The Root ‘Chet-Nun-Kaf’: Dedicate? Educate?
By Mitchell First | December 17, 2020
We are all used to this root having the meanings of “dedicate” and “educate.” Are these meanings related? How did this root come to have both these meanings?
The clue is found at Deut. 20:5: “The officers shall speak to the people, saying: Who is the man who has built a new house and not חנכו? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle and another man יחנכנו.”
There is no evidence for dedication ceremonies of individual houses in ancient Israel. (And we are certainly not talking about “educating” the houses!) It is clear in this verse that our root means: “use for the first time.” This is how Rashi understands the verb here and elsewhere (see Rashi to Gen. 14:14). See also Radak, Sefer Ha-Shorashim. In modern times, many scholars agree that “use for the first time” is the basic meaning of the verb.