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חֲיָא

𐤇𐤉𐤀

chăyâʼ

H2418 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חיה to live, be alive, preserve life

Definition

To live, to be alive; to experience or possess life. The term denotes the state of being alive as opposed to being dead, and can refer to both the physical act of living and the abstract principle of life or vitality. In extended senses, it can mean to keep alive, preserve, or sustain life, particularly with God or a ruler as the agent.

Semantic Range

to live, be alive, possess life, recover or regain life, keep alive, preserve alive, sustain life, experience vitality

Root / Etymology

A borrowing of the Hebrew root חיה (ḥ-y-h), which means 'to live' or 'be alive.' The Aramaic form חֲיָא employs the characteristic Aramaic ending and slight vocalic shift, retaining the basic root meaning but used in Aramaic sections of the biblical text.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חֲיָא occurs in the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, notably Daniel and Ezra, where it functions analogously to the Hebrew verb חָיָה. The Aramaic form is grammatically and stylistically appropriate for the Persian and later periods reflected in those texts. In narrative and official correspondence contexts, it can refer to the wellbeing and longevity of individuals—especially royalty—in formulaic expressions such as 'O king, live forever.' In most cases, English translations simply render it as 'to live' or with idioms like 'may you live long,' which captures its honorific nuance. Unlike the Hebrew root חיה, which appears across all periods of Israelite literature, the Aramaic form is restricted to Second Temple period Aramaic texts.

Translation Consistency

primary "live" 5 occurrences

'Live' is the most natural, common English rendering of חֲיָא and fits its core meaning 'to be alive.' It also comfortably covers the extended senses (possess life, recover/regain life, keep or sustain alive) when context or particles add nuance, while maintaining strict consistency across all forms.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"whom" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) or חֲיָה; (Aramaic), corresponding to חָיָה; to live; live, keep alive.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חיה (ḥ-y-h) — to live, be alive, preserve life

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2416 חַי in the lives
H2417 חַי the living one
H2421 חָיָה I will cause to live
H2422 חָיֶה living ones
H2423 חֵיוָא living creature

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2418-01 חֱיִ֔י cheyi AVqv2ms live Live! Live! 5
H2418-02 מַחֵ֔א mache AVqrmsa keeping alive living one and whom 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2418-01 Daniel 2:4 חֱיִ֔י cheyi AVqv2ms live Live! Live!
H2418-01 Daniel 3:9 חֱיִֽי cheyi AVqv2ms live Live! Live!
H2418-01 Daniel 5:10 חֱיִ֔י cheyi AVqv2ms live Live! Live!
H2418-02 Daniel 5:19 מַחֵ֔א mache AVqrmsa keeping alive living one and whom
H2418-01 Daniel 6:7 חֱיִֽי cheyi AVqv2ms live Live! Live!
H2418-01 Daniel 6:22 חֱיִֽי cheyi AVqv2ms live Live! Live!
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