; Nehemiah 9:14; Psalm 99:7; Isaiah 24:5; Jeremiah 44:23; Ezekiel 20:13; Malachi 3:7.

Summary

חֻקָּה embodies God’s sovereign right to dictate the rhythms of worship, societal order, and moral conduct. Properly understood through the lens of the full canon, these statutes reveal the unchanging holiness of God, humanity’s need for redemption, and the gracious provision accomplished and applied in Jesus Christ.

בְּחֻקֹּ֣ת בְּחֻקֹּתֶ֥יךָ בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י בְּחֻקֹּתַ֣י בְּחֻקֹּתַי֙ בְּחֻקּ֖וֹת בְּחֻקּ֣וֹת בְּחֻקּ֤וֹת בְּחֻקּ֥וֹת בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֖י בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֣י בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֧י בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֨י בְּחֻקּוֹתַי֙ בחקות בחקותי בחקת בחקתי בחקתיך הַחֻקָּ֥ה החקה וְ֝חֻקֹּתָ֗יו וְחֻקֶּ֑יךָ וְחֻקֹּתַ֔י וְחֻקֹּתַ֥י וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֧יו וְחֻקֹּתָֽי׃ וְחֻקּוֹתַ֖י וְחֻקּוֹתַ֣י וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶ֖ם וּבְחֻקֹּתַ֔י וּבְחֻקֹּתָ֛יו ובחקתי ובחקתיהם ובחקתיו וחקותי וחקיך וחקתי וחקתי׃ וחקתיו חֻקַּ֖ת חֻקַּ֣ת חֻקַּ֤ת חֻקַּ֥ת חֻקָּ֤ה חֻקָּ֥ה חֻקֹּ֛ת חֻקֹּתַ֔י חֻקֹּתַ֖י חֻקֹּתַ֥י חֻקֹּתַי֙ חֻקֹּתַי֮ חֻקֹּתָ֔יו חֻקֹּתָ֖יו חֻקֹּתָ֣יו חֻקֹּתָ֤יו חֻקֹּתָ֥יו חֻקֹּתָיו֙ חֻקֹּתָיו֩ חֻקּ֛וֹת חֻקּ֣וֹת חֻקּ֥וֹת חֻקּוֹתַ֔י חֻקּוֹתַ֣י חֻקּוֹתַ֥י חֻקּוֹתַי֙ חקה חקות חקותי חקת חקתי חקתיו כְּחֻקַּ֥ת כְּחֻקֹּתָם֙ כחקת כחקתם לְחֻקַּ֣ת לְחֻקַּ֥ת לחקת מֵחֻקּ֤וֹת מחקות bə·ḥuq·qō·ṯay bə·ḥuq·qō·ṯe·ḵā bə·ḥuq·qō·w·ṯay bə·ḥuq·qō·wṯ bə·ḥuq·qōṯ bechukKot bechukkoTai bechukkoTeicha bəḥuqqōṯ bəḥuqqōṯay bəḥuqqōṯeḵā bəḥuqqōwṯ bəḥuqqōwṯay chukKah chukKat chukKot chukkoTai chukkoTav chukoTai ha·ḥuq·qāh hachukKah haḥuqqāh ḥuq·qāh ḥuq·qaṯ ḥuq·qō·ṯāw ḥuq·qō·ṯay ḥuq·qō·w·ṯay ḥuq·qō·wṯ ḥuq·qōṯ ḥuqqāh ḥuqqaṯ ḥuqqōṯ ḥuqqōṯāw ḥuqqōṯay ḥuqqōwṯ ḥuqqōwṯay kə·ḥuq·qaṯ kə·ḥuq·qō·ṯām kechukKat kechukkoTam kəḥuqqaṯ kəḥuqqōṯām lə·ḥuq·qaṯ lechukKat ləḥuqqaṯ mê·ḥuq·qō·wṯ mechukKot mêḥuqqōwṯ ū·ḇə·ḥuq·qō·ṯāw ū·ḇə·ḥuq·qō·ṯay ū·ḇə·ḥuq·qō·ṯê·hem ūḇəḥuqqōṯāw ūḇəḥuqqōṯay ūḇəḥuqqōṯêhem uvechukkoTai uvechukkoTav uvechukkoteiHem vechukKeicha vechukkoTai vechukkoTav wə·ḥuq·qe·ḵā wə·ḥuq·qō·ṯāw wə·ḥuq·qō·ṯay wə·ḥuq·qō·ṯāy wə·ḥuq·qō·w·ṯay wəḥuqqeḵā wəḥuqqōṯāw wəḥuqqōṯay wəḥuqqōṯāy wəḥuqqōwṯayInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts