חָלַק
châlaq · H2505 · Hebrew · 65 occurrences
Meanings
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to divide
Causative action by which humans or deities divide an object (or range of objects) into portions; usually with the intention to use one or more of these portions for a particular purpose
ExamplesJob 38:24 “Where is the way that the light is divided, And the east wind scattered on the earth?
Ezekiel 5:1 “As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword; take and use it as a barber’s razor on your head and beard. Then take scales for weighing and divide the hair.
1 Kings 18:6 So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
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to become divided
Process by which a group becomes divided into smaller groups because of difference in opinion
Examples1 Kings 16:21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; the other half followed Omri.
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to divide, to organize
Causative action by which humans divide a group of people into smaller groups, usually with the intention of assigning a certain duty to some or each of these groups
ExamplesGenesis 14:15 Then he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
1 Chronicles 23:6 David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Genesis 49:7 “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will scatter them in Jacob, And disperse them among Israel.
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to receive a share
Process by which humans receive a portion of an object (or range of objects) that has been divided
ExamplesJoshua 18:2 But there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance.
Joshua 22:8 and said to them, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very many livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; divide the spoils of your enemies with your brothers.”
1 Samuel 30:24 “And who will listen to you in this matter? For as is the share of the one who goes down into the battle, so shall be the share of the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.”
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to allot, to distribute, to apportion
Causative action by which humans divide an object (or range of objects) into portions and share them out among each other
ExamplesGenesis 49:27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoils.”
Joshua 13:7 “Now therefore, apportion this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
Joshua 18:10 Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD, and there Joshua divided the land for the sons of Israel according to their divisions.
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to assign, to allot, to give
Causative action by which a deity assigns other deities to a particular person or group to associate with
ExamplesDeuteronomy 4:19 “And be careful not to raise your eyes to heaven and look at the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the heavenly lights, and allow yourself to be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
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to allot, to give
Causative action by which deities cause events to undergo a particular state or event
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to make smooth
To cause an object to have a relatively even and regular surface, free from perceptible projections or lumps or indentations
ExamplesIsaiah 41:7 So the craftsman encourages the smelter, And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil, Saying of the soldering, “It is good”; And he fastens it with nails, So that it will not totter.
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to be deceitful
Literally: to be smooth; hence: state in which an event appears to be well-intentioned, though actually being insincere
ExamplesPsalm 55:21 His speech was smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.
Hosea 10:2 Their heart is deceitful; Now they must suffer for their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars And destroy their memorial stones.
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to cause to flatter, to make deceitful
Literally: to make smooth; hence: causative action by which humans cause events to appear well-intentioned, though actually being insincere
ExamplesPsalm 5:9 For there is nothing trustworthy in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue.
Psalm 36:2 For it flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
Proverbs 2:16 To rescue you from the strange woman, From the foreign woman who flatters with her words,
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
64 occurrences in 31 groups
- Not stated: he, she or it 13
- Not stated: they 11
- Not stated: I 5
- Not stated (infinitive) 4
- דָּוִדDavid 3
- Not stated: you (one person) 3
- Other words · 24 groups that occur once or twice (26) 26
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
43 occurrences in 18 groups
- הֶםthem 9
- שָׁלָלspoil, plunder, booty 8
- אֶרֶץland, earth, ground 7
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (24) 24
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
37 occurrences in 43 groups
- לto/for+ הֶםthem 4
- לto/for+ אִישׁman, person, each 3
- Other words · 41 groups that occur once or twice (45) 45
With adverbsAdverbs
7 occurrences in 4 groups
- לֹאnot 3
- אָזat that time 2
- יַחַדtogether 1
- שָׁםthere 1
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- פַּטִּישׁhammer 1
What it doesIt is the subject
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- שָׂנֵאto hate 1
What it is said to bePredicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- הֶםthem 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
4 occurrences in 3 groups
- מִןfrom 3
- בin/on/with 1
- לto/for 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 1 word
- פָּרַד pârad · H6504 · to be detached, to be disjointed, to be spread out
- חָלַק (châlaq, H2505) has a broader range, including distribution, flattery and smoothness, while פָּרַד (pârad, H6504) is more focused on physical scattering or parting; they overlap in the core sense of dividing and separating.
In the other Testament 2 words
- διαμερίζω diamerízō · G1266 · to distribute, to give to each in turn, distribution
- Greek διαμερίζω specifically denotes thorough partitioning or distribution (the δια- prefix intensifies the base μερίζω 'divide'), matching Hebrew חָלַק's core sense of dividing/distributing portions; both terms center on apportioning into shares rather than mere spatial separation.
- διαιρέω diairéō · G1244 · to divide, to distribute, division
- Greek διαιρέω specifically denotes the act of dividing or distributing into separate parts, corresponding to the distributional and separative senses of Hebrew חָלַק ('divide, distribute, separate'), though the Hebrew root carries additional semantic extensions (flattery, smoothness) that διαιρέω does not encompass.
Semantic domains 7 entries
- Non-Whole002003001021
- The verb describes dividing a whole into parts, as Abram "divided" his forces by night to pursue the kings who had captured Lot (Genesis 14:15).
- Dissociate002003002009
- The verb describes separating or scattering a group, as Jacob's blessing pronounces that Simeon and Levi will be "scattered" and dispersed within Israel (Genesis 49:7).
- Possess002003002019
- The verb describes apportioning goods or spoil, as Benjamin "divides the spoils" like a ravenous wolf (Genesis 49:27).
- Associate002003002002
- The verb's "partner, have part with" sense describes joining with others in a shared portion or undertaking.
- Engage002003003011
- The verb describes taking an active part or share in something, engaging with a portion allotted to oneself.
- Shape002001001052
- In a distinct sense the verb describes being smooth, a physical surface quality rather than an act of dividing.
- False002001003007
- The same "smooth" sense extends to smooth, flattering speech, deceptive words that are pleasing but insincere.
Word family 12 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2505. chalaq I. חָלַק verb divide, share (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic חֲלַק field,…
I. חָלַק verb divide, share (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic חֲלַק field, חוּלְּקָא portion, divide, determine, decree; Arabic measure, measure off; Assyrian e‡lu, possession, field, JägerBAS ii. 296; Ethiopic : 1. 2, is enumerate, enumeration, number) —
Qal Perfect ׳ה Deu 4:19 Deu 4:5t.; חָֽלְקוּ Jos 18:2; Imperfect יַחֲלֹק Job 27:17; Pro 17:2; Pro 17:2masculine singular suffix וַתַּחְלְקֵם Neh 9:22; Neh 9:3plural וַיַּחְלְקוּ Jos 14:5; יַחֲלֹ֑קוּ 1Sa 30:24; וַיַּחְלְקוּם 1Ch 24:4-5, תַּחְלְקוּ 2Sa 19:30; Imperative חִלְקוּ Jos 22:8; Infinitive לַחֲלֹק Neh 13:13; Participle חוֺלֵק Pro 29:24; —
1 divide, apportion, followed by accusative (of gods) and לְ person Deu 4:19; Deu 29:25; accusative not expressed Neh 13:13 (reference to offerings and tithes); with accusative (of land) Jos 14:5 (P), Jos 18:2 (JE), 2Sa 19:30: object people Neh 9:22; ׳ח עִם divide with others Jos 22:8 (D ?).
2 assign, distribute : Levites over (על) temple 2Ch 23:18, compare 1Ch 24:4-5,.
3 assign, impart, followed by בִּינָה & לְ Job 39:17.
4 share (in), followed by accusative silver Job 27:17; inheritance Pro 17:2; spoil 1Sa 30:24 (object omitted); followed by עם have shares with ׳ח גַּנָּב עם Pro 29:24.
5 divide up = plunder the temple, followed by accusative 2Ch 28:21 (see Be).
Niph`al Imperfect יֵחָלֵק Num 26:55; 1Ki 16:21; יֵחָ֫לֶק Job 38:24; וַיֵּחָלֵק Gen 14:15; Gen 14:3feminine singular תֵּחָלֵק Num 26:53, Num 26:56; וֶַיּחָלְקֵם (Baer) 1Ch 23:6; 1Ch 24:3 compare Be & below below
Pi`el; —
1 reflexive, divide oneself Gen 14:15 (i.e. one's men).
2 passive be divided:
a. apportioned, the land Num 26:53, Num 26:55 (by lot) Num 26:56 (id.); all P.
b. of people, divided into two factions 1Ki 16:21.
c. of light, parted, spread abroad Job 38:24.
3 transitive assign, distribute 1Ch 23:6; 1Ch 24:3, but transitive Niph`al is unlikely, see below
Pi`el Perfect3plural חִלְּקוּ Joel 1Ch 4:2; וְחִלַּקְתֶּם consecutive Eze 47:21; suffix חִלְּקָם Lam 4:16; Lam 4:3feminine singular suffix חִלְּקַ֫תָּה Isa 34:17; Isa 34:2masculine singular suffix וְחִלַּקְתָּם Eze 5:1; — Imperfect יְחַלֵּק Gen 49:27 Gen 49:4t., etc.; probably read יְחַלְּקֵם 1Ch 23:6; 1Ch 24:3 (see above
Niph`al), etc.; Imperative חַלֵּק Jos 13:7; Infinitive חַלֵּק Jos 19:51; Pro 16:19; suffix חַלְּקָם Isa 9:2; —
1 divide, apportion: food, at festival 2Sa 6:19, followed by accusative & לְ = 1Ch 16:3, garments Psa 22:19, sorrows Job 21:17 (no לְ); give a portion to, followed by לְ (no accusative expressed) Isa 53:12; a land Joel 4:2(no indirect object) Jos 19:51 (P), also Mic 2:4; Psa 60:8 = Psa 108:8, Dan 11:39; followed by accusative & לְ Jos 13:7; Jos 18:10; 1Ki 18:6; Isa 34:17; Eze 47:21; divide hair (symbolic) Eze 5:1; divide spoil (שָׁלָל) Isa 9:2; Pro 16:19; Gen 49:27 (poem), Exo 15:9 (song); Jdg 5:30; Psa 68:13; Isa 53:12.
2 assign, distribute: Levites to their service, probably 1Ch 23:6; 1Ch 24:3 (see above)
3 scatter, followed by accusative Gen 49:7 (poem) (|| הפיץ), Lam 4:16.
Pu`al Perfect חֻלַּק Isa 33:23; וְחֻלַּק consecutive Zec 14:1; Imperfect3feminine singular תְּחֻלָּ֑ק Amo 7:17; be divided, of land Amo 7:17; spoil Isa 33:23; Zec 14:1.
Hithpa`el Perfect וְהִתְחַלְּקוּ consecutive Jos 18:5 divide (land) among themselves.
Hiph`il Infinitive לַחֲלִק Jer 37:12; to receive a portion (denominative from חֵלֶק), but dubious
II. חָלַק verb be smooth, slippery (Late Hebrew adjective חָלָק smooth, empty, Arabic make smooth, lie, forge, fabricate) —
Qal Perfect ׳ח Hos 10:2-3;masculine plural חָֽלְקוּ Psa 55:22; — smooth, slippery, only figurative: Hos 10:2 of heart of faithless Israel (so Ew Ke Wü Now RVm), We FALSE; >Vrss (not ᵐ5) Hi St who read חֻלַּק, divided is their heart; ᵐ5 ἐμέρισαν; of words, smooth Psa 55:22 i.e. deceptive (|| מִשֶּׁמֶן דְבָרָיו רַכּוּ).
Hiph`il Perfect הֶחֱלִיק Psa 36:3, הֶחֱלִיקָה Pro 2:16; Pro 7:5; Imperfect יַחֲלִיקוּן Psa 5:10; Participle מַחֲלִיק Pro 28:23 Pro 28:2t.; make smooth:
1 literally of idol-maker Isa 41:7 with accusative instrument מַּטִּישׁ hammer.
2 figurative the tongue, i.e. flatter with it Psa 5:10; Pro 28:23, words Pro 2:16; Pro 7:5 הֶחֱלִיקָה אֲמָרֶיהָ; absolute deal smoothly, followed by אֶלֿ Psa 36:3, עַל Pro 29:5.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 7 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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