Hook
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Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical literature, the term "hook" is used both literally and metaphorically, appearing in various contexts throughout the Scriptures. The concept of a hook is often associated with capture, control, or judgment, reflecting its practical use in ancient times.

Literal Use

1. Fishing and Hunting: The hook is most commonly understood in its literal sense as a tool for fishing. In Job 41:1-2, God challenges Job with the question, "Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?" . This passage highlights the futility of human efforts to control the mighty Leviathan, using the imagery of a fishing hook to emphasize the creature's power and the limits of human strength.

2. Captivity and Control: Hooks were also used in the context of captivity. In 2 Kings 19:28, God speaks through the prophet Isaiah to King Sennacherib of Assyria, saying, "Because your rage against Me and your arrogance have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth, and I will send you back the way you came" . This imagery of a hook in the nose was a common method of controlling captives, symbolizing God's power to subdue and redirect the plans of the proud.

Metaphorical Use

1. Judgment and Retribution: The metaphorical use of hooks often conveys themes of judgment and retribution. In Ezekiel 29:4, God declares judgment against Pharaoh and Egypt: "But I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams cling to your scales. I will pull you out from among your streams, with all the fish clinging to your scales" . Here, the hook symbolizes God's intervention and the inevitable downfall of those who oppose His will.

2. Divine Sovereignty: The use of hooks in Scripture also underscores the sovereignty of God over nations and individuals. In Ezekiel 38:4, God speaks of Gog, saying, "I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all brandishing their swords" . This passage illustrates God's control over the movements and actions of even the most formidable forces, demonstrating His ultimate authority over history.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near East, hooks were practical tools used in daily life for fishing and controlling animals. Their presence in biblical texts reflects the cultural and historical realities of the time, providing vivid imagery to convey spiritual truths. The use of hooks in Scripture serves as a powerful reminder of God's ability to direct and influence the course of human events, often turning the plans of the wicked back upon themselves.

Theological Implications

Theologically, the imagery of hooks in the Bible emphasizes themes of divine judgment, control, and sovereignty. It serves as a reminder of the futility of human pride and the ultimate authority of God over creation. The metaphor of the hook challenges believers to recognize God's power and submit to His will, trusting in His righteous judgment and sovereign plan.
Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) Hebrews hah, a "ring" inserted in the nostrils of animals to which a cord was fastened for the purpose of restraining them (2 Kings 19:28; Isaiah 37:28, 29; Ezek. 29:4; 38:4). "The Orientals make use of this contrivance for curbing their work-beasts...When a beast becomes unruly they have only to draw the cord on one side, which, by stopping his breath, punishes him so effectually that after a few repetitions he fails not to become quite tractable whenever he begins to feel it" (Michaelis). So God's agents are never beyond his control.

(2.) Hakkah, a fish "hook" (Job 41:2, Hebrews Text, 40:25; Isaiah 19:8; Habakkuk 1:15).

(3.) Vav, a "peg" on which the curtains of the tabernacle were hung (Exodus 26:32).

(4.) Tsinnah, a fish-hooks (Amos 4:2).

(5.) Mazleg, flesh-hooks (1 Samuel 2:13, 14), a kind of fork with three teeth for turning the sacrifices on the fire, etc.

(6.) Mazmeroth, pruning-hooks (Isaiah 2:4; Joel 3:10).

(7.) `Agmon (Job 41:2, Hebrews Text 40:26), incorrectly rendered in the Authorized Version. Properly a rush-rope for binding animals, as in Revised Version margin.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (n.) A piece of metal, or other hard material, formed or bent into a curve or at an angle, for catching, holding, or sustaining anything; as, a hook for catching fish; a hook for fastening a gate; a boat hook, etc.

2. (n.) That part of a hinge which is fixed to a post, and on which a door or gate hangs and turns.

3. (n.) An implement for cutting grass or grain; a sickle; an instrument for cutting or lopping; a billhook.

4. (n.) See Eccentric, and V-hook.

5. (n.) A snare; a trap.

6. (n.) A field sown two years in succession.

7. (n.) The projecting points of the thigh bones of cattle; -- called also hook bones.

8. (v. t.) To catch or fasten with a hook or hooks; to seize, capture, or hold, as with a hook, esp. with a disguised or baited hook; hence, to secure by allurement or artifice; to entrap; to catch; as, to hook a dress; to hook a trout.

9. (v. t.) To seize or pierce with the points of the horns, as cattle in attacking enemies; to gore.

10. (v. t.) To steal.

11. (v. i.) To bend; to curve as a hook.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
HOOK

hook:

(1) chakkah, is rendered "fishhook" in Job 41:1 the Revised Version (British and American) (the King James Version "hook"). the Revised Version (British and American) is correct here and should have used the same translation for the same word in Isaiah 19:8 Habakkuk 1:15, instead Of retaining AV's "angle." Similarly in Amos 4:2, tsinnah, and ciroth dughah, appear to be synonyms for "fishhook," although the former may mean the barb of a fisher's spear. In the New Testament "fishhook" occurs in Matthew 17:27 (agkistron).

(2) The "flesh-hook." (mazlegh, mizlaghah) of Exodus 27:3, etc., was probably a small pitchfork, with two or three tines.

(3) The "pruning-hook" (mazmerah), used in the culture of the vine (Isaiah 18:5), was a sickle-shaped knife, small enough to be made from the metal of a spear-point (Isaiah 2:4 Joel 3:10 Micah 4:3).

(4) waw, is the name given the supports of certain hangings of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:32, etc.). Their form is entirely obscure.

(5) chach, is rendered "hook" in 2 Kings 19:28 = Isaiah 37:29 Ezekiel 29:4; Ezekiel 38:4, and Ezekiel 19:4, 9 the Revised Version (British and American) (the King James Version "chain"). A ring (compare Exodus 35:22), put in the nose of a tamed beast and through which a rope is passed to lead him, is probably meant.

(6) 'aghmon, is rendered "hook" in Job 41:2 the King James Version, but should be "a rope" of rushes or rush-fiber as in the Revised Version (British and American), or, simply, "a rush" (on which small fish are strung).

(7) choach, is "hook" in Job 41:2 the Revised Version (British and American) (the King James Version "thorn," perhaps right) and 2 Chronicles 33:11 the Revised Version margin (text chains," Ay "thorns,"). On both verses see the commentaries

(8) shephattayim, is "hooks" in Ezekiel 40:43 (the Revised Version margin "ledges"), but the meaning of this word is completely unknown, and "hook" is a mere guess.

Burton Scott Easton

Greek
1407. drepanon -- a sickle, a pruning hook
... a sickle, a pruning hook. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: drepanon
Phonetic Spelling: (drep'-an-on) Short Definition: a sickle Definition: a sickle ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1407.htm - 6k

44. agkistron -- a fishhook
... a fishhook. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: agkistron Phonetic Spelling:
(ang'-kis-tron) Short Definition: a fish-hook Definition: a fish-hook. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/44.htm - 6k

1386. dolios -- deceitful
... treacherous, deceitful, fraudulent. Cognate: 1386 -- deceitful -- advertising
the bait and concealing the hook! See 1388 (). Word Origin ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1386.htm - 6k

1388. dolos -- a bait, fig. craft, deceit
... 1388 -- properly, bait; (figuratively) deceit (trickery) using to ("hook")
people, especially those in , (brought on by themselves). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1388.htm - 7k

1185. deleazo -- to lure
... 1185 (from , "bait") -- properly, to a hook or set a trap with bait; (figuratively)
a victim into a moral trap, luring them in through their own . ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1185.htm - 6k

1389. doloo -- to ensnare, fig. to adulterate
... Cognate: 1389 (from 1388 , "bait") -- properly, to lure (or snare) -- holding out
the worm and concealing the hook!; ; "primarily, ; then to corrupt -- used of ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1389.htm - 7k

1818. exapatao -- to seduce wholly, deceive
... the that brings the !". [As an form of 538 (), 1818 () means, " taken in --
biting the that hides the hook!"]. Word Origin from ek ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1818.htm - 7k

2762. keraia -- a little horn
... of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: keraia Phonetic Spelling: (ker-ah'-yah)
Short Definition: an apostrophe Definition: a little hook, an apostrophe on ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2762.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew
2443. chakkah -- a hook, fishhook
... 2442, 2443. chakkah. 2444 . a hook, fishhook. Transliteration: chakkah Phonetic
Spelling: (khak-kaw') Short Definition: fishhook. ... angle, hook. ...
/hebrew/2443.htm - 6k

2397. chach -- hook, ring, fetter
... 2396, 2397. chach. 2398 . hook, ring, fetter. Transliteration: chach Phonetic
Spelling: (khawkh) Short Definition: hooks. ... bracelet, chain, hook. Once (Ezek. ...
/hebrew/2397.htm - 6k

2053. vav -- a hook, pin, peg
... vav. 2054 . a hook, pin, peg. Transliteration: vav Phonetic Spelling: (vaw) Short
Definition: hooks. ... hook. Probably a hook (the name of the sixth Heb. ...
/hebrew/2053.htm - 5k

6793. tsinnah -- probably a hook, barb
... tsinnah. 6793a . probably a hook, barb. Transliteration: tsinnah Phonetic Spelling:
(tsin-naw') Short Definition: buckler. buckler, cold, hook, shield, target ...
/hebrew/6793.htm - 5k

2336. choach -- briar, bramble, hook, ring, fetter
... 2335, 2336. choach. 2337 . briar, bramble, hook, ring, fetter. Transliteration:
choach Phonetic Spelling: (kho'-akh) Short Definition: bush. ...
/hebrew/2336.htm - 6k

5518b. sir -- a thorn, hook
... 5518a, 5518b. sir. 5519 . a thorn, hook. Transliteration: sir Short
Definition: thorns. Word Origin from the same as sir Definition ...
/hebrew/5518b.htm - 5k

8240b. shephathayim -- probably hook-shaped pegs, hooks
... 8240a, 8240b. shephathayim. 8241 . probably hook-shaped pegs, hooks.
Transliteration: shephathayim Short Definition: hooks. Word ...
/hebrew/8240b.htm - 5k

6793a. tsinnah -- probably a hook, barb
... 6793, 6793a. tsinnah. 6793b . probably a hook, barb. Transliteration:
tsinnah Short Definition: hooks. Word Origin from the same ...
/hebrew/6793a.htm - 5k

7165. qeres -- a hook
... 7164, 7165. qeres. 7166 . a hook. Transliteration: qeres Phonetic Spelling:
(keh'-res) Short Definition: clasps. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/7165.htm - 6k

8240. shaphath -- perhaps fireplaces, ash heaps
... 8239, 8240. shaphath. 8240a . perhaps fireplaces, ash heaps. Transliteration:
shaphath Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-fawth') Short Definition: hook. hook, pot ...
/hebrew/8240.htm - 5k

Library

But Perhaps Some one is Alarmed at Hearing us Discourse of the ...
... object of that mystery of the Incarnation which we expounded just now was that the
divine virtue of the Son of God, as though it were a hook concealed beneath ...
/.../16 but perhaps some one.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress of 1352
... And the enemy has a great hook with which he catches these people very
easily. The hook is called Nature." It is to be remarked ...
/.../bevan/three friends of god/chapter xlvii the pilgrims progress.htm

Peter and the Tribute-Money.
... Jesus saith unto him, "Then their own people are free; but lest we should offend
them by not paying, go thou down to the sea, and cast in thy hook and line ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the new testament/peter and the tribute-money.htm

Kedron
... office of reaping laid, saith, 'The sun is set'; and they answered, 'Well.'"'The
sun is set'; and they answered, 'Well.'"'With this reaping-hook'; and they ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 38 kedron.htm

Peter's Reverie.
... Then Peter: "In short, when I did not perceive, through the occupation of my mind,
that I had caught a very large fish which was attached to the hook, and that ...
/.../unknown/recognitions of clement /chapter lxiii peters reverie.htm

But Possibly one who Has Given his Attention to the Course of the ...
... might be easily accepted by him who required it, the Deity was hidden under the
veil of our nature, that so, as with ravenous fish [2001] , the hook of the ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/chapter xxiv but possibly one.htm

The Coming of the Pharaoh
... One robust peer, with a boat-hook in his hand, leaned over the prow. ... The robust courtier
leaned forward and made fast to his captive with the hook. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xiii the coming of.htm

'He Uttered his Voice, the Earth Melted'
... Because thy rage against Me and thy tumult is come up into Mine ears, therefore
I will put My hook in thy nose, and My bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/he uttered his voice the.htm

Three Decisive Steps
... persons getting very angry after a gospel sermon, and I say to myself, "I am not
sorry for it." Sometimes when we are fishing, the fish gets the hook into his ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/three decisive steps.htm

Proof against the Marcionites, that the Prophets Referred in all ...
... This person is our Lord, and in Him is that declaration borne out; since it is He
Himself who has made the plough, and introduced the pruning-hook, that is ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxxiv proof against the marcionites.htm

Thesaurus
Flesh-hook (2 Occurrences)
Flesh-hook. Fleshhook, Flesh-hook. Fleshhooks . ... But Hophni and Phinehas, not
content with this, sent a servant to seize with a flesh-hook a further portion. ...
/f/flesh-hook.htm - 9k

Fish-hook (2 Occurrences)
Fish-hook. Fishhook, Fish-hook. Fishhooks . Multi-Version Concordance
Fish-hook (2 Occurrences). Job 41:1 Is it possible ...
/f/fish-hook.htm - 6k

Pruning-hook
Pruning-hook. Pruninghook, Pruning-hook. Pruninghooks . Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia PRUNING-HOOK. proon'-ing-hook. See HOOK, (3); VINE. ...
/p/pruning-hook.htm - 6k

Meat-hook (1 Occurrence)
Meat-hook. Meat, Meat-hook. Meat-hooks . Multi-Version Concordance
Meat-hook (1 Occurrence). 1 Samuel 2:13 And the priests ...
/m/meat-hook.htm - 6k

Hook (10 Occurrences)
... So God's agents are never beyond his control. (2.) Hakkah, a fish "hook"
(Job 41:2, Hebrews Text, 40:25; Isaiah 19:8; Habakkuk 1:15). ...
/h/hook.htm - 15k

Fishhook (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A hook for catching fish. 2. (n.) A hook with
a pendant, to the end of which the fish-tackle is hooked. Int. ...
/f/fishhook.htm - 7k

Fleshhook (2 Occurrences)
... But Hophni and Phinehas, not content with this, sent a servant to seize with a
flesh-hook a further portion. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. FLESH-HOOK. ...
/f/fleshhook.htm - 9k

Angle (19 Occurrences)
... 6. (n.) A fishhook; tackle for catching fish, consisting of a line, hook,
and bait, with or without a rod. 7. (vi) To fish with ...
/a/angle.htm - 14k

Hitch (2 Occurrences)
... interfere. 4. (vt) To hook; to catch or fasten as by a hook or a knot; to make
fast, unite, or yoke; as, to hitch a horse, or a halter. 5 ...
/h/hitch.htm - 8k

Jaw (6 Occurrences)
... jo, jo'-bon (lechi, "cheek (bone)," "jaw (bone)"): In Job 41:2, the Revised Version
(British and American) gives "pierce his jaw through with a hook" for the ...
/j/jaw.htm - 11k

Resources
Is abstinence before marriage a realistic message? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Tammuz? | GotQuestions.org

Should a church be seeker sensitive? | GotQuestions.org

Hook: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Hook (10 Occurrences)

Matthew 17:27
But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

1 Samuel 2:13
And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
(Root in KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT)

1 Samuel 2:14
And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
(Root in KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT)

2 Kings 19:28
Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hook in your nose, and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 33:11
Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
(Root in JPS NAS RSV NIV)

Job 41:1
"Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Job 41:2
Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 19:8
And the fishers shall mourn, and all they that cast fish-hook into the Nile shall lament, and they that spread net upon the waters shall languish.
(DBY RSV NIV)

Isaiah 37:29
Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Habakkuk 1:15
He takes up all of them with the hook. He catches them in his net, and gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore he rejoices and is glad.
(WEB BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Hook

Related Terms

Meat-hooks (5 Occurrences)

Pruning-hooks (4 Occurrences)

Fish-hooks (1 Occurrence)

Hooks (41 Occurrences)

Posts (68 Occurrences)

Bases (80 Occurrences)

Sockets (44 Occurrences)

Fillets (11 Occurrences)

Pillars (132 Occurrences)

Connecting-rods (8 Occurrences)

Joining (43 Occurrences)

Overlaid (50 Occurrences)

Bands (130 Occurrences)

Copper (55 Occurrences)

Rods (76 Occurrences)

Pruning (6 Occurrences)

Capitals (21 Occurrences)

Chapiters (15 Occurrences)

Spades (9 Occurrences)

Join (70 Occurrences)

Fishing (4 Occurrences)

Brass (168 Occurrences)

Hangings (23 Occurrences)

Hook (10 Occurrences)

Fire-pans (11 Occurrences)

Filleted (3 Occurrences)

Tops (37 Occurrences)

Plated (29 Occurrences)

Plowshares (5 Occurrences)

Plow-shares (3 Occurrences)

Acacia-wood (27 Occurrences)

Joined (146 Occurrences)

Acacia (28 Occurrences)

Spears (25 Occurrences)

Twenty (282 Occurrences)

Fastened (43 Occurrences)

Shittim (34 Occurrences)

Bronze (146 Occurrences)

Cubits (156 Occurrences)

Swords (50 Occurrences)

Silver (329 Occurrences)

Overlaying (4 Occurrences)

Overlay (15 Occurrences)

Jaws (12 Occurrences)

Joineth (8 Occurrences)

Letting (41 Occurrences)

Fishhooks (1 Occurrence)

Furnished (18 Occurrences)

Fire-trays (6 Occurrences)

Twists (12 Occurrences)

Pans (19 Occurrences)

Basins (33 Occurrences)

Baskets (20 Occurrences)

Courtyard (59 Occurrences)

Shovels (9 Occurrences)

Curtains (34 Occurrences)

Maketh (399 Occurrences)

Wood (226 Occurrences)

North (164 Occurrences)

Sprinkling (48 Occurrences)

Decide (33 Occurrences)

Curtain (60 Occurrences)

Cubit (51 Occurrences)

Fleshly (15 Occurrences)

Thorn (30 Occurrences)

Fish (66 Occurrences)

Vessels (210 Occurrences)

Residue (47 Occurrences)

Beat (85 Occurrences)

Hanging (82 Occurrences)

Hoopoe (2 Occurrences)

Learn (76 Occurrences)

Gold (429 Occurrences)

Flesh (468 Occurrences)

1775 (2 Occurrences)

Unripe (6 Occurrences)

Javelins (5 Occurrences)

Jaw (6 Occurrences)

Jawbone (3 Occurrences)

Hoofs
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