חָבַ֣לְנוּ
𐤇𐤁𐤋𐤍𐤅
châbal
we have acted corruptly
To bind, pledge, take a security or guarantee, often in a contractual or legal setting; to act as a guarantor or to give security for a debt. By extension, to exact a pledge or forcibly require a guarantee, particularly from someone in hardship. In poetic and metaphorical contexts, to act violently, corruptly, or destructively, or to inflict writhing pain or anguish (e.g., as in childbirth). The term is frequently used in legal, economic, and social contexts regarding surety, collateral, and the coercive taking of pledges, as well as metaphoric usage signifying destruction or suffering.
Nehemiah 1:7 · Word #2
Lexicon H2254
| Lemma | חָבַל |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤇𐤁𐤋 |
| Transliteration | châbal |
| Strong's | H2254 |
| Definition | To bind, pledge, take a security or guarantee, often in a contractual or legal setting; to act as a guarantor or to give security for a debt. By extension, to exact a pledge or forcibly require a guarantee, particularly from someone in hardship. In poetic and metaphorical contexts, to act violently, corruptly, or destructively, or to inflict writhing pain or anguish (e.g., as in childbirth). The term is frequently used in legal, economic, and social contexts regarding surety, collateral, and the coercive taking of pledges, as well as metaphoric usage signifying destruction or suffering. |
Morphology HVqp1cp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | q — Qal — Simple active |
| Conjugation | p — Perfect — Completed action |
| Person | 1 — 1st person — First person ("I" / "we") |
| Gender | c — Common — Common (both genders) |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
Common Translation
| Phrase | we have acted corruptly |
SIBI-P1 Translation H2254-02
we have ruined
| Morphological Notes | Qal stem, perfect (suffix conjugation), 1st person common plural — completed active action by "we." |
| Rendering Rationale | The Qal perfect 1st person plural form expresses a completed active action by "we." "We have ruined" reflects the root’s extended sense of acting destructively or corruptly, preserving the active voice and completed aspect without importing verse-specific nuance. |
View full lexicon entry for H2254 →
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