Lexical Summary
chashal: stragglers
Original Word:חָשַׁל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:chashal
Pronunciation:khaw-shal'
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-shal')
KJV: feeble
NASB:stragglers
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to make (intrans. be) unsteady, i.e. weak
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
feeble
A primitive root; to make (intrans. Be) unsteady, i.e. Weak -- feeble.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto shatter
NASB Translationstragglers (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Biblical Aramaic
shatter; Late Hebrew Pi`el, "" ; Syriac
forge a metal, Arabic
drive cattle
violently; Assyrian
—ašâlu,
shatter,
destroy Zim
BP 12 Dl
Pr 42) —
Participle figurativeDeuteronomy 25:18all the shattered ones, i.e. those broken down, worn out, followed by ; others think = .
Topical Lexicon
Concept OverviewThe term denotes a state of physical or moral frailty so pronounced that those described by it lag behind the community and are exposed to danger. Scripture uses the word to spotlight vulnerability that calls for protection, not exploitation.
Biblical Occurrence
Deuteronomy 25:18 records Amalek’s treacherous assault on Israel’s rear guard: “When you were weary and worn out, he cut off all the stragglers at your rear; he had no fear of God” (Berean Standard Bible). The word translated “stragglers” embodies the idea of weariness that leaves a person defenseless.
Historical Background
The setting is Israel’s wilderness journey shortly after the Exodus. Rather than confronting the nation honorably, Amalek struck the exhausted fringe—women, children, elderly, and sick—violating every norm of ancient Near-Eastern warfare and hospitality. This cowardly act etched Amalek’s name into Israel’s collective memory and shaped later commands to remember and eradicate that ethos of predation (Deuteronomy 25:17–19;1 Samuel 15:2–3).
Theological Reflection
1. Divine Concern for the Weak
The sole occurrence of the word sits in a passage where God condemns the abuse of the frail. The Lord’s covenant heart consistently champions those who cannot defend themselves (Exodus 22:22–24;Psalm 146:9).
2. Moral Accountability of Nations
Amalek’s sin was not merely military aggression; it was contempt for God (Deuteronomy 25:18). Scripture links the treatment of the vulnerable to reverence for the Almighty (Proverbs 14:31;Matthew 25:40).
3. Foreshadowing Redemptive Themes
Israel’s own weakness in the wilderness magnifies divine grace: “He gives power to the faint, and to the powerless He increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29). God’s saving acts repeatedly emerge in contexts where His people are “stragglers.”
Practical Ministry Application
• Shepherding the Rear Guard
Churches are called to notice and guard those who drift to the margins—new believers, the elderly, the chronically ill, the poor. True community moves at the pace of its slowest members (Romans 15:1).
• Rejecting Amalek’s Strategy
Any ministry model that prizes efficiency over compassion echoes Amalek. Leadership must ensure programs do not sacrifice the weak for the sake of the strong (1 Corinthians 12:22–25).
• Strength from the Lord
Believers who feel spiritually “faint” find hope in promises such as2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Human frailty becomes an arena for divine power.
Cross-References
Isaiah 35:3–4;Psalm 72:12–14;Ezekiel 34:16;Acts 20:35;James 1:27
Forms and Transliterations
הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִ֣ים הנחשלים han·ne·ḥĕ·šā·lîm hannecheshaLim hanneḥĕšālîm
Links
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