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חֲלוֹף

𐤇𐤋𐤅𐤐

chălôwph

H2475 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חלף to pass on, to change, to transition, to survive

Definition

A remnant or survivor, particularly one who remains alive after a disaster, calamity, or destruction. The term can further signify those who have undergone a critical transition, such as surviving a time of judgment or catastrophe. Sometimes used to refer collectively to survivors or to those left behind after a significant upheaval, especially in prophetic or poetic contexts.

Semantic Range

one who survives, survivor, remnant, collective group of survivors, those left behind after destruction or disaster, orphans (in context), those who pass through adversity

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root חָלַף (chelef), which means 'to pass on, pass away, change, or transition.' The noun חֲלוֹף denotes the state of having passed through or survived an event that others did not survive. The link between the verb ('to pass, to change') and the noun ('survivor, remnant') centers on transition or passage through adversity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Biblical usage, חֲלוֹף primarily appears in poetic and prophetic contexts to describe a group or individual who remains after widespread destruction or judgment, especially in passages dealing with disaster or divine punishment (e.g., Job 20:21). The sense of 'orphans' in some translations likely arises from the idea of children surviving their parents, though this is not the primary meaning and is context dependent; a more general connotation is that of 'those left behind.' The term is less frequent than more common words for 'remnant' (e.g., שְׁאֵרִית), and is distinct in emphasizing the aspect of having come through a change or upheaval rather than simply remaining numerically. In English translations, the nuance of personal survival or passage through crisis is sometimes overlooked in favor of broader terms like 'remnant' or 'survivor.' The English term 'destruction' as an idiomatic gloss captures the context that necessitates survivors but is not itself the meaning of חֲלוֹף.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָלַף; properly, surviving; by implication (collectively) orphans; [idiom] destruction.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חלף (ḥ-l-p̄) — to pass on, to change, to transition, to survive

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2487 חֲלִיפָה my change
H2498 חָלַף he passed
H2499 חֲלַף they will pass on
H2500 חֵלֶף in place of
H2501 חֶלֶף from Cheleph

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2475-01 חֲלֽוֹף chalof HNcmsa the passing away survivor 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2475-01 Proverbs 31:8 חֲלֽוֹף chalof HNcmsa the passing away survivor
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