כּוּל
𐤊𐤅𐤋
kûwl
H3557 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To contain, hold, or endure; to provide or sustain, especially in the sense of maintaining provisions or support; also, to be able to grasp intellectually or to bear emotionally or physically. The verb denotes the act of holding together an object, person, or situation, enabling it to persist, continue, or be maintained over time. In some contexts, it points to the capacity to withstand difficulty, support another, or maintain necessary provisions for survival.
Semantic Range
to contain or hold physically, to sustain or provide for, to endure or bear (emotionally or physically), to maintain or support, to be able to grasp or comprehend, to provide (especially with food or sustenance), to be capable of
Root / Etymology
Root כּ־ו־ל (כול), linked to the idea of containing or encompassing. The root meaning is 'to contain, hold, retain.' The verb כּוּל directly derives from this root, building on the notion of containment and capability, extending semantically to facilitating endurance, provision, and support.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, כּוּל is used in both literal and figurative senses. Literally, it can mean to hold or contain something physically (e.g., vessels, people, or territory). Figuratively, the term expands to enduring or bearing emotional or spiritual burdens (e.g., Job 31:23) and sustaining or providing for needs (e.g., Genesis 45:11, where Joseph sustains his family). In poetic and wisdom contexts, the verb sometimes overlaps with the sense of providing wisdom or sustenance metaphorically. The term is not limited to physical nourishment; it encompasses any form of sustaining or maintaining—whether material, emotional, or existential. It is distinct from verbs like פרנס (to provide for, a late Hebrew term), as כּוּל is broader in its semantic scope in Biblical usage. The English translations sometimes narrow its sense to 'feed' or 'sustain,' but the biblical lexicon retains wider applications. כּוּל is relatively infrequent and occurs in a mix of prose and poetic texts, with important occurrences in Genesis (sustaining family in famine) and Psalms (God's providence and endurance). Its sense of comprehending or enduring is context-dependent and sometimes only clear from parallelisms or surrounding clauses. In later Hebrew, the root evolves semantically, giving rise to related nouns (e.g., כְּלִי, vessel, as a container) and continuing the theme of holding or enabling capacity.
Translation Consistency
Most common and natural English rendering across occurrences and senses. "Sustain" covers providing/supporting (provisioning), holding/enduring, and maintaining over time—so it cleanly maps the primary semantic range (contain/hold, provide, endure, maintain) while remaining natural and consistent for all forms of H3557.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to keep in; hence, to measure; figuratively, to maintain (in various senses); (be able to, can) abide, bear, comprehend, contain, feed, forbearing, guide, hold(-ing in), nourish(-er), be present, make provision, receive, sustain, provide sustenance (victuals).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
כול (k-w-l) — contain, hold, sustain, endure
Word Forms
26 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3557-20 |
יָכִֽיל | yakhil | HVhi3ms |
held | he will sustain | held | 3 |
H3557-22 |
יְכַלְכֵּ֔ל | yekhalekel | HVli3ms |
he will maintain | he will sustain | he will sustain | 3 |
H3557-06 |
לְ/הָכִֽיל | lehakhil | HR/Vhc |
to contain | to sustain | to sustain | 3 |
H3557-17 |
וְ/כִלְכַּלְתִּ֤י | vekhilekaleti | HC/Vlq1cs |
and I will sustain | and I sustained | and I sustained | 2 |
H3557-19 |
וְ/כִלְכְּל֥וּ | vekhilekelu | HC/Vlp3cp |
and-supplied | and they thoroughly sustained | and they thoroughly sustained | 2 |
H3557-21 |
יָכִ֖לוּ | yakhilu | HVhi3mp |
can endure | they will sustain | are able to endure | 2 |
H3557-25 |
יְכַלְכְּל֔וּ/ךָ | yekhalekelukha | HVli3mp/Sp2ms |
contain you | they will sustain you | they can contain you | 2 |
H3557-08 |
לְ/כַלְכֶּלְ/ךָ֖ | lekhalekelekha | HR/Vlc/Sp2ms |
to feed you | to sustain you | to sustain you | 2 |
H3557-14 |
וַֽ/יְכַלְכְּלֵ֔/ם | vayekhalekelem | HC/Vlw3ms/Sp3mp |
and-provided-for-them | and he sustained them | and he sustained them | 1 |
H3557-05 |
כִּלְכַּלְתָּ֥/ם | kilekaletam | HVlp2ms/Sp3mp |
you sustained them | you sustained them | you sustained them | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
37 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3557-17 |
Genesis 45:11 | וְ/כִלְכַּלְתִּ֤י | vekhilekaleti | HC/Vlq1cs |
I will provide for | and I sustained | and I will provide for |
H3557-13 |
Genesis 47:12 | וַ/יְכַלְכֵּ֤ל | vayekhalekel | HC/Vlw3ms |
And Joseph nourished | and he sustained | and he sustained |
H3557-01 |
Genesis 50:21 | אֲכַלְכֵּ֥ל | akhalekel | HVli1cs |
will provide for | I will sustain | will sustain |
H3557-04 |
2 Samuel 19:33 | כִלְכַּ֤ל | khilekal | HVlp3ms |
had-sustained | he sustained | sustained |
H3557-17 |
2 Samuel 19:34 | וְ/כִלְכַּלְתִּ֥י | vekhilekaleti | HC/Vlq1cs |
and I will sustain | and I sustained | and I sustained |
H3557-14 |
2 Samuel 20:3 | וַֽ/יְכַלְכְּלֵ֔/ם | vayekhalekelem | HC/Vlw3ms/Sp3mp |
and-provided-for-them | and he sustained them | and he sustained them |
H3557-19 |
1 Kings 4:7 | וְ/כִלְכְּל֥וּ | vekhilekelu | HC/Vlp3cp |
who provided | and they thoroughly sustained | and they thoroughly sustained |
H3557-07 |
1 Kings 4:7 | לְ/כַלְכֵּֽל | lekhalekel | HR/Vlc |
for providing | to sustain and provision | to sustain and provision |
H3557-19 |
1 Kings 5:7 | וְ/כִלְכְּלוּ֩ | vekhilekelu | HC/Vlp3cp |
and-supplied | and they thoroughly sustained | and they thoroughly sustained |
H3557-20 |
1 Kings 7:26 | יָכִֽיל | yakhil | HVhi3ms |
it held | he will sustain | it held |