Original Word: חָתַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chathar
Pronunciation: khaw-thar'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-thar')
KJV: dig (through), row
NASB: dig, dug, rowed
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to force a passage, as by burglary
2. (figuratively) with oars

dig through, row

A primitive root; to force a passage, as by burglary; figuratively, with oars -- dig (through), row.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to dig, row
NASB Translation
dig (5), dug (2), rowed (1).

חָתַר verb dig, row (Late Hebrew id., bore (through), so Aramaic חֲתַר ᵑ7 (rare)) —

Qal Perfect ׳ח Job 24:16, חָתַרְתִּי Ezekiel 12:7; Imperfect וָאֶחְתֹּר Ezekiel 8:8, יַחְתְּרוּ Ezekiel 12:12; Amos 9:2, וַיַּחְתְּרוּ Jonah 1:13; Imperative חֲתָרֿ Ezekiel 8:8; Ezekiel 12:5; —

1 dig into houses, with accusative בָּתִּים Job 24:16 (of burglary); followed by בְּ into or through a wall Ezekiel 8:8 (twice in verse) (Co strike out on internal grounds), Ezekiel 12:5,7,12; metaphor followed by בשׁאול Amos 9:2 dig into She'ôl, i.e. as a refuge.

2 row (as digging into the water) Jonah 1:13.

Semantic Range and Imagery

חָתַר pictures vigorous penetration—whether cutting through a wall with stealthy intent, gouging into the earth in flight, or thrusting an oar through water. The idea is consistent: determined effort that seeks passage where none appears open.

Occurrences in Narrative and Prophetic Literature

Job 24:16 portrays the wicked who “dig through houses by day they shut themselves in; they do not know the light”, capturing nocturnal lawlessness.

Ezekiel employs the verb in two settings. In Ezekiel 8:8 the prophet is told to “Dig through the wall,” unveiling secret idolatry; in Ezekiel 12:5-12 it becomes a sign-act of exile, with the prophet digging through his own house to model Judah’s coming escape and captivity.

Amos 9:2 warns that even should rebels “dig down to Sheol, from there My hand will take them,” underscoring God’s unavoidable judgment.

Jonah 1:13 shifts the metaphor to the sea: the sailors “rowed hard” (lit. dug) to return to land, but their exertion proved futile against divine storm.

Moral and Spiritual Lessons

1. Hidden sin will be exposed (Job 24, Ezekiel 8). What is dug in darkness lies open before the Lord of light.
2. Self-reliant escape collapses under divine sovereignty (Ezekiel 12, Amos 9). Walls, earth, or ocean cannot conceal the sinner.
3. Noble striving, apart from submission to God’s will, exhausts yet avails nothing (Jonah 1:13). Human effort cannot overturn divine purpose.

Prophetic Sign-Acts and Eschatological Hints

Ezekiel’s acted parable links digging with exile. The captives will break through city walls only to confront Babylonian bondage. Centuries later, the Roman breach of Jerusalem’s defenses echoed the same pattern—judgment for covenant breach—a sobering typology of final judgment when all refuges fail.

Human Futility versus Divine Omnipresence

Amos expands the verb’s reach to cosmic proportions: no depth in the netherworld, no height among the stars, no summit of Carmel can outdistance the Creator (Amos 9:2-3). The motif anticipates Psalm 139 and Romans 8: neither height nor depth can separate from, or hide from, the Lord.

Pastoral and Homiletical Applications

• Call to transparency: encourage believers to invite the Spirit to “dig” through any hidden walls of idolatry.
• Warning to the unrepentant: labor spent on concealment becomes the very evidence of guilt.
• Comfort for the oppressed: the Almighty sees clandestine deeds; every secret burglary of Job 24 is on His docket.

Christological and Redemptive Trajectory

At Calvary the Messiah was “pierced” (Zechariah 12:10), a divine counter-digging into the barricade of sin. Whereas sinners burrow to flee God, God in Christ broke through death’s wall to reach sinners. The empty tomb stands as the ultimate reversal of חָתַר: the Father excavated the grave itself, securing everlasting escape for all who believe.

Conclusion

חָתַר reminds the reader that every wall—literal or metaphorical—lies subject to the Lord who “searches hearts and minds.” Whether manifested in sinful intrusion, prophetic drama, or futile rowing, the verb presses a single question: where will I look for refuge—behind my own dug defenses, or in the pierced side of the Savior?

וַיַּחְתְּר֣וּ וָאֶחְתֹּ֣ר ואחתר ויחתרו חֲתָר־ חָתַ֥ר חָתַֽרְתִּי־ חתר חתר־ חתרתי־ יַחְתְּר֖וּ יַחְתְּר֣וּ יחתרו chaTar chatarti chator ḥā·ṯar ḥă·ṯār- ḥā·ṯar·tî- ḥāṯar ḥăṯār- ḥāṯartî- vaechTor vaiyachteRu wā’eḥtōr wā·’eḥ·tōr way·yaḥ·tə·rū wayyaḥtərū yachteRu yaḥ·tə·rū yaḥtərūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts