statute
chuq.qah denotes an established requirement, kept in worship practices or in the conduct commanded by God.
The term most often denotes God’s requirements to be kept or followed, regularly named alongside commandments and judgments and framed as the path of obedient conduct. It also identifies enduring, specific observances governing feasts, sanctuary service, priesthood, and annual practices; a smaller set of verses applies it to statutes followed or made by Israel and other nations.
Senses in use
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Requirements for obedient conduct · dominant
Plural forms occur in commands to keep or walk in God’s requirements. In Ezekiel 20:19 the APB renders the clause, “walk in my statutes, keep my judgments, and do them”; in Deuteronomy 30:16, keeping them stands with loving God, walking in his ways, and receiving life and blessing. Ezekiel 18:21 similarly places keeping all of them with turning from sin and doing what is just and right.
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Enduring rules for named observances · common
Singular forms introduce or characterize particular required practices. In Exodus 12:43 the APB renders, “This is the statute of the Passover,” while Exodus 13:10 requires keeping “this statute at its appointed time from year to year.” Leviticus 16:29 attaches the term to the seventh-month day of self-affliction and no work.
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Statutes practiced by peoples or rulers · occasional
The plural can refer to requirements not identified as God’s own. In 2 Kings 17:8 the APB says Israel “walked in the statutes of the nations” and of Israel’s kings; 2 Kings 17:19 says Judah walked in statutes “which they had made.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the supplied verses, the APB commonly uses “statutes,” including “my statutes” and “a permanent statute”; it also uses “customs” in 2 Kings 17:34. These renderings indicate the clauses’ presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent for each token.