cho.ach denotes a thorny plant, used in comparisons, ruined places, and unwanted growth, and once for hooks used in capture.

The dominant use is for a thorny plant: it is trampled in a comparison, grows in abandoned or unproductive settings, and surrounds a lily in figurative speech. A plural occurrence in a capture scene is presented by the APB as hooks, indicating a rarer use for sharp implements.

1. Thorny plant in imagery and growth · dominant

   The singular form occurs in a comparison where the plant sends to a cedar and is trampled by an animal in 2 Chronicles 25:18; the APB renders the plant as “thistle.” In Hosea 9:6 and Isaiah 34:13, the singular is named among growth occupying tents or fortifications, while Job 31:40 places it where wheat should come out. The plural appears around a lily in Song of Songs 2:2, where the APB renders the clause “As a lily among thorns.”

   2 Chronicles 25:18Hosea 9:6Isaiah 34:13Job 31:40Proverbs 26:9Song of Songs 2:2
2. Hooks in a capture scene · rare

   In 2 Chronicles 33:11, the plural absolute form occurs in the clause describing Manasseh's capture; the APB renders it “they captured Manasseh with hooks.” The clause presents the plural as an implement used alongside bronze fetters.

   2 Chronicles 33:11

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the plant imagery with “thistle” in 2 Chronicles 25:18, Hosea 9:6, and Job 31:40, but uses “thornbush” in Proverbs 26:9 and “thorns” in Song of Songs 2:2. In 2 Chronicles 33:11 it renders the plural as “hooks”; these are translation renderings.