Original Word: חֲשַׁח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chashach
Pronunciation: khaw-shakh'
Phonetic Spelling: (khash-akh')
KJV: careful, have need of
NASB: need
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) a collateral root to one corresponding to H2363 (חוּשׁ - To hasten) in the sense of readiness]

1. to be necessary (from the idea of convenience)
2. (transitively) to need

careful, have need of

(Aramaic) a collateral root to one corresponding to chuwsh in the sense of readiness; to be necessary (from the idea of convenience) or (transitively) to need -- careful, have need of.

see HEBREW chuwsh

Word Origin
(Aramaic) a prim. root
Definition
to need
NASB Translation
need (1).

[חֲשַׁח] verb need (Assyrian —ašâ—u, crave; Syriac in need of; not ᵑ7; —

Pe`al Participle plural חָֽשְׁחִין Daniel 3:16, singular Infinitive (van d. H., wrongly, ׳חַשׁ).

[חַשְׁחָה] noun feminine thing needed (Syriac ; Nö in K^{p. 175}); — plural חַשְׁחָן Ezra 6:9.

Scriptural Context

חֲשַׁח appears three times, each within the Imperial Aramaic portions of the Old Testament. Twice it is found in Ezra—Ezra 6:9 and Ezra 7:20—documents that preserve official Persian correspondence concerning the rebuilding of the Second Temple. The third occurrence stands in Daniel 3:16, part of the narrative describing the resolve of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before King Nebuchadnezzar. Although the settings differ, the term consistently concerns what is (or is not) required.

Range of Meaning and Usage

1. Provision for Worship (Ezra 6:9; 7:20).
• “Whatever is needed… must be given to them daily without fail” (Ezra 6:9).
• “And any other articles needed for the house of your God… provide from the royal treasury” (Ezra 7:20).

Here חֲשַׁח denotes the practical necessities that enable corporate worship—animals for sacrifice, grain, salt, wine, oil, and sacred vessels. The Persian monarchy recognizes the importance of uninterrupted supply for the Temple liturgy. The term thus carries the sense of legitimate requirement: what God-honoring ministry truly needs must not be withheld.

2. Freedom from Obligation (Daniel 3:16).
• “We have no need to defend ourselves before you in this matter” (Daniel 3:16).

When the three Hebrews use the term negatively, they declare that no further explanation is required. Their unwavering commitment to the LORD eliminates any perceived necessity to justify themselves to an earthly ruler. The word therefore also conveys the absence of real obligation when one’s duty before God is already settled.

Historical Setting

Ezra’s citations come from royal decrees by Darius I (Ezra 6) and Artaxerxes I (Ezra 7). Both edicts authorize resources from the imperial treasury for Temple service at Jerusalem. This political backdrop highlights God’s sovereign ability to move pagan authorities to supply what His worshipers lack (compare Proverbs 21:1). Daniel 3, set nearly a century earlier in Babylon, portrays Jewish exiles under pressure to compromise. The contrasting outcomes—divine provision through kings in Ezra and divine deliverance from a king in Daniel—frame חֲשַׁח within God’s larger preservation of His people during the exile and post-exilic periods.

Theological and Ministry Implications

1. God Ordains Means for His Worship.

The Temple could not function without daily offerings. By using חֲשַׁח, Scripture underscores that true worship involves concrete, material needs that God Himself pledges to supply (Philippians 4:19).

2. Legitimate Need versus Unnecessary Justification.

Daniel 3:16 distinguishes between genuine requirement and coerced demand. Believers must discern when a human authority’s expectation is not truly binding because obedience to God has already been defined (Acts 5:29).

3. Divine Sovereignty over Provision.

The same term links the generosity of emperors with the fearless witness of exiles. God meets needs either by moving hearts to give (Ezra) or by eliminating the need altogether (Daniel). Both testify to His unchanging faithfulness (Malachi 3:6).

Practical Application

• Worship leaders and local congregations should identify authentic ministry needs and trust God to meet them, while resisting pressures to justify biblical convictions before a hostile culture.
• Christian stewardship mirrors the Persian decrees: believers with resources are channels through whom God supplies what the household of faith requires (2 Corinthians 9:12-13).
• Personal courage grows from recognizing that some demands for explanation are unnecessary when one’s allegiance to Christ is clear (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Related Concepts

Provision: Genesis 22:14; Matthew 6:33

Courageous Witness: Acts 4:19-20; Hebrews 11:34

Sovereignty over Kings: Ezra 1:1; Daniel 2:21

Thus חֲשַׁח serves as a concise biblical marker for both the necessities God gladly supplies and the supposed necessities He enables His servants to disregard.

חַשְׁחִ֨ין חַשְׁחָ֡ן חַשְׁחוּת֙ חשחות חשחין חשחן chashChan chashChin chashChut ḥaš·ḥān ḥaš·ḥîn ḥaš·ḥūṯ ḥašḥān ḥašḥîn ḥašḥūṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts