Word

קוֹל

qôwl · H6963 · Hebrew · 506 occurrences

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Meanings

sound, noise, cry, voice

Something that can be heard; produced by humans, deities, animals, motion, musical instruments, or rain

Examples
Genesis 3:8 Now they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
Genesis 4:10 Then He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground.
thunder

Literally: voices; hence: loud rumbling and crashing noises from heaven accompanying flashes of lightning; regarded as God's voice

Examples
Exodus 9:23 So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
Exodus 9:28 “Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
Exodus 9:29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’S.
in unison

Literally: one voice; hence: action by which a group of people do things in one accord

Examples
Exodus 24:3 Then Moses came and reported to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!”
2 Chronicles 5:13 in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they raised their voices accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments, and when they praised the LORD saying, “He indeed is good for His kindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,
meaning

Literally: voice (of a sign); hence: something that is communicated by a certain event

Examples
Exodus 4:8 “So if they will not believe you nor pay attention to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the last sign.
to raise one's voice, shout or do something loudly

Literally to lift up or give one's voice, the action by which humans raise their voice either to shout or to speak

Examples
Genesis 21:16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “May I not see the boy die!” And she sat opposite him, and raised her voice and wept.
2 Samuel 22:14 “The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.
Genesis 39:15 “When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.”
words

Literally: voice; hence: action by which humans or deities utter words

Examples
Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; With hard labor you shall eat from it All the days of your life.
Genesis 4:23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Pay attention to my words, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me!
Genesis 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please have relations with my slave woman; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
report, news, proclamation

Literally: voice; hence: process by which information is passed on within a community

Examples
Genesis 45:16 Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants.
Exodus 36:6 So Moses issued a command, and circulated a proclamation throughout the camp, saying, “No man or woman is to perform work any longer for the contributions of the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more.
Leviticus 5:1 ‘Now if a person sins after he hears a public order to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his punishment.
to speak kindly or charmingly

Literally to make one's voice kind, the action by which humans speak in a kind and gracious way to win a favorable attitude from others

Examples
Proverbs 26:25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, Because there are seven abominations in his heart.
Literally: to cause (someone's) voice to go; hence: causative action by which a bird passes on someone's words to another person (to carry (someone's) voice)

Examples
Ecclesiastes 10:20 Furthermore, in your bedroom do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.

How it’s used In 10 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

415 occurrences in 133 groups

יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 49
יmy 48
הוּhis 41
הֶםtheir 27
שׁוֹפָרtrumpet 20
ךָyour 14
Other words · 105 groups that occur once or twice (125) 125

Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles

30 occurrences in 6 groups

גָּדוֹלgreat, large 23
אֶחָדone 2
שָׁמַעto hear, to listen, to obey 2
זֶהthis 1
אָמַרto say 1
רוּםto be high, to raise, to lift up 1

Named alongside itApposition

6 occurrences in 4 groups

קוֹלvoice, sound 4
בְּכִיweeping 1
צָרָהtrouble, distress 1
תַּחֲנוּןbegging for mercy 1

What it doesIt is the subject

54 occurrences in 24 groups

שָׁמַעto hear, to listen, to obey 18
הָיָהto be, to become 6
דָבַרto speak, to say 3
הָמָהto moan 3
חָדַלto cease, to stop 3
Other words · 19 groups that occur once or twice (21) 21

What is done to itIt is the object

151 occurrences in 14 groups

שָׁמַעto hear, to listen, to obey 71
נָתַןto give, to put, to set 24
נָשָׂאto lift up, to carry, to bear 17
רוּםto be high, to raise, to lift up 11
שָׁבַתto cease, to rest, to put an end 8
עָבַרto pass 6
Other words · 5 groups that occur once or twice (6) 6

Second object ofSecond object

3 occurrences in 1 groups

שָׁמַעto hear, to listen, to obey 3

What it is said to bePredicate

35 occurrences in 22 groups

אַיִןthere is no, not 6
מָהwhat?, why? 4
קוֹלvoice, sound 3
אֶרֶץland, earth, ground 3
Other words · 18 groups that occur once or twice (19) 19

What is said to be itIt is the predicate

7 occurrences in 4 groups

קוֹלvoice, sound 3
זֶהthis 2
הוּאhe, she, it 1
יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 1

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

206 occurrences in 7 groups

בin/on/with 265
לto/for 65
מִןfrom 38
כlike/as 12
זוּלָהexcept 2
אֵלto, toward 2

In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive

5 occurrences in 4 groups

חֲזִיזstorm-cloud 2
הוֹדglory 1
רֹגֶזturmoil 1
שָׁאוֹןroaring 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 7 words

צְוָחָה tsᵉvâchâh · H6682 · crying: The target lexeme is the broad, highly frequent word for ‘voice, sound, cry,’ while צְוָחָה is a more specialized term for crying. The two are near-synonyms, able to substitute for each other as ‘a cry’ in appropriate contexts.
זַעַק zaʻaq · H2201 · cry, outcry, shouting: זַעַק (zaʻaq, H2201) is the more focused term for crying out, while קוֹל (qôwl, H6963) is broader ("voice, sound, cry") but includes crying and shouting as part of its range; the overlap is partial, since קוֹל (qôwl, H6963) has a much wider range.
שַׁוְעָה shavʻâh · H7775 · cry for help: קוֹל (qôwl, H6963) is a broad, high-frequency term for "voice/sound/noise" with 506 occurrences and six semantic domains; שַׁוְעָה (shavʻâh, H7775) is a narrow, low-frequency (11×) noun specifically for "crying/shouting." The relationship is real but asymmetric: שַׁוְעָה (shavʻâh, H7775) is a specialized subset term, while קוֹל (qôwl, H6963)'s primary sense is much broader. Both genuinely denote audible vocal expressions and can overlap in contexts of shouting/crying out, making them legitimate near-synonyms within that narrow overlap.
רֵעַ rêaʻ · H7452 · shouting, loud crying, thunder: The target lexeme is a broad, general term for voice, sound, or noise, while רֵעַ is a rarer, more specialized term for loud noise or shouting. The two share genuine semantic space in the auditory or vocal domain and function as near-synonyms.
שָׁאוֹן shâʼôwn · H7588 · roaring, seething, noise: The target lexeme is the general term for voice, sound, or noise, while שָׁאֹוֹן denotes tumult, a rushing noise, or uproar. The two are near-synonyms within the vocabulary of sound.
תְּשֻׁאָה tᵉshuʼâh · H8663 · shouting, noise, commotion: The target lexeme is a broad, general term for sound or voice that encompasses shouting, while תְּשֻׁאָה is a more specialized term for clamorous noise or shouting. The two overlap semantically in the sense of shouting or loud noise, functioning as near-synonyms.
תְּרוּעָה tᵉrûwʻâh · H8643 · shout, cry, call: קוֹל is a broad term for sound, noise, cry and voice, while תְּרוּעָה is more specific, meaning loud noise, shout, alarm or joyful sound; they are distinct Hebrew words that can substitute for one another in contexts involving loud or celebratory sounds.

In the other Testament 2 words

φωνή phōnḗ · G5456 · sound, voice: Greek φωνή (‘a tone, articulate or otherwise; by implication an address, saying, or language’) renders Hebrew קוֹל across its full semantic range — voice, sound, noise, and proclamation — serving as the standard Septuagint translation equivalent.
קָל qâl · H7032 · sound, voice: Aramaic cognate reflex of Hebrew קוֹל, both denoting sound, voice, or audible utterance; semantically identical core sense across sister languages.

Semantic domains 6 entries

Sounds002004001009007: This is the very common word for sound or voice, directly illustrated by the sound of the LORD walking in the garden (Genesis 3:8) and Cain hearing the sound of the LORD's approach (Genesis 3:10).
Associate002003002002: This domain is not illustrated by the sampled citations, which show only the ordinary sound/voice sense of the word across its 506 occurrences.
Know002004002007: This domain is not illustrated by the sampled citations, which show only the ordinary sound/voice sense of the word across its 506 occurrences.
Shout002004001009005: This sense of crying out is illustrated by the voice of Abel's blood crying out from the ground (Genesis 4:10).
Speak002004001009008: The word is used of heeding a spoken voice, illustrated by Adam listening to "the voice of your wife" (Genesis 3:17) and Lamech's demand that his wives "listen to my voice" (Genesis 4:23).
Trivial002001003016: This domain is not illustrated by the sampled citations, which show only the ordinary sound/voice sense of the word across its 506 occurrences.

Word family 2 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

קוֹלqôwl · H6963קָל qâl · H7032 · sound, voice · 7×

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H6963. qol קוֺל (sometimes, with prefix and suffix, קֹל)506 noun masculineGen 39:14…

H6963. qol
קוֺל (sometimes, with prefix and suffix, קֹל)506
noun masculineGen 39:14 sound, voice; — absolute קוֺל Gen 4:10 + (הַקֹּל Gen 27:22; Gen 45:16); construct קוֺל Gen 3:8 + (וְקֹל Exo 19:16, לְקֹל Exo 4:8 (twice in verse)); suffix קוֺלִי 1Sa 26:17 +, קוֺלְךָ Jdg 18:25 +, etc. (קֹלִי Gen 22:18, קֹלֶ֑ךָ Exo 3:18, etc.); plural (usually of thunder) קֹלֹת Exo 9:23 Exo 9:4t., קוֺלֹת Exo 20:18 (Gi Exo 20:15), קֹלוֺת 1Sa 2:17 1Sa 2:5t.; —
1 sound: especially
a. of human voice Jos 6:10; 2Ki 7:10; in speech Gen 27:22 (twice in verse); 1Sa 1:13; 1Sa 24:17; 1Sa 26:17 (twice in verse); recognized (הִכִּיר) 1Sa 26:17; Jer 18:3; ק ׳יְפֵה Eze 33:32 pleasant of voice, compare Son 2:14 (twice in verse); Son 8:13; in singing Exo 32:18; 2Sa 19:36; Isa 52:8, calling Jdg 9:7, shouting Exo 32:17; 1Sa 4:6 (twice in verse); 1Ki 1:40; Ezr 3:13, rejoicing Jer 7:34 (4 t. in verse) = Jer 16:9; Jer 25:10; Jer 33:11, praise Psa 66:8; Psa 26:7; Joe 2:10, laughter Jer 30:19, weeping Gen 21:16; Jdg 2:4; 1Sa 11:4; Rth 1:9, Rth 1:14; Ezr 3:13, outcry Gen 39:15, Gen 39:18; 1Sa 4:14; Jer 8:19, distress, lament Jer 9:18; Eze 27:30; Zec 11:3; Psa 102:6, supplication Psa 28:2; Psa 28:6; Psa 31:23; Psa 86:6; adverb ׳ק אֶחָד with one voice Exo 24:3; 2Ch 5:13, ׳ק גָּדוֺל loud voice 2Sa 15:23 + (compare ׳בְּק ׳ג Gen 39:14; 1Sa 28:12 +), ׳ק רָם Deu 27:14; ק ׳נָשָׂא Gen 21:16 + (see נָשָׂא 1b (5)), ק ׳הֵרִים Gen 39:15 + (see דום Hiph`il); on ׳ק as independent noun, followed by subject + verb of calling Psa 3:5; Psa 27:7; Psa 142:2 see Ges§ 144m
b. of ׳י Gen 3:8, Gen 3:10; Isa 6:8; Exo 19:19; 1Ki 19:3; Mic 6:9; Eze 10:5 (compare also 2b) +; adverb ׳ק גָּדוֺל Deu 5:19; Eze 9:1; ׳ק דַקָּה דְּמָמָה 1Ki 19:12.
c. of seraph Isa 6:4.
d. of angel Dan 8:16 (׳ק אָדָם i.e. in human speech, compare Bev); ׳ק דְּבָרָיו Dan 10:6, Dan 10:9 (twice in verse).
e. of animals: bleating of sheep 1Sa 15:14, lowing of cattle 1Sa 15:14; Jer 9:9, neighing of horses Jer 8:16, roaring of lion Amo 3:4; Jer 2:15 +, hissing of serpent Jer 46:22 (in simile), singing of birds Nah 2:8; Zep 2:14; Psa 104:12; Son 2:12; Ecc 12:4.
f. exclamation, at beginning of clause, a sound of...! = hark! Gen 4:10; Isa 13:4; Isa 40:3; Isa 52:8; Jer 4:15; Jer 10:22; Jer 50:28; Son 2:8; Son 5:2 (Ges§ 146b).
2 sound:
a. of instrument, especially ׳ק (הַ)שֹּׁפָר Exo 9:16; Exo 20:18 (Gi Exo 20:15) Amo 2:2; 1Ki 1:41 +, וגו ׳חֲצֹצְרוֺת2Ch 5:13, כִּנּוֺר Eze 26:13, עוּנָב Job 21:12; of מַּעֲמֹנִים on high priest's robe Exo 28:35.
b. thunder-clap or peal (compare Dr 1Sa 12:17), י ׳קוֺל (or קוֺלוֺ) Amo 1:2; Isa 30:30-31, Jer 10:13 = Jer 51:16, Joe 2:11; Joel 4:16; Psa 18:14 = 2Sa 22:14; Psa 29:3; Psa 29:7; Psa 46:7; Job 37:4 (compare 1Sa 7:10; Psa 77:18; Psa 77:19; Psa 104:7), so especially plural absolute (see above) Exo 9:23, Exo 9:28, Exo 9:29, Exo 9:33, Exo 9:34; Exo 19:16; Exo 20:18 (Gi Exo 20:15), 1Sa 7:10; 1Sa 12:17-18, Job 28:26 = Job 38:25.
c. רַגְלֶיהָ קוֺל 1Ki 14:6 compare 2Ki 6:32, and (probably) Gen 3:8; also ׳ק (הַ)צְּעָדָה 2Sa 5:24 = 1Ch 14:15; of runners 2Ki 11:13; 2Ch 23:12.
d. stamping of hoofs Jer 47:3; Eze 26:10 ( +chariots, etc.), compare 1Ki 1:41.
e. of chariots Nah 3:2; Joe 2:5; wheels Eze 3:13; whip Nah 3:2.
f. of sea, and great waters Hab 3:10; Eze 1:24; Eze 43:2; Psa 93:3; Psa 93:4, compare Jer 50:42 (in simile); ׳ק צִנּוֺרֶיךָ Psa 42:8.
g. earthquake Eze 37:7.
h. a fall Jer 49:21; Eze 26:15; Eze 31:16.
i. of a multitude 1Sa 4:14; Isa 13:4; Eze 23:42.
j. din of war Exo 32:17; Jer 50:22, Jer 50:46; Jer 51:55; Lam 2:7.
k. of wings Eze 1:24; Eze 3:13; Eze 10:5.
l. flame Joe 2:5; crackling of thorns Ecc 7:6; rustling of leaves Lev 26:36.
m. millstones Jer 25:10; Ecc 12:4.
3 of articulate speech, thing said:
a. (1) often of human advice, command, entreaty Gen 3:17; Gen 4:23; Exo 3:18; Exo 4:1, Exo 4:9; Deu 1:45; Deu 21:18 (twice in verse); Deu 21:20; 1Sa 2:25; 1Sa 8:7, 1Sa 8:9; 2Sa 12:18; ׳ק דִּבְרֵיכֶם Deu 1:34; Deu 5:25; even of written words 2Ki 10:6; so also ׳ק הָאֹת Exo 4:8 (twice in verse) voice (teaching) of the sign. (2) of a report Gen 45:16; Ecc 10:20. (3) of a proclamation Exo 36:6 (P), 2Ch 24:9; 2Ch 30:5; 2Ch 36:22 = Ezr 1:1; Ezr 10:7; Neh 8:15. (4) ׳ק אָלָה Lev 5:1 utterance of adjuration.
b. often (especially Deuteronomy, Jeremiah) of words of ׳י Gen 22:18; Gen 26:5; Exo 5:2; Exo 15:26; Exo 19:5; Deu 8:20; Deu 9:23; Deu 13:15; Deuteronomy 13:19 +, Jdg 2:2, Jdg 2:20; Jdg 6:10; 1Sa 12:14-15, 1Sa 15:1, 1Sa 15:19, 1Sa 15:20, 1Sa 15:22; Jer 3:13, Jer 3:25; Jer 7:23 +; of י ׳מַלְאַךְ Exo 23:21-22,. — קֹל Jer 3:9 see below קלל.
קֹל noun [masculine] lightness, frivolity (so Vrss Ki Gie; Gf thinks = קָלוֺן; > = voice); — זְנוּנָהּ מִקֹּל Jer 3:9. — קֹל voice, see קוֺל.
קול (√ of following; Biblical Hebrew קוֺל קול,).

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

Topical studies with this word 6 entries

Trivial1 occurrence Associate2 occurrences Shout52 occurrences Sounds261 occurrences Speak176 occurrences Know3 occurrences

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