Original Word: חָצַץ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chatsats
Pronunciation: khaw-tsats'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-tsats')
KJV: archer, X bands, cut off in the midst
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to chop into, pierce or sever
2. (hence) to curtail, to distribute (into ranks)
3. as denom. from H2671, to shoot an arrow

archer, bands, cut off in the midst

A primitive root (compare chatsah); properly, to chop into, pierce or sever; hence, to curtail, to distribute (into ranks); as denom. From chets, to shoot an arrow -- archer, X bands, cut off in the midst.

see HEBREW chatsah

see HEBREW chets

חָצַן verb divide (Late Hebrew makes a partition; Assyrian —aƒâƒu, cut in two, Zim^{BP 24 n}.; Ethiopic curtail, diminish) —

Qal Participle חֹצֵץ intransitive Proverbs 30:27 of locusts כלו ׳ויצא ח; i.e. dividing (themselves) into companies or swarms.

Pi`el Participle מְחַצְצִים see II. חצץ.

Pu`al Perfect מספר חדשׁיו חֻצָּ֑צוּ Job 21:21 the number of his months, they have been cut in two (figurative for curtailed).

II. [חצץ] verb denominative only

Pi`el Participle מְחַצְצִים Judges 5:11 archers (> those dividing spoil, since no object expressed and חלק more suitable for such meaning)

חצצר, חֲצֹצְרָה see IV. חצר.

I. חצר (√ of following; compare Arabic encompass, surround; Ethiopic surround, enclose by wall, etc.; enclosure; Late Hebrew חָצֵר court, Phoenician חצר id., Syriac , id.)

Range of Meaning and Imagery

חָצַץ conveys the idea of cutting, dividing, or arranging in groups. In the three passages where it appears, the term moves from literal partition (sharing spoils at a well), to the cutting short of life, to the orderly formation of locust swarms. Each setting underscores that every division of time, resource, or force ultimately lies under God’s ordering hand.

Judges 5:11 – Dividing the Spoil at the Wells

“Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates—at the sound of those who divide at the watering places; there they recount the righteous acts of the LORD” (Judges 5:11).

After Deborah’s victory, warriors pause at the wells where community life converges. The “dividers” allot plunder and perhaps water, testifying aloud to Yahweh’s deliverance. The verse links fair distribution with covenant faithfulness: justice in post-battle sharing gives concrete evidence of divine righteousness. In ministry contexts the scene illustrates how God-honoring testimony often arises in ordinary tasks—accounting, planning, resource allocation—that can either foster or fracture communal trust.

Job 21:21 – The Lifespan Cut Off

“For what does he care about his household after him, when the number of his months is cut off?” (Job 21:21).

Job challenges simplistic retribution theology. Whether a wicked man prospers or not, his allotted months are “cut” by a sovereign decree outside his control. The verb presses readers to reckon with the brevity of life and God’s prerogative to set its boundaries. Pastoral application emphasizes both accountability (life is measured) and comfort (life is measured by God, not blind fate).

Proverbs 30:27 – Locusts in Divisions

“The locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formation” (Proverbs 30:27).

Here חָצַץ describes ordered ranks. Locusts surge as though marshaled, revealing that coordination can exist without visible human leadership. The proverb invites reflection on divine wisdom embedded in creation: disciplined cooperation need not depend on earthly hierarchy but on shared purpose. Congregations can be encouraged to imitate this instinctive unity under Christ the true Head.

Unifying Biblical Themes

1. Divine sovereignty over boundaries—of plunder, lifespan, or creaturely movement.
2. Justice and order emerging from proper division; chaos and injustice from its absence.
3. Spoken testimony (“they recount the righteous acts of the LORD”) naturally accompanies righteous division, turning routine duties into worship.

Historical and Cultural Background

• Wells functioned as social centers and strategic assets. Fair apportionment there affirmed God’s peace after war.
• Ancient Near-Eastern thought viewed life span as fixed; Job wrestles with this conviction in light of apparent moral disorder.
• While locust plagues terrified agrarian societies, their disciplined waves also impressed observers with a mysterious, almost military precision.

Practical Ministry Insights

• Stewardship: transparent distribution of resources mirrors the “dividers” who honor the Lord in Judges.
• Mortality: funerals and hospital visits echo Job’s insight—months are numbered, calling for gospel urgency.
• Teamwork: small groups and ministry teams can learn from locust armies that effectiveness flows from shared mission more than from positional titles.

Related New Testament Connections

• The pattern of just distribution appears in Acts 2:45, where believers “distributed to anyone as he had need,” echoing Judges 5:11.
• Jesus declares that the Father “has fixed the times” (Acts 1:7), paralleling Job 21:21’s cut-off months.
• Paul likens the Church to a body “held together” (Ephesians 4:16), an ordered advance reminiscent of the locust ranks.

Homiletical Seed Thoughts

• “Dividing the Spoils of Grace” – stewardship that turns accounting into doxology.
• “When the Months Are Cut Off” – living wisely in light of numbered days.
• “Locust Logic” – unity without kingship, under the unseen reign of Christ.

חָצַץ thus serves as a subtle thread stitching together God’s righteous distribution, sovereign timing, and orderly wisdom—truths as relevant beside modern water coolers as they were at ancient wells.

חֹצֵ֣ץ חֻצָּֽצוּ׃ חצץ חצצו׃ מְחַֽצְצִ֗ים מחצצים choTzetz chutzTzatzu ḥō·ṣêṣ ḥōṣêṣ ḥuṣ·ṣā·ṣū ḥuṣṣāṣū mə·ḥaṣ·ṣîm mechatzTzim məḥaṣṣîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts