Boy Old Testament Very common
Heth
trembling; fear
חֵת chet
Heth (Hebrew: חֵת, chet) means “trembling; fear”, by traditional interpretation. It appears in 58 verses across 15 books of the Bible. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Abimelech in 2 Samuel 11.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Heth
son of Canaan
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 58 across 15 books
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Patriarchal
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Genesis 10:15 |
| Last appears | Ezekiel 16:45 |
| Cross-references | 1,239 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Sidon attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Canaan.
- Uriah co-occurrence Appears with Uriah in 2 Samuel 11.
- Ephron co-occurrence Appears with Ephron in Genesis 23.
- Elon co-occurrence Appears with Elon in Genesis 26.
- Sidon co-occurrence Appears with Sidon in 1 Chronicles 1.
- Abimelech co-occurrence Appears with Abimelech in 2 Samuel 11.
- Ahimelech co-occurrence Appears with Ahimelech in 1 Samuel 26.
- Basemath co-occurrence Appears with Basemath in Genesis 26.
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.15;
son of: Canaan (H3667);
brother of: Sidon (H6721), Jebusite (H2983), Amorite (H0567), Girgashite (H1622), Hivite (H2340), Arkite (H6208), Sinite (H5513), Arvadite (H0721), Zemarite (H6786) and Hamathite (H2577); also called Hittite (KJV: "of Heth") frequently
Also named: chit.ti (חִתִּי "Hittite" H2850)
§ Heth = "terror"
a son of Canaan and the progenitor of the Hittites
Heth was a son of Canaan and the ancestor of the Hittites, a prominent people group in the ancient Near East.
The biblical story
Heth, also known as the Hittites, was a descendant of Canaan, the son of Ham, according to the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 (Gen.10.15; 1Ch.1.13). The Hittites were a prominent people group in the ancient Near East, and they are frequently mentioned throughout the Old Testament. Abraham had dealings with the Hittites when he purchased the cave of Machpelah as a burial site for his wife Sarah (Gen.23). This cave later became the burial place for Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Israel (or 'Jacob') (Gen.25.9-10; 49.29-32; 50.13). Esau, Isaac's son, married two Hittite women, which caused grief for his parents (Gen.26.34-35; 27.46). The Hittites are listed among the inhabitants of the Promised Land that God would drive out before the Israelites (Exo.3.8,17; 13.5; 23.23,28; 33.2; 34.11; Deu.7.1; 20.17; Jos.1.4; 3.10; 9.1; 11.3; 12.8; 24.11; Jdg.3.5; 1Ki.9.20; 2Ch.8.7; Ezr.9.1; Neh.9.8). During the time of the united monarchy, the Hittites are mentioned in connection with David's reign, particularly in the story of Uriah the Hittite, one of David's mighty men (2Sa.11; 23.39; 1Ch.11.41). Solomon had trade relations with the Hittites and even married Hittite women (1Ki.10.29; 11.1; 2Ch.1.17). The Hittites are also mentioned in the prophetic books as a point of comparison or as part of a list of nations (Isa.1.1; Ezk.16.3,45).
Key verses
Heth appears in 58 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
-
And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
Genesis 10:15 -
And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
Genesis 15:20 -
And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
Genesis 23:3 -
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
Genesis 23:5 -
And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
Genesis 23:7
Show all 58 references
Genesis (18)
- Genesis 10:15
- Genesis 15:20
- Genesis 23:3
- Genesis 23:5
- Genesis 23:7
- Genesis 23:10
- Genesis 23:16
- Genesis 23:18
- Genesis 23:20
- Genesis 25:9
- Genesis 25:10
- Genesis 26:34
- Genesis 27:46
- Genesis 36:2
- Genesis 49:29
- Genesis 49:30
- Genesis 49:32
- Genesis 50:13
Exodus (7)
- Exodus 3:8
- Exodus 3:17
- Exodus 13:5
- Exodus 23:23
- Exodus 23:28
- Exodus 33:2
- Exodus 34:11
Numbers (1)
- Numbers 13:29
Deuteronomy (2)
- Deuteronomy 7:1
- Deuteronomy 20:17
Joshua (6)
- Joshua 1:4
- Joshua 3:10
- Joshua 9:1
- Joshua 11:3
- Joshua 12:8
- Joshua 24:11
Judges (2)
- Judges 1:26
- Judges 3:5
1 Samuel (1)
- 1 Samuel 26:6
2 Samuel (8)
- 2 Samuel 11:3
- 2 Samuel 11:6
- 2 Samuel 11:17
- 2 Samuel 11:21
- 2 Samuel 11:24
- 2 Samuel 12:9
- 2 Samuel 12:10
- 2 Samuel 23:39
1 Kings (4)
- 1 Kings 9:20
- 1 Kings 10:29
- 1 Kings 11:1
- 1 Kings 15:5
2 Kings (1)
- 2 Kings 7:6
1 Chronicles (2)
- 1 Chronicles 1:13
- 1 Chronicles 11:41
2 Chronicles (2)
- 2 Chronicles 1:17
- 2 Chronicles 8:7
Ezra (1)
- Ezra 9:1
Nehemiah (1)
- Nehemiah 9:8
Ezekiel (2)
- Ezekiel 16:3
- Ezekiel 16:45