חַלְחוּל
𐤇𐤋𐤇𐤅𐤋
Chalechul
H2478 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Halhul: a town in the hill country north of Hebron in the territory allocated to the tribe of Judah. The term designates a specific geographic location, not a generic term. In biblical contexts, it uniformly refers to this locale.
Semantic Range
Halhul (a geographic location); by extension, reference to the specific town in the hill country of Judah, north of Hebron
Root / Etymology
From the root חוּל (to whirl, writhe, twist), through reduplication to express intensification or a particular nuance in toponymy. The connection between the root meaning and the place-name is obscure, as is often the case with ancient place-names; it may derive from a physical or local characteristic, but this cannot be established with certainty.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Halhul appears in Joshua 15:58 as a town within the hill country given to the Judahites. In later periods (Second Temple and post-biblical), Halhul continued to be recognized as a settlement north of Hebron, maintaining the same name. The precise reason for the naming is not preserved; many biblical place-names are based on features, local events, or even onomastic traditions now lost. The English 'Halhul' directly transliterates the Hebrew and retains the geographically specific reference. In post-biblical literature and later geographic identifications, Halhul retained its identity as a geographic location; it is not associated with a broader semantic range beyond toponymy. Modern Palestinian town Halhul retains the ancient name, emphasizing continuity with the biblical reference.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
by reduplication from חוּל; contorted; Chalchul, a place in Palestine; Halhul.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
חול (Chavilah) — to whirl, twist, circle
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2341 | חֲוִילָה | Whirling Region |
| H2343 | חוּל | and Whirl |
| H2344 | חוֹל | in whirling sand |
| H2426 | חֵיל | encircling rampart |
| H2427 | חִיל | writhing throe |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2478-01 |
חַלְח֥וּל | chalechul | HNp |
Halhul | Halhul | Chalechul | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2478-01 |
Joshua 15:58 | חַלְח֥וּל | chalechul | HNp |
Halhul | Halhul | Chalechul |