Fishhook
“Hook, fishhook”
Summary
A curved metal implement used for catching fish, employed both literally in fishing and figuratively in prophetic judgment.
☩Description and Use
The Hebrew words cir dughah and chakkah refer to fishhooks (Job 41:1, Amos 4:2). In other passages, the words 'hook' or 'angle' are applied to this fishing instrument (Isaiah 19:8, Job 41:2). Ancient Egyptian noblemen amused themselves by fishing from their private pools with hook and line, and Egyptian monuments show that the hook was commonly used for catching fish. In Jesus' day, hooks were still used though less commonly than nets (Matthew 17:27).
☩Prophetic Imagery
The prophets employed fishhooks as vivid images of judgment and captivity. Amos warned the women of Samaria that they would be taken away 'with hooks' and 'fishhooks' (Amos 4:2). This imagery portrays the helplessness of those caught by God's judgment, dragged away like fish from their element. The hook represents the inescapable grasp of divine punishment upon the disobedient.
Related Verses1 mention
Amos· 1 verse
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Fishhook," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).