The Hebrew chets refers to an arrow — the projectile shot from a bow in warfare or hunting. It is used both literally and as a powerful metaphor for speed, precision, wounding, and divine judgment.
Chets appears throughout the Old Testament as a weapon of war (1 Samuel 20; 2 Kings 13) and as a symbol of swift, targeted harm. The tongue is compared to a sharpened arrow (Psalm 57:4; Jeremiah 9:8). God's arrows of judgment fly against the wicked (Psalm 7:13). Most beautifully, the Servant of God is described as 'a polished arrow' hidden in God's quiver (Isaiah 49:2) — chosen, sharpened, and released at the precise moment of God's choosing. In Ephesians 6:16, the 'fiery darts of the evil one' echo this imagery, as believers are called to take up the shield of faith.