Original Word: חָקַק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chaqaq
Pronunciation: khaw-kak'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-kak')
KJV: appoint, decree, governor, grave, lawgiver, note, pourtray, print, set
NASB: inscribed, scepter, commanders, inscribe, carve, decree, decreed
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to hack, i.e. engrave (Judges 5
2. (by implication) to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times)
3. (generally) to prescribe

appoint, decree, governor, grave, lawgiver, note, portray, print,

A primitive root; properly, to hack, i.e. Engrave (Judges 5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication, to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times) or (gen.) Prescribe -- appoint, decree, governor, grave, lawgiver, note, pourtray, print, set.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to cut in, inscribe, decree
NASB Translation
carve (1), commanders (2), decree (1), decreed (1), enact (1), inscribe (2), inscribed (3), lawgiver (1), marked (1), portrayed (1), ruler's (1), ruler's staff (1), scepter (3).

[חָקַק] verb cut in, inscribe, decree (Late Hebrew id., Aramaic חֲקַק, Zinjirli חקק; Phoenician id. Participle Hiph`il; Arabic be just, right, obligatory, also make or decide to be just, etc.; justness, truth, necessity, obligation; Ethiopic adjective moderate, sufficient; compare also חקה) —

Qal וְחַקּוֺתָ֫ Ezekiel 4:1; suffix חַקֹּתִיךְ Isaiah 49:16; Infinitive suffix בְּחֻקּוֺ Proverbs 8:27; בְּחוּקוֺ Proverbs 8:29 (assimilated to בְּשׂוּמוֺ); חֻקָּהּ Isaiah 30:8; Participle חֹקְקִי Isaiah 22:16 (archaic case ending Ges^{§ 90}. 3 a); plural חֹקְקִים Isaiah 10:1; construct חוֺקְקֵי Judges 5:9 (possibly Po`el = מחוקקי with מְ omitted, see Ges^{§ 52} (2), note 6); Participle Pass. plural חֲקֻקִֿים Ezekiel 23:14 (Co חקוקים); —

1 cut in, with בְּ, Isaiah 22:16, of a dwelling-place = tomb, in a rock.

2 cut in or on, upon, engrave, inscribe, with על on roll of a book Isaiah 30:8; representation of city on brick (as in Babylonia) Ezekiel 4:1; images on a wall Ezekiel 23:14; figurative of Zion's walls on palms of ׳י Isaiah 49:16.

3 trace, mark out, a circle, with על over the face of deep Proverbs 8:27; with accusative, foundations of earth Proverbs 8:29.

4 of a law, engrave, inscribe (on a tablet), figurative for enact, decree חקקים חקקי און Isaiah 10:1 ("" כתב עמל); חוֺקקֵי ישׂראל poetic = commanders (see Po`el) Judges 5:9 ("" מחקקים Judges 5:14).

Po`el Imperfect יְחוֺקְקוּ Proverbs 8:15; Participle מְחֹקֵק Genesis 49:10; Numbers 21:18; Deuteronomy 33:21; suffix מְחֹקְקִי Psalm 60:9; Psalm 108:9; מְחֹקְקֵנוּ Isaiah 33:22; plural מְחֹקְקִים Judges 5:14; — inscribe (as a law), enact (poetry): with accusative צֶדֶק Proverbs 8:15 elsewhere participle

a. prescriber of laws, hence (as sovereign authority in a warlike clan) commander Deuteronomy 33:21 (of warlike tribe of Gad), Judges 5:14; Isaiah 33:22 (of ׳י; "" שֹׁפְטֵנוּ, מַלְכֵּנוּ).

b. commander's staff Genesis 49:10 ("" שֵׁבֶט), Numbers 21:18 (both poetry), Psalm 60:9 = Psalm 108:9.

Pu`al Participle מְחֻקָּק that which is decreed Proverbs 31:5 (late).

Hoph`al Imperfect יֻחָ֑קֿוּ Job 19:23 inscribed in (בְּ) a book.

Meaning and Key Motifs

חָקַק evokes a craftsman pressing a stylus into stone, a ruler stamping his decree, or a mason cutting boundary lines. The verb gathers around three inter-locking ideas: (1) permanently inscribing words or images, (2) authoritatively setting boundaries, and (3) commissioning decrees that bind a community. Each occurrence carries one or more of these motifs and thereby links governance, memory, and identity.

Occurrences and Literary Distribution

The root appears nineteen times, touching the Pentateuch (Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy), Historical Books (Judges), Wisdom Literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs), the Prophets (Isaiah, Ezekiel), and twice in paired psalms. The breadth of use shows that the concept of inscription and decree is woven through every major Old Testament genre.

Governance and Law

1. Royal authority: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet” (Genesis 49:10). The tribe entrusted with kingship also carries the staff of the חָקַק-bearer—an emblem of legislative power.
2. Tribal leadership: “From Machir came commanders, and from Zebulun those who bear the officer’s staff” (Judges 5:14). Authority is recognized where decree is exercised.
3. National identity: “Judah is My scepter” (Psalm 60:7; 108:8). Divine rule channels through a chosen tribe whose king issues righteous statutes.
4. Divine sovereignty: “For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22). Human lawgivers mirror—but can never replace—the ultimate Legislator.

Covenant Memory and Permanent Record

Job longs for enduring vindication: “Oh, that my words were recorded and inscribed in a book!” (Job 19:23). Isaiah is told, “Write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may serve as a witness for the days to come” (Isaiah 30:8). In each case inscription makes testimony inescapable; the written word outlives the fleeting moment. The root also frames everlasting compassion: “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (Isaiah 49:16). The covenant people are etched upon God’s very person.

Creation and Cosmic Order

Wisdom watches as God “inscribed a circle on the face of the deep” (Proverbs 8:27) and “set a boundary for the sea so that the waters would not overstep His command” (Proverbs 8:29). The same verb that fashions statutes for society describes the cosmic limits that preserve life. Law in Scripture is never arbitrary; it reflects the fixed architecture of creation.

Prophetic Exposure of Injustice

Isaiah denounces leaders who “enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees” (Isaiah 10:1). Proverbs warns rulers not to “forget what is decreed” (Proverbs 31:5). When the tool of inscription is perverted, it produces bondage rather than blessing. Yet the prophetic critique assumes that righteous decree remains the norm against which corruption is measured.

Symbolic Engraving and Heart Formation

Ezekiel is told to sketch Jerusalem on a clay brick (Ezekiel 4:1), transforming art into enacted prophecy. In the same book the adulterous city lusts after “images of men carved on the wall” (Ezekiel 23:14), a grotesque counter-inscription that reflects inner idolatry. The heart will inevitably be engraved—either by God’s truth or by false images. This anticipates the New Covenant promise that the law will be written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:33), completing the trajectory begun by חָקַק.

Messianic and Eschatological Dimensions

Genesis 49:10 points forward to the royal descendant who unites scepter and statute until the obedience of the nations is His. The Psalms echo this union in declaring Judah God’s scepter. Isaiah 33:22 climaxes the theme: only when the LORD Himself is acknowledged as Judge, Lawgiver, and King will salvation be secure. The New Testament presents Jesus Christ as the fulfillment—King from Judah, giver of the law of liberty, and the One whose hands bear permanent marks of covenant love (John 20:27; Revelation 5:5).

Ministry Implications

• Preaching: The same God who engraved the circle of the heavens engraves His word on parchment and people. Proclaim Scripture as an unerasable authority.
• Leadership: Civil and ecclesial leaders are “lawgivers” in miniature. Their decrees must echo divine justice or face prophetic rebuke.
• Pastoral care: Isaiah 49:16 comforts the afflicted—God’s commitment is carved, not penciled.
• Discipleship: Encourage believers to allow the Spirit to inscribe truth on their hearts, guarding against the counterfeit images of Ezekiel 23:14.

Related Terms and Themes

חֹק (statute), תּוֹרָה (instruction), סֵפֶר (scroll), סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן (book of remembrance), בְּרִית (covenant), סֵפֶר הַיִּים (book of life). Each carries the thread of lasting record and binding authority first suggested by חָקַק.

In Scripture, to “inscribe” is never a mere mechanical act; it is a theological statement. Whatever God engraves—whether law, boundary, or people—stands secure.

בְּ֝חוּק֗וֹ בְּח֥וּקוֹ בִּמְחֹקֵ֖ק בחוקו במחקק הַחֹֽקְקִ֖ים החקקים וְחַקּוֹתָ֥ וְיֻחָֽקוּ׃ וּמְחֹקֵ֖ק וחקות ויחקו׃ ומחקק חֲקֻקִ֖ים חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ חֹקְקִ֥י חֻקָּ֑הּ חקה חקקי חקקים חקתיך יְחֹ֣קְקוּ יחקקו לְחוֹקְקֵ֣י לחוקקי מְחֹ֣קְקִ֔ים מְחֹֽקְקִי׃ מְחֹקְקִֽי׃ מְחֹקְקֵ֑נוּ מְחֹקֵ֖ק מְחֻקָּ֑ק מחקק מחקקי׃ מחקקים מחקקנו bə·ḥū·qōw bechuKo beChukov bəḥūqōw bim·ḥō·qêq bimchoKek bimḥōqêq chakkoTich chakuKim chokeKi chukKah ha·ḥō·qə·qîm ḥă·qu·qîm hachokeKim haḥōqəqîm ḥaq·qō·ṯîḵ ḥaqqōṯîḵ ḥăquqîm ḥō·qə·qî ḥōqəqî ḥuq·qāh ḥuqqāh lə·ḥō·wq·qê lechokKei ləḥōwqqê mə·ḥō·qə·qê·nū mə·ḥō·qə·qî mə·ḥō·qə·qîm mə·ḥō·qêq mə·ḥuq·qāq mechoKek mechokeKenu meChokeki meChokeKim mechukKak məḥōqêq məḥōqəqênū məḥōqəqî məḥōqəqîm məḥuqqāq ū·mə·ḥō·qêq umechoKek ūməḥōqêq vechakkoTa veyuChaku wə·ḥaq·qō·w·ṯā wə·yu·ḥā·qū wəḥaqqōwṯā wəyuḥāqū yə·ḥō·qə·qū yeChokeku yəḥōqəqūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts