חנית

Hebrew

אדם עם חנית. (“Man with a spear.”)

Etymology

From the root חָנָה (ḥānā, “incline to, to bend down, verge toward”) with the feminine suffix ת-, Classical Syriac ܚܢܐ (ḥənā) also meaning specifically “to aim”.

Pronunciation

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Noun

חֲנִית • (khanít) f (plural indefinite חֲנִיתוֹת or חֲנִיתִים)

1. a spear, a javelin
   • Tanach, Isaiah 2:4, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וְשָׁפַט בֵּין הַגֹּויִם וְהֹוכִיחַ לְעַמִּים רַבִּים וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבֹותָם לְאִתִּים וַחֲנִיתֹֽותֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרֹות לֹא־יִשָּׂא גֹוי אֶל־גֹּוי חֶרֶב וְלֹא־יִלְמְדוּ עֹוד מִלְחָמָֽה׃

     And He shall judge between the nations, / And shall decide for many peoples; / And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, / And their spears into pruninghooks; / Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, / Neither shall they learn war any more.

   • Tanach, 2 Chronicles 23:9, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיִּתֵּן יְהֹויָדָע הַכֹּהֵן לְשָׂרֵי הַמֵּאֹות אֶת־הַֽחֲנִיתִים וְאֶת־הַמָּגִנֹּות וְאֶת־הַשְּׁלָטִים אֲשֶׁר לַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִיד אֲשֶׁר בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

     And Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds the spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of God.

Declension

Declension of חֲנִית

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	חֲנִית	first	חֲנִיתִי		חֲנִיתֵנוּ
	definite	הַחֲנִית	second	חֲנִיתְךָ	חֲנִיתֵךְ	חֲנִיתְכֶם	חֲנִיתְכֶן
	construct	חֲנִית־	third	חֲנִיתוֹ	חֲנִיתָהּ	חֲנִיתָם	חֲנִיתָן
plural	indefinite	חֲנִיתוֹת	first	חניתותיי / חֲנִיתוֹתַי		חֲנִיתוֹתֵינוּ
	definite	הַחֲנִיתוֹת	second	חֲנִיתוֹתֶיךָ	חניתותייך / חֲנִיתוֹתַיִךְ	חֲנִיתוֹתֵיכֶם	חֲנִיתוֹתֵיכֶן
	construct	חֲנִיתוֹת־	third	חֲנִיתוֹתָיו	חֲנִיתוֹתֶיהָ	חֲנִיתוֹתָם	חֲנִיתוֹתָן
plural	indefinite	חֲנִיתִים	first	חניתיי / חֲנִיתַי		חֲנִיתֵינוּ
	definite	הַחֲנִיתִים	second	חֲנִיתֶיךָ	חניתייך / חֲנִיתַיִךְ	חֲנִיתֵיכֶם	חֲנִיתֵיכֶן
	construct	חֲנִיתֵי־	third	חֲנִיתָיו	חֲנִיתֶיהָ	חֲנִיתֵיהֶם	חֲנִיתֵיהֶן

Descendants

• Egyptian ḥnyt (“spear”).

See also

• כִּידוֹן m (kidon)

References

• Noonan, B. J. (2019). Non-Semitic loanwords in the Hebrew Bible: A lexicon of language contact (Vol. 14). Penn State Press. 329.
• Hoch, James E. (1994) Semitic Words in Egyptian Texts of the New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period, Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 229