חֲבוּלָה
𐤇𐤁𐤅𐤋𐤄
chăbûwlâh
H2248 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
State of being wronged, harmed, or damaged, both in a physical or moral/legal sense; refers to injury, harm, wrong, or crime, particularly as a state or result inflicted upon a person or property. In legal and narrative contexts, conveys the outcome of harmful action, whether physical injury or wrongful deed.
Semantic Range
harm, injury, damage, wrong, crime (as the result of wrongdoing), act of hurt or offense, state of being harmed
Root / Etymology
From the root חבל (ḥ-b-l), which at its core means 'to bind, pledge, damage, destroy'. The noun form חֲבוּלָה derives from this root, signifying the result of an act of harm or destruction. In Aramaic, the form is found predominantly in later biblical books, mirroring similar development in related Semitic languages.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חֲבוּלָה (chăbûwlâh) appears in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible, particularly in Daniel (Dan 6:23[24], 6:25[25]), referring to the harm or injury suffered or avoided (e.g., 'no injury was found on him'). While the cognate root in Hebrew can denote 'to act corruptly, destroy, pledge,' the noun here focuses on the result—wrongdoing or harm. In Aramaic, it is not limited to physical injury, but may also imply moral or legal crime, thus overlapping sense of 'offense' or 'wrong'. English renderings such as 'hurt,' 'injury,' or 'crime' only partially capture the nuance, which in biblical Aramaic extends to the consequence of harmful act. Unlike Hebrew חַבָּל ('destroyer,' 'bondsman') or חֵבֶל ('cord,' 'region'), חֲבוּלָה emphasizes the outcome, whether physical or ethical, rather than the instrument or agent. The semantic range remains relatively stable in late biblical Aramaic and post-biblical usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) from חֲבַל; properly, overthrown, i.e. (morally) crime; hurt.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
חבל (ḥ-b-l) — to bind, pledge, damage, destroy
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2254 | חָבַל | he bound |
| H2255 | חֲבַל | they severely harmed me |
| H2256 | חֶבֶל | in her binding-cords |
| H2257 | חֲבַל | he harmed |
| H2258 | חֲבֹל | to take in pledge |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2248-01 |
חֲבוּלָ֖ה | chavulah | ANcfsa |
hurt | injury | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2248-01 |
Daniel 6:23 | חֲבוּלָ֖ה | chavulah | ANcfsa |
hurt | injury |