מָחֲלַ֣ת
𐤌𐤇𐤋𐤕
Machalat
Mahalath
A proper noun used as a personal name for two women in the Hebrew Bible, and as a possible musical or liturgical term in the psalms. The primary lexical meaning is a personal name, 'Machalath,' most likely derived from a root meaning 'sickness' or 'to be weak,' though as a personal name the link to the root is often secondary or non-literal. In later contexts, the term may function as a musical or liturgical instruction in Psalm superscriptions, but the precise meaning in those heading contexts is debated.
Genesis 28:9 · Word #7
Lexicon H4258
| Lemma | מַחֲלַת |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤇𐤋𐤕 |
| Transliteration | Machalat |
| Strong's | H4258 |
| Definition | A proper noun used as a personal name for two women in the Hebrew Bible, and as a possible musical or liturgical term in the psalms. The primary lexical meaning is a personal name, 'Machalath,' most likely derived from a root meaning 'sickness' or 'to be weak,' though as a personal name the link to the root is often secondary or non-literal. In later contexts, the term may function as a musical or liturgical instruction in Psalm superscriptions, but the precise meaning in those heading contexts is debated. |
Morphology HNp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | p — Proper Name — Proper name |
Common Translation
| Phrase | Mahalath |
SIBI-P1 Translation H4258-01
Machalath
| Morphological Notes | Feminine singular proper noun (personal name), absolute form. |
| Rendering Rationale | The form is a feminine singular proper name derived from the root חלה (“to be weak, to be sick”). As a personal name, the root meaning is historically embedded but functions primarily as a name, so it is rendered by transliteration while retaining its root association. |
View full lexicon entry for H4258 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
Machalat
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Proper noun transliterated from Hebrew. P1 meaning: Machalath |
AI-generated (generate_p2_names)