Lexical Summary
chalah: To be weak, sick, afflicted, grieved, or to entreat
Original Word:חָלָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:chalah
Pronunciation:khaw-LAW
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-law')
KJV: beseech, (be) diseased, (put to) grief, be grieved, (be) grievous, infirmity, intreat, lay to, put to pain, X pray, make prayer, be (fall, make) sick, sore, be sorry, make suit (X supplication), woman in travail, be (become) weak, be wounded
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to be rubbed or worn
2. hence (figuratively) to be weak, sick, afflicted
3. or (causatively) to grieve, make sick
4. also to stroke (in flattering), entreat
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beseech, be diseased, put to grief, be grieved, be grievous, infirmity
A primitive root (comparechuwl,chalah,chalal); properly, to be rubbed or worn; hence (figuratively) to be weak, sick, afflicted; or (causatively) to grieve, make sick; also to stroke (in flattering), entreat -- beseech, (be) diseased, (put to) grief, be grieved, (be) grievous, infirmity, intreat, lay to, put to pain, X pray, make prayer, be (fall, make) sick, sore, be sorry, make suit (X supplication), woman in travail, be (become) weak, be wounded.
see HEBREWchuwl
see HEBREWchalah
see HEBREWchalal
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (Late Hebrew
id.; Aramaic
suffer (rare); Assyrian
—alû,
sickness,
grief, Dl
Pr 181) —
Perfect1 Kings 14:1 8t.; 2 feminine singularIsaiah 57:10; 1singular1 Samuel 30:13 2t.; consecutiveJudges 16:7,11,17,Jeremiah 5:3 (so read, see below);Imperfect2 Kings 1:2;Infinitive suffixIsaiah 38:9;Psalm 77:11 compare below
;Psalm 35:13;ParticipleGenesis 48:1 6t. +1 Samuel 22:8 (see below);Nehemiah 2:2;Malachi 1:13; feminineEcclesiastes 5:12 3t. (forJeremiah 4:31 see I. ), constructSongs 2:5;Songs 5:8; —
be orbecome weak, SamsonJudges 16:7,11,17;feel weakIsaiah 57:10 (Che)Ezekiel 34:4,16.
become sick, illGenesis 48:1 (E)1 Samuel 19:14;1 Samuel 30:13;1 Kings 14:1,5;1 Kings 15:23 (of Asa, = 2Chronicles 16:2) 2 Chronicles 17:17;2 Kings 1:2;2 Kings 8:7;2 Kings 13:14 (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb)2 Kings 20:12 =Isaiah 39:1;Isaiah 33:24;Isaiah 38:9;Proverbs 23:35;Psalm 35:13;Nehemiah 2:2, comparePsalm 77:11 for Che after Bi;lame and sick — i.e. imperfect for sacrifice — of animalsMalachi 1:8,13;sick from effect of wounds2 Kings 8:29 2Chronicles 22:6, compareProverbs 23:35, withDeuteronomy 28:59,61;Jeremiah 6:7;Jeremiah 10:19; hyperbolesick from loveSongs 2:5;Songs 5:8;be sick unto dying2 Kings 20:1 =Isaiah 38:1, (late) 2 Chronicles 32:24;Jeremiah 5:3 read probably (for , see I. ) of the people, unmoved by 's chastisements;thou hast smitten them, but they are not sick (compare
Amos 6:6); of sickness of the mind in1 Samuel 22:8 followed by (but read rather Gr Klo Dr);participle as adjectivesevere, soreEcclesiastes 5:12;Ecclesiastes 5:15; — onJeremiah 4:31 see .
Perfect1singularDaniel 8:27; 3pluralAmos 6:6;Jeremiah 12:13;Participle feminineIsaiah 17:11 4t.; pluralEzekiel 34:4 (strike out Co)Ezekiel 34:21; —
make oneself sick, figurative forstrain oneselfJeremiah 12:13 (but Gr ).
be made sickDaniel 8:27; of indifference, apathyAmos 6:6 followed by (compare
Jeremiah 5:3); participlediseased, as substantive with articleEzekiel 34:4 (strike out Co)Ezekiel 34:21; =severe, sore (predicate of )Nahum 3:19;Jeremiah 10:19;Jeremiah 14:17;Jeremiah 30:12; also ( omitted)Isaiah 17:11.
Perfectmake sick, with accusative of congnate meaning with verb + of landDeuteronomy 29:21;Infinitive constructPsalm 77:11 read probably Infinitive Qal;my sickness, so Bi Che (others derive frommy wounding, see De). — For other forms of Pi`el see II. .
Perfect be made weak, 2 masculine singularIsaiah 14:10.
Imperfect2 Samuel 13:6;Imperative2 Samuel 13:5;Infinitive2 Samuel 13:2; —make oneself sick, of Ammon's morbid passion for his sister2 Samuel 13:2, followed by ; of his pretended sickness of body2 Samuel 13:5,6.
Perfect3masculine singularIsaiah 53:10; 1singularMicah 6:13; pluralHosea 7:5 (on text see below);ParticipleProverbs 13:12; —
make (sick, i.e.)sore thy smitingMicah 6:13 (compareNahum 3:19, Niph`al); object (implicit) a person,Isaiah 53:10it pleasedto bruise him, making him sick = to bruise himsorely, see further Di.
make sick, object (of hope deferred)Proverbs 13:12.
shew (signs of)sickness, become sick, onlyHosea 7:5princes are become sick with fever of wine (Now Che VB; > Vrss Hi-St who readthey begin the day with wine-fever).
Perfect be made sick = wounded1 Kings 22:34 2Chronicles 18:33; 35:23.
II. [] only
followed by , , = , literallymake the face of any onesweet orpleasant (compare Arabic
,
,be sweet, pleasant, Aramaic
, ,id., adjectivesweet); —
Perfect 2Chronicles 33:12,1 Samuel 13:12;Psalm 119:58, consecutiveJob 11:19,Daniel 9:13;ImperfectExodus 32:11 3t.,Psalm 45:13;Proverbs 19:6;Imperative1 Kings 13:6,Malachi 1:9;Infinitive constructZechariah 7:2 2t.; —
mollify, pacify, appease , i.e. induce him to shew favour in place of wrath and chastisementExodus 32:11 (JE),1 Kings 13:6 ( + ),1 Kings 13:6;2 Kings 13:4;Jeremiah 26:19 (+ ), 2 Chronicles 33:12 ("" ),Daniel 9:13; alsoMalachi 1:9 (followed bythat he may be gracious to us).
entreat the favour of , i.e. aim at success, prosperity, etc., through his favour,1 Samuel 13:12 (in anticipation of war),Zechariah 8:21,22 ("" ; of cities and nations assembling at Jerusalem for worship),Zechariah 7:2 ("" ) of worship at Jerusalem; quite Generally, as habit of God-fearing man,Psalm 119:58 (+ ).
entreat favour of men (in sense of ) —Proverbs 19:6many entreat a prince's favour ("" );Psalm 45:13 of favour of king's bride;Job 11:19 favour of Job when absolved and restored.
Topical Lexicon
Chalah חָלָה
Scope and Range of Meaning
Appearing about seventy-six times across the Old Testament, chalah describes the condition of being weakened—physically, emotionally, or spiritually—and the related action of softening or entreating another. These nuances cluster around four main themes: bodily sickness, emotional languishing, urgent intercession, and the softening of wrath.
Physical Illness and Bodily Weakness
1. Private affliction. The first explicit mention is domestic: “Your father is sick” (Genesis 48:1). From the patriarchal era onward, chalah marks moments when ordinary families confront mortality (2 Samuel 12:15;2 Kings 13:14).
2. Royal crises. Kings fall helpless before it—Ben-hadad (2 Kings 8:7), Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:1-5), Asa (2 Chronicles 16:12), Jeroboam (2 Chronicles 13:20), and even a prophet, Elisha, “stricken with the illness from which he would die” (2 Kings 13:14). Their recoveries or deaths become theological object-lessons, revealing divine sovereignty over rulers’ lives.
3. National plagues. Chalah also names epidemic judgment: “The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; He will strike them and heal them” (Isaiah 19:22). The same word thus links the blow and the cure, underscoring the LORD’s total control over both malady and mercy.
Emotional and Spiritual Languishing
1. Distressed hearts. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12); “I am faint with sorrow” (Psalm 6:2). Chalah captures the inner debilitation caused by protracted disappointment or guilt (Psalm 38:3-8).
2. Love-sickness. Twice the Bride in Song of Songs confesses, “I am lovesick” (Song of Songs 2:5; 5:8). The word stretches to describe the overwhelming power of covenantal affection.
3. Corporate malaise. Prophets diagnose the nation: “Your wound is incurable, your injury grievous” (Jeremiah 30:12), linking moral rebellion with terminal illness.Micah 1:9 andHosea 5:13 echo the same pathology.
Entreaty and the Softening of Wrath
1. Appeasing God. After the golden calf, “Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God” (Exodus 32:11). The verb signals an intense plea for divine relenting. Similar intercessions appear inDeuteronomy 3:23;1 Kings 13:6;2 Chronicles 33:12;Psalm 90:13.
2. Softened relationships. Jacob’s strategy toward Esau—“I will appease him with the gifts” (Genesis 32:20)—rests on chalah as peacemaking. Abigail “fell before David … and pleaded” (1 Samuel 25:24) in the same mode of urgent mitigation.
3. Prophetic calls.Joel 2:13 exhorts Israel to rend hearts, not garments, hoping the LORD “relents” (chalah’s cognate idea). The appeal is to the divine capacity for compassion once wrath is softened by repentance.
Contrast between Strength and Weakness
Samson’s riddle to Delilah, “then I will become weak and be like any other man” (Judges 16:7), shows chalah as the antonym of heroic vigor. Likewise, Isaiah pictures idols that “grow weary” (Isaiah 46:1) while the living God never does (Isaiah 40:28-31), sharpening the contrast between creaturely frailty and divine omnipotence.
Healing as Divine Prerogative
Whether through Isaiah’s poultice for Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:7) or through prophetic promise (“I will restore health to you,”Jeremiah 30:17), recovery is consistently traced to God’s initiative. Even secular means, such as preparations of figs, operate only within His blessing.
Theological Motifs
1. Sin-Sickness Parallel. Scripture repeatedly pairs moral guilt and physical illness (Psalm 103:3). Chalah becomes a parable of sin’s corrosive power and the need for atonement.
2. Covenant Faithfulness. The Lord who wounds also heals (Deuteronomy 32:39). Chalah therefore frames both judgment and grace, proving that covenant curses and blessings proceed from the same consistent character.
3. Messianic Foreshadowing. The Servant “was pierced for our transgressions” and “by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). While chalah itself does not appear in that verse, earlier uses prepare the reader to understand salvation as the ultimate healing of a terminal condition.
Ministry Implications
1. Prayer for the Sick. Accounts of chalah encourage intercessory prayer grounded in God’s revealed compassion (2 Kings 20:2-5;James 5:13-16).
2. Pastoral Care for the Downcast.Proverbs 13:12 and Psalms of lament validate emotional suffering; shepherds of God’s people must address hope deferred with Scripture and practical comfort.
3. Calls to Repentance. Knowing that chalah often signals divine displeasure, preaching must link sickness of soul to the need for confession, directing sufferers to the Great Physician.
4. Assurance of Restoration. Prophetic promises of national healing inform mission: the gospel offers sure cure for humanity’s most chronic disease—sin.
Summary
Chalah, with its spectrum of sickness, weakness, and pleading, serves Scripture as a vivid reminder of human frailty and divine mercy. From Jacob’s appeasing gifts to Hezekiah’s life-and-death prayer, the word tracks the entire account line of redemption: weakness exposed, repentance offered, compassion received, and health restored by the LORD who strikes and heals.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּחֲלֹת֕וֹ בַּחֲלוֹתָ֡ם בחלותם בחלתו הֶֽחֱלִ֔י הֶחֱל֥וּ הֶחֱלֵ֣יתִי הַ֣חוֹלֶ֔ה הַחוֹלָ֖ה הַחוֹלָ֣ה הַנַּחְל֑וֹת הַנַּחְלוֹת֩ הָחֳלֵ֖יתִי הָחֳלֵֽיתִי׃ החולה החלו החלי החליתי החליתי׃ הנחלות וְהִתְחָ֑ל וְחִלּ֖וּ וְחָלִ֥יתִי וְחֹלֶ֖ה וְנֶֽחֱלֵ֙יתִי֙ וַיְחַ֣ל וַיְחַ֤ל וַיְחַ֥ל וַיְחַל֙ וַיִּתְחָ֑ל וַיָּ֑חַל וּלְחַלּ֖וֹת והתחל וחלה וחלו וחליתי ויחל ויתחל ולחלות ונחליתי חִלִּ֑יתִי חִלִּ֜ינוּ חִלִּ֣יתִי חִלָּ֕ה חִלָּ֥ה חַלּ֣וֹתִי חַלּוּ־ חַל־ חָ֥לָֽה חָלִ֑יתִי חָלִ֖יתִי חָלִֽית׃ חָלִיתִי֮ חָלָ֕ה חָלָ֖ה חָלָ֣ה חָלָ֥ה חֹלֶ֑ה חֹלֶ֣ה חֹלֶ֥ה חֻלֵּ֥יתָ חוֹלֶ֔ה חוֹלַ֥ת חוֹלָ֔ה חולה חולת חל־ חלה חלו־ חלותי חלינו חלית חלית׃ חליתי יְחַלּ֗וּ יְחַלּ֣וּ יחלו כְּחוֹלָ֜ה כחולה לְהִתְחַלּ֗וֹת לְחַלּ֖וֹת לְחַלּוֹת֙ להתחלות לחלות מַחֲלָה־ מחלה־ נֶחְל֖וּ נַחְלָ֖ה נַחְלָ֥ה נַחֲלָ֖ה נחלה נחלו שֶׁחוֹלַ֥ת שחולת ba·ḥă·lō·ṯōw ba·ḥă·lō·w·ṯām bachaloTam bachaloTo baḥălōṯōw baḥălōwṯām chal chaLah chaLit chaLiti chalLoti challu chilLah chilLinu chilLiti choLah choLat choLeh chulLeita hā·ḥo·lê·ṯî ha·ḥō·w·lāh ha·ḥō·w·leh ḥā·lāh ḥā·lî·ṯî ḥā·lîṯ hachoLah hachoLeh hāḥolêṯî haḥōwlāh haḥōwleh ḥal- ḥal·lō·w·ṯî ḥal·lū- ḥālāh ḥālîṯ ḥālîṯî ḥallōwṯî ḥallū- han·naḥ·lō·wṯ hannachlOt hannaḥlōwṯ he·ḥĕ·lê·ṯî he·ḥĕ·lî he·ḥĕ·lū hecheLeiti hecheLi hecheLu heḥĕlêṯî heḥĕlî heḥĕlū ḥil·lāh ḥil·lî·nū ḥil·lî·ṯî ḥillāh ḥillînū ḥillîṯî ḥō·leh ḥō·w·lāh ḥō·w·laṯ ḥō·w·leh hochoLeiti ḥōleh ḥōwlāh ḥōwlaṯ ḥōwleh ḥul·lê·ṯā ḥullêṯā kə·ḥō·w·lāh kechoLah kəḥōwlāh lə·ḥal·lō·wṯ lə·hiṯ·ḥal·lō·wṯ lechalLot ləḥallōwṯ lehitchalLot ləhiṯḥallōwṯ ma·ḥă·lāh- machalah maḥălāh- na·ḥă·lāh nachaLah nachLah naḥ·lāh naḥălāh naḥlāh nechLu neḥ·lū neḥlū še·ḥō·w·laṯ šeḥōwlaṯ shechoLat ū·lə·ḥal·lō·wṯ ulechalLot ūləḥallōwṯ vaiYachal vaiyitChal vayChal vechaLiti vechilLu vechoLeh vehitChal venecheLeiti way·ḥal way·yā·ḥal way·yiṯ·ḥāl wayḥal wayyāḥal wayyiṯḥāl wə·ḥā·lî·ṯî wə·ḥil·lū wə·hiṯ·ḥāl wə·ḥō·leh wə·ne·ḥĕ·lê·ṯî wəḥālîṯî wəḥillū wəhiṯḥāl wəḥōleh wəneḥĕlêṯî yə·ḥal·lū yechalLu yəḥallū
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