חִבֻּק

From the study of Proverbs 24:33

Range of meaning

Chibbuq comes from chavaq, 'to embrace, clasp' (Gen 29:13; Eccl 3:5). With 'hands' it describes hands clasped together or folded into the lap or chest: hands at rest, doing nothing.

Against the English

'Folding of the hands' is accurate, but today many readers associate folded hands with prayer. In Hebrew the picture is idleness: hands that refuse to work.

How it drifted

In later Christian practice, folding the hands became the standard prayer posture. Israelites usually prayed with hands raised or spread out (1 Kgs 8:22; Ps 28:2; 141:2), so the image here had no prayer connection for them.

Used elsewhere in the period

The noun appears only here and in Prov 6:10. Compare Eccl 4:5: 'The fool folds (chovek) his hands and eats his own flesh.' Compare also the sluggard who 'buries his hand in the dish' and is too lazy to lift it back to his mouth (Prov 19:24; 26:15).

From the study of Proverbs 6:10

Range of meaning

Ḥibbuq is a noun from ḥavaq, "to embrace, clasp" (used of hugging a person in Gen 29:13, 33:4). Applied to one's own hands, it means hands folded together, clasped, or wrapped around oneself, idle and drawn in.

Against the English

"Folding of the hands" (BSB, KJV, WEB) and "clasping of the hands" (YLT) are both fair. "Clasping" stays closer to the embracing sense of the root. For many modern readers "folded hands" suggests praying, which this gesture is not (see drift).

How it drifted

Western Christian art and devotion made folded hands the standard prayer posture, a habit that took hold in the Middle Ages. In ancient Israel people prayed with palms spread out and raised (1 Kgs 8:22, 54; Ps 28:2; Ps 141:2). Folding the hands meant idleness.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same gesture appears in Ecclesiastes 4:5: "The fool folds his hands (ḥovēq ʾet-yadav) and eats his own flesh." This is the slacker who consumes himself because he will not work. The noun recurs in Prov 24:33.