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חַוָּה

𐤇𐤅𐤄

chavvâh

H2333 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חוה to live, to declare, to show, to tell

Definition

A settlement, village, or group of dwellings; more specifically, a small rural settlement distinct from a walled city or town. In biblical usage, חַוָּה (chavvâh) designates a populated hamlet or encampment, especially within tribal or rural contexts.

Semantic Range

village, hamlet, rural settlement, encampment, small town, inhabited place

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root חוה, meaning 'to show, tell, declare, live' (though the connection is debated), with the derived sense here associated with 'living' or 'inhabited place.' The noun חַוָּה points to a place characterized by habitation or communal living. Some scholars suggest a link to Akkadian and Aramaic cognates for settlement or encampment, but the etymology remains somewhat uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חַוָּה occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible and is primarily attested in reference to northern Transjordanian regions, such as the 'villages' of Jair in the territory of Bashan (see Numbers 32:41; Deuteronomy 3:14; 1 Kings 4:13, where the term distinguishes smaller rural settlements from fortified cities). The term is notably distinct from עִיר ('city') and כָּפָר ('village' more generally), and often reflects a socio-geographical setting typical of clan-based or semi-nomadic groupings, particularly in Gilead and Bashan. English translations often render the word as 'village' or 'hamlet,' but this does not always capture the original socio-political nuance. Later Hebrew employs related terms for settlement, but the usage and nuance of חַוָּה appear restricted to earlier Hebrew and have limited parallels in extrabiblical texts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

properly, the same as חַוָּה (lifegiving, i.e. living-place); by implication, an encampment or village; (small) town.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חוה (ḥ-w-h) — to live, to declare, to show, to tell

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2324 חֲוָא I will fully declare
H2331 חָוָה I will declare
H2332 חַוָּה Living-One
H2334 חַוּוֹת יָעִיר dwelling-villages of
H262 אַחְוָה and my declaration

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2333-01 חַוֺּ֥ת chaot HNcfpc villages of villages of 3
H2333-02 חַוֺּתֵי/הֶ֑ם chaoteyhem HNcfpc/Sp3mp their villages their rural settlements 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2333-02 Numbers 32:41 חַוֺּתֵי/הֶ֑ם chaoteyhem HNcfpc/Sp3mp their villages their rural settlements
H2333-01 Joshua 13:30 חַוֺּ֥ת chaot HNcfpc towns villages of
H2333-01 1 Kings 4:13 חַוֺּת֩ chaot HNcfpc villages of villages of
H2333-01 1 Chronicles 2:23 חַוֺּ֨ת chaot HNcfpc villages of villages of
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