יְחִיל֑וּ/ן

𐤉𐤇𐤉𐤋𐤅/𐤍

yechilun

they shall writhe

or חִיל; a primitive root; properly, to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), i.e. (specifically) to dance, to writhe in pain (especially of parturition) or fear; figuratively, to wait, to pervert; bear, (make to) bring forth, (make to) calve, dance, drive away, fall grievously (with pain), fear, form, great, grieve, (be) grievous, hope, look, make, be in pain, be much (sore) pained, rest, shake, shapen, (be) sorrow(-ful), stay, tarry, travail (with pain), tremble, trust, wait carefully (patiently), be wounded.

H2342

Isaiah 13:8 · Word #6

Lexicon H2342

Lemmaחוּל
Lemma (Paleo)𐤇𐤅𐤋
Transliterationchûwl
Strong'sH2342
In-contextthey shall writhe

Morphology HVqi3mp/Sn All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state
Binyan q — Qal — Simple active
Conjugation i — Imperfect — Incomplete or ongoing action
Person 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they")
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number p — Plural — Plural

SIBI-P1 H2342-40

they will writhe in anguish

Rootחול (ḥ-w-l)
Core Meaningswhirling, twisting, writhing, trembling, travailing, anxious waiting
Semantic Rangeto whirl, twist, writhe in pain, tremble in fear, travail in childbirth, be in anguish, wait anxiously, hope expectantly
Conceptual Significanceחוּל often depicts intense physical or emotional upheaval—whether the pangs of childbirth, the trembling of fear, or deep inner anguish. It vividly portrays human vulnerability before divine power, judgment, or deliverance, emphasizing the embodied experience of suffering and expectation in the biblical narrative.
Morphological NotesQal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with paragogic nun (HVqi3mp/Sn). The Qal stem expresses the simple or active sense of the root; the imperfect denotes incomplete or future action.
Rendering RationaleThe root חול conveys the idea of twisting or whirling, especially in the sense of writhing in pain or trembling with fear. In the Qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural, the form denotes a simple future action performed by “they,” hence “they will writhe,” preserving both the root’s physical imagery and the plural masculine subject.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root חול (whirling, twisting, writhing, trembling, travailing, anxious waiting)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H2344-01 bachol in the whirling sand
H4246-01 bamecholot in the whirling-dances
H4234-01 bemachol in a whirling dance

Word Usage (61 occurrences of H2342)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 8:10 וַ/יָּ֣חֶל vayachel and he waited
Deuteronomy 2:25 וְ/חָל֖וּ vechalu and be in anguish
Deuteronomy 32:18 מְחֹלְלֶֽ/ךָ mecholelekha who gave you birth