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חָלָב

𐤇𐤋𐤁

châlâb

H2461 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חלב to be fat, to be rich, to be fertile

Definition

Milk, particularly the fresh, natural secretion of mammals, commonly from cows, goats, or sheep, used as a basic food substance. In extended contexts, can refer to dairy products (such as cheese) and is sometimes used metaphorically for abundance, richness, or fertility.

Semantic Range

milk (liquid dairy), fresh milk, basic food substance, source of nourishment, dairy products (occasionally cheese), metaphor for richness or fertility, poetic symbol of abundance

Root / Etymology

Root: חלב (ḥ-l-b). Derived from the root meaning 'to be fat, oily, rich,' highlighting the nutritive richness and essential qualities of milk. The word חָלָב specifically denotes the liquid milk itself, as distinct from related terms for fat (חֵלֶב) or solid dairy products.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, חָלָב most often denotes literal milk, whether consumed as a beverage or used in food preparation, and is also encountered in poetic or metaphorical passages signifying prosperity and the fertility of the land (e.g., 'a land flowing with milk and honey'). While the term can, by extension, refer to some dairy products (e.g., cheese, Isaiah 7:22), its primary use is for liquid milk. Distinction should be made between חָלָב (milk) and חֵלֶב (fat), which, though etymologically related, denote different products: one primarily a drink or culinary base, the other an animal product used for offerings or as a symbol of richness. In legal and ritual contexts (e.g., dietary laws in Exodus 23:19, Deuteronomy 14:21), the word חָלָב often functions in the prohibition of 'cooking a kid in its mother's milk,' indicating both the literal substance and the concern for boundaries in Israelite dietary practices. In later texts and translation tradition, especially post-biblical literature, חָלָב becomes central to discussions of dietary separation ('milk and meat'). English translations consistently render this word as 'milk,' but may not reflect its metaphorical or extended usages. The word appears throughout all major periods of biblical Hebrew with relatively stable meaning, but its cultural and ritual implications expand in exilic and post-exilic interpretation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from the same as חֶלֶב; milk (as the richness of kine); [phrase] cheese, milk, sucking.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חלב (ḥ-l-b) — to be fat, to be rich, to be fertile

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2459 חֶלֶב in his fat-portion
H2460 חֵלֶב fat of
H2462 חֶלְבָּה Chelbah
H2463 חֶלְבּוֹן Richness-town Chelbon
H2464 חֶלְבְּנָה rich galbanum resin

Word Forms

11 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2461-03 חָלָ֖ב chalav HNcmsa with milk milk 26
H2461-11 וְ/חָלָ֗ב vechalav HC/Ncmsa and milk and milk 3
H2461-09 מֵ/חָלָֽב mechalav HR/Ncmsa than milk from milk 3
H2461-01 בַּ/חֲלֵ֥ב bachalev HR/Ncmsc in the milk in milk 3
H2461-07 הֶ/חָלָ֛ב hechalav HTd/Ncmsa of milk the milk 2
H2461-06 חֲלֵ֣ב chalev HNcmsc milk milk of 2
H2461-04 חֲלָבֵֽ/ךְ chalavekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs your milk your milk 1
H2461-02 בֶּֽ/חָלָ֔ב bechalav HRd/Ncmsa in milk in milk 1
H2461-10 וַ/חֲלֵ֣ב vachalev HC/Ncmsc and milk milk of 1
H2461-05 חֲלָבִ֑/י chalavi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my milk my milk 1

Occurrences in Scripture

44 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2461-11 Genesis 18:8 וְ/חָלָ֗ב vechalav HC/Ncmsa and milk and milk
H2461-09 Genesis 49:12 מֵ/חָלָֽב mechalav HR/Ncmsa than milk from milk
H2461-03 Exodus 3:8 חָלָ֖ב chalav HNcmsa milk milk
H2461-03 Exodus 3:17 חָלָ֖ב chalav HNcmsa milk milk
H2461-03 Exodus 13:5 חָלָ֖ב chalav HNcmsa with milk milk
H2461-01 Exodus 23:19 בַּ/חֲלֵ֥ב bachalev HR/Ncmsc in the milk in milk
H2461-03 Exodus 33:3 חָלָ֖ב chalav HNcmsa with milk milk
H2461-01 Exodus 34:26 בַּ/חֲלֵ֥ב bachalev HR/Ncmsc in the milk in milk
H2461-03 Leviticus 20:24 חָלָ֖ב chalav HNcmsa milk milk
H2461-03 Numbers 13:27 חָלָ֥ב chalav HNcmsa with milk milk
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