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חָיַי

𐤇𐤉𐤉

châyay

H2425 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חיה to live, to be alive, to preserve life, to revive

Definition

To live, remain alive, experience or possess life; in the causative sense (rare), to preserve or restore life, to revive or bring life. Encompasses physical life, restoration from illness, survival through adversity, and sometimes indicates a manner of sustained or prosperous living. Can express to recover or return to vitality after a period of weakness.

Semantic Range

to live, remain alive, survive, preserve life, save life, revive, restore to life, recover, continue living

Root / Etymology

Root חיה (ḥ-y-h), meaning 'to live, be alive.' The root denotes the state or act of being alive in contrast to death, and is one of the most fundamental roots in Biblical Hebrew, forming the basis for various nominal and verbal forms pertaining to life and living beings. חָיַי (châyay) is a verb form derived directly from this root, closely related to חָיָה (ḥāyāh).

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָיַי is found relatively rarely in the Hebrew Bible as a distinct verb form, and is more commonly attested in longer forms (imperfect, infinitive constructs, participles) or derivative nouns such as חַי (living, alive) and חַיִּים (life). The usage typically denotes the experience or preservation of life or vitality, whether in the literal sense of remaining alive after life-threatening circumstances or in a more figurative sense such as reviving hopes or spirits. In exilic and post-exilic literature, fostering or restoring life can sometimes carry theological nuance, though the core sense remains non-theological and centered on the plain meaning of living, surviving, or reviving. English translations sometimes reduce semantic range to 'live' or 'recover,' but the verb can also denote a more nuanced experience of sustained life or restoration to well-being. The root also stands in contrast to מוּת (to die). The translation tradition (including KJV and others) often employs 'save life' or 'make alive' for the causative stem; note that this translation can obscure the original sense of to animate or restore vitality.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (compare חָיָה); to live; causatively to revive; live, save life.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2416 חַי in the lives
H2417 חַי the living one
H2418 חֲיָא Live!
H2421 חָיָה I will cause to live
H2422 חָיֶה living ones

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2425-02 וָ/חַ֥י vachay HC/Vqq3ms and live and he lived 16
H2425-01 חַ֔י chay HVqp3ms he lived living one 3
H2425-03 וָ/חָֽיָה vachayah HC/Vqq3fs then she shall live. and she lived 1

Occurrences in Scripture

20 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2425-02 Genesis 3:22 וָ/חַ֥י vachay HC/Vqq3ms and live and he lived
H2425-01 Genesis 5:5 חַ֔י chay HVqp3ms he lived living one
H2425-01 Genesis 25:7 חָ֑י chay HVqp3ms he lived living one
H2425-03 Exodus 1:16 וָ/חָֽיָה vachayah HC/Vqq3fs then she shall live. and she lived
H2425-02 Exodus 33:20 וָ/חָֽי vachay HC/Vqq3ms and live and he lived
H2425-02 Leviticus 18:5 וָ/חַ֣י vachay HC/Vqq3ms and live and he lived
H2425-02 Numbers 21:8 וָ/חָֽי vachay HC/Vqq3ms and live and he lived
H2425-02 Numbers 21:9 וָ/חָֽי vachay HC/Vqq3ms and lived and he lived
H2425-02 Deuteronomy 4:42 וָ/חָֽי vachay HC/Vqq3ms and live and he lived
H2425-02 Deuteronomy 5:24 וָ/חָֽי vachay HC/Vqq3ms and lives and he lived
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