Hebrew word · H2684

חֹ֫צֶן

chatzeni

bosom

The fold or lap of the garment at the chest, where things were carried. Rare in the Hebrew Bible: Ps 129:7 (the binder of sheaves filling his ḥōṣen) and Neh 5:13 (Nehemiah shakes out his ḥōṣen as a curse-gesture). It is close in meaning to ḥêq, "bosom, lap", used of carrying infants (Num 11:12).

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

bosom, lap

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 49:22

Range of meaning: The fold or lap of the garment at the chest, where things were carried. Rare in the Hebrew Bible: Ps 129:7 (the binder of sheaves filling his ḥōṣen) and Neh 5:13 (Nehemiah shakes out his ḥōṣen as a curse-gesture). It is close in meaning to ḥêq, "bosom, lap", used of carrying infants (Num 11:12).
Against the English: KJV, BSB and ESV-type versions have "in their arms". WEB and YLT have "in (their) bosom". "Arms" loses the detail that the child is tucked into the carrier's own garment against the chest. "Bosom" keeps it, but sounds archaic or anatomical to modern ears.
How it drifted: In modern English "bosom" means a woman's breasts. The Hebrew word is about clothing, a carrying pouch formed by the robe, and applies to men as well as women.
Used elsewhere in the period: Num 11:12, with the near-synonym ḥêq, is the nearest parallel: Moses asks whether he must "carry them in your bosom as a nurse (ʾōmēn) carries a nursing child". Isa 49:23 then uses that very word ʾōmēn ("foster father, nurse") for the kings.

From the study of Nehemiah 5:13

Range of meaning: The front fold of a garment above the belt, where things were carried: grain, a lamb, small goods. It also stands for the chest or bosom area that the fold covers. It is rare: Isa 49:22 (“they will bring your sons in their bosom”), Ps 129:7 (the binder of sheaves who fills his ḥōṣen), and here.
Against the English: KJV and WEB “lap” makes a modern reader picture someone sitting down. BSB and NIV “folds of my robe” and ESV “fold of my garment” are closer. The point is a pocket that holds belongings, which is why shaking it out works as a picture of being stripped of possessions.
How it drifted: In older English “lap” could mean the flap or skirt of a garment (compare the lap of a coat). That sense has faded, and the word now means the top of the thighs when seated.
Used elsewhere in the period: Ps 129:7 shows its use as a carrying pouch for grain. The Vulgate renders it sinus, the Latin word for the fold of a toga used as a pocket, which is the same image.

Similar words

חֲצֵרוֹת chatzerot · Hazeroth

Where it appears

Nehemiah · 1

Nehemiah 5:13 חָצְנִ֣י bosom my

I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

Here: The fold of the robe above the belt, which served as a pocket for carrying things. Shaking it out empties out whatever it held.

Isaiah · 1

Isaiah 49:22 בְּחֹ֔צֶן in a bosom

This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and raise My banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

Here: The fold of the robe at the chest, where a small child could be tucked in and held against the body. It suggests tenderness and closeness, and that these are little ones who cannot walk.

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