Hebrew word · H2374
חֹזֶה
chozeh
seer
From ḥāzâ, 'to see'. Ḥōzeh normally means 'seer', a visionary prophet (2 Sam 24:11; Isa 30:10). Only here, and with the related ḥāzût in v. 18, does context demand 'agreement, pact'. HALOT treats this as a separate word, 'treaty, agreement'.
Appears 17 times in 17 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) seer
1a) seer
1b) vision
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Isaiah 28:15
- Range of meaning
From ḥāzâ, 'to see'. Ḥōzeh normally means 'seer', a visionary prophet (2 Sam 24:11; Isa 30:10). Only here, and with the related ḥāzût in v. 18, does context demand 'agreement, pact'. HALOT treats this as a separate word, 'treaty, agreement'.
- Against the English
English versions all say 'agreement' or 'pact' (KJV 'are we at agreement', YLT 'provision'), which is right for the sense. None can carry the echo of 'seer'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The parallel with bərît and the matching line in v. 18 ('your ḥāzût with Sheol will not stand') settle the meaning. How the 'see' root came to mean 'pact' is debated. Suggestions include a treaty 'beheld' or ratified by seeing, or a sense borrowed from Aramaic.
From the study of 2 Chronicles 33:18
- Range of meaning
Seer or visionary: one who 'sees' (chazah) revelation, often in a vision. In practice it meant a prophet, often attached to the royal court, who brought God's word to kings. It overlaps with ro'eh ('seer') and navi ('prophet'), and Chronicles uses these titles almost interchangeably.
- Against the English
Modern English 'seer' suggests a clairvoyant, psychic or fortune-teller. The Hebrew chozeh is a recognized spokesman for Yahweh whose main job was confronting the king with God's demands, not predicting personal fortunes.
- How it drifted
In modern usage 'seer' has moved toward occult and fantasy meanings. The KJV-era word was neutral.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Gad 'the king's seer' (1 Chr 21:9; 2 Sam 24:11); Iddo the seer (2 Chr 9:29; 12:15); Jehu son of Hanani (2 Chr 19:2); Amos is called chozeh (Amos 7:12). Chronicles often cites prophetic writings as its sources (1 Chr 29:29; 2 Chr 9:29; 32:32).
From the study of Isaiah 29:10
- Range of meaning
"One who sees", from ḥāzāh, "to see, behold, receive a vision". It is a title for prophets, especially court prophets (Gad is "David's seer", 2 Sam 24:11; Amos is called ḥōzeh in Amos 7:12).
- Against the English
"Seer" is a good rendering. What English misses is the wordplay in the passage: the ḥōzîm ("see-ers") lose their sight, and the next verse calls the whole message a ḥāzût ("vision") that has become a sealed scroll.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Isaiah 30:10 quotes the people telling the seers (ḥōzîm), "Do not see visions for us of what is right; speak to us smooth things." The ḥzh root also appears in the inscription of Balaam son of Beor at Deir ʿAlla (8th century BC), which calls Balaam "a seer of the gods" (ḥzh ʾlhn). So the title was in use across the region in Isaiah's own century.
Where it appears
2 Samuel · 1
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2 Samuel 24:11 חֹזֵ֥ה [the] seer of
When David got up in the morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:
2 Kings · 1
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2 Kings 17:13 חֹזֶ֜ה seer
Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.”
Here: Literally 'one who sees (visions)'. An older, recognized title for a person who received revelation, often attached to a royal court (Gad, Iddo, Jehu son of Hanani). It overlaps with 'prophet'. It is not a fortune-teller.
1 Chronicles · 3
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1 Chronicles 21:9 חֹזֵ֥ה [the] seer of
And the LORD instructed Gad, David’s seer,
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1 Chronicles 25:5 חֹזֵ֥ה [the] seer of
All these sons of Heman the king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
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1 Chronicles 29:29 הַחֹזֶֽה׃ the seer
Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are indeed written in the Chronicles of Samuel the Seer, the Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet, and the Chronicles of Gad the Seer,
2 Chronicles · 7
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2 Chronicles 9:29 הַחֹזֶ֔ה the seer
As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Records of Nathan the Prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?
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2 Chronicles 12:15 הַחֹזֶ֖ה the seer
Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the Prophet and of Iddo the Seer concerning the genealogies? There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.
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2 Chronicles 19:2 הַחֹזֶה֒ the seer
Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.
Here: "The seer": a prophet who receives revelation by vision. Grammatically it could describe Jehu or his father Hanani (who is called a seer, with a different Hebrew word, in 16:7). Most read it as Jehu's title here.
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2 Chronicles 29:25 חֹזֵֽה־ [the] seer of
Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through His prophets.
Here: "Seer of": a prophet who receives what God shows him in visions. Paired with "the king," it is a title for a prophet attached to the royal court.
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2 Chronicles 29:30 הַחֹזֶ֑ה the seer
Then King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.
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2 Chronicles 33:18 הַֽחֹזִ֔ים the seers
As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, they are indeed written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Here: 'The seers': prophets named for receiving visions. In Chronicles this is an ordinary title for prophets who confronted and advised kings. It does not mean fortune-tellers.
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2 Chronicles 35:15 חוֹזֵ֣ה [the] seer of
The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made preparations for them.
Isaiah · 3
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Isaiah 28:15 חֹזֶ֑ה an agreement
For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
Here: Elsewhere this word means 'seer', a visionary. Here context requires 'agreement, pact', and v. 18 uses the related form ḥāzût. The echo of 'vision' may be deliberate, since the chapter mocks drunken prophets and their visions (28:7).
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Isaiah 29:10 הַחֹזִ֖ים the seers
For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.
Here: People who receive visions (ḥāzôn, the word used in v.11). An older and near-equivalent title to "prophet". The irony is that the ones whose title means "see-ers" can no longer see.
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Isaiah 30:10 וְלַ֣חֹזִ֔ים and to the seers
They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.
Here: “And to the visionaries.” This is a second word for seer, used for people who receive visions. English versions often put “prophets” here, but the Hebrew word for prophet (nāḇîʾ) does not appear in the verse.
Amos · 1
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Amos 7:12 חֹזֶ֕ה O seer
And Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah; earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.
Here: Amaziah calls Amos by name: "Seer!" It literally means "one who sees (visions)." It fits Amos, who has just reported three visions (7:1–9). Whether Amaziah meant it with respect or with a sneer is debated (see Debates).
Micah · 1
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Micah 3:7 הַחֹזִ֗ים the seers
Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.