חֶלְיָה
𐤇𐤋𐤉𐤄
chelyâh
H2484 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Ornamental object worn for decoration, typically referring to a piece of jewelry—specifically a pendant, charm, or decorative item worn around the neck or on the body. Denotes an item of personal adornment rather than a functional object, and the term is used exclusively for such decorative purposes.
Semantic Range
ornament, piece of jewelry, pendant, charm, trinket, necklace decoration
Root / Etymology
From the root חלה (ḥ-l-h), which in its core sense relates to being smooth, sick, or weak; however, in the noun form חֶלְיָה, the connection likely refers to smoothness or pleasantness as attributed to elegant jewelry. The noun is a feminine form, likely deriving from חֲלִי (cheli), which also denotes jewelry or ornament.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חֶלְיָה appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, with its distribution limited to contexts describing female adornment, such as in Isaiah 3:18. The word reflects social practices of personal ornamentation among Israelite and neighboring societies in antiquity. In these texts, jewelry was not only decorative but could also denote status, wealth, and identity. The translation 'jewel' in some English Bibles captures the general sense but may obscure the reference to specific types of ornaments or charms. The semantic field of חֶלְיָה does not overlap with terms for valuable stones (e.g., אֶבֶן 'stone', פָּנִים 'face, surface', later broadened to refer to precious stones), but aligns instead with words for crafted adornments (חֲלִי, תַּעְגִּיל, נֶזֶם). Usage does not distinctly change across biblical periods but may carry different social connotations depending on the historical context (e.g., statements of affluence or warnings against pride in prophetic literature). English translations using 'jewel' or 'ornament' may underrepresent the specific forms intended in the original cultural setting.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of חֲלִי; a trinket; jewel.
Bantu Hebrew
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חלה (ḥ-l-h) — to be smooth, to be weak, to be sick; (derived noun) adornment
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2342 | חוּל | sickness |
| H2470 | חָלָה | in their becoming weak |
| H2481 | חֲלִי | delicate ornaments |
| H2482 | חֲלִי | and Hali |
| H2483 | חֳלִי | in sicknesses |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2484-01 |
וְ/חֶלְיָתָ֔/הּ | vecheleyatah | HC/Ncfsc/Sp3fs |
and-her-jewelry | and her ornament | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2484-01 |
Hosea 2:15 | וְ/חֶלְיָתָ֔/הּ | vecheleyatah | HC/Ncfsc/Sp3fs |
and-her-jewelry | and her ornament |