The Hebrew verb chaqaq (חָקַק) carries the dual meaning of physically engraving or carving and legislatively decreeing or appointing. The connection is significant: ancient laws were literally inscribed in stone or clay tablets. Chaqaq appears in contexts of God's cosmic decrees (Proverbs 8:29), royal legislation, and the inscription of God's law on human hearts. The noun choq (H2706, statute) derives from this root.
Chaqaq powerfully conveys the permanence and authority of divine law. When Wisdom says God "marked out the foundations of the earth" (Proverbs 8:29), the verb used is chaqaq — God engraved the laws of creation into the fabric of the cosmos. Isaiah 49:16 uses this word in one of the most tender divine promises: "I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" — God's commitment to Israel is as permanent as an engraved inscription. This prepares the way for the New Covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:33, where God writes His law on human hearts rather than stone.