חָלָא
𐤇𐤋𐤀
châlâʼ
H2456 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be or become sick, to fall ill, to become afflicted with disease or physical weakness. The verb denotes the state or experience of physical debilitation, ranging from temporary illness to severe affliction, and sometimes (in poetry or metaphor) deep emotional distress.
Semantic Range
to be sick, to become diseased, to suffer from illness, to be physically afflicted, to be ritually unclean (due to illness), to be emotionally distressed (rare/poetic)
Root / Etymology
Root: חלא. The root conveys the sense of illness or disease. The verb חָלָא is related in form and meaning to חָלָה (chālah, 'to be sick, weak'), but is distinct in usage. It is derived directly from its root, which in various Semitic languages conveys the sense of sickness or disease. The exact relationship between חלא and חלה is debated—some see them as doublets, others as regional variants.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חָלָא is a rare verb in the Hebrew Bible, occurring primarily in later biblical texts (notably in Leviticus 13:44, 'he is a leprous man [literally: a sick person]'). While חָלָה is the more common term for 'to be sick' or 'to become weak,' חָלָא may emphasize the state or identity of being diseased, especially with a chronic or ritual impurity component (such as skin disease). In exilic and post-exilic contexts, the term sometimes moves toward a technical or ritual status associated with physical impurity, especially in priestly texts. English translations typically render both חָלָא and חָלָה equivalently as 'be sick,' but nuances of duration, severity, or ritual status may be overlooked in translation. The root parallels cognate forms in other Semitic languages, such as Aramaic and Arabic, with similar meanings centered on sickness or affliction.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root (compare חָלָה); to be sick; be diseased.
Bantu Hebrew
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חלא (ḥ-l-ʾ) — to be sick, to be diseased, to become weak
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2457 | חֶלְאָה | her sickness |
| H2458 | חֶלְאָה | Chelah |
| H8463 | תַּחֲלוּא | in bodily diseases |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2456-01 |
וַ/יֶּחֱלֶ֣א | vayechele | HC/Vqw3ms |
and he was sick | and he became sick | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2456-01 |
2 Chronicles 16:12 | וַ/יֶּחֱלֶ֣א | vayechele | HC/Vqw3ms |
and he was sick | and he became sick |