Original Word: חָתָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chathah
Pronunciation: khaw-THAW
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-thaw')
KJV: heap, take (away)
NASB: take, heap, snatch
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to lay hold of
2. especially to pick up fire

heap, take away

A primitive root; to lay hold of; especially to pick up fire -- heap, take (away).

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to snatch up
NASB Translation
heap (1), snatch (1), take (2).

[חָתָה] verb snatch up, usually fire, coals (Late Hebrew id.; ᵑ7 חֲתָא, id. (rare); Assyrian —atû is destroy (i.e. snatch away ?) see SASm^{Asrb i. 90}) —

Qal Imperfect יַחְתֶּה Proverbs 6:27; suffix יַחְתְּךָ Psalm 52:7; Infinitive construct לַחְתּוֺת Isaiah 30:14; Participle חֹתֶה Proverbs 25:22; — snatch up, with accusative אֵשׁ מִיָּקוּד Isaiah 30:14 to snatch up fire from a hearth ("" לַחְשׂף מים מִגֶּבֶא); אֵשׁ בְּחֵיקוֺ Proverbs 6:27 shall a man snatch up fire in his bosom and his garments not be burned ? (in simile of adulterer); pregnantly seize (and put) upon עלרֿאֹשׁוֺ ׳גְּחָלִים אַתָּה ח Proverbs 25:22; יַחְתְּךָ וְיִסָּֽחֲךָ מֵאֹ֑הֶל Psalm 52:7 God . . . shall snatch thee away, and pluck thee up tent-less.

Overview

חָתָה appears only four times in the Old Testament, yet each occurrence presents a striking picture of either gathering life-sustaining fire or of God’s decisive removal of the wicked. The verb’s concrete action—scooping, piling, or snatching—becomes a window into themes of judgment, wisdom, mercy, and total ruin.

Occurrences and Immediate Contexts

• Psalm 52:5 – “Surely God will bring you down forever; He will seize you and tear you from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living.”
• Proverbs 6:27 – “Can a man embrace fire to his chest without his clothes being burned?”
• Proverbs 25:22 – “for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.”
• Isaiah 30:14 – “It will be smashed like a potter’s jar, shattered so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard will be found to scoop coals from a hearth or to skim water from a cistern.”

Semantic and Symbolic Threads

1. Fire imagery dominates three references. In daily ancient life, coals were indispensable for light, warmth, and cooking; mishandling them invited injury. Scripture harnesses that familiarity to address moral choices.
2. The Psalm presents a different nuance—God “seizing” the evildoer. The same swift motion that removes hot coals from a hearth becomes a metaphor for divine judgment.
3. Whether used positively (maintaining a fire, blessing an enemy) or negatively (removing the wicked, depicting total ruin), the verb always conveys immediacy and complete effect.

Judgment and Divine Sovereignty (Psalm 52:5)

David contrasts the boastful evildoer with God’s decisive action. The verb underscores that the removal is personal, sudden, and permanent. The enemy’s apparent security is as fragile as a coal about to be plucked from the hearth and extinguished.

Practical Wisdom and Moral Consequences (Proverbs 6:27)

Carrying illicit passion is like cradling live coals—damage is inevitable. The proverb relies on the self-evident danger of mishandling fire to warn against adultery. The action word intensifies the warning: sin is not theoretical but as tangible as blistered skin.

Mercy that Confronts (Proverbs 25:22; compare Romans 12:20)

Kindness to an enemy “heaps” coals, echoing the hearth scene but flipping the moral register. Hot coals here urge repentance rather than destruction; they warm rather than burn when received rightly. The Lord, not the offended party, grants the ultimate recompense.

Total Devastation and Futility (Isaiah 30:14)

A pot so shattered that no shard can even scoop a coal pictures Judah’s future if she persists in rebellion. Ordinary household usefulness disappears. The verb heightens the prophecy: there will not remain even the smallest tool for the simplest task.

Intertextual Significance

Paul cites Proverbs 25:22 in Romans 12:20, embedding the Old Testament verb’s imagery within New Covenant ethics. Believers combat evil not by retaliation but by Spirit-empowered acts that may awaken conscience—still “heaping coals,” but now with redemptive intent.

Ministry Implications

• Confront sin early; harboring it is spiritual self-immolation (Proverbs 6:27).
• Trust God to vindicate; respond to hostility with active goodness (Proverbs 25:22; Romans 12:20).
• Warn the complacent that God can uproot in an instant (Psalm 52:5).
• Remember that rebellion renders life vessels useless; only repentance restores purpose (Isaiah 30:14).

Summary

חָתָה unites the hearth of everyday life with the furnace of divine holiness. Whether gathering coals for warmth or being plucked away in judgment, the verb reminds readers that God calls His people to handle fire—both literal and figurative—with reverent care, obedient wisdom, and confident trust in His righteous oversight.

הֲיַחְתֶּ֤ה היחתה חֹתֶ֣ה חתה יַחְתְּךָ֣ יחתך לַחְתּ֥וֹת לחתות choTeh hă·yaḥ·teh hayachTeh hăyaḥteh ḥō·ṯeh ḥōṯeh lachTot laḥ·tō·wṯ laḥtōwṯ yachteCha yaḥ·tə·ḵā yaḥtəḵāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts