Hebrew word · H2860

חָתָן

chatan

son-in-law

A man related by marriage: a son-in-law (Judg 15:6; 1 Sam 18:18), and especially a bridegroom (Ps 19:5; Isa 62:5; Jer 7:34). A related root gives ḥōtēn, 'father-in-law' (Exod 3:1), and the verb 'to become a son-in-law, ally by marriage' (1 Sam 18:21–27).

Appears 20 times in 19 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

son-in-law, daughter's husband, bridegroom, husband

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 Genesis 19:14

Range of meaning

A man related by marriage: a son-in-law (Judg 15:6; 1 Sam 18:18), and especially a bridegroom (Ps 19:5; Isa 62:5; Jer 7:34). A related root gives ḥōtēn, 'father-in-law' (Exod 3:1), and the verb 'to become a son-in-law, ally by marriage' (1 Sam 18:21–27). The word is about the in-law bond, not specifically about whether the wedding has been completed.

Against the English

All versions have 'sons-in-law'. That is fine, but in English the word implies a finished marriage. Hebrew would also use it for a man who has formally contracted to marry a daughter, as in 1 Sam 18, where David becomes the king's 'son-in-law' through negotiations before the wedding.

Used elsewhere in the period

In 1 Samuel 18:18–27 the root is used repeatedly of David's marriage negotiation with Saul. ANE marriage law (e.g., the Laws of Eshnunna §25–26 and Hammurabi §159–161) treats a man who has paid the bride-price as already bound to the family, before the woman lives with him.

From the study of Isaiah 62:5

Range of meaning

ḥāṯān: bridegroom; also son-in-law, a man related to a family by marriage. kallâ: bride; also daughter-in-law, a woman brought into a family by marriage.

Against the English

'Bridegroom' and 'bride' fit well. The Hebrew words also carry the idea of joining a family, which English 'bride' only partly conveys.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 19:5 (the sun like a bridegroom leaving his chamber); Isaiah 61:10 (Zion decked like a bridegroom, adorned like a bride); Jeremiah 2:2 ('the love of your bridal days', kelulotayikh); Jeremiah 33:11.

From the study of 1 Samuel 18:18

Range of meaning

A man related to someone through marriage. With respect to the bride's father, he is the son-in-law. On the wedding day he is the bridegroom (Ps 19:6; Isa 62:5; Jer 7:34). The related verb ḥātan (hitpael) means 'to make a marriage alliance, become someone's son-in-law', and the father-in-law is ḥōtēn (e.g., Jethro, Exod 3:1).

Against the English

'Son-in-law' is accurate. English loses the link between this noun and the verb, which runs as a refrain through the following verses (vv.21, 22, 23, 26, 27: 'become the king's son-in-law').

Used elsewhere in the period

Marriage alliances between families: Gen 34:9 (with the Shechemites); Deut 7:3 (forbidden with the Canaanites); 1 Kgs 3:1 (Solomon with Pharaoh). Royal marriages as political bonds are common across the ancient Near East, as in the Amarna diplomatic marriages.

Where it appears

Genesis · 3

  1. Genesis 19:12 חָתָן֙ a son-in-law

    Then the two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,

  2. Genesis 19:14 חֲתָנָ֣יו׀ חֲתָנָֽיו׃ sons-in-law his

    So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

    Here: 'His sons-in-law': men tied to Lot's household by marriage. These are exactly the relatives the angels told Lot to gather in v. 12.

Exodus · 2

  1. Exodus 4:25 חֲתַן־ [are] a bridegroom of

    But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.

  2. Exodus 4:26 חֲתַ֥ן a bridegroom of

    So the LORD let him alone. (When she said, “bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.)

Judges · 2

  1. Judges 15:6 חֲתַ֣ן [the] son-in-law of

    “Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.

  2. Judges 19:5 חֲתָנ֗וֹ son-in-law his

    On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you can go.”

1 Samuel · 2

  1. 1 Samuel 18:18 חָתָ֖ן a son-in-law

    And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?”

    Here: A man joined by marriage to another family, here the king's. It is a word of alliance as much as of romance. The related verb ('to become son-in-law') runs through vv.21–27.

  2. 1 Samuel 22:14 וַחֲתַ֥ן and [the] son-in-law of

    Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard and honored in your house?

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 8:27 חֲתַ֥ן [was] [the] son-in-law of

    And Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

Nehemiah · 2

  1. Nehemiah 6:18 חָתָ֥ן [was] a son-in-law

    For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.

  2. Nehemiah 13:28 חָתָ֖ן [was] a son-in-law

    Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 19:5 כְּ֭חָתָן [is] like a bridegroom

    Like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course,

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 61:10 כֶּֽחָתָן֙ like <the> bridegroom

    I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

    Here: 'Like the bridegroom' — the man on his wedding day, the most festively dressed moment of an ordinary man's life.

  2. Isaiah 62:5 חָתָן֙ a bridegroom

    For as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

    Here: The man on his wedding day. A bridegroom's joy was proverbial in Israel (Psalm 19:5; Jeremiah 7:34).

Jeremiah · 4

  1. Jeremiah 7:34 חָתָ֖ן a bridegroom

    I will remove from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of the bride and bridegroom, for the land will become a wasteland.”

    Here: The bridegroom at his wedding. The root means 'related by marriage', so the word also covers son-in-law. A wedding tied two families together. It was not just a matter between two people.

  2. Jeremiah 16:9 חָתָ֖ן a bridegroom

    For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to remove from this place, before your very eyes and in your days, the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom.

  3. Jeremiah 25:10 חָתָ֖ן a bridegroom

    Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.

    Here: The bridegroom. The word basically means a man joined to a family by marriage, which is why it can also mean "son-in-law". His voice is the sound of a wedding feast and of a family going on into the next generation.

  4. Jeremiah 33:11 חָתָן֮ a bridegroom

    the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those bringing thank offerings into the house of the LORD, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good; His loving devotion endures forever.’ For I will restore the land from captivity as in former times, says the LORD.

    Here: A bridegroom, literally the man marrying into a family. His voice stands for wedding festivities: processions, songs, feasting.

Joel · 1

  1. Joel 2:16 חָתָן֙ [the] bridegroom

    Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the aged, gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

    Here: A man related by marriage, here a newly married groom during the wedding celebration. In Israel the groom was the stock picture of joy (Jer 7:34; Ps 19:5).

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