חֵמֶת
a skin bottle (as tied up)
Definition
The Hebrew word חֵמֶת (chêmeth) refers specifically to a skin bottle or container made from animal hide, typically used for carrying water or other liquids. It describes a portable vessel, often a whole goatskin with the openings tied shut, as seen in Genesis 21:14-19 where Hagar carries one into the wilderness. In Habakkuk 2:15, the term is used metaphorically in a prophecy of judgment, where giving someone drink from your 'bottle' is an act meant to shame and expose them. Thus, while its primary sense is a physical container, it can also carry a symbolic weight of provision or, conversely, humiliation.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only four times in the Old Testament, all in narrative and prophetic contexts. Its three occurrences in Genesis 21:14, 15, and 19 are part of the same story, detailing the practical item Hagar used to sustain Ishmael. The single prophetic use in Habakkuk 2:15 employs the physical object in a vivid metaphor for intoxicating and shaming a neighbor, shifting the usage from a simple container to an instrument of prophetic rebuke.
Etymology
Derived from the same root as חוֹמָה (chomah, H2346), meaning 'wall,' the connection likely lies in the idea of something that encloses or contains. The skin bottle 'encloses' its liquid contents. Cognates in other Semitic languages also point to meanings related to containers or skins.
Semantic Range
While primarily a mundane object, חֵמֶת gains theological significance in its contexts. In Genesis, it is an instrument of God's provision and survival for Hagar and Ishmael, highlighting His care for the outcast. In Habakkuk, it becomes a powerful metaphor for the corruption and shame brought by Babylonian violence, illustrating how God judges those who exploit others. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches reading by connecting the tangible object of provision to the spiritual concepts of sustenance and moral consequence.
In the ancient Near East, skin bottles were a common, essential technology for nomadic life and travel. Unlike modern rigid containers, they were lightweight, durable, and made from readily available materials (like a whole goat skin). The imagery in Habakkuk 2:15 relies on this cultural understanding—sharing drink was an act of hospitality, but here it is perverted into an act of violation, making the metaphor of 'giving the bottle' to 'look on their nakedness' powerfully shocking to the original audience.
נֵבֶל (nevel, H5035) — a larger skin bottle or wineskin; often for wine. כַּד (kad, H3537) — a jar or pitcher, usually made of clay, for water or grain.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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