2678. chetsi
Lexical Summary
chetsi: Half, middle

Original Word: חִצִּי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chitstsiy
Pronunciation: KHAY-tsee
Phonetic Spelling: (khits-tsee')
KJV: arrow
NASB: arrow
Word Origin: [prolongation from H2671 (חֵץ - arrows)]

1. an arrow

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
arrow

Or chetsiy {chay-tsee'}; prolongation from chets; an arrow -- arrow.

see HEBREW chets

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from chatsah
Definition
arrow
NASB Translation
arrow (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
חֵ֫צִי noun masculine2Kings 9:24 arrow (compare Arabic , Ethiopic id., Di134, and see Dr on 1 Samuel 20:36) — absolute הַחֵ֫צִי 1 Samuel 20:36,37 (twice in verse) + 1 Samuel 20:38 Kt (Qr הַחִצִּים), perhaps also 1 Samuel 20:21; 1 Samuel 20:22 (so ᵐ5 We, for ᵑ0 plural הַחִצִּים), 2 Kings 9:24; the usual form is חֵץ; see below

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Range of Use

חִצִּי appears thirteen times and always denotes an “arrow” (singular or collective). The contexts move from personal communication to warfare, from divine rescue to divine wrath, binding the imagery to God’s sovereign purposes.

Canonical Distribution

1 Samuel 20:20–38 (nine instances)
2 Kings 9:24
2 Kings 13:18
2 Chronicles 26:15
Isaiah 7:24

Historical Context

Iron-Age Israel shared the military culture of its neighbors; archers were essential on every battlefield. Yet Scripture does not merely record martial facts—it interprets them through covenant history, showing that even a flying shaft serves the larger redemptive story.

Key Thematic Motifs

1. Covenant Loyalty and Protection (1 Samuel 20).

Jonathan’s arrows function as a coded signal, preserving David’s life and the messianic line. An ordinary weapon becomes an instrument of steadfast love and divine preservation.

2. Judicial Execution (2 Kings 9:24).

Jehu’s well-placed arrow fulfills Elijah’s oracle against Ahab’s house: “The word of the LORD never fails.” God’s justice is neither late nor indiscriminate; it is pinpoint accurate.

3. Faith Tested and Limited (2 Kings 13:18).

Elisha offers Joash “the arrow of the LORD’s victory.” Joash’s timid striking foretells partial success. The passage links spiritual zeal to the measure of experienced deliverance.

4. God-Given Ingenuity (2 Chronicles 26:15).

Uzziah’s engineers devise machines to shoot arrows from towers, and “his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped”. Human skill is celebrated, yet later pride warns that every gift must remain under God’s glory.

5. Sign of Desolation (Isaiah 7:24).

Bows and arrows reappear in a ruined landscape overrun by briers. What once symbolized victory now highlights loss, showing the reversal that comes through covenant unfaithfulness.

Typological and Christological Insights

The arrow’s speed and penetration prefigure the incisive power of the Messiah’s word (Psalm 45:5; Revelation 19:15). Jonathan’s harmless arrow foreshadows the hidden path of the rejected yet chosen King; Jehu’s lethal arrow anticipates Christ’s final judgment on unrepentant evil.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Creative mercy: Like Jonathan, believers can employ everyday means to shield others.
• Bold prayer: Joash’s half-hearted blows caution against minimal faith.
• Humble leadership: Uzziah’s rise and fall urge continual dependence on the Lord.
• Confident preaching: God’s word, like His arrow, never misses its mark (Isaiah 55:11).

Representative Passages

1 Samuel 20:22 – “But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away.”

2 Kings 9:24 – “Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders, and the arrow pierced his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.”

2 Kings 13:17 – “This is the arrow of the LORD’s victory, the arrow of victory over Aram.”

Summary

Though a simple term for “arrow,” חִצִּי threads through narratives of friendship, judgment, promise, innovation, and warning. Each appearance reaffirms that the LORD directs every shaft—whether for rescue or reproof—toward His unwavering redemptive ends.

Forms and Transliterations
בַּֽחִצִּ֔ים בַּחִצִּ֥ים בחצים הַ֣חִצִּ֔ים הַ֣חִצִּ֔ים הַחִצִּ֑ים הַחִצִּ֖ים הַחִצִּ֣ים ׀ הַחֵ֔צִי הַחֵ֖צִי החצי החצים ba·ḥiṣ·ṣîm bachitzTzim baḥiṣṣîm ha·ḥê·ṣî ha·ḥiṣ·ṣîm haChetzi hachitzTzim haḥêṣî haḥiṣṣîm
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Englishman's Concordance
1 Samuel 20:20
HEB: וַאֲנִ֕י שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת הַחִצִּ֖ים צִדָּ֣ה אוֹרֶ֑ה
INT: I three arrow to the side will shoot

1 Samuel 20:21
HEB: מְצָ֣א אֶת־ הַחִצִּ֑ים אִם־ אָמֹר֩
INT: Go find arrow lo specifically

1 Samuel 20:21
HEB: לַנַּ֜עַר הִנֵּ֥ה הַחִצִּ֣ים ׀ מִמְּךָ֣ וָהֵ֗נָּה
INT: to the lad Behold arrow are on this

1 Samuel 20:22
HEB: לָעֶ֔לֶם הִנֵּ֥ה הַחִצִּ֖ים מִמְּךָ֣ וָהָ֑לְאָה
INT: to the youth Behold arrow at beyond

1 Samuel 20:36
HEB: נָא֙ אֶת־ הַ֣חִצִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י
NAS: he shot an arrow past
KJV: ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
INT: find now an arrow which I

1 Samuel 20:36
HEB: וְהֽוּא־ יָרָ֥ה הַחֵ֖צִי לְהַעֲבִרֽוֹ׃
INT: he shot an arrow past

1 Samuel 20:37
HEB: עַד־ מְק֣וֹם הַחֵ֔צִי אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָרָ֖ה
NAS: the place of the arrow which
KJV: to the place of the arrow which Jonathan
INT: against the place of the arrow which had shot

1 Samuel 20:37
HEB: וַיֹּ֔אמֶר הֲל֥וֹא הַחֵ֖צִי מִמְּךָ֥ וָהָֽלְאָה׃
NAS: and said, Is not the arrow beyond
KJV: and said, [Is] not the arrow beyond
INT: and said is not the arrow at beyond

1 Samuel 20:38
HEB: [הַחֵצִי כ] (הַ֣חִצִּ֔ים ק) וַיָּבֹ֖א
NAS: picked up the arrow and came
INT: lad and Jonathan's arrow and came to his

2 Kings 9:24
HEB: זְרֹעָ֔יו וַיֵּצֵ֥א הַחֵ֖צִי מִלִּבּ֑וֹ וַיִּכְרַ֖ע
NAS: his arms; and the arrow went through
KJV: between his arms, and the arrow went out
INT: his arms went and the arrow his heart sank

2 Kings 13:18
HEB: וַיֹּ֛אמֶר קַ֥ח הַחִצִּ֖ים וַיִּקָּ֑ח וַיֹּ֤אמֶר
INT: said Take arrow took said

2 Chronicles 26:15
HEB: הַפִּנּ֔וֹת לִירוֹא֙ בַּֽחִצִּ֔ים וּבָאֲבָנִ֖ים גְּדֹל֑וֹת
INT: the corners to shoot arrow stones and great

Isaiah 7:24
HEB: בַּחִצִּ֥ים וּבַקֶּ֖שֶׁת יָ֣בוֹא
INT: arrow bows will come

13 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2678
13 Occurrences


ba·ḥiṣ·ṣîm — 2 Occ.
ha·ḥê·ṣî — 4 Occ.
ha·ḥiṣ·ṣîm — 7 Occ.

2677
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