Lexical Summary
chalaph: To pass, to change, to renew, to go through
Original Word:חָלַף
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:chalaph
Pronunciation:khaw-laf'
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-laf')
KJV: abolish, alter, change, cut off, go on forward, grow up, be over, pass (away, on, through), renew, sprout, strike through
NASB:changed, change, gain new, replace, sprouts anew, sweep, go
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to slide by
2. (by implication) to hasten away, pass on, spring up, pierce or change
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
abolish, alter, change, cut off, go on forward, grow up, be over, pass away,
A primitive root; properly, to slide by, i.e. (by implication) to hasten away, pass on, spring up, pierce or change -- abolish, alter, change, cut off, go on forward, grow up, be over, pass (away, on, through), renew, sprout, strike through.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto pass on or away, pass through
NASB Translationchange (2), changed (5), gain new (2), go (1), move past (1), over (1), passed (1), passes (1), pierce (1), pierced (1), renewed (1), replace (2), slip (1), sprout (1), sprouts anew (2), sweep (2), sweep through (1), vanish (1), violated (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, pass through (mostly in poetry) (Late Hebrew
id., pass by or
away, change; Phoenician
equivalent, Reinach
RŠJ 1888, 276; Hoffm
G. G. Abh. xxxvi. 1890, 20; Aramaic
pass away, change;
change, substitute; Nabataean
change (?) Eut
p. 53; Arabic
come after, succeed, replace [compare 'Caliph' i.e.
successor (of Mohammed)] and many derivatives Lane
792-799; so also MI
6and his son
succeeded him; Ethiopic
pass by, across, through) —
PerfectSongs 2:11;Habakkuk 1:11 etc.;ImperfectJob 4:15 4t.; 3 feminine singular suffixJob 20:24;Psalm 102:27;Infinitive constructIsaiah 21:1; —
pass on quickly1 Samuel 10:3; elsewhere only in poetry,move orsweep on, of a floodIsaiah 8:8, or windIsaiah 21:1;Job 4:15;Habakkuk 1:11, of GodJob 9:11;Job 11:10.
pass away (vanish)Job 9:26 (of days);Songs 2:11 (of rain "" ), of the heavensPsalm 102:27, of idolsIsaiah 2:18, (but perhaps gloss JBLix. 1890, 86).
,come on anew, i. e.sprout again (compare )Psalm 90:5;Psalm 90:6, so Thes AV De Hi Che Bae and others; less suitably in context, Ewpass away, above transitive
pass through, i.e. pierce, followed by accusativeJudges 5:26;Job 20:24.
overstep, transgressIsaiah 24:5 ("" ), (compare Arabic IV. tobreak a promise).
Imperfect (cause to pass)change, followed by accusative garmentGenesis 41:14 (E)2 Samuel 12:20.
PerfectGenesis 31:7;ImperfectJob 14:7; suffixLeviticus 27:10; 3feminine singularJob 29:20; 2masculine singularGenesis 31:41; suffix ;Isaiah 40:31;Isaiah 41:1;Isaiah 9:9; —
change (transitive) garmentsGenesis 35:2 (E)Psalm 102:27, wagesGenesis 31:7,41 (both E); no object expressedLeviticus 27:10 (H);substitute i. e.cause to succeedIsaiah 9:9;change for better,renew, objectIsaiah 40:31;Isaiah 41:1.
shew newness, of tree, putting forth fresh shootsJob 14:7, of bowJob 29:20.
[] (over) (see Biblical Hebrew); —
with personpass over one (of time):Imperfect3masculine pluralDaniel 4:13,20,22,29.
Topical Lexicon
Overviewחָלַף (chalaph) conveys the movement from one state to another—passing by, exchanging, replacing, sprouting anew, or being renewed. Its twenty-eight Old Testament appearances trace a line from ordinary changes of garments to the sweeping renewal of creation itself.
Exchange and Substitution
•Genesis 31:7, 41: Laban’s deceitful “change” of Jacob’s wages reveals fallen humanity’s readiness to manipulate.
•Genesis 35:2; 45:22: Fresh garments mark cleansing, favor, and covenant identity.
•Leviticus 27:10, 33: The Law forbids exchanging consecrated animals, defending what belongs to the LORD from human interference.
These texts teach that substitution not authorized by God violates covenant faithfulness, while divinely ordered change (as in priestly vestments) furthers holiness.
Passing By or Away
•Genesis 41:13;2 Samuel 15:24;Job 9:26;Job 34:20: Events, armies, and lives “pass” quickly, underscoring human frailty.
•Psalm 90:5: Life “springs anew in the morning,” only to fade by night. The verb exposes earthly brevity so that the eternal God may be trusted.
Renewal and Sprouting
•Job 14:7–9: A felled tree “sprouts again” when waters touch its stump, illustrating resurrection hope.
•Isaiah 40:31: “Those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles.” Chalaph becomes a promise of exchanged weakness for divine power.
•Psalm 90:5 and agricultural imagery point to the regular rhythms of renewal built into creation.
Cosmic Transformation
•Psalm 102:26, echoed inHebrews 1:12: The heavens are a garment God will “change,” declaring His sovereignty and the impermanence of the present order.
• The prophetic announcement anticipates “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17), tying chalaph to eschatological hope.
Theological Themes
1. Transience vs. Permanence: Things that can be changed highlight the changelessness of God (Psalm 102:27).
2. Covenant Integrity: Unjust or unlawful substitution undermines trust; fidelity requires consistency.
3. Renewal through Waiting:Isaiah 40:31 grounds ministry endurance in a God-initiated exchange of strength.
4. Resurrection Motif: From tree stumps to soaring eagles, chalaph foreshadows bodily resurrection and spiritual rebirth.
Historical and Cultural Insights
Changing clothes marked decisive moments—approaching Bethel (Genesis 35:2), entering Pharaoh’s court (Genesis 41:14), or receiving royal favor (Genesis 45:22). Garment exchange thus became a visible metaphor for status change, cleansing, and acceptance, enriching later biblical calls to “put on the new self.”
Ministry Applications
• Encourage weary believers with the eagle promise ofIsaiah 40:31—strength is not generated but received.
• Promote ethical steadfastness; manipulative “wage changing” contradicts God’s nature.
• Offer Job’s tree image to those facing loss: in Christ, apparent dead ends can sprout again.
Christological Lens
Hebrews 1:12 leverages chalaph to exalt the Son: He alone remains unchanged while everything else is changed. Garment imagery anticipates the salvation exchange where Christ’s righteousness replaces our sin-stained attire (Zechariah 3:4;Revelation 7:14).
Summary
Chalaph captures the Bible’s tension between what is fleeting and what endures, between human deceitful change and God’s life-giving renewal. It invites believers to trust the unchanging LORD who alone can exchange death for life, weakness for strength, and the present order for a new creation.
Forms and Transliterations
וְ֝יַחֲלֹ֗ף וְֽיַחֲלֹֽפוּ׃ וְהֶחֱלִ֥ף וְהַחֲלִ֖יפוּ וְחָלְפָ֖ה וְחָלַ֤ף וְחָלַפְתָּ֨ וְחָלָ֑ף וַיְחַלֵּ֣ף וַיְחַלֵּף֙ וַתַּחֲלֵ֥ף והחליפו והחלף וחלף וחלפה וחלפת ויחלף ויחלפו׃ ותחלף חָ֣לְפוּ חָ֭לְפוּ חָלַ֖ף חָלַ֥ף חלף חלפו יַחֲלִ֑יף יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ יַחֲלִיפֶ֗נּוּ יַחֲלֹ֑ף יַחֲלֹ֥ף יַחֲלֹֽף׃ יחליף יחליפו יחליפנו יחלף יחלף׃ לַֽחֲלֹ֔ף לחלף נַחֲלִֽיף׃ נחליף׃ תַּ֝חְלְפֵ֗הוּ תַּחֲלִיפֵ֣ם תַחֲלִֽיף׃ תחליף׃ תחליפם תחלפהו chaLaf Chalfu ḥā·lap̄ ḥā·lə·p̄ū ḥālap̄ ḥāləp̄ū la·ḥă·lōp̄ lachaLof laḥălōp̄ na·ḥă·lîp̄ nachaLif naḥălîp̄ ta·ḥă·lî·p̄êm ṯa·ḥă·lîp̄ tachaLif tachaliFem tachleFehu taḥ·lə·p̄ê·hū ṯaḥălîp̄ taḥălîp̄êm taḥləp̄êhū vattachaLef vaychalLef vechaLaf vechalafTa vechalFah vehachaLifu vehecheLif veyachaLof VeyachaLofu wat·ta·ḥă·lêp̄ wattaḥălêp̄ way·ḥal·lêp̄ wayḥallêp̄ wə·ha·ḥă·lî·p̄ū wə·ḥā·lap̄ wə·ḥā·lāp̄ wə·ḥā·lap̄·tā wə·ḥā·lə·p̄āh wə·he·ḥĕ·lip̄ wə·ya·ḥă·lō·p̄ū wə·ya·ḥă·lōp̄ wəhaḥălîp̄ū wəḥālap̄ wəḥālāp̄ wəḥālap̄tā wəḥāləp̄āh wəheḥĕlip̄ wəyaḥălōp̄ wəyaḥălōp̄ū ya·ḥă·lî·p̄en·nū ya·ḥă·lî·p̄ū ya·ḥă·lîp̄ ya·ḥă·lōp̄ yachaLif yachaliFennu yachaLifu yachaLof yaḥălîp̄ yaḥălîp̄ennū yaḥălîp̄ū yaḥălōp̄
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