---
title: חוֹחַ — brier · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חוֹחַ (2336), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 11 times: brier. BDB 1906: n.m. brier, bramble hook, ring, fetter. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2336.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495.md)‎ / חוֹחַ‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# חוֹחַ

<!-- .meta -->
«חוֹחַ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **brier** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 11 times · **Key:** 2336 · **BDB:** חוֹחַ

### Glosses

thornbush (4); thornbush\[es\] (3); a.thorn (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

brier [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2336/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. brier, bramble hook, ring, fetter [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2336/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. 2 K 14:9 1. brier, bramble. 2. hook, ring, fetter;—ח׳ abs. Ho 9:6 + 8 times; pl. חֲוָחִים 1 S 13:6 (but v. infr.), חוֹחִים Ct 2:2; חֹחִים 2 Ch 33:11;— brier, bramble 2 K 14:9(×2) = 2 Ch 25:18(×2) (allegory of Jehoash); coll., sign of desolation Ho 9:6 (‖ קִמּוֹשׁ), Is 34:13 (‖ קִמּוֹשׁ, סִירִים), Jb 31:40 (opp. חִטִּים); in sim. of fool’s parable ח׳ עָלָה בְּיַד־שִׁכּוֹר Pr 26:9 a brier cometh into the hand of a drunken man (De Now Str); כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה בֵּין הַחוֹחִים Ct 2:2; briers = thickets as hiding-places 1 S 13:6 (but Ew We Dr חוֹרִים holes, cf. 14:11; v. sub iii. חרר; ‖ מְעָרוֹת, סְלָעִים, צְרִחִים, בֹּרוֹת; 𝔊 here ἐν τ. μάνδραις; 14:11 ἐκ τ. τρωγλῶν). late, hook or ring, in jaw of crocodile c. תִּקֹּב Jb 40:26 (‖ הֲתָשִׂים אַגְמֹן בְּאַפּוֹ); of captive וַיִּלְכְּדוּ אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁה בַּחֹחִים 2 Ch 33:11 (cf. חַח).

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 9 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חוֹחַ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2336/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Proverbs 26:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.26.9/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
ח֭וֹחַ עָלָ֣ה בְיַד־שִׁכּ֑וֹר וּ֝מָשָׁ֗ל בְּפִ֣י כְסִילִֽים׃

*Word for word:* a.thornbush it.goes.up in.\[the\] hand of.a.drunkard and a.proverb in.\[the\] mouth of.fools

*JPS 1917:* As a thorn that cometh into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Job 31:40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.31.40/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
תַּ֤חַת חִטָּ֨ה ׀ יֵ֥צֵא ח֗וֹחַ וְתַֽחַת־שְׂעֹרָ֥ה בָאְשָׁ֑ה תַּ֝֗מּוּ דִּבְרֵ֥י אִיּֽוֹב׃פ

*Word for word:* in.place.of wheat let.it.come.forth thornbush\[es\] and in.place.of barley foul.weed\[s\] they.are.finished the.words of.Job

*JPS 1917:* Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and noisome weeds instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [חוה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5d7_5d5_5d4.md)
- next →: [חָוָח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2337.md)
- ↑ back to [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495.md)