כֶּלֶא
𐤊𐤋𐤀
keleʼ
H3608 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Enclosure for restraining or confining a person; prison, place of detention, or holding cell. The term denotes a physical space where individuals are forcibly kept, often as a punitive measure or for pre-trial detention. In extended usage, it refers to places of restraint or confinement more generally.
Semantic Range
prison, place of detention, confinement, jail, holding cell, enclosure for people
Root / Etymology
From the root כָּלָא (k-l-ʼ), meaning 'to shut up, restrain, detain.' כֶּלֶא (keleʼ) is a nominal form referring to the result or place of such action — the location in which confinement occurs. Related nouns include כִּלְאַיִם (kil'ayim, 'mixed kinds') and כְּלִיא (kelî', another term for 'prison' or 'enclosure'), though their relation to the same root varies contextually.
Historical & Contextual Notes
כֶּלֶא is predominantly used in administrative or judicial contexts in the Hebrew Bible, especially within texts associated with later monarchic and post-exilic periods where institutional detention became more systematized. Earlier Israelite society appears to have had fewer formal prison structures; terms like בֵּית הַסֹּהַר ("house of the round trellis," typically translated 'prison') may refer to less formal or temporary holding spaces. By contrast, כֶּלֶא designates a constructed facility for confinement, sometimes distinct from dungeons or pit-like detentions (cf. בּוֹר, bor). Some later English translations use 'prison' consistently, but this can obscure ancient nuances, especially as formal prisons post-date the earliest Israelite legal traditions. In post-exilic and later Second Temple Hebrew, the institutional sense is further developed, reflected in material remains and administrative papyri. Early renderings in the Septuagint and later translations vary (e.g., δεσμωτήριον, phylakē), sometimes conflating with other types of confinement. Related terms like כִּלְאַיִם (kil'ayim, 'mixture, mixed kinds') share the root idea of restriction or prohibition, though the semantic development is different.
Translation Consistency
Most occurrences are rendered “prison,” and “prison” is the natural, widely understood English noun covering the semantic range (jail, holding cell, place of detention, enclosure for confinement). It provides a consistent, idiomatic choice for all forms of כֶּלֶא.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from כָּלָא; a prison; prison. Compare כִּלְאַיִם, כְּלִיא.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
כלא (kâlâʼ) — to shut in, confine, restrain, withhold, prohibit
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3607 | כָּלָא | I restrain |
| H3610 | כִּלְאַיִם | two-kind mixture |
| H3628 | כְּלִיא | the confinement-place |
| H4356 | מִכְלָאָה | livestock enclosure |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3608-01 |
הַ/כֶּ֑לֶא | hakele | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the prison | the confinement-place | the prison | 4 |
H3608-02 |
כֶּֽלֶא | kele | HNcmsa |
of prison | confinement enclosure | prison | 3 |
H3608-04 |
כִלְא֑/וֹ | khileo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
clothes | his confinement-place | his prison | 2 |
H3608-03 |
כְלָאִ֖ים | khelaim | HNcmpa |
prisons | confinement enclosures | prisons | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3608-01 |
1 Kings 22:27 | הַ/כֶּ֑לֶא | hakele | HTd/Ncmsa |
the-prison | the confinement-place | the prison |
H3608-02 |
2 Kings 17:4 | כֶּֽלֶא | kele | HNcmsa |
of prison | confinement enclosure | prison |
H3608-02 |
2 Kings 25:27 | כֶּֽלֶא | kele | HNcmsa |
of prison | confinement enclosure | prison |
H3608-04 |
2 Kings 25:29 | כִלְא֑/וֹ | khileo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
garments | his confinement-place | his prison |
H3608-02 |
Isaiah 42:7 | כֶּ֖לֶא | kele | HNcmsa |
of prison | confinement enclosure | prison |
H3608-03 |
Isaiah 42:22 | כְלָאִ֖ים | khelaim | HNcmpa |
prisons | confinement enclosures | prisons |
H3608-01 |
Jeremiah 37:15 | הַ/כֶּֽלֶא | hakele | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the prison | the confinement-place | the prison |
H3608-01 |
Jeremiah 37:18 | הַ/כֶּֽלֶא | hakele | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the prison | the confinement-place | the prison |
H3608-04 |
Jeremiah 52:33 | כִלְא֑/וֹ | khileo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
clothes | his confinement-place | his prison |
H3608-01 |
2 Chronicles 18:26 | הַ/כֶּ֑לֶא | hakele | HTd/Ncmsa |
the-prison | the confinement-place | the prison |