Lexical Summary
chalilah: "Far be it," "God forbid," "Never," "By no means"
Original Word:חָלִילָה
Part of Speech:Interjection
Transliteration:chaliylah
Pronunciation:khaw-lee-lah
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-lee'-law)
KJV: be far, (X God) forbid
NASB:far, forbid
Word Origin:[a directive fromH2490 (חָלַל - To profane)]
1. literal for a profaned thing
2. used (interj.) far be it!
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be far, God forbid
Or chalilah {khaw-lee'-law}; a directive fromchalal; literal for a profaned thing; used (interj.) Far be it! -- be far, (X God) forbid.
see HEBREWchalal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
chalalDefinitionfar be it!
NASB Translationfar (19), forbid (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
with locative, used as exclamation literally
ad profanum! i.e. far be it (for me, thee, etc.) ! (see Ba
NB 136) —
Genesis 44:7 17t.,
Genesis 18:25b + 2t. — alone,
1 Samuel 14:45;
1 Samuel 20:2; elsewhere with person:
Genesis 18:25b (J),
1 Samuel 2:30;
1 Samuel 20:9;
1 Samuel 22:15; + and infinitive of act deprecated
Genesis 18:25; a
Genesis 44:7,17 (all J),
Joshua 24:16 (E),
1 Samuel 12:23;
2 Samuel 23:17; + (peculiarly)
Joshua 22:29 (P; =
from it, even to rebel); + (=
surely not)
2 Samuel 20:20 ( ),
Job 27:5; strengthened idiomatically by , followed by and infinitive
1 Samuel 26:11;
1 Kings 21:3 +
2 Samuel 23:17 (read ,
L ) =
1 Chronicles 11:19 () followed by
1 Samuel 24:7;
Job 34:10.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 2486 is the passionate cry “ḥālîlāh”—an exclamation that something is morally impossible, unthinkable, or repugnant. Woven through narrative, legal, and wisdom texts, it becomes a verbal fence that guards the holiness of God, safeguards covenant loyalty, and rallies righteous indignation against sin.
Rhetorical Marker of Moral Impossibility
1. Negative moral resolve: “Far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23).
2. Indignant denial of accusation: “Far be it from your servants to do such a thing” (Genesis 44:7).
3. Refusal to transgress covenant limits: “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers” (1 Kings 21:3).
The phrase forms a verbal oath: the speaker announces that the proposed action would violate everything he or she stands for before God.
Appeal to Divine Justice and Holiness
The first occurrence frames Abraham’s plea for Sodom:
“Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked… Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:25).
Here ḥālîlāh anchors intercession in God’s immutable righteousness. The same motif recurs in Job’s reflection: “Far be it from God to do evil” (Job 34:10).
Remarkably, the LORD Himself speaks the cry: “Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me” (1 Samuel 2:30). The self-declared impossibility of injustice underscores divine consistency.
Guarding the Anointed and Reverencing Life
David twice restrains himself from harming Saul:
“The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:6; see 26:11).
Later he refuses to drink water fetched at risk of life:
“Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this! Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” (2 Samuel 23:17;1 Chronicles 11:19).
The cry functions as a shield around sacred persons and the sanctity of life, foreshadowing ultimate respect for the Messiah, the Anointed par excellence.
Covenantal Loyalty in Israel’s Community
When the Trans-Jordan tribes erect an altar, leaders protest:
“Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD” (Joshua 22:29).
At Shechem the people reaffirm fidelity:
“Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!” (Joshua 24:16).
The interjection becomes communal language for covenant renewal, binding the nation to exclusive worship.
Ministry of Intercession and Leadership
Samuel’s use (1 Samuel 12:23) ties ḥālîlāh to pastoral duty. Prayerlessness toward God’s people equals sin; earnest intercession is a moral necessity. Leaders today find in this cry a benchmark for spiritual responsibility.
Wisdom Literature and Personal Integrity
Job utters the protest twice:
“Far be it from me that I should declare you right” (Job 27:5).
The shout defends unwavering integrity amid false accusations, teaching believers to resist compromising righteousness for convenience.
Literary Features
• Often doubled for emphasis (Genesis 18:25;2 Samuel 20:20).
• Coupled with references to the LORD or an oath formula (“The LORD forbid”).
• Introduces arguments a minori—if such a lesser wrong is unthinkable, the greater is impossible.
Canonical Spread and Historical Context
From Patriarchal times (Abraham, Joseph) through the early monarchy (Saul, David) to post-exilic chronicling, ḥālîlāh traverses Israel’s story. Its persistence attests to an enduring moral grammar that shapes every period of redemptive history.
New Testament Resonance
Paul’s frequent “May it never be!” (Greek: mē genoito) mirrors ḥālîlāh, linking the Testaments in their common abhorrence of ideas that impugn God’s character or license sin (Romans 6:2;Galatians 2:17).
Pastoral and Homiletical Applications
• Cultivate holy reflexes: let ḥālîlāh shape instinctive rejection of sin.
• Use in intercessory prayer: failure to pray is “unthinkable” for shepherds.
• Teach reverence for God’s anointed servants and for life itself.
• Invite corporate renewal: congregations respond to moral challenges with united repudiation—“Far be it from us!”
In every occurrence, ḥālîlāh is more than a phrase; it is a theological alarm bell, summoning hearts to align with the unassailable righteousness of the LORD.
Forms and Transliterations
חָלִ֖לָה חָלִ֗ילָה חָלִ֙ילָה֙ חָלִ֣ילָה חָלִ֣לָה חָלִ֤ילָה חָלִ֧ילָה חָלִ֨לָה חָלִילָה֩ חָלִילָה֮ חלילה חללה chaLilah ḥā·li·lāh ḥā·lî·lāh ḥālilāh ḥālîlāh
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