Lexical Summary
chatham: sealed, seal, seals
Original Word:חָתַם
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:chatham
Pronunciation:khaw-tham'
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-tham')
KJV: make an end, mark, seal (up), stop
NASB:sealed, seal, seals, obstructs, sets a seal, shut
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to close up
2. especially to seal
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
make an end, mark, seal up, stop
A primitive root; to close up; especially to seal -- make an end, mark, seal (up), stop.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto seal, affix a seal, seal up
NASB Translationobstructs (1), seal (6), sealed (15), seals (2), sets a seal (1), shut (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew
id.; Aramaic ,
; Ethiopic
Arabic
(whence
) is loan-word according to Frä
252) —
Imperfect3masculine singularJob 9:7;Job 33:6,Job 37:7,Esther 8:10, etc.;ImperativeDaniel 12:4,Isaiah 8:16,Esther 8:8;Infinitive absoluteJeremiah 32:44;constructDaniel 9:24, +Daniel 9:24 Kt (Qr );Participle activeEzekiel 28:12;pass.Deuteronomy 32:24 2t., etc.; —
seal, affix one's seal, in attestation; seal with king's seal ()1 Kings 21:8,Esther 8:8,10; of covenant with ,attested by seal (passive)Nehemiah 10:1;Nehemiah 10:2; figurative, of putting his seal upon () discipline, i.e. ratifying it,Job 33:16; perhaps also upon hand of man (that man may know s ways)Job 37:7 see De; Di below
seal up hand of man, so that he cannot work with it (in winter).
seal up, fasten up by sealing, a deed of saleJeremiah 32:10,11(opposed tothat which was left open,),Jeremiah 32:14;Jeremiah 32:44, a book of prophecyDaniel 12:4 ("" ), compareDaniel 12:9 (""id.),Daniel 9:24 b; so in simileof unintelligible prophecyIsaiah 29:11 (twice in verse);Isaiah 8:16seal up the teaching among my disciples, i.e. keep it securely ("" ); of s remembrance of offencesDeuteronomy 32:34 ("" ), soJob 14:17 ("" );Songs 4:12a fountain sealed up, metaphor of chaste woman ("" );Job 9:7and about the stars he putteth a seal ("" of forbidding sun to rise). —Ezekiel 28:12 is obscure:thou wast onesealing proportion, i.e.perfection, — wast complete perfection, Ges Sm.; wasta sealer of symmetry see Da; wast aseal (ring) — i.e. construct — of proportion Manuscripts Hi compare Ew; text perhaps corrupt, see suggestions in Co. —Daniel 9:24 a read Qr (see ).Job 33:16;Job 37:7 see below
Perfect3masculine singular [orParticiple?]Esther 3:12 (it was)written and sealed ;Infinitive absoluteEsther 8:8 (continuing participle ) also + ; both passive of
Perfect3pluralJob 24:16 literallyby day they seal up for themselves, i.e. according to most, they shut themselves up, do not shew themselves ("" ); C has (B and others ), whence Siegf conjecture plausiblythey seal up the days unto themselves, i.e. daytime is for them sealed up and unused.
Perfect3masculine singularLeviticus 15:3or hath his flesh (genital organ)shewn stoppage by reason of his flux.
[] (see Biblical Hebrew); —
Perfect3masculine singular suffix (of stone)Daniel 6:18 ( instrumental).
Topical Lexicon
Overview of the Biblical MotifThe verb חָתַם (chatham) gathers together ideas of securing, authenticating, finishing, hiding, and protecting. Whether applied to royal edicts, legal deeds, prophetic scrolls, or the human heart, the act of “sealing” marks something as genuine, inviolable, and fixed until an appointed time. The approximately twenty-seven occurrences of the root span narrative, wisdom, prophetic, and historical books, showing a coherent theology of God’s sovereignty over both revelation and history.
Royal and Administrative Sealing
1 Kings 21:8 presents Jezebel “sealed” letters with Ahab’s seal to give her murderous plot unquestioned authority. Persian practice is even more prominent: “It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring” (Esther 3:12). A decree so sealed was irrevocable (Esther 8:8). The root therefore underlines the finality of royal decisions. In civil Israel, the same practice authenticated covenants: “Our leaders, Levites, and priests are affixing their seals to it” (Nehemiah 9:38); the following chapter lists the names of those who “sealed” the document (Nehemiah 10:1).
Jeremiah acted similarly when he purchased land during the siege of Jerusalem: “I signed and sealed the deed” (Jeremiah 32:10). The sealed copy was stored for future generations, demonstrating confidence in the LORD’s promise of restoration (Jeremiah 32:14–15). Thus, chatham becomes a tangible testimony that God’s word outlasts present circumstances.
Preservation of Revelation
God Himself seals inspired words so that they will accomplish His purpose at the proper time. Isaiah is told, “Bind up the testimony and seal the law among my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16); the prophetic message is secured until faith-filled hearers receive it. Daniel hears, “Seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4; cf. 12:9). Even the larger sweep of redemptive history is framed by the verb: the seventy-weeks oracle will “seal up vision and prophecy” (Daniel 9:24), bringing revelation to its consummation.
The unopened scroll inIsaiah 29:11 anticipates spiritual dullness: “The vision of all this has become to you like the words of a sealed scroll.” When men harden themselves, the seal becomes a barrier; when God determines, the seal is opened (Revelation 5). Chatham therefore highlights both the mystery and certainty of divine disclosure.
Protection, Ownership, and Intimacy
Job 37:7 affirms that God “seals up the hand of every man, so that all men may know His work,” stressing divine control over human activity. Earlier Job laments, “My transgression would be sealed in a bag” (Job 14:17), picturing sin stored away for judgment or forgiveness.Song of Solomon 4:12 applies the imagery to marital exclusivity: “a fountain sealed,” illustrating protected intimacy. In prophetic metaphor the righteous are likewise secure; God’s seal is a guarantee that no outside force can alter what He has marked as His own.
Completion and Finality
“To seal up” can mean to bring to an end.Job 9:7 says the LORD “seals off the stars,” terminating their light. When the covenant deed was sealed inJeremiah 32, the transaction was complete.Daniel 9:24 looks ahead to the final “sealing” of prophetic disclosure—nothing further will need to be added. The verb thus assures believers that God’s purposes reach their intended conclusion.
Human Response: Breaking or Respecting the Seal
Ungodly people may attempt to override God-given seals, yet every biblical instance of chatham shows their efforts doomed. Jezebel’s fraudulent seal served only to hasten divine judgment (1 Kings 21:23). By contrast, when Nehemiah and the returned exiles “sealed” their oath, they embraced accountability before the LORD (Nehemiah 10). Scripture invites readers to submit to the divine seal rather than fight against it.
Foreshadowing New Testament Teaching
While חָתַם itself does not occur in the New Testament, its theology flows naturally into passages such asEphesians 1:13 (“you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”) andRevelation 5, where the only worthy One breaks the seven seals. The Old Testament root lays the groundwork: God authorizes, secures, and preserves; He alone can open what He has sealed.
Ministry Implications
1. Assurance of Salvation: Just as sealed deeds guaranteed ownership, believers rest in the Spirit’s seal as an unassailable pledge of redemption.
2. Authority of Scripture: The prophetic scrolls, sealed and preserved, remind pastors and teachers that the written word carries divine authentication; it must neither be tampered with nor supplemented.
3. Integrity in Leadership: Nehemiah’s public sealing underscores the need for transparent, accountable commitments in church governance and personal vows.
4. Hope in Suffering: Jeremiah’s sealed deed, executed during national collapse, models faith that clings to God’s promises when circumstances appear hopeless.
5. Evangelistic Urgency: Daniel’s admonition that the scroll remains sealed “until the time of the end” urges believers to proclaim revealed truth now, before the day of final closure arrives.
Summary
Across royal courts, legal transactions, prophetic archives, and poetic imagery, חָתַם weaves a unified testimony to the sovereignty, fidelity, and protective care of God. What He seals none can nullify; what He opens none can hinder. The believer’s calling is to trust the seal, live under its authority, and await the day when every divine decree stands fully unveiled.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּחֹתָמ֑וֹ בחתמו הֶֽחָת֔וּם הֶֽחָת֛וּם הֶֽחָתוּם֒ הֶחְתִּ֤ים הֶחָת֗וּם הַחֲתוּמִ֑ים החתום החתומים החתים וְחִתְמ֖וּ וְחָתוֹם֮ וְלַחְתֹּם֙ וְנֶחְתָּ֖ם וְנַחְתּ֛וֹם וַחֲתֹ֥ם וַחֲתֻמִ֛ים וַיַּחְתֹּ֖ם וָֽאֶחְתֹּ֔ם וּלְהָתֵ֤ם ואחתם וחתום וחתם וחתמו וחתמים ויחתם ולהתם ולחתם ונחתום ונחתם חֲת֥וֹם חִתְּמוּ־ חָת֖וּם חָתֻ֖ם חָתֻ֣ם חָתֽוּם׃ חוֹתֵ֣ם חותם חתום חתום׃ חתם חתמו־ יַחְתֹּֽם׃ יַחְתּ֑וֹם יחתום יחתם׃ bə·ḥō·ṯā·mōw bechotaMo bəḥōṯāmōw chaTom chaTum chittemu choTem ha·ḥă·ṯū·mîm ḥă·ṯō·wm ḥā·ṯum ḥā·ṯūm hachatuMim haḥăṯūmîm ḥăṯōwm ḥāṯum ḥāṯūm he·ḥā·ṯūm hechaTum hechTim heḥ·tîm heḥāṯūm heḥtîm ḥit·tə·mū- ḥittəmū- ḥō·w·ṯêm ḥōwṯêm ū·lə·hā·ṯêm ulehaTem ūləhāṯêm vachaTom vachatuMim vaechTom vaiyachTom vechatOm vechitMu velachTom venachTom venechTam wā’eḥtōm wā·’eḥ·tōm wa·ḥă·ṯōm wa·ḥă·ṯu·mîm waḥăṯōm waḥăṯumîm way·yaḥ·tōm wayyaḥtōm wə·ḥā·ṯō·wm wə·ḥiṯ·mū wə·laḥ·tōm wə·naḥ·tō·wm wə·neḥ·tām wəḥāṯōwm wəḥiṯmū wəlaḥtōm wənaḥtōwm wəneḥtām yachTom yaḥ·tō·wm yaḥ·tōm yaḥtōm yaḥtōwm
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