Lexical Summary
kul: To contain, sustain, maintain, provide, support, endure
Original Word:כּוּל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:kuwl
Pronunciation:kool
Phonetic Spelling:(kool)
KJV: (be able to, can) abide, bear, comprehend, contain, feed, forbearing, guide, hold(-ing in), nourish(-er), be present, make provision, receive, sustain, provide sustenance (victuals)
NASB:provided, endure, contain, hold, provide, sustain, holding
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to keep in
2. (hence) to measure
3. (figuratively) to maintain (in various senses)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be able to, can abide, bear, comprehend, contain, feed, forbearing, guide,
A primitive root; properly, to keep in; hence, to measure; figuratively, to maintain (in various senses) -- (be able to, can) abide, bear, comprehend, contain, feed, forbearing, guide, hold(-ing in), nourish(-er), be present, make provision, receive, sustain, provide sustenance (victuals).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto comprehend, contain
NASB Translationcalculated (1), contain (4), contains (1), endure (5), had to provide (1), held (1), hold (4), holding (2), maintain (1), provide (4), provided (6), provided them with sustenance (1), provisioned (1), sustain (3), sustained (1), sustainer (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Late Hebrew, Aramaic
id., measure, measure out, of dry or liquid measure; Syriac Aph`el
id.; Arabic
measure grain) —
Perfect onlyIsaiah 40:12who hath comprehended the dust of the earth in a shalish-measure?
Perfect2 Samuel 19:33; suffix1 Kings 18:4; 2masculine singular suffixNehemiah 9:21, etc.;ImperfectZechariah 11:16 +, etc.;Infinitive constructJeremiah 20:9 +, etc.;ParticipleMalachi 3:2; —sustain, maintain, contain:
sustain, support, nourish, followed by accusative of personGenesis 45:11;Genesis 50:21 (both E),2 Samuel 19:33;2 Samuel 19:34;2 Samuel 20:3;1 Kings 4:7 a (v:b absolute),1 Kings 5:7;1 Kings 17:4,9;Nehemiah 9:21;Ruth 4:15;Psalm 55:23;Zechariah 11:16 (of sheep); followed by accusative of person + of thing (food)Genesis 47:12 (J),1 Kings 18:4,13.
contain, followed by accusative of person1 Kings 8:27; 2Chron 2:5; 2 Chronicles 6:18 (heavens cannot contain );hold in, restrain Yahweh's word within one,Jeremiah 20:9.
support, endure, sicknessProverbs 18:14;Malachi 3:2 (object ); ofsustaining a cause, in court,Psalm 112:5.
Perfect3pluralwere supplied with food1 Kings 20:27 (Klo proposes ).
Imperfect1 Kings 7:26 2t. etc.;Infinitive constructJeremiah 6:11 5t.; —contain, hold, hold in, endure;
contain, followed by accusative (of liquid)1 Kings 7:26,38; 2Chronicles 4:5; in figureJeremiah 2:13, absoluteEzekiel 23:32; (of burnt-offering)1 Kings 8:64; 2Chronicles 7:7;hold in (wrath of , object not expressed, subject Jeremiah)Jeremiah 6:11 (opposed to ).
sustain, endure, followed by accusativeAmos 7:10;Jeremiah 10:10;Joel 2:11.
,
see below .
Topical Lexicon
Overview of כּוּל (kul, Strong’s Hebrew 3557)The verb כּוּל gathers its many shades of meaning into a single idea: adequate capacity. Whether “holding,” “sustaining,” “enduring,” or “providing,” the word conveys sufficiency. Across roughly thirty-seven Old Testament occurrences the subject may be a person, a container, a leader, or the Lord Himself, but the action always answers the question, “Can it carry the weight?”
Sustain and Provide
Most familiar is the causative sense “to sustain, feed, provide,” a theme that threads through narratives of famine relief and personal care:
•Genesis 45:11; 47:12; 50:21—Joseph promises, “I will provide for you.”
•1 Kings 17:4, 9; 18:4—ravens, a widow, and Obadiah are each “commanded to provide.”
•Nehemiah 9:21 records God’s forty-year wilderness provision: “You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing.”
•Psalm 55:22 applies the pattern to every believer: “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you.”
Ministry significance: the verb underlines that human agency (Joseph, a widow, a government official) is a secondary means—Yahweh is the true Sustainer. Christian service that shares resources mirrors the divine pattern of faithful provision.
Contain and Hold
A second group highlights created limits versus God’s infinity:
•1 Kings 8:27;2 Chronicles 2:6; 6:18—“Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You.”
•Jeremiah 2:13—cisterns “cannot hold water,” a vivid contrast to the fountain of living water.
Every appearance underscores that only God has unlimited capacity; everything else fails or overflows. For worship, the word cautions against domesticating the Almighty and underlines the necessity of covenant fidelity, lest the soul become a “broken cistern.”
Bear and Endure
Closely related is the notion of inner fortitude:
•Deuteronomy 1:9-12—Moses confesses, “I cannot bear you alone.”
•Proverbs 18:14—“The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?”
Leadership structures in Exodus and Acts echo the solution God gave Moses: shared responsibility enables endurance. Spiritual resilience, however, is sourced in the Lord who alone “sustains.”
Measured, Contained, Limited
Less frequent is כּוּל for measuring or containing literal quantities:
•Isaiah 40:12—“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand…?” (implied sufficiency).
•Job 15:2; 38:37;Psalm 33:7 (LXX evidence suggests כּוּל in a few textual traditions)—divine governance of creation’s storehouses.
These passages feed a doctrine of providence: the same God who keeps oceans within their boundaries also governs history within His purposes.
Theological Themes
1. God’s inexhaustible sufficiency. Heaven itself “cannot contain” Him, yet He effortlessly “sustains” His people.
2. Human limitations. Leaders like Moses and containers like broken cisterns illustrate the insufficiency of the creature apart from grace.
3. Means and instruments. Ravens, widows, and deliverers become channels of divine provision, teaching that ministry partners with God’s own supply.
4. Covenant security. Because God “will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22), believers labor, give, and suffer with confidence in His sustaining power.
Practical Ministry Implications
• Shepherding: like Joseph, pastors and parents are to “provide” for those under their charge, trusting God to replenish their resources.
• Worship: building programs, liturgies, and temples are useful but never “contain” God; reverence and humility must mark corporate gatherings.
• Counseling:Proverbs 18:14 warns that a crushed spirit cannot “endure.” Gospel hope, therefore, is essential in soul care, for only Christ can restore the inner person.
• Missions and Mercy: generosity is simply acting as God’s conduit. Whether famine relief or widow care, the church manifests the sustaining heart of Yahweh.
Eschatological Outlook
The final vision of Scripture culminates in a new creation where God Himself “will be their God” (Revelation 21:3). Nothing will limit His presence; no need will remain unsustained. Every prior occurrence of כּוּל points forward to that consummate day when divine capacity finally fills and sustains all things forever.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲכַלְכֵּ֥ל אכלכל הָכִ֔יל הכיל וְכִלְכְּל֥וּ וְכִלְכְּלָ֖ם וְכִלְכְּלוּ֩ וְכִלְכַּלְתִּ֤י וְכִלְכַּלְתִּ֥י וְכָ֥ל וְכָלְכְּל֔וּ וַֽיְכַלְכְּלֵ֔ם וַיְכַלְכֵּ֤ל וָאֲכַלְכְּלֵ֖ם וּלְכַלְכֵּ֖ל ואכלכלם ויכלכל ויכלכלם וכל וכלכלו וכלכלם וכלכלתי ולכלכל יְכִילֶֽנּוּ׃ יְכַ֫לְכְּלֶ֥ךָ יְכַלְכְּל֔וּךָ יְכַלְכְּלֻ֑הוּ יְכַלְכֵּ֔ל יְכַלְכֵּ֖ל יְכַלְכֵּ֣ל יָכִ֖לוּ יָכִ֣יל ׀ יָכִ֥לוּ יָכִֽיל׃ יכיל יכיל׃ יכילנו׃ יכלו יכלכל יכלכלהו יכלכלוך יכלכלך כִּלְכַּלְתָּ֥ם כִלְכַּ֤ל כַּֽלְכֵ֖ל כלכל כלכלתם לְהָכִ֖יל לְהָכִ֛יל לְהָכִֽיל׃ לְכַלְכְּלֶֽךָ׃ לְכַלְכֵּֽל׃ לְכַלְכֶּלְךָ֖ להכיל להכיל׃ לכלכל׃ לכלכלך לכלכלך׃ מְכַלְכֵּל֙ מֵֽהָכִיל֙ מהכיל מכלכל ’ă·ḵal·kêl ’ăḵalkêl achalKel chilKal hā·ḵîl haChil hāḵîl kal·ḵêl kalChel kalḵêl ḵil·kal kil·kal·tām ḵilkal kilkalTam kilkaltām lə·hā·ḵîl lə·ḵal·kə·le·ḵā lə·ḵal·kêl lə·ḵal·kel·ḵā lechalKel lechalkelCha lechalkeLecha lehaChil ləhāḵîl ləḵalkêl ləḵalkəleḵā ləḵalkelḵā mê·hā·ḵîl mə·ḵal·kêl mechalKel mehaChil mêhāḵîl məḵalkêl ū·lə·ḵal·kêl ulechalKel ūləḵalkêl vaachalkeLem vaychalKel vaychalkeLem vechalkeLu vechilkalTi vechilkeLam vechilkeLu vechol wā’ăḵalkəlêm wā·’ă·ḵal·kə·lêm way·ḵal·kə·lêm way·ḵal·kêl wayḵalkêl wayḵalkəlêm wə·ḵā·lə·kə·lū wə·ḵāl wə·ḵil·kal·tî wə·ḵil·kə·lām wə·ḵil·kə·lū wəḵāl wəḵāləkəlū wəḵilkaltî wəḵilkəlām wəḵilkəlū yā·ḵi·lū yā·ḵîl yaChil yaChilu yāḵîl yāḵilū yə·ḵal·kə·le·ḵā yə·ḵal·kə·lu·hū yə·ḵal·kə·lū·ḵā yə·ḵal·kêl yə·ḵî·len·nū yechalKel yeChalkeLecha yechalkeLucha yechalkeLuhu yechiLennu yəḵalkêl yəḵalkəleḵā yəḵalkəluhū yəḵalkəlūḵā yəḵîlennū
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