Lexical Summary
chalab: Milk
Original Word:חָלָב
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:chalab
Pronunciation:khaw-LAB
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-lawb')
KJV: + cheese, milk, sucking
NASB:milk, cheese, suckling
Word Origin:[from the same asH2459 (חֶלֶב חֵלֶב - fat)]
1. milk (as the richness of kine)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cheese, milk, sucking
From the same ascheleb; milk (as the richness of kine) -- + cheese, milk, sucking.
see HEBREWcheleb
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitionmilk
NASB Translationcheese (1), milk (41), suckling (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew
id. (and verb denominative); Aramaic ,
, Phoenician ; Arabic
noun
fresh milk,
verb
milk; Assyrian
alibu,
milk, see Dl
Pr 174; Ethiopic
) — absolute
Genesis 18:18 35t. +
Ezekiel 34:3 (see below); construct
Exodus 23:19 5t.; suffix
Songs 5:1,
Ezekiel 25:4; —
milk:Genesis 18:8 (J; distinct fromcurd, q. v.),Deuteronomy 32:14 (poetry; distinct from ); inJudges 5:25 is used parallel with ; elsewhere seems to be produced from : —Proverbs 30:33a pressing (squeezing)of milk produces curd;Isaiah 7:22because of abundant yield of milk he shall eat curd; compare also1 Samuel 17:18cuts of milk, i.e.cheeses; it was received in buckets or pails ()Job 21:24 (see Ew De Di VB), and kept in skins ()Judges 4:19; men drank it ()Ezekiel 25:4 (compareJudges 4:19), but also ate it (), if emendationEzekiel 34:3 (for ) is right, Bo Hi-Sm Co, and others; it was poured out, see simile of formation of the embryoJob 10:10hast thou not poured me out like milk? specifically (1)Proverbs 27:27milk of goats for thy food (RSSemitic i. 204). (2) withmother's milk: of kidExodus 23:19 =Exodus 34:26 (JE) =Deuteronomy 14:21, compare1 Samuel 7:9sucking lamb (for sacrifice); but also of human beingsIsaiah 28:9weaned from milk ("" ); figurative in promise to ZionIsaiah 60:16and thou shalt suck the milk of nations ("" ). (3) with wine, as especially delicacySongs 5:1 (see De), figurative of s choicest blessingsIsaiah 55:1. (4) often in phrase of productiveness of land of Canaan ()flowing with milk and honeyExodus 3:8,17;Exodus 13:5;Exodus 33:3;Numbers 13:27;Numbers 14:8;Numbers 16:13,14 (all J E),Leviticus 20:24 (H),Deuteronomy 6:3;Deuteronomy 11:9;Deuteronomy 26:9,15;Deuteronomy 27:3;Deuteronomy 31:20;Joshua 5:6;Jeremiah 11:5;Jeremiah 32:22;Ezekiel 20:6,15; in Messianic time the hills Joel 4:18 ("" ); figurative of charms of loved oneSongs 4:12honey and milk are under thy tongue.
milk as whiteGenesis 49:12white of teeth, from milk;Lamentations 4:7they were whiter than milk ("" ); so also probably of eyes (iris)Songs 5:12bathed in milk, i.e. the white of the eye. — On milk as not used by Israel in sacrifice see RSSemitic 204.
II. (√of following; perhaps compare Assyrian—alâbu,be covered, VR Cant 8:83 LyonManual, Gloss,—allibu,cover, clothe IR:18, 68—allubtu,clothing, LyonSargontexte 14,—itlupatu, na—lapu (readb forp) SchrCOT Gloss).
Topical Lexicon
Literal and Pastoral Significanceחָלָב most often denotes the ordinary milk obtained from cows, sheep, or goats, a foundational element of the ancient Near-Eastern diet. InGenesis 18:8 Abraham offers “curds and milk” to his heavenly visitors, testifying to the product’s ready availability in pastoral households.Proverbs 27:27 anticipates “plenty of goats’ milk” as part of wise husbandry, whileJob 10:10 uses the process of coagulating milk into cheese to illustrate God’s intimate involvement in forming life.
Covenantal Blessing of the Promised Land
From the first appearance of the Exodus promise, milk is linked with honey as a shorthand for covenant prosperity.Exodus 3:8 speaks of “a land flowing with milk and honey,” a phrase repeated through Moses (Exodus 13:5;Deuteronomy 6:3; 11:9), the spies (Numbers 13:27), Joshua (Joshua 5:6), later prophets (Ezekiel 20:6; 20:15), and post-exilic vision (Joel 3:18). The enduring refrain presents milk as a tangible token of Yahweh’s faithfulness to provide sustenance in abundance.
• The imagery presupposes fertile pasturage and healthy flocks; where pasture is lacking, milk dries up (Isaiah 7:21-22), reminding Israel that obedience and blessing are inseparable.
• Even rebels recognized the value: Korah’s followers complained that Moses had not brought them “into a land flowing with milk and honey” (Numbers 16:13-14).
Dietary and Ritual Considerations
The Torah never forbids milk itself, yet it draws lines that preserve theological clarity. Three times Israel is commanded, “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 23:19; 34:26;Deuteronomy 14:21). The prohibition likely guarded against pagan fertility rites and prevented confusion of life and death symbols. In prophetic critique, shepherds who exploit the flock are accused: “You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool, and slaughter the fattened sheep” (Ezekiel 34:3), exposing social injustice through misuse of milk products.
Israel’s sacrificial system never places milk on the altar; the firstfruits of it were given directly to people (curds, butter, cheese) rather than burned, emphasizing that milk is food for living bodies, not a medium for atonement.
Imagery of Provision and Nurture
Milk’s nourishing character lends itself to wider theological metaphor. “His teeth [are] whiter than milk” (Genesis 49:12) signals robust health in Judah’s future king. In poetic parallelism,Psalm 55:21? Actually not.
The Song of Songs richly layers romantic and covenantal overtones:
• “Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue” (Song of Songs 4:11).
• “I have drunk my wine with my milk” (Song of Songs 5:1) expresses full enjoyment of marital union blessed by God.
Isaiah 66:11 invites Zion’s children to “drink deeply and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, that you may nurse and be delighted with her glorious abundance,” portraying the restored Jerusalem as a mother whose milk never fails.
Prophetic and Poetic Usage
Milk serves as a barometer of national wellbeing. Isaiah announces that in the desolation following Assyrian invasion “curds and honey will be what everyone who remains in the land will eat” (Isaiah 7:22), paradoxically turning scarcity of cultivated crops into reliance on pastoral produce.Lamentations 4:3 decries the ruthless mothers of Jerusalem who “have become cruel, like ostriches in the desert,” withholding the very milk that symbolizes covenant compassion.
At times prophets expand the motif: “You will suck the milk of nations; you will nurse at the breast of kings” (Isaiah 60:16), promising wealth transfer to Zion.Joel 3:18 foresees a day when “the hills will flow with milk,” a universalized echo of the Exodus promise.
Historical Vignettes
•Judges 4:19 shows Jael offering Sisera milk instead of water—an apparently hospitable act that sets the stage for his downfall, contrasting divine deliverance with human vulnerability.
• During David’s flight, friends bring “honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd” (2 Samuel 17:29), marking solidarity through life-giving dairy in the wilderness.
Intertestamental and New Testament Resonances
Although חָלָב itself is Hebrew, the concept underlies the apostolic exhortation “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk” (1 Peter 2:2) and the contrast between “milk” and “solid food” inHebrews 5:12-14. The writer to the Hebrews assumes the Old Testament picture of milk as basic, indispensable nourishment and applies it to foundational teaching about Christ.
Ministry Application
1. Assurance of Provision: The repeated promise of a land “flowing with milk and honey” affirms God’s desire to meet the material needs of His people, encouraging believers to trust His sufficiency in Christ (Matthew 6:31-33).
2. Call to Holiness: The prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother’s milk warns against syncretism. Christian ministry must avoid blending life-giving truth with the death-dealing patterns of the world.
3. Pastoral Care: Isaiah’s maternal imagery urges leaders to feed the flock gently. Paul echoes this in1 Thessalonians 2:7—“we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children.”
4. Growth in Doctrine: Just as infants begin with milk and advance to stronger food, discipleship moves from elementary truths to deeper theology, never despising but building upon the basics.
Summary
Across approximately forty-four Old Testament references, חָלָב depicts literal nourishment, covenant blessing, ethical boundary, and prophetic hope. From Abraham’s tent to Isaiah’s vision of a redeemed Jerusalem, milk consistently testifies that the God of Scripture is both provider and parent, sustaining His people for worship, witness, and the inheritance kept for them.
Forms and Transliterations
בֶּֽחָלָ֔ב בַּחֲלֵ֥ב בחלב הֶֽחָלָב֙ הֶחָלָ֛ב החלב וְחָלָ֗ב וְחָלָֽב׃ וְחָלָב֙ וַחֲלֵ֣ב וחלב וחלב׃ חֲלֵ֣ב חֲלֵ֬ב חֲלָבִ֑י חֲלָבֵֽךְ׃ חָלָ֑ב חָלָ֔ב חָלָ֖ב חָלָ֛ב חָלָ֡ב חָלָ֣ב חָלָ֤ב חָלָ֥ב חָלָב֙ חלב חלבי חלבך׃ כֶ֭חָלָב כחלב מֵֽחָלָ֔ב מֵחָלָ֑ב מֵחָלָֽב׃ מחלב מחלב׃ ba·ḥă·lêḇ bachaLev baḥălêḇ be·ḥā·lāḇ bechaLav beḥālāḇ chaLav chalaVech chalaVi chaLev chechalo ḥă·lā·ḇêḵ ḥă·lā·ḇî ḥā·lāḇ ḥă·lêḇ ḥālāḇ ḥălāḇêḵ ḥălāḇî ḥălêḇ he·ḥā·lāḇ hechaLav heḥālāḇ ḵe·ḥā·lāḇ ḵeḥālāḇ mê·ḥā·lāḇ mechaLav mêḥālāḇ vachaLev vechaLav wa·ḥă·lêḇ waḥălêḇ wə·ḥā·lāḇ wəḥālāḇ
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