חָבָא
cha.va (H2244)
to hide
AI Word Study
# H2244 (חָבָא): The Hebrew Word for Hiding The Hebrew verb *chabá* carries the fundamental meaning "to hide," appearing 33 times throughout the biblical text. This relatively modest frequency suggests it was a specialized vocabulary item rather than the most common term for concealment, yet its consistent presence across the corpus indicates it held particular significance in Hebrew expression. Given its distribution across 33 biblical occurrences, *chabá* likely captured a specific nuance of hiding—possibly emphasizing concealment through physical placement or deliberate action—rather than serving as a generic synonym for all forms of secrecy or obscurity. The repetition across different biblical books and contexts suggests the word maintained a stable, recognizable meaning that Hebrew speakers and writers could rely upon for consistent communication about the act of hiding. The word's presence in biblical literature indicates that hiding—whether literal physical concealment or metaphorical secrecy—was a concept significant enough to warrant its own dedicated vocabulary. This reflects themes common to biblical narrative, law, and poetry where concealment, revelation, and the exposure of hidden things carry theological and narrative weight.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn’t tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp;
The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Joshua was told, saying, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”
At the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and threw them into the cave in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.
He went to his father’s house at Ophrah, and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy persons, on one stone; but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself.
Therefore they asked of Yahweh further, “Is there yet a man to come here?” Yahweh answered, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in tombs, and in pits.
Both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, “Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they had hidden themselves!”
Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, and live in a secret place, and hide yourself.
See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself, and come again to me with certainty, and I will go with you. It shall happen, if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
Behold, he is now hidden in some pit, or in some other place. It will happen, when some of them have fallen at the first, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom!’
for when Jezebel cut off Yahweh’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
Wasn’t it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed Yahweh’s prophets, how I hid one hundred men of Yahweh’s prophets with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him;’ and she has hidden her son.”
He was with her hidden in Yahweh’s house six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.
Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day, when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”
He sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and they brought him to Jehu, and killed him; and they buried him, for they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his heart.” The house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom.
He was with them hidden in God’s house six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.
You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither will you be afraid of destruction when it comes.
They turn the needy out of the way. The poor of the earth all hide themselves.
The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged rose up and stood.
The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
The waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen.
But this is a robbed and plundered people. All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. They have become captives, and no one delivers, and a plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore them!’
He has made my mouth like a sharp sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. He has made me a polished shaft. He has kept me close in his quiver.
I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; for the men who were with me didn’t see the vision; but a great quaking fell on them, and they fled to hide themselves.
Though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out there; and though they be hidden from my sight in the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it will bite them.