The Hebrew chatab means to hew or cut wood. It appears most significantly in the curse Joshua pronounced on the Gibeonites who deceived Israel: 'You are now under a curse: You will never be released from service as woodcutters (chatab) and water carriers for the house of my God' (Joshua 9:23). This became a permanent role for the Gibeonites among the temple servants.
The Gibeonites' cunning deception (Joshua 9) resulted not in extermination but in perpetual servitude β chatab (woodcutters) and water carriers for the house of God. Remarkably, this curse became a form of inclusion: the Gibeonites survived and served at the sanctuary. Centuries later, when Saul killed Gibeonites in violation of this covenant, it brought divine judgment on the land (2 Samuel 21:1). The chatab covenant outlived its shame and became a covenant obligation. Even the lowest temple service β wood-cutting β was bound by covenantal faithfulness.