Hebrew · Strong's H2244
חָבָא
(kha-VA)
verb
To hide oneself or something, literally or figuratively, for purposes of protection, concealment, or evasion.
The Hebrew verb chava primarily signifies the act of hiding, whether it be an individual hiding themselves or something valuable being hidden away. This hiding can be for various reasons, including seeking shelter and protection from a threat, as seen when people hide in caves or thickets to escape danger (1 Sam 13:6). It can also denote the act of concealing something to keep it secret or safe from discovery, such as Obadiah hiding prophets from Jezebel (1 Kgs 18:4). The semantic range of chava also extends to the idea of evasion or avoiding detection, as exemplified by Saul hiding among the baggage (1 Sam 10:22). While often referring to physical concealment, the term can also carry a figurative sense of being obscured or kept from sight.
Common English renderings
- hide
- conceal
- lurk
- secret
Key verses
"for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)"
Read in context →
"Therefore they asked of Jehovah further, Is there yet a man to come hither? And Jehovah answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the baggage."
Read in context →
"When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits."
Read in context →
"And the city shall be devoted, even it and all that is therein, to Jehovah: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent."
Read in context →
"And Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to slay thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:"
Read in context →
"And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself."
Read in context →
Related words