Lexical Summary
chuqqah: Statute, ordinance, decree, regulation
Original Word:חֻקָּה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:chuqqah
Pronunciation:khook-kaw'
Phonetic Spelling:(khook-kaw')
NASB:statutes, statute, customs, ordinance, statutory, appointed, due
Word Origin:[feminine ofH2706 (חוֹק - statutes), and meaning substantially the same]
1. appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute
Feminine ofchoq, and meaning substantially the same -- appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute.
see HEBREWchoq
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfem. of
choqDefinitionsomething prescribed, an enactment, statute
NASB Translationappointed (1), customs (5), due (1), fixed order (1), fixed patterns (1), ordinance (5), ordinances (1), statute (25), statutes (62), statutory (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
104Exodus 13:10 ; —
Numbers 9:14 2t.; construct
Exodus 12:14 28t.; plural
Jeremiah 5:24 12t.;
Leviticus 20:23;
Jeremiah 31:35; suffix
Genesis 26:5 14t.;
Leviticus 18:4 21t. etc.; —
singularstatute, of special ritual laws: of passoverExodus 13:10 (J); elsewhere only in P (and H),Exodus 12:43;Numbers 9:12,14;Numbers 19:2;Numbers 31:21;Numbers 27:11;Numbers 35:29;Exodus 12:14,17;Exodus 27:21;Exodus 28:43;Exodus 29:9;Leviticus 3:17;Leviticus 7:36;Leviticus 10:9;Leviticus 16:29,31,34;Leviticus 23:21,31;Leviticus 24:3;Numbers 10:8;Numbers 15:15;Numbers 18:23;Numbers 19:10,21 (all P),Leviticus 17:7;Leviticus 23:14,41 (H);Numbers 9:14;Numbers 15:15.
pluralstatutes:
Job 38:33;Jeremiah 33:25; of moon and starsJeremiah 31:35; of weeks of harvestJeremiah 5:24.
figurative of a firmly established customLeviticus 20:23 (H)2 Kings 17:8;Jeremiah 10:3Micah 6:16; idolatry2 Kings 17:19; sexual offencesLeviticus 18:30 (H).
statutes of David1 Kings 3:3.
""2 Samuel 22:23 =Psalm 18:23 (of the law known to David); ""Psalm 89:32;1 Kings 11:11; elsewhere of the prescriptions of the codes of D, H, P, Ezekiel: usuallyLeviticus 18:5,26;Leviticus 19:37;Leviticus 20:22 (H),Leviticus 25:18;Numbers 9:3 (P),1 Kings 11:33;Ezekiel 5:7;Ezekiel 11:20;Ezekiel 18:9;Ezekiel 20:11,13,19,21; preceded byDeuteronomy 30:16; followed byLeviticus 26:15 (H),Deuteronomy 11:1;1 Kings 6:12;2 Kings 17:34; or elseLeviticus 18:4;Leviticus 26:43 (H),Ezekiel 5:6 (twice in verse);Ezekiel 18:17;Ezekiel 20:16,24;Ezekiel 37:24; preceded byDeuteronomy 8:11; in different order,1 Kings 2:3; frequently alsoLeviticus 26:3 (H),Deuteronomy 6:2;1 Kings 11:38; 2Chronicles 7:19; orDeuteronomy 10:13;Deuteronomy 28:15,45;Deuteronomy 30:10;1 Kings 9:6;1 Kings 11:34;Ezekiel 43:11 (Co),2 Kings 17:13; followed byGenesis 26:5 (R);2 Kings 23:3;Jeremiah 44:10;Jeremiah 44:23;Ezekiel 44:5;Ezekiel 43:11 (Co);Ezekiel 44:24; special ordinances areEzekiel 43:18;Ezekiel 44:5;Ezekiel 33:15 (which are life to those who keep them); ( Talm Co strike out )Ezekiel 46:14.
Leviticus 18:3;Leviticus 20:23;Leviticus 26:3 (H),1 Kings 3:3;1 Kings 6:12;2 Kings 17:8,19;Jeremiah 44:10,23;Ezekiel 5:6,7;Ezekiel 11:20;Ezekiel 18:9,17;Ezekiel 20:13,16,19,21;Ezekiel 33:15;Leviticus 18:4,5,26;Leviticus 19:19,37;Leviticus 20:8,22 (H),Genesis 26:5 (R),Deuteronomy 6:2;Deuteronomy 8:11;Deuteronomy 10:13;Deuteronomy 11:1;Deuteronomy 28:45;Deuteronomy 30:10,16;1 Kings 2:3;1 Kings 9:6;1 Kings 11:11,34,38;2 Kings 17:13;2 Kings 23:3;Ezekiel 18:19,21;Ezekiel 37:24;Ezekiel 43:11;Ezekiel 44:24;Leviticus 25:18 (P),Deuteronomy 28:15;1 Kings 11:33;2 Kings 17:34;Psalm 119:16; phrases of disobedience areEzekiel 20:24Leviticus 26:15 (H);Leviticus 26:43 (H); 2Chronicles 7:19;Psalm 89:32. — [ and differ somewhat in shade of meaning and frequency in various writings: e.g. oftener in Job Psalms Proverbs ( not at all Proverbs, once Job), and in Chronicles ( only 2 Chronicles 7:19); often in Kings, rarely in Hexateuch except in P (H); in prophets, occursAmos 2:4;Isaiah 5:14;Isaiah 24:5;Micah 7:11Jeremiah 3 t.,Ezekiel 6 t., only Ezekiel, Jeremiah (6 t.) andMicah 6:16; especially in Deuteronomy andPsalm 119, especially in H, Ezekiel and sometimes (8 t.) Deuteronomy; usually =due, much more oftenstatute, ordinance, etc.]
Topical Lexicon
Essential Meaning and Scopeחֻקָּה (ḥuqqāh) denotes a statute, fixed ordinance, or prescribed institution issued by divine authority. Unlike general “law” (תּוֹרָה) that can include instruction and narrative, a חֻקָּה is a specific appointment set in place by God, binding in perpetuity unless explicitly superseded by further revelation. Its range spans ceremonial rites, civic regulations, priestly duties, commemorative festivals, dietary restrictions, and even royal obligations.
Divine Origin and Authority
The recurring formula “a statute forever throughout your generations” (for example,Exodus 27:21) highlights that these enactments originate with the LORD and not with human councils. Their permanence flows from the character of the Lawgiver rather than the endurance of Israel’s institutions.Leviticus 18:4–5 sets the pattern: “You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. Keep My statutes and judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them.” Because the LORD grounds the command in His own name, disobedience becomes a personal affront to Him rather than a mere civil infraction.
Relationship to Covenant
Every חֻקָּה stands within covenant framework. At Sinai the people pledged, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). Statutes thus serve as concrete expressions of covenant fidelity. Deuteronomy frequently links חֻקָּה with “judgments” and “commandments,” integrating ritual and ethical expectations so that covenant love is never divorced from covenant obedience (Deuteronomy 6:17; 11:1).
Cultic and Ceremonial Statutes
1. Passover: “This is a night to be kept for the LORD… it is a night of vigil for all the Israelites for generations to come” (Exodus 12:42).
2. Day of Atonement: “It shall be a statute forever for you: on the tenth day of the seventh month you are to deny yourselves” (Leviticus 16:29).
3. Lamp and Bread: Continual maintenance of the menorah and showbread is called “a statute forever” (Leviticus 24:3, 9).
4. Sacrificial Portions: Parts of certain offerings belong permanently to the priests (Leviticus 7:34–36).
Such statutes preserve institutional memory of redemption, mediate atonement, and teach holiness through symbol and repetition.
Civil and Social Statutes
Numbers 27:11 assigns inheritance law for daughters as “a statute and judgment.”Deuteronomy 19:3–13 codifies asylum rights in cities of refuge, providing a humane check on blood vengeance. These reveal God’s concern for justice, order, and protection of the vulnerable.
Royal Statute
Before Israel demanded a monarch, the LORD described “the procedure of the king” (1 Samuel 10:25), and later2 Chronicles 35:4 records David’s “written statute” concerning Levitical duties in worship, showing that divine statutes guide royal as well as priestly functions.
Prophetic Assessment
Prophets appeal to חֻקָּה to indict Israel’s covenant breach. Ezekiel laments, “Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things… and have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26). Yet Ezekiel also forecasts restoration: “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27). The prophets neither negate statutes nor treat them as obsolete; they insist on internal obedience that accords with external observance.
Post-Exilic Renewal
Ezra and Nehemiah reestablish statutory worship.Nehemiah 10:29–32 records a covenant oath “to follow the Law of God… and to obey and carefully observe all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD.” The renewed community sees national survival bound to honoring the ancient חֻקָּה.
Theological Themes
• Holiness: Statutes separate Israel unto God (Leviticus 20:22–26).
• Remembrance: Memorial ordinances keep redemptive acts before each generation.
• Mediated Grace: Sacrificial statutes point beyond themselves to the need for a perfect atonement.
• Obedience of Faith: Keeping statutes is never meritorious apart from covenant relationship but evidences trust in the Redeemer.
Anticipation of Fulfillment in Christ
Hebrews presents the ceremonial statutes as “a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1). Christ fulfills the Day of Atonement typology (Hebrews 9:11–14) and Passover imagery (1 Corinthians 5:7). Yet moral and creational principles embedded in statutes (such as sexual ethics ofLeviticus 18) carry forward in New Testament exhortation (1 Thessalonians 4:3–8).
Ministry Implications for the Church
1. Preach the whole counsel of God, including statutory passages, to reveal the character of God and the scope of redemption.
2. Use statutes to teach about Christ’s work, avoiding both antinomian dismissal and legalistic misapplication.
3. Emphasize continuity of God’s moral will while recognizing fulfilled ceremonial aspects.
4. Call believers to Spirit-empowered obedience: “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10), echoing Ezekiel’s promise of Spirit-wrought fidelity to statutes.
Representative Old Testament Occurrences
Exodus 12:17; 15:25;Leviticus 10:13; 16:31; 23:21;Numbers 9:14; 18:23;Deuteronomy 4:1; 12:1;1 Kings 3:3;2 Kings 17:34;2 Chronicles 33:8;Nehemiah 9:14;Psalm 99:7;Isaiah 24:5;Jeremiah 44:23;Ezekiel 20:13;Malachi 3:7.
Summary
חֻקָּה embodies God’s sovereign right to dictate the rhythms of worship, societal order, and moral conduct. Properly understood through the lens of the full canon, these statutes reveal the unchanging holiness of God, humanity’s need for redemption, and the gracious provision accomplished and applied in Jesus Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּחֻקֹּ֣ת בְּחֻקֹּתֶ֥יךָ בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י בְּחֻקֹּתַ֣י בְּחֻקֹּתַי֙ בְּחֻקּ֖וֹת בְּחֻקּ֣וֹת בְּחֻקּ֤וֹת בְּחֻקּ֥וֹת בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֖י בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֣י בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֧י בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֨י בְּחֻקּוֹתַי֙ בחקות בחקותי בחקת בחקתי בחקתיך הַחֻקָּ֥ה החקה וְ֝חֻקֹּתָ֗יו וְחֻקֶּ֑יךָ וְחֻקֹּתַ֔י וְחֻקֹּתַ֥י וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֧יו וְחֻקֹּתָֽי׃ וְחֻקּוֹתַ֖י וְחֻקּוֹתַ֣י וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶ֖ם וּבְחֻקֹּתַ֔י וּבְחֻקֹּתָ֛יו ובחקתי ובחקתיהם ובחקתיו וחקותי וחקיך וחקתי וחקתי׃ וחקתיו חֻקַּ֖ת חֻקַּ֣ת חֻקַּ֤ת חֻקַּ֥ת חֻקָּ֤ה חֻקָּ֥ה חֻקֹּ֛ת חֻקֹּתַ֔י חֻקֹּתַ֖י חֻקֹּתַ֥י חֻקֹּתַי֙ חֻקֹּתַי֮ חֻקֹּתָ֔יו חֻקֹּתָ֖יו חֻקֹּתָ֣יו חֻקֹּתָ֤יו חֻקֹּתָ֥יו חֻקֹּתָיו֙ חֻקֹּתָיו֩ חֻקּ֛וֹת חֻקּ֣וֹת חֻקּ֥וֹת חֻקּוֹתַ֔י חֻקּוֹתַ֣י חֻקּוֹתַ֥י חֻקּוֹתַי֙ חקה חקות חקותי חקת חקתי חקתיו כְּחֻקַּ֥ת כְּחֻקֹּתָם֙ כחקת כחקתם לְחֻקַּ֣ת לְחֻקַּ֥ת לחקת מֵחֻקּ֤וֹת מחקות bə·ḥuq·qō·ṯay bə·ḥuq·qō·ṯe·ḵā bə·ḥuq·qō·w·ṯay bə·ḥuq·qō·wṯ bə·ḥuq·qōṯ bechukKot bechukkoTai bechukkoTeicha bəḥuqqōṯ bəḥuqqōṯay bəḥuqqōṯeḵā bəḥuqqōwṯ bəḥuqqōwṯay chukKah chukKat chukKot chukkoTai chukkoTav chukoTai ha·ḥuq·qāh hachukKah haḥuqqāh ḥuq·qāh ḥuq·qaṯ ḥuq·qō·ṯāw ḥuq·qō·ṯay ḥuq·qō·w·ṯay ḥuq·qō·wṯ ḥuq·qōṯ ḥuqqāh ḥuqqaṯ ḥuqqōṯ ḥuqqōṯāw ḥuqqōṯay ḥuqqōwṯ ḥuqqōwṯay kə·ḥuq·qaṯ kə·ḥuq·qō·ṯām kechukKat kechukkoTam kəḥuqqaṯ kəḥuqqōṯām lə·ḥuq·qaṯ lechukKat ləḥuqqaṯ mê·ḥuq·qō·wṯ mechukKot mêḥuqqōwṯ ū·ḇə·ḥuq·qō·ṯāw ū·ḇə·ḥuq·qō·ṯay ū·ḇə·ḥuq·qō·ṯê·hem ūḇəḥuqqōṯāw ūḇəḥuqqōṯay ūḇəḥuqqōṯêhem uvechukkoTai uvechukkoTav uvechukkoteiHem vechukKeicha vechukkoTai vechukkoTav wə·ḥuq·qe·ḵā wə·ḥuq·qō·ṯāw wə·ḥuq·qō·ṯay wə·ḥuq·qō·ṯāy wə·ḥuq·qō·w·ṯay wəḥuqqeḵā wəḥuqqōṯāw wəḥuqqōṯay wəḥuqqōṯāy wəḥuqqōwṯay
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