חָשַׁב
châshab · H2803 · Hebrew · 124 occurrences
Meanings
-
to think about, to consider
Action by which humans exercise their mind with regard to something
ExamplesPsalm 77:5 I have considered the days of old, The years of long ago.
Psalm 119:59 I considered my ways And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
Proverbs 16:9 The mind of a person plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
-
to plan, to devise, to plot
Action by which humans or deities exercise their minds in order to determine a course of action that will achieve a certain purpose
ExamplesGenesis 50:20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.
1 Samuel 18:25 Saul then said, “This is what you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” But Saul plotted to have David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
2 Samuel 14:13 The woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is like one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.
-
to invent, to design
Action by which humans exercise their mind with the purpose of creating an artifact
ExamplesExodus 31:4 to create artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
Exodus 35:32 to create designs for working in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
2 Chronicles 2:14 the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, violet, linen, and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which is assigned to him, to work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, your father David.
-
inventor, designer
Person who has made it his/her profession to create artifacts
ExamplesExodus 26:1 “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and violet, purple, and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer.
Exodus 26:31 “You shall also make a veil of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer.
Exodus 28:6 “They shall also make the ephod of gold, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, the work of the skilled embroiderer.
-
to count, to calculate
Action by which humans exercise their mind in order to determine the monetary value of something
ExamplesLeviticus 25:27 then he shall calculate the years since its sale and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his property.
Leviticus 25:50 ‘He then, with his purchaser, shall calculate from the year when he sold himself to him up to the year of jubilee; and the price of his sale shall correspond to the number of years calculated. It is like the days of a hired worker that he will be with him.
Leviticus 25:52 but if few years remain until the year of jubilee, he shall so calculate with him. In proportion to his years he is to refund the amount for his redemption.
-
to ask an accounting from someone else
Action by which humans require a financial account from someone concerning activities he has undertaken
Examples2 Kings 12:15 Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, because they acted faithfully.
2 Kings 22:7 “However, no accounting shall be made with them for the money handed over to them, because they deal honestly.”
-
to try
Action by which humans exercise their mind with the purpose of achieving something
ExamplesNehemiah 6:2 Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let’s meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were plotting to harm me.
Nehemiah 6:6 In it was written: “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; for that reason you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports.
Psalm 73:16 When I thought of understanding this, It was troublesome in my sight
-
to consider, to count as
To hold the opinion that a particular object, person, or event is to be identified with, considered similar to, or to be equated with another object, person, or event
ExamplesGenesis 15:6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 31:15 “Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also entirely consumed our purchase price.
Genesis 38:15 When Judah saw her, he assumed she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
-
to consider someone guilty of something, to credit someone for something
State in which humans or deities hold the opinion that an event or situation is to be considered a particular person's responsibility
ExamplesLeviticus 7:18 ‘So if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is ever eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted, and it will not be credited to him. It will be an unclean thing, and the person who eats it shall bear his punishment.
Leviticus 17:4 and has not brought it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodshed is to be counted against that person. He has shed blood, and that person shall be cut off from among his people.
Numbers 18:27 ‘Your offering shall be credited to you like the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat.
-
to think of, to have regard for
State/process by which humans or deities consider something or someone valuable or of interest
ExamplesPsalm 40:17 But I am afflicted and needy; May the Lord be mindful of me. You are my help and my savior; Do not delay, my God.
Psalm 144:3 LORD, what is man, that You look after him? Or a son of man, that You think of him?
Isaiah 2:22 Take no account of man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?
How it’s used In 12 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
109 occurrences in 40 groups
- Not stated: he, she or it 23
- Not stated: they 18
- Not stated (participle) 6
- Not stated: we 5
- Not stated: I 5
- Not stated: you (one person) 5
- Other words · 31 groups that occur once or twice (38) 38
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
57 occurrences in 27 groups
- מַחֲשָׁבָהthought, plan 11
- רַעevil, bad 9
- נִיme 4
- הָher 4
- וֹhim 3
- Other words · 22 groups that occur once or twice (26) 26
Second objectAs in “call him Lord”
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- נָגַעto touch 1
- צְדָקָהrighteousness 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
89 occurrences in 77 groups
- לto/for+ וֹhim 12
- לto/for+ עָשָׂהto do, to make 6
- עַלon, upon, over, against+ יְהוּדִיJudean 3
- עַלon, upon, over, against+ נִיme 3
- עַלon, upon, over, against+ כֶםyou 3
- לto/for+ נִיme 3
- Other words · 71 groups that occur once or twice (79) 79
With adverbsAdverbs
16 occurrences in 6 groups
- לֹאnot 11
- אַלnot, do not 3
- כֵּןthus 1
- אַיִןthere is no, not 1
- אַךְonly 1
- מַדּוּעַwhy? 1
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- אָוֶןevil 1
- מַחֲשָׁבָהthought, plan 1
- רַעevil, bad 1
- שֵׁםname 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- יָעַץto counsel, to advise, to plan 1
What it doesIt is the subject
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- חָפֵרto paw 1
- יָצָאto go out 1
What is done to itIt is the object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- יָדַעto know 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אׇהֳלִיאָבOholiab 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- לto/for 1
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
10 occurrences in 3 groups
- מַעֲשֶׂהwork, deed 8
- מַחֲשָׁבָהthought, plan 1
- מְלָאכָהwork 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 3 words
- מָנָה mânâh · H4487 · to count, to number, to be counted among
- Both words are Hebrew verbs of counting and reckoning with overlapping but distinct ranges: חָשַׁב (châshab, H2803) centers on mental calculation and thought ("consider, devise, imagine, esteem"), while מָנָה (mânâh, H4487) is more concretely enumerative and administrative ("count, number, appoint, prepare"); they overlap in the sense of counting or reckoning.
- שָׁוָה shâvâh · H7737 · to be alike, to be like, to compare with
- Both words share a sense of comparing, mentally weighing or equating things, with partial overlap in meaning.
- דָּמָה dâmâh · H1819 · to cease, to perish, to be no more
- Both words range over mental operations such as thinking and devising, and both include "devise" and related senses.
In the other Testament 2 words
- λογίζομαι logízomai · G3049 · to think about, to reason about, to ponder
- Greek λογίζομαι (logizomai) serves as the primary Septuagint rendering of Hebrew חָשַׁב (chashab) across its core semantic range of cognitive calculation and evaluation—'to reckon, consider, account, impute'—with both terms encompassing literal counting/accounting and figurative mental reckoning or dispositional judgment toward persons or propositions.
- διαλογίζομαι dialogízomai · G1260 · to think out carefully, to reason thoroughly, to consider carefully
- διαλογίζομαι (dialogízomai, G1260) emphasizes the internal deliberative process of reasoning through something, often with connotations of disputation or back-and-forth mental dialogue, whereas חָשַׁב (châshab, H2803) has broader semantic range including technical accounting, devising/planning, and attribution/imputation beyond the deliberative reasoning sense where they overlap.
Semantic domains 5 entries
- Think002004002013
- חָשַׁב denotes the mental activity of reckoning, devising, or considering, as when Abram's faith was reckoned to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), a settled mental accounting of one thing as another.
- Professions001001003009
- This entry carries no independent "Professions" sense of its own; every genuine tagged occurrence of חָשַׁב concerns reckoning, considering, or devising a plan (Genesis 15:6, 31:15, 50:20), not a profession as such — the word's occasional pairing with "skillful worker" describes a manner of working, not the profession itself. The domain is bundle-shared with a related sense.
- Compare002004002003
- The verb can carry the sense of weighing or comparing one thing against another in the process of evaluation, as when Leah and Rachel ask whether they are still regarded as foreigners in their father's estimation (Genesis 31:15).
- Know002004002007
- חָשַׁב denotes reckoning, considering, or crediting something as true, illustrated at Genesis 15:6 ("he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness") and Genesis 38:15 ("he assumed she was a prostitute") — a genuine cognitive sense of regarding or considering something to be the case.
- Willing002001002028
- This entry carries no independent "Willing" sense of its own; every genuine tagged occurrence concerns reckoning, planning, or devising, not willingness or desire. The domain is bundle-shared with a related sense.
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2803. chashab חָשַׁב verb think, account (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic חֲשַׁב, ; Arabic ;…
חָשַׁב verb think, account (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic חֲשַׁב, ; Arabic ; Ethiopic id.; Phoenician noun חשב meaning dubious see CISi. 86) —
Qal Perfect ׳ח Isa 33:8-9t.; חָשַׁבְתָּה 2Sa 14:13 etc.; Imperfect יַחְשֹׁב Isa 10:7 Isa 10:4t.; יַחֲשָׁבֿ 2Sa 19:20; Psalm 40:18; suffix יַחְשְׁבֵנִי Job 19:11; Job 33:10; plural יַחְשְׁבוּ Psa 41:8; Dan 11:25; יַחְשֹׁ֑בוּ Isa 13:17; יַחֲשֹׁבוּן Psa 35:20; נַחְשְׁבָה Jer 18:18, etc. + 9 t. Imperfect; Infinitive construct לַחְשֹׁב Exo 31:4 Exo 31:3t.; Participle חשֵׁב Exo 26:1 Exo 26:15t., חוֺשֵׁב2Ch 26:15; חשְׁבִים Neh 6:2-3t., חשְׁבֵי Mic 2:1 Mic 2:3t.; —
I. of man:
1 think, account יחשׁב כן לא לבבו Isa 10:7 not so thinketh his mind; שׁמוֺ חשׁבי Mal 3:16 those thinking of his name; followed by 2 accusative נגוע חשׁבנהו Isa 53:4 we thought him stricken; elsewhere with accusative + לְ Gen 38:15 (J), 1Sa 1:13; Job 19:15; Job 35:2; Job 41:24; so, figurative, of crocodile Job 41:19 he reckoneth iron as straw.
2 devise, plan, mean, with accusative רָעָה מַחֲשֶׁבֶת Eze 38:10, רעה Psa 35:4; Psa 140:3; Zec 7:10; Zec 8:17, תַּהְמֻּכ֑וֺת Pro 16:30, מְזִמּוֺת Psa 10:2; Psa 21:12, מִרְמוֺת דִּבְרֵי Psa 35:20, אָוֶן Mic 2:1; Eze 11:2; Psa 36:5, הַוּוֺת Psa 52:4; ׳ח על רע(ה) devise evil against Gen 50:20 (E), Jer 48:2; Nah 1:11, ׳ח לְ רעה Psa 41:8, ׳ח על מַחֲשֶׁבֶת Jer 11:19; Jer 18:18; Jer 49:30; Dan 11:25; Est 8:3; Est 9:25, ׳ח על כזאת 2Sa 14:13; with infinitive 1Sa 18:25; Jer 18:8; Jer 23:27; Job 6:26; Neh 6:2, Neh 6:6; Est 9:24; Psa 140:5; with לבלתי + Imperfect 2Sa 14:14 (where, however, Ew reads חוֺבֵ for וחשׁב compare We Dr; in this case לבלתי carries on יִשָּׂא לֹא).
3 charge, impute ׳ח ל ׳עון, 2Sa 19:20 impute iniquity to.
4 esteem, value, regard, silver Isa 13:17, a man Isa 33:8, the servant of ׳י Isa 53:3.
5 invent ingenious and artistic things, ׳ח שׁיר כלי להם Amo 6:5 invent for themselves instruments of music; ׳ח מחשׁבת (כל) invent cunning work (of artistic devices in construction of tabernacle) Exo 31:4; Exo 35:32, Exo 35:35 (all P), so 2Ch 2:13; חשֵׁב מַעֲשֵׂה work of the cunning (ingenious, inventive) workman (of artistic devices in weaving; see especially VB and Di) Exo 26:1, Exo 26:31; Exo 28:6, Exo 28:15; Exo 36:8, Exo 36:35; Exo 39:3, Exo 39:8 (all P); חוֺשֵׁב מַחֲשֶׁבֶת2Ch 26:15 inventions of inventive men (of engines of war); וְחשֵׁב חָרָשׁ craftsman and inventive workman (in construction of tabernacle, see above) Exo 35:35; Exo 38:23 (P).
II. of God:
1 think, with accusative pers + לְ indirect object account one לאויב, for an enemy Job 13:24; Job 33:10; ׳ח כצריו לוֺ Job 19:11 he accounted me unto him as his adversaries.
2 devise, plan, mean, with accusative + ל indirect object לטבה for good Gen 50:20 (E); with ל person לִי devise for me Psalm 40:18; accusative of thing + עַל, devise something against a person Mic 2:3; Jer 18:11; towards one Jer 29:11, with אל against Jer 49:20; Jer 50:45; followed by infinitive Jer 26:3; Jer 36:3; Lam 2:8.
3 impute, reckon, with accusative of thing + ל person, the habit of believing in ׳י he reckoned to Abram as righteousness Gen 15:6 (J E; compare Niph`al 3); not impute iniquity to one Psa 32:2.
Niph`al Perfect נֶחְשַׁב Num 18:27, Num 18:30, נֶחְשַׁבְתִּי Psa 88:5 etc. + 10 t. Perfect; Imperfect יֵחָשֵׁב Lev 7:18 Lev 7:7t., etc., + 6 t. Imperfect; Participle נֶחְשָׁב Isa 2:22; 1Ki 10:21; 2Ch 9:20: —
1 be accounted, thought, esteemed, with כְּ as Hos 8:12; Isa 5:28; Isa 29:16; Isa 40:15; Psa 44:23; Job 18:3; Job 41:21; with לְ Isa 29:17 = Isa 32:15, Lam 4:2; עִם with, among Psa 88:5, בַּמֶּה Isa 2:22 at what (value) ? (see probably interpolated; omitted by ᵐ5); with accusative Deu 2:11, Deu 2:20; Pro 17:28; Neh 13:13; לוֺ נֶחְשַׁבְנוּ נָכְרִיּוֺת Gen 31:13 (E; ᵐ5 Sam ׳כְּנֶח) Isa 40:17.
2 be computed, reckoned, with לְ Jos 13:3 (D), עַל Lev 25:31 (P), 2Sa 4:2: absolute כסף was not counted (so plentiful was it) 1Ki 10:21 2Ch 9:20; 2Ki 22:7.
3 be imputed to any one, with לְ Lev 7:18; Num 18:27, Num 18:30 (all P), Lev 17:4 (H) Pro 27:14; the interposition of Phinehas ׳נח לצדקה לוֺ Psa 106:31 was imputed to him for righteousness (compare Qal II 3).
Pi`el Perfect3masculine singular חִשַּׁב Lev 25:27 Lev 25:4t.; feminine חִשְּׁבָה Jon 1:4; Jon 1:1singular חִשַּׁבְתִּי Psa 77:6; Psa 119:59; Imperfect יְחַשֵּׁב Pro 16:9; Dan 11:24, תְּחַשְּׁבוּן Nah 1:9, etc., + 4 t. Imperfect; Participle מְחַשֵּׁב Pro 24:8: —
1 think upon, consider, be mindful of, with accusative Psa 77:6; Psa 119:59, וַתְּחַשְּׁבֵהוּ בֶּןאֱֿנוֺשׁ (מה) Psa 144:3 what (is) man's son, and thou thinkest upon him (|| תֵּדָעֵהוּ).
2 think to do, devise, plan, with accusative Pro 16:9, אֶל of persons against whom Hos 7:15; Nah 1:9, עַל Dan 11:24; with infinitive Psa 73:16; Pro 24:8; so of inanimate object לְהִשָּׁבֵר חִשְּׁבָה הָאֳנִיָּה Jon 1:4 the ship was about to (minded to) be broken up.
3 count, reckon, the years since a sale of land Lev 25:27 (H); with לְ person Lev 25:52 (H), Lev 27:18, Lev 27:23 (P); with עִם Lev 25:50 (P); with אֶת 2Ki 12:16.
Hithpa`el Imperfect יִתְחַשָּׁ֑ב לֹא בַּגּוֺיִם Num 23:9 (JE) among the nations it shall not reckon itself.
[חֲשַׁב] verb think, account (see Biblical Hebrew); —
Pe`al Participle pass plural חֲשִׁיבִון כְּלָה Dan 4:32 like those not accounted of, of no account, Bev Dr.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 5 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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