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חֶלְבָּה

𐤇𐤋𐤁𐤄

Chelebah

H2462 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חלב to be fat, rich, fertile

Definition

A proper noun designating a specific settlement or location within the territory allocated to the tribe of Asher. The lexical meaning focuses on geographical identification rather than inherent semantic content, though the form is grammatically feminine and derived from a root meaning 'fat' or 'richness,' potentially denoting fertility or richness of the land in a transferred sense. In biblical context, Chelbah primarily refers to a site listed among the northern towns.

Semantic Range

Chelbah (place name); (etymologically) fatness, richness, fertility

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root חלב (ḥ-l-b), meaning 'fat,' 'richness,' 'fertility.' The feminine noun formation here yields a toponym, Chelbah, possibly conveying a location associated symbolically or literally with richness or fertility. However, the exact identification of the site is lost to history.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Chelbah occurs in the context of tribal boundary lists (Judges 1:31), associated with the allotment of land to the tribe of Asher during the settlement period of Israelite history. The name's etymological connection to 'fat' or 'fertility' aligns with a biblical practice of naming places for perceived geographic or agricultural attributes, but the text does not detail why this particular site bore such a name. The historical location is uncertain and does not appear in post-biblical sources or later geographical references. The translation 'fertility' is an etymological inference rather than an attested quality; most modern English versions transliterate the term (Chelbah, Helbah) rather than translate. Contrarily, related roots like חֶלֶב (chelev) are used for 'fat' as substance, but as a place name, Chelbah functions referentially rather than descriptively. Later English translations sometimes render the location as 'Helbah,' but this does not affect the underlying meaning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of חֶלֶב; fertility; Chelbah, a place in Palestine; Helbah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חלב (ḥ-l-b) — fatness, richness, fertility

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2459 חֶלֶב in his fat-portion
H2460 חֵלֶב fat of
H2461 חָלָב in milk
H2463 חֶלְבּוֹן Richness-town Chelbon
H2464 חֶלְבְּנָה rich galbanum resin

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2462-01 חֶלְבָּ֔ה chelebah HNp Helbah Chelbah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2462-01 Judges 1:31 חֶלְבָּ֔ה chelebah HNp Helbah Chelbah
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