Original Word: חַכָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: chakkah
Pronunciation: khak-kaw'
Phonetic Spelling: (khak-kaw')
KJV: angle, hook
NASB: fishhook, hook, line
Word Origin: [probably from H2442 (חָכָה - wait)]

1. a hook (as adhering)

angle, hook

Probably from chakah; a hook (as adhering) -- angle, hook.

see HEBREW chakah

Word Origin
from the same as chek
Definition
a hook, fishhook
NASB Translation
fishhook (1), hook (1), line (1).

חַכָּה noun feminine hook fastened in jaw,

fish-hook (Late Hebrew id., Aramaic חַכְּתָא) — absolute ׳ח Job 40:25 2t.; — כָּלמַֿשְׁלִיכֵי בַיְאֹר חַכָּ֑ה Isaiah 19:8 ("" הַדַּיָּגִים), כֻּלֹה בְּחַכָּה הֵעֲלָה Habakkuk 1:15 (of אדם, who, Habakkuk 1:14, is compare to דְּגֵּי הַיָּם, and רֶמֶשׂ), compare תִּמְשֹׁךְ לִוְיָתָן בְּחַכָּ֑ה Job 40:25.

חִנָּם see below חנן

Overview

חַכָּה appears three times in the Hebrew Bible, each time depicting a fishing hook or line. The simple implement becomes a vivid instrument in divine speeches, prophetic oracles, and poetic lament, enriching the Bible’s theology of sovereignty, judgment, and mission.

Occurrences in Scripture

• Job 41:1 – The LORD asks Job, “Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?”.
• Isaiah 19:8 – “Then the fishermen will mourn, all who cast a hook into the Nile will lament; those who spread nets on the waters will pine away.”
• Habakkuk 1:15 – Concerning the Chaldeans: “The Chaldeans drag them all up with a hook, catch them in their net, and gather them in their dragnet; so they rejoice and exult.”

Cultural and Historical Background

Fishing by hook was a commonplace occupation along the Nile, Sea of Galilee, and other waterways. The hook could be fashioned from bone, bronze, or iron, baited for river or sea fish. Isaiah’s allusion to economic collapse gains force when the Nile, Egypt’s lifeline, yields no catch. Habakkuk’s era saw Assyrian and Babylonian forces display captured leaders on literal hooks through the cheeks or lips, intensifying the metaphor of ruthless conquest.

Symbolism of Judgment

1. Divine Challenge (Job 41:1): The hook exposes human impotence before Leviathan, a creature symbolizing chaotic power. God’s rhetorical question reinforces His absolute sovereignty.
2. Economic Ruin (Isaiah 19:8): Fishermen mourning over empty hooks embodies national judgment; what sustained Egypt now testifies to its downfall.
3. Imperial Cruelty (Habakkuk 1:15): The hook becomes an emblem of Babylon’s brutal dominion. God allows this oppression to chastise Judah, yet will later judge the oppressor (Habakkuk 2:8).

Symbolism of Dominion and Power

The hook is wielded by two hands: the LORD’s and the oppressor’s. With God, it reveals omnipotence; with Babylon, it reveals delegated and temporary might. Both underscore the truth that ultimate authority belongs to God alone (Daniel 4:35).

Contrasting Imagery: Destruction versus Restoration

While חַכָּה scenes often convey judgment, Scripture balances the motif with restorative fishing imagery. Ezekiel 47:9–10 promises fishermen along rejuvenated waters, and Jesus calls disciples to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). The same picture that portends ruin can also herald redemption.

Foreshadowing the Gospel

Job’s inability to subdue Leviathan anticipates humanity’s inability to conquer sin and death. Only Christ, greater than Job, triumphs over the ultimate chaos by His cross and resurrection (Colossians 2:15). The lament of Isaiah 19 prefigures a later promise: “Blessed be Egypt My people” (Isaiah 19:25). Habakkuk’s hook imagery climaxes in 3:13 where God crushes the leader of wickedness, portraying a messianic victory.

Ministry and Discipleship Implications

• Dependence on God’s Power: Like Job, ministers acknowledge their limits and rely on divine strength.
• Warning against Oppression: Habakkuk warns nations and leaders who misuse power; biblical preaching must echo this.
• Hope amid Economic Hardship: Isaiah 19:8 encourages modern believers facing financial crisis to trust God’s sovereign purposes.
• Evangelistic Zeal: The hook’s capacity to draw parallels with being “fishers of men” invites creative gospel proclamation.

Pastoral Reflections

The humble hook reminds believers that God employs ordinary means to accomplish extraordinary ends—humbling the proud, judging the wicked, and rescuing the lost. In preaching and teaching, חַכָּה challenges complacency, comforts the afflicted, and calls the church to cast the gospel line boldly, confident that the Master Fisherman still draws souls to Himself.

בְּחַכָּ֑ה בְּחַכָּ֣ה בחכה חַכָּ֑ה חכה bə·ḥak·kāh bechakKah bəḥakkāh chakKah ḥak·kāh ḥakkāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts