חֲלַח
𐤇𐤋𐤇
Chalach
H2477 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A geographic region associated in the Hebrew Bible with the exile of northern Israelites, particularly as a location to which Assyrian conquerors deported inhabitants of Samaria. Refers specifically to an area or district identified by the name Chalach, often in conjunction with other sites of exile.
Semantic Range
region associated with Assyrian exile, specific location to which Israelites were deported, name of a place in the Neo-Assyrian empire
Root / Etymology
The root is uncertain; likely of foreign (Non-Semitic, possibly Assyrian or Hurrian) origin. The term does not derive from a native Hebrew root and was probably adopted as a loanword to represent a specific geographic place-name known during the Neo-Assyrian period.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חֲלַח appears predominantly in exilic or historical lists referencing places to which Israelites (the northern kingdom, sometimes called 'Israelites of Samaria') were deported after the Assyrian conquest (see 2 Kings 17:6, 18:11, 1 Chronicles 5:26). Context suggests a location within the expanding reaches of the Neo-Assyrian empire, east or northeast of modern-day Aleppo and possibly within the region known as Guzana or modern Harran plain, though the precise identification remains debated. English translations typically render the name as 'Halah,' but this transliteration obscures its non-Hebrew provenance and specific historical context. The term appears only in reference to Assyrian-decreed exile and does not carry broader metaphorical or symbolic connotations within the Hebrew Bible. Unlike related place-names such as חָבוֹר (Habor) or גּוֹזָן (Gozan), חֲלַח is almost never referenced independently and thus is most useful for understanding the administrative and demographic strategies of the Assyrian Empire as recorded by biblical authors.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably of foreign origin; Chalach, a region of Assyria; Halah.
Bantu Hebrew
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חלח (ḥ-l-ḥ) — uncertain, foreign place-name, region, district
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2477-01 |
בַּ/חְלַ֧ח | bachelach | HR/Np |
in Halah | in Chalach | 2 |
H2477-02 |
לַ/חְלַ֨ח | lachelach | HR/Np |
to Halah | to Chalach | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2477-01 |
2 Kings 17:6 | בַּ/חְלַ֧ח | bachelach | HR/Np |
in Halah | in Chalach |
H2477-01 |
2 Kings 18:11 | בַּ/חְלַ֧ח | bachelach | HR/Np |
in Halah | in Chalach |
H2477-02 |
1 Chronicles 5:26 | לַ/חְלַ֨ח | lachelach | HR/Np |
to Halah | to Chalach |