חֵיל
chêyl · H2426 · Hebrew · 8 occurrences
Thing
Meanings
-
outer wall or outer fortification
Probably a structure of stones or bricks surrounding a town outside the main wall, giving it strength and security and sometimes used metaphorically of a protector; the meaning is unsure
Examples2 Samuel 20:15 And they came and besieged him in Abel Beth-maacah, and they built up an assault ramp against the city, and it stood against the outer rampart; and all the people who were with Joab were wreaking destruction in order to topple the wall.
Psalm 48:13 Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, So that you may tell of her to the next generation.
Isaiah 26:1 On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security.
-
a town within its wall
A collection of dwellings surrounded by an outer fortification and functioning as a population center
Examples1 Kings 21:23 “The LORD has also spoken of Jezebel, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel.’
Psalm 122:7 “May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces.”
Obadiah 1:20 And the exiles of this army of the sons of Israel, Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad, Will possess the cities of the Negev.
How it’s used In 7 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- יִזְרְעֵאלJezreel 1
- יָםsea 1
- ךְyour 1
- הּher 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- זֶהthis 1
What is done to itIt is the object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אָבַלto mourn 1
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- שִׁיתto set, to put, to make 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- חוֹמָהwall 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
4 occurrences in 2 groups
- בin/on/with 6
- לto/for 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- גָּלוּתexiles, exile 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 6 words
- טִירָה ṭîyrâh · H2918 · camp, encampment, village
- חֵיל (chêyl, H2426) includes "bulwark, rampart, trench, wall" (defensive fortification structures), while טִירָה (ṭîyrâh, H2918) includes "castle, palace" (fortified buildings/habitations). Both share fortification semantics and town-context usage, representing overlapping but distinct architectural/defensive terminology that could plausibly substitute in certain contexts.
- מְצַד mᵉtsad · H4679 · prey, victim, (trammel) net
- Both lexemes denote fortification structures.
- מִבְצָר mibtsâr · H4013 · fortress, stronghold, fortified city
- Both words denote fortifications, a fortress, stronghold or fortified city.
- מָצוּד mâtsûwd · H4686 · prey, victim, (trammel) net
- Both lexemes share genuine fortification/defensive-structure senses. Real but modest overlap within a broad domain.
- מָעוֹז mâʻôwz · H4581 · stronghold, refuge
- Both lexemes genuinely denote fortification structures — rampart or bulwark versus fortress or stronghold — and function as near-synonyms in the fortification semantic space.
- מַעְגָּל maʻgâl · H4570 · track, path
- חֵיל (chêyl, H2426) emphasizes the defensive/military trench (part of rampart/wall system), while מַעְגָּל (maʻgâl, H4570) emphasizes the trench as a traveled route or channel (related to path/way concepts).
In the other Testament 1 word
- δύναμις dýnamis · G1411 · ability, capability, power
- δύναμις renders חֵיל specifically in military contexts emphasizing the force/power aspect of an army, not the organizational or structural senses (bulwark, rampart, trench, wall).
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Fortifications001003002003
- The noun names a city's outer rampart or defensive earthwork, as Joab's men wreak destruction against Abel Beth-maacah's "outer rampart" while besieging the city (2 Samuel 20:15).
- Towns001003002011
- The rampart is bound up with the fortified town it protects, as the word describes the defensive feature encircling the territory of Jezreel (1 Kings 21:23).
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2426. chel חֵיל חֵל, noun masculineObadiah 20 rampart, fortress (perhaps originally…
חֵיל חֵל, noun masculineObadiah 20 rampart, fortress (perhaps originally surrounding wall, compare SabDenkm91n. 2) — absolute חֵיל Nah 3:8, חֵל Lam 2:8 Lam 2:3t.;(+ Psa 10:10 Qr see חלכה); construct חֵל 1Ki 21:23; suffix חֵילֵךְ Psa 122:7, חֵילָהּ Zec 9:4; חֵילָה = חֵילָהּ Psa 48:14, Ol§ 40 approximately 75g. 96 e Sta§ 347 c; —
1 rampart (defined by Jews as חוֺמָה בֶּן, i.e. a little wall, compare Ki under the word), of an outer fortification 2Sa 20:15 (others, by metonymy, of space between outer and inner fortification, including moat, see Dr Kit); Isa 26:1; Lam 2:8 (both || חוֺמוֺת); in General of defences, or sea-power of Tyre חֵילָהּ בַיָּם וְהִכָּה Zec 9:4 (see StaZAW i.1881, 15), of No-Amon (Thebes) חוֺמָתָהּ מִיָּם יָם חֵיל אֲשֶׁר Nah 3:8; of Zion Psa 122:7, also Psa 48:14 (חילה = חֵילָהּ, compare above; both || ארמנותיך). — For חֵל 1Ki 21:23 read probably חֵלֶק, q. v.
2 fortress הַזֶּה הַחֵל גָּלֻת Obadiah 20 the exiles of this fortress (Hi-St; Or, AV RV this army, חֵל = חַיִל).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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