Hebrew word · H2633

חֹ֫סֶן

chosen

wealth

Wealth, riches, stored treasure: 'in the house of the righteous is much ḥōsen' (Prov 15:6); 'riches do not last forever' (Prov 27:24); 'all the wealth of this city' handed to Babylon (Jer 20:5); the treasure princes seize (Ezek 22:25).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

riches, treasure, wealth

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 33:6

Range of meaning

Wealth, riches, stored treasure: 'in the house of the righteous is much ḥōsen' (Prov 15:6); 'riches do not last forever' (Prov 27:24); 'all the wealth of this city' handed to Babylon (Jer 20:5); the treasure princes seize (Ezek 22:25). A related Aramaic verb means 'to be strong, to possess' (Dan 7:18, 22).

Against the English

KJV 'strength of salvation' and YLT 'strength' follow the Aramaic sense. Modern versions ('storehouse', 'abundance', 'wealth', 'rich store') follow the Hebrew usage.

How it drifted

Older translators leaned on the Aramaic cognate and on the idea of 'strength'. That is not quite drift, but it hides the money-and-storehouse picture that pairs with 'treasury' at the end of the verse.

Used elsewhere in the period

Proverbs 15:6; 27:24; Jeremiah 20:5; Ezekiel 22:25. HALOT and BDB both give 'wealth, treasure' as the Hebrew sense.

From the study of Ezekiel 22:25

Range of meaning

Chosen means stored wealth or a treasury; figuratively it can mean strength or security (Isa 33:6). Yeqar (H3366) means preciousness, valuables, honor or splendor.

Against the English

'Treasure and precious things' (KJV, BSB) is accurate. YLT's 'wealth and glory' brings out the honor sense of yeqar, but in this setting it is less likely.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jer 20:5 uses both words for the riches of Jerusalem that God will hand to Babylon. Prov 27:24 says that riches (chosen) do not last forever. 1 Kgs 21 (Naboth's vineyard) is the classic story of a king seizing a subject's property by means of judicial murder.

From the study of Proverbs 15:6

Range of meaning

Stored wealth, treasure, abundance, with the root idea of strength and solidity (from the root ḥ-s-n, 'be strong', which survives clearly in Aramaic). It is used of a city's stored riches (Jeremiah 20:5), of treasure seized by predators (Ezekiel 22:25), of riches that do not last forever (Proverbs 27:24), and figuratively of 'a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge' (Isaiah 33:6).

Against the English

BSB/KJV/WEB 'treasure' captures the value but can suggest a hidden hoard or a single precious object. YLT's 'strength' keeps the root meaning but misses the material sense. The word holds both: wealth that makes a household strong.

Used elsewhere in the period

Biblical Aramaic uses the cognate verb for 'take possession' of the kingdom (Daniel 7:18, 22) and the noun ḥĕsēn for 'power' (Daniel 2:37; 4:30). The Septuagint here translates ḥōsen with ischys, 'strength', and the Vulgate follows with fortitudo. So the ancient translators heard the 'strength' side of the word.

Where it appears

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 15:6 חֹ֣סֶן wealth

    The house of the righteous has great treasure, but the income of the wicked is trouble.

    Here: Wealth that has been laid up and kept, the kind that gives a household strength and security. It comes from a root meaning 'be strong'.

  2. Proverbs 27:24 חֹ֑סֶן wealth

    for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 33:6 חֹ֥סֶן wealth of

    He will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.

    Here: A store of wealth, stored-up riches (as in Proverbs 15:6; Jeremiah 20:5). It pictures abundance laid up for use, not raw 'strength' (the KJV rendering, from a related Aramaic word).

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 20:5 חֹ֙סֶן֙ [the] wealth of

    I will give away all the wealth of this city—all its products and valuables, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah—to their enemies. They will plunder them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon.

    Here: The city's accumulated stores, its reserves of wealth. The root has to do with being strong or secure, which is why the KJV has 'strength'. The picture is wealth as the city's security.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 22:25 חֹ֤סֶן treasure

    The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.

    Here: Accumulated, stored-up wealth: a household's or a city's reserves. Jeremiah 20:5 pairs the same two words for the riches of Jerusalem that Babylon will carry off.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.