Original Word: חָבַשׁ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chabash
Pronunciation: khaw-bash'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-bash')
KJV: bind (up), gird about, govern, healer, put, saddle, wrap about
NASB: saddled, bind, bound, saddle, wrapped, binds, bandage
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to wrap firmly (especially a turban, compress, or saddle)
2. (figuratively) to stop, to rule

bind up, gird about, govern, healer, put, saddle, wrap about

A primitive root; to wrap firmly (especially a turban, compress, or saddle); figuratively, to stop, to rule -- bind (up), gird about, govern, healer, put, saddle, wrap about.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to bind, bind on, bind up
NASB Translation
bandage (1), bandaged (1), bind (5), binds (2), bound (3), dams (1), gives relief (1), healer (1), rule (1), saddle (3), saddled (10), wound (1), wrapped (3).

[חָבַשׁ] verb bind, bind on, bind up (Late Hebrew id.; Assyrian abâšu, according to Dl^{W 70, Pr 174}; Arabic confine, restrict; yet on Assyrian —ibšu 'Kopfbinde' (with חֿ), etc., see Zehnpf^{BAS i. 499, 526}; Aramaic ; compare , חֲבוּשְׁיָא imprisonment, etc.) —

Qal Perfect2masculine singular וְחָבַשְׁתָּ֫ Exodus 29:9; 2masculine plural חֲבַשְׁתֶּם Ezekiel 34:4; Imperfect יַחֲבוֺשׁ Job 34:17; וַיַּחֲבשׁ Genesis 22:3 4t.; וַיַּחֲבָשֿׁ 1 Kings 13:23; וְיֶחְבָּ֑שׁ Job 5:18; וַיַּחְבְּשֵׁנוּ Hosea 6:1; 3feminine singular וַתַחֲבשׁ 2 Kings 4:24; אֶחֱבשׁ Ezekiel 34:16; cohortative אֶחְבְּשָׁהֿ 2 Samuel 19:27 (but compare below); וָאֶחְבְּשֵׁךְ Ezekiel 16:10; וַיַּחְבְּשׁוֿ 1 Kings 13:13; וַיַּחֲב֑שׁו 1 Kings 13:27; Imperative חֲבשׁ Job 40:13; חֲבוֺשׁ Ezekiel 24:17; חִבְשׁוּ 1 Kings 13:13,27; Infinitive construct חֲבשׁ Isaiah 30:26; Isaiah 61:1;לְחָבְּשָׁהּ Ezekiel 30:21 (strike out Co, compare ᵐ5). Participle active חֹבֵשׁ Isaiah 3:7; passive חָבוּשׁ Jonah 2:6; חֲבוּשִׁים Judges 19:10; חֲבֻשִׁים 2 Samuel 16:1; Ezekiel 27:24; —

1 bind, bind on:

a. headgear, with accusative of thing, לְ person Exodus 29:9; Leviticus 8:13 (both P); with על person Ezekiel 24:17 (P); passive of seaweeds clinging about head סוּף חָבוּשׁ לְראֹשִׁי Jonah 2:6; with suffix person and בְּ of thing וָאֶחְבְּשֵׁךְ Ezekiel 16:10 and I bound (or wound) about thee (i.e. thy head, Sm VB) שֵׁשׁ (in metaphor of ׳יs care for Jerusalem; "" אַלְבִּישֵׁךְ, אֶנְעֲלֵךְ); figurative of punishment for wicked מְּנֵיהֶם חֲבשׁ בטמון Job 40:13 bind their faces in darkness ("" טָמְנֵם בֶּעָפָר) see Di.

b. passive probably twined, twisted in חֲבָלִים חֲבֻשִׁים וַאֲרֻזִים Ezekiel 27:24, cords twisted and strong, see Sm Da. Especially

c. of equipping a beast for riding; ass, in accusative Genesis 22:3; Numbers 22:21 (both E), 2 Samuel 17:23 & 2 Samuel 19:27 (where however read לוֺ חָבְשָׁהלִּֿי, so ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ9 Th We Dr), 1 Kings 2:40; 1 Kings 13:13 (twice in verse); 1 Kings 13:23,27 (twice in verse) (1Kings 13:27 b no direct object expressed) 2 Kings 4:24; passive, also of asses, Judges 19:10; 2 Samuel 16:1.

d. figurative = restrain, control (German bändigen), absolute Job 34:17.

2 bind up, namely a wound, usually in figure, of comforting the distressed, etc.; with suffix person Hosea 6:1 ("" רָפָא, opposed to הִכָּה); followed by לְ person לַחֲבשׁ לְנִשְׁבְּרֵילֵֿב Isaiah 61:1; compare Ezekiel 34:4 (followed by לַנִּשְׁבֶּרֶת; "" חַזֵּק, רִמֵּא), Ezekiel 34:16 (followed by id.; "" חִזֵּק); followed by accusative of thing בְּיוֺם אֶתשֶֿׁבֶר עַמּוֺ ׳חֲבשׁ י Isaiah 30:26 ("" רָפָא); with accusative of Pharaoh's broken arm Ezekiel 30:21 (si vera lectio, see above; compare Pu`al); absolute Job 5:18; also Isaiah 3:7 of repairing fortunes of people (opposed to הִכְאִיב; "" רָפָה = רָפָא).

Pi`el Perfect חִבֵּשׁ bind, restrain מִבְּכִי נהרות Job 28:11; Participle מְחַבֵּשׁ bind up לְעַצְבוֺתָם Psalm 147:3.

Pu`al Perfect be bound up חֻבְּשָׁה Ezekiel 30:21 (metaphor) Pharaoh's broken arm; חֻבָּ֑שׁוּ Isaiah 1:6 (wounds of land of Judah).

חבת (√ of following; compare Arabic be obscure, IV. be lowly, submissive, low ground).

Scope and Range of Meaning

חָבַשׁ gathers into one idea the act of tying or wrapping something firmly so that it is held in place, whether a wound, a garment, an animal’s saddle, or a prisoner’s chains. From Genesis to Zechariah the verb consistently carries the nuance of bringing something under ordered control for a good or necessary purpose. Scripture never uses the term for casual or decorative activity; in every context it meets a real need—travel, worship, protection, restoration, or judgment.

Binding for Healing

1. Personal wounds
• Job 5:18 – “For He wounds, but He also binds up; He strikes, but His hands heal.”
• Isaiah 1:6 – Judah’s moral sickness is pictured as “wounds and welts and festering sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil.”
• Hosea 6:1 – The returning remnant trusts, “He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has struck us down, but He will bind us up.”

2. National and cosmic wounds
• Psalm 147:3 – “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
• Ezekiel 34:4, 16 – The unfaithful shepherds failed to “bind up the broken”; the LORD, the true Shepherd, promises to do it Himself.
• Isaiah 30:26 – On the day of restored Zion, “the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He inflicted.”

The verb thus becomes a dominant Old-Testament image for God’s restorative grace. Pain, whether physical, emotional, or covenantal, is not ignored; it is deliberately wrapped so that healing can progress under the LORD’s watchful care.

Prophetic and Messianic Overtones

Isaiah 61:1 crowns the motif: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted...”. Jesus cites this passage in Luke 4:18–19, applying חָבַשׁ to His own ministry of redemption. The Servant‐Messiah comes with authoritative hands that wrap the deepest human wounds.

Ceremonial and Priestly Usage

In the ordination of Aaron and his sons the same verb portrays precise, consecrated preparation:

• Exodus 29:9; Leviticus 8:13 – “You are to wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons.”
• Ezekiel 24:17, 23 – Ezekiel, even in mourning, must “bind your turban on your head,” illustrating reverent submission to God’s command.

The binding of priestly garments signifies cleansing, order, and readiness to serve. Priestly sashes hold the ephod and robe close to the body so that worship can proceed without distraction or disorder.

Preparation for Travel and Work

More than a dozen narrative texts employ חָבַשׁ for saddling animals or harnessing chariots:

• Genesis 22:3 – Abraham “saddled his donkey.”
• Numbers 22:21 – Balaam “saddled his donkey.”
• 2 Kings 9:21 – Joram commands, “Harness the chariot.”
• 1 Kings 13:13, 23, 27 – The aged prophet repeatedly “saddled the donkey.”
• 2 Samuel 16:1 – Ziba “had saddled a pair of donkeys.”

In each instance the action marks decisive movement. The patriarch heads to Moriah, the prophet races after the man of God, the king drives into battle. חָבַשׁ therefore pictures purposeful obedience or, at times, purposeful rebellion (Balaam). In ministry application it warns that the same preparations can serve either God’s agenda or one’s own, depending on the heart.

Binding for Restraint and Judgment

While most uses are restorative, a smaller set concerns restraint:

• Job 40:13 – God challenges Job concerning Leviathan: “Can you bind him?”
• Zechariah 11:16 – The foolish shepherd “will not heal the broken sheep” (literally, “bind” them), exposing the flock to ruin.

The verb is thus morally flexible: where hearts are humble, binding restores; where hearts are proud, lack of binding exposes.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

1. True shepherding involves hands-on care. Ezekiel 34 contrasts negligent leaders with God’s own promise: “I will bind up the injured.” The pastor or elder cannot claim to follow the Chief Shepherd while keeping a professional distance from the wounded.

2. Preparation is spiritual as well as physical. Abraham did not merely “set out”; he saddled his donkey. Likewise, a servant of God must fasten every piece of spiritual equipment (Ephesians 6) before stepping into obedience.

3. Bandaging is temporary but necessary. Wrapping a wound does not heal it by itself; it creates conditions in which God’s life can do the deeper work. Similarly, counsel, discipline, or programmatic structure cannot replace the Lord’s regenerating power, yet they provide an ordered context for it.

Theological Thread

From Genesis to Isaiah to the Gospels, חָבַשׁ traces a single redemptive line: God’s appointed Servant will bind what sin has shattered. Human leaders may imitate, distort, or ignore the pattern, but the covenant God remains committed to wrap His people in mercy until final wholeness dawns (Revelation 21:4).

אֶחְבְּשָׁה־ אֶחֱבֹ֔שׁ אחבש אחבשה־ וְחָבַשְׁתָּ֤ וְיֶחְבָּ֑שׁ וְיַחְבְּשֵֽׁנוּ׃ וַֽיַּחֲבֹ֖שׁ וַֽיַּחֲבֹֽשׁוּ׃ וַֽיַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ וַֽתַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ וַיַּחְבְּשׁוּ־ וַיַּחֲבָשׁ־ וַיַּחֲבֹ֣שׁ וַיַּחֲבֹ֥שׁ וָאֶחְבְּשֵׁ֣ךְ וּ֝מְחַבֵּ֗שׁ ואחבשך וחבשת ויחבש ויחבש־ ויחבשו־ ויחבשו׃ ויחבשנו׃ ומחבש ותחבש חֲב֣וֹשׁ חֲבַשְׁתֶּ֔ם חֲבֹ֣שׁ חֲבֹ֤שׁ חֲבֻשִׁ֗ים חֲבֻשִׁ֛ים חֲבוּשִׁ֔ים חִבְשׁוּ־ חִבֵּ֑שׁ חָב֥וּשׁ חֹבֵ֔שׁ חֻ֠בְּשָׁה חֻבָּ֔שׁוּ חבוש חבושים חבש חבשה חבשו חבשו־ חבשים חבשתם יַחֲב֑וֹשׁ יחבוש לְחָבְשָׁ֥הּ לַחֲבֹ֣שׁ לחבש לחבשה ’e·ḥĕ·ḇōš ’eḥ·bə·šāh- ’eḥbəšāh- ’eḥĕḇōš chavashTem chaVoosh chaVosh chaVush chavuShim chibBesh chivshu choVesh chubBashu Chubbeshah echbeshah echeVosh ḥă·ḇaš·tem ḥă·ḇō·wōš ḥă·ḇōš ḥă·ḇu·šîm ḥă·ḇū·šîm ḥā·ḇūš ḥăḇaštem ḥăḇōš ḥăḇōwōš ḥāḇūš ḥăḇušîm ḥăḇūšîm ḥib·bêš ḥiḇ·šū- ḥibbêš ḥiḇšū- ḥō·ḇêš ḥōḇêš ḥub·bā·šū ḥub·bə·šāh ḥubbāšū ḥubbəšāh la·ḥă·ḇōš lachaVosh laḥăḇōš lə·ḥā·ḇə·šāh lechaveShah ləḥāḇəšāh ū·mə·ḥab·bêš umechabBesh ūməḥabbêš vaechbeShech vaiyachaVosh VaiyachaVoshu vaiyachbeshu vattachaVosh vechavashTa veyachbeShenu veyechBash wā’eḥbəšêḵ wā·’eḥ·bə·šêḵ wat·ta·ḥă·ḇōš wattaḥăḇōš way·ya·ḥă·ḇāš- way·ya·ḥă·ḇō·šū way·ya·ḥă·ḇōš way·yaḥ·bə·šū- wayyaḥăḇāš- wayyaḥăḇōš wayyaḥăḇōšū wayyaḥbəšū- wə·ḥā·ḇaš·tā wə·yaḥ·bə·šê·nū wə·yeḥ·bāš wəḥāḇaštā wəyaḥbəšênū wəyeḥbāš ya·ḥă·ḇō·wōš yachaVoosh yaḥăḇōwōšInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts