2312. chedeq
Lexical Summary
chedeq: Thorn, brier

Original Word: חֵדֶק
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chedeq
Pronunciation: kheh'-dek
Phonetic Spelling: (khay'-dek)
KJV: brier, thorn
NASB: briar, thorns
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to sting]

1. a prickly plant

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
brier, thorn

From an unused root meaning to sting; a prickly plant -- brier, thorn.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a briar
NASB Translation
briar (1), thorns (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
חֵ֑דֶק noun [masculine] brier (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic חִדְקָא Löwp. 147, No. 104; compare Arabic a kind of night-shade, see Lane532); — טוֺבָם כַּחֵדֶק Micah 7:4 the best of them (si vera lectio) is like the brier ("" יָשָׁר מִמְּסוּכָה); דֶּרֶךְ עָצֵל כִּמְשֻׂכַת חָ֑דֶק Proverbs 15:19 the way of a sluggard is like a brier-hedge.

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Imagery and Meaning

חֵדֶק evokes the picture of a dense, interlocking barrier of thorns. In Scripture, thorns often symbolize the painful consequences of sin (Genesis 3:18), impediments to fruitful living (Matthew 13:7), and the hostility of a fallen world (2 Corinthians 12:7). A thorn hedge, therefore, conveys both obstruction and danger—something that wounds when touched and blocks forward movement.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Proverbs 15:19 contrasts the indolent and the upright: “The way of the slacker is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway”. The imagery suggests that laziness creates self-inflicted obstacles; diligence, by contrast, levels the path.
2. Micah 7:4 applies the same term to corrupt leaders: “The best of them is like a briar; the most upright is a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, is coming; now their confusion is at hand”. Even the “best” among the people are so spiritually degraded that they injure anyone who approaches them.

Cultural and Historical Background

Ancient Near-Eastern farmers frequently ringed fields and vineyards with thorn hedges to keep out animals and thieves. While effective, these hedges could also trap the unwary traveler. Solomon and Micah drew on a familiar landscape feature to drive home moral truth: what was meant to protect becomes an image of impediment and judgment when applied to human character.

Theological Reflections

Proverbs 15:19 shows that sin is not merely passive; it creates real barriers that impede progress toward God’s best. The sluggard’s thorns arise from his own choices, reminding readers that personal responsibility cannot be evaded.

Micah 7:4 exposes a society in which even leaders—those expected to guide—have become hazards. The thorn hedge here is corporate and systemic, pointing to a time when “watchmen” announce inevitable judgment. Together the passages declare that sin produces both private and public consequences.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Spiritual self-examination: Believers are urged to identify “thorn hedges” of procrastination, bitterness, or compromise that hinder their walk.
• Leadership accountability: Pastors and elders must ask whether their lives invite approach or inflict injury (Hebrews 13:7).
• Discipleship and diligence: Proverbs 15:19 reinforces the value of disciplined routines—prayer, Scripture intake, and service—as highway builders that remove thorns.
• Counseling broken communities: Micah 7:4 equips shepherds to diagnose societal sin and proclaim both warning and hope.

Christological and Eschatological Echoes

The thorn hedge motif ultimately points to the One who wore a crown of thorns (John 19:2). Jesus absorbed the curse symbolized by thorns so that those trapped by sin might enter the “new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20). While Micah forecasts a day of confusion for the wicked, the gospel announces a future when “no lion will be there, nor any vicious beast” (Isaiah 35:9), and every barrier to righteous fellowship is removed.

Forms and Transliterations
חָ֑דֶק חדק כְּחֵ֔דֶק כחדק Chadek ḥā·ḏeq ḥāḏeq kə·ḥê·ḏeq keChedek kəḥêḏeq
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Proverbs 15:19
HEB: עָ֭צֵל כִּמְשֻׂ֣כַת חָ֑דֶק וְאֹ֖רַח יְשָׁרִ֣ים
NAS: is as a hedge of thorns, But the path
KJV: [man is] as an hedge of thorns: but the way
INT: of the lazy A hedge of thorns the path of the upright

Micah 7:4
HEB: טוֹבָ֣ם כְּחֵ֔דֶק יָשָׁ֖ר מִמְּסוּכָ֑ה
NAS: The best of them is like a briar, The most upright
KJV: The best of them [is] as a brier: the most upright
INT: the best A briar upright A thorn

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2312
2 Occurrences


ḥā·ḏeq — 1 Occ.
kə·ḥê·ḏeq — 1 Occ.

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