רַתּוֹק
𐤓𐤕𐤅𐤒
rattôwq
H7569 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A chain, particularly a fetter or shackle; typically refers to a physical chain or bonds used to restrain a prisoner or captive, but can also denote an instrument used in ceremonial or punitive contexts. The word may imply something that fastens or restrains, generally metallic in construction.
Semantic Range
chain, fetter, shackle, bonds for prisoners, instrument of physical restraint
Root / Etymology
From the root רתק (r-t-q), which primarily means 'to bind, shackle, fasten.' רַתּוֹק (rattôq) is a noun formation indicating an object derived from this action, thus: 'that which binds/fastens' — a chain or shackle.
Historical & Contextual Notes
רַתּוֹק appears only rarely in the Hebrew Bible (cf. Jeremiah 40:1 and Jeremiah 40:4), used in the context of physical restraint of an Israelite during the Neo-Babylonian period. The term is distinct from other Hebrew words for chains such as אֲזִקִּים (’azikim, usually 'fetters' for feet) and נְחֻשְׁתַּיִם (neḥushtayim, 'bronze shackles'), as רַתּוֹק seems to refer more generally to a chain or shackle without reference to material or precise form. Its usage is not symbolic in extant biblical contexts, being a concrete, physical object. In post-biblical Hebrew, the root continued to carry the sense of binding or chaining. English 'chain' captures the sense, though the specificity of prisoner restraint is often more precise in biblical texts. Later translations, including the Septuagint, tend to render the term with the Greek 'ἁλύσις' (halysis), likewise indicating fetters or chains for prisoners.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רָתַק; a chain; chain.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רתק (r-t-q) — to bind, to attach, to shackle, to fasten
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7572 | רַתִּיקָה | in binding-chains of |
| H7576 | רָתַק | they were securely bound |
| H7577 | רְתֻקָה | binding-chains of |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7569-01 |
הָֽ/רַתּ֑וֹק | haratoq | HTd/Ncmsa |
the chain | the binding-chain | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7569-01 |
Ezekiel 7:23 | הָֽ/רַתּ֑וֹק | haratoq | HTd/Ncmsa |
the chain | the binding-chain |