Lexical Summary
chakah: To wait, to tarry, to long for
Original Word:חָכָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:chakah
Pronunciation:khaw-kaw'
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-kaw')
KJV: long, tarry, wait
NASB:wait, waits, long, longs, waited, waiting
Word Origin:[a primitive root (apparently akin toH2707 (חָקָה - carved) through the idea of piercing)]
1. (properly) to adhere to
2. (hence) to await
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
long, tarry, wait
A primitive root (apparently akin tochaqah through the idea of piercing); properly, to adhere to; hence, to await -- long, tarry, wait.
see HEBREWchaqah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto wait, await
NASB Translationlong (2), longs (1), wait (7), waited (1), waiting (1), waits (3).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] —
Participle pl constructIsaiah 30:18; withwaiting for him ().
Job 32:4;Psalm 33:20;Isaiah 8:17;Psalm 106:13;2 Kings 7:9;ImperfectIsaiah 30:18;2 Kings 9:3;ImperativeHabakkuk 2:3;Zephaniah 3:8;Infinitive constructHosea 6:9 (Ephr for ?);ParticipleDaniel 12:12; constructIsaiah 64:3; pluralJob 3:21; —
wait, tarry, absolute2 Kings 9:3tarry not; with till morning light2 Kings 7:9; with accusativeJob 32:4tarry for Job with words.
wait (in ambush),Hosea 6:9as marauding bands wait for a man AV RV De, oras marauders lie in wait Hi Ew (taking as construct)
wait for, long for, with forIsaiah 8:17;Isaiah 64:3;Zephaniah 3:8;Psalm 33:20; for his counselPsalm 106:13; for his visionHabakkuk 2:3; for deathJob 3:21;Yahweh waiteth to be gracious unto youIsaiah 30:18 (Di regards this as threatening and refers it to
); absolutewaiteth (and cometh to the days of blessedness)Daniel 12:12.
below .
(√of following; compare Arabic
IV.be confused, vague;
barbarousness, orimpediment in speech; Assyrianakâlu,be gloomy,êklu,dark,eklitu,darkness, Dl in ZimBp 115, w. 385 ff., compare JägerBAS ii, 282).
Topical Lexicon
Root Concept of חָכָהThe verb portrays deliberate, patient expectation. Unlike קָוָה or יָחַל, which stress hope or confident anticipation, חָכָה emphasizes the act of remaining, tarrying, or lingering until the awaited moment or person arrives. It is waiting with restrained action, often when no alternative movement is possible without forfeiting obedience.
Old Testament Distribution
Occurrences appear across narrative history (2 Kings 7:9; 9:3), wisdom literature (Job 3:21; 32:4;Psalm 33:20; 106:13), and the prophets (Isaiah 8:17; 30:18; 64:4;Daniel 12:12;Hosea 6:9;Habakkuk 2:3;Zephaniah 3:8). The breadth shows that waiting on the Lord is a universal covenant discipline for kings, prophets, priests, and common people alike.
Patterns of Expectant Waiting
1. Reliance on divine help: “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20).
2. Submission to divine timing: “Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you… Blessed are all who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).
3. Corporate posture in crisis: The lepers at Samaria warn, “If we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us” (2 Kings 7:9), illustrating that waiting can turn from virtue to presumption when God has already provided clear direction.
4. Personal spiritual discipline: Isaiah personifies faithful remnant trust—“I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob” (Isaiah 8:17).
5. Eschatological orientation: “Blessed is he who waits and reaches the end of the 1,335 days” (Daniel 12:12) and “Though it lingers, wait for it” (Habakkuk 2:3) link the verb to the certainty of prophetic fulfillment.
Negative Examples
Psalm 106:13 laments Israel’s failure—“they… did not wait for His counsel”—showing that impatience breeds rebellion.Hosea 6:9 shifts the verb to depict ambush: priests “lie in wait for a man.” When waiting loses its God-centered focus, it becomes predatory or faithless.
Covenantal and Messianic Implications
Isaiah 64:4 elevates חָכָה to a covenant promise: “No eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.” The Apostle Paul cites this truth in1 Corinthians 2:9 to point to the revealed glory in Christ, indicating continuity between expectant Old Testament faith and New Testament realization.
Prophetic Timing and Assurance
Habakkuk 2:3 andZephaniah 3:8 ground endurance in the certainty of divine judgment and restoration. Waiting is not passive resignation but active trust that God’s calendar is perfect: “Therefore wait for Me… until the day I rise up” (Zephaniah 3:8).
Ministry Applications
• Spiritual Direction – Leaders must resist hasty initiatives, seeking the Lord’s counsel before proceeding (Psalm 106:13;Job 32:4).
• Pastoral Care – Encourage believers facing delay to remember that God “acts on behalf of those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 64:4).
• Corporate Worship – Liturgies and prayers that cultivate stillness and expectancy reinforce communal dependence on God’s timing.
• Missional Strategy – There are seasons to “tarry” until empowered (cf.Acts 1:4–5, Greek equivalent), affirming that fruitful ministry flows from waiting upon the Lord.
Intertestamental and New Testament Echoes
The Septuagint often renders חָכָה with ὑπομένω or προσδέχομαι, which reappear in passages such asRomans 8:25 andTitus 2:13, linking Israel’s hope with the church’s anticipation of Christ’s return. The theology of waiting moves from Judah’s exile to Pentecost and ultimately to the blessed hope.
Summary
חָכָה calls God’s people to a disciplined, obedient posture that trusts His character, submits to His timing, and anticipates His intervention. Scripture consistently affirms that such waiting is never wasted; it shapes worshipers, vindicates the righteous, and magnifies the faithfulness of the Lord from Samaria’s gates to the consummation of the age.
Forms and Transliterations
הַֽמְחַכִּ֣ים הַֽמְחַכֶּ֖ה המחכה המחכים וְחִכִּ֙יתִי֙ וְחִכִּ֛ינוּ וּכְחַכֵּ֨י וחכינו וחכיתי וכחכי ח֥וֹכֵי חִ֝כּ֗וּ חִכְּתָ֣ה חִכָּ֣ה חַכֵּה־ חַכּוּ־ חוכי חכה חכה־ חכו חכו־ חכתה יְחַכֶּ֤ה יחכה לִמְחַכֵּה־ למחכה־ תְחַכֶּֽה׃ תחכה׃ chakkeh chakku chikKah chikkeTah chikKu Chochei ḥak·kêh- ḥak·kū- ḥakkêh- ḥakkū- ham·ḥak·keh ham·ḥak·kîm hamchakKeh hamchakKim hamḥakkeh hamḥakkîm ḥik·kāh ḥik·kə·ṯāh ḥik·kū ḥikkāh ḥikkəṯāh ḥikkū ḥō·w·ḵê ḥōwḵê lim·ḥak·kêh- limchakkeh limḥakkêh- ṯə·ḥak·keh techakKeh ṯəḥakkeh ū·ḵə·ḥak·kê uchechakKei ūḵəḥakkê vechikKinu vechikKiti wə·ḥik·kî·nū wə·ḥik·kî·ṯî wəḥikkînū wəḥikkîṯî yə·ḥak·keh yechakKeh yəḥakkeh
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