כָּלָה

𐤊𐤋𐤄

kâlâh

H3615 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To bring to completion or fulfillment; to finish, come to an end, or consume. The root כָּלָה expresses the reaching or accomplishing of a limit or an intended purpose, and hence also ending, ceasing, or perishing. Intransitively, it refers to being completed, finished, or exhausted; transitively, to completing, bringing to an end, consuming, or destroying. It can also carry the sense of longing or pining away, as of a soul reaching its limit. The word's semantic range thus includes both neutral senses of completion and negative senses of complete destruction or consumption.

Semantic Range

to finish, to complete, to accomplish, to bring to an end, to cease, to perish, to be exhausted, to consume, to destroy utterly, to fail, to long for, to pine away, to faint, to spend, to be fulfilled

Root / Etymology

Root: כ-ל-ה. Root meaning: to end, to complete, to finish. The word derives from the root כָּלָה, which conveys the sense of reaching the limit of something, whether a process, resource, or life. Its concrete origin is related to being finished or exhausted, leading to the derived verbal, nominal, and adjectival forms meaning completion, end, or consumption.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כָּלָה is used widely in both prose and poetry. In legal, narrative, and prophetic contexts, it can describe the conclusion of activities, tasks, or periods ('the work was finished'), the complete consumption of resources ('food was spent'), the exhaustion or perishing of individuals or peoples ('my soul longs for you', 'they perished'), or the decisive destruction of entities ('cities were utterly destroyed'). The verb is often paired with objects: to complete a task, to finish a sacrifice, or to consume an offering. The nuance shifts from neutral or positive completion (as in building the tabernacle) to negative completion (utter destruction). In poetic texts, it can also express the deepest longing or pining of the soul or body, a metaphorical 'coming to an end' from deep desire. The term distinguishes itself from שָׁלֵם (shalem, 'to be whole, complete in well-being') in emphasizing the act or process of bringing to a close rather than the state of completeness or wholeness. In late biblical Hebrew, some senses of utter destruction become more common, especially in exilic and post-exilic prophetic literature. English translations vary in rendering, sometimes as 'consume,' 'finish,' 'destroy,' or 'complete,' but rarely capture the full breadth between positive accomplishment and irreversible ending.

Translation Consistency

primary "finish" 36 occurrences

"Finish" is the most natural, broadly applicable English verb that captures the primary senses of כָּלָה: bring to completion, come to an end, be exhausted, or be consumed. It is the most frequent rendering in the P2 data and can be inflected to represent both neutral completion (finish/finished) and contextually negative outcomes (be finished/consumed/destroyed) without sounding awkward. Using "finish" ensures consistent, natural translations across the varied uses of this root.

Alternatives (14 occurrences):
"consume" (3x) "completed" (2x) "completely consume" (2x) "came to an end" (1x) "finish, you (plural)" (1x) "brought to completion" (1x) "annihilate" (1x) "consuming" (1x) "fully consumed" (1x) "fully completed" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitived (to complete, prepare, consume); accomplish, cease, consume (away), determine, destroy (utterly), be (when... were) done, (be an) end (of), expire, (cause to) fail, faint, finish, fulfil, [idiom] fully, [idiom] have, leave (off), long, bring to pass, wholly reap, make clean riddance, spend, quite take away, waste.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

כלה (Keluhay) — to complete, bring to an end, consume, finish

Root כלה to complete, bring to an end, consume, finish
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3616 כָּלֶה and wasting-away ones
H3617 כָּלָה completion
H3622 כְּלוּהַי Yah Completes
H3623 כְּלוּלָה your bridehood-completions
H3627 כְּלִי in the prepared implement

Word Forms

84 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3615-64 וַ/יְכַ֣ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms and finished and he brought to completion and he finished 14
H3615-15 כַּלּ֤וּ kalu HVpv2mp fail Bring to complete end! they are finished 10
H3615-07 כָּלָ֣ה kalah HVqp3ms completion completed woman finish 9
H3615-16 כְּ/כַלּ֣וֹת kekhalot HR/Vpc when finishing as bringing to completion as finishing 9
H3615-36 כִּלָּה֙ kilah HVpp3ms he had finished he brought to completion he finished 9
H3615-18 כְּ/כַלֹּת/וֹ֙ kekhaloto HR/Vpc/Sp3ms when he had finished as his completing as he finished 7
H3615-41 כִּלּ֣וּ kilu HVpp3cp had finished they brought to completion they finished 7
H3615-11 כַּלֹּתָֽ/ם kalotam HVpc/Sp3mp they are consumed their bringing-to-an-end their finishing 6
H3615-72 וְ/כִלָּ֗ה vekhilah HC/Vpp3ms and-consume and he brought to completion and it finished 6
H3615-08 כַּלֵּֽה kaleh HVpa consume to utterly complete to utterly finish 5

Occurrences in Scripture

205 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3615-68 Genesis 2:1 וַ/יְכֻלּ֛וּ vayekhulu HC/VPw3mp were finished and they were completed and they were completed
H3615-64 Genesis 2:2 וַ/יְכַ֤ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms finished and he brought to completion and he finished
H3615-50 Genesis 6:16 תְּכַלֶ֣/נָּה tekhalenah HVpi2ms/Sp3fs you shall finish it you will bring her to completion you shall finish it
H3615-64 Genesis 17:22 וַ/יְכַ֖ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms And he finished and he brought to completion and he finished
H3615-36 Genesis 18:33 כִּלָּ֔ה kilah HVpp3ms he had finished he brought to completion he finished
H3615-69 Genesis 21:15 וַ/יִּכְל֥וּ vayikhelu HC/Vqw3mp was gone and they came to an end and they finished
H3615-36 Genesis 24:15 כִּלָּ֣ה kilah HVpp3ms he had finished he brought to completion he finished
H3615-61 Genesis 24:19 וַ/תְּכַ֖ל vatekhal HC/Vpw3fs and she finished she brought to completion and she finished
H3615-41 Genesis 24:19 כִּלּ֖וּ kilu HVpp3cp they have finished they brought to completion they have finished
H3615-41 Genesis 24:22 כִּלּ֤וּ kilu HVpp3cp had finished they brought to completion they finished
H3615-01 Genesis 24:45 אֲכַלֶּ֜ה akhaleh HVpi1cs had finished I will bring to completion I finished
H3615-36 Genesis 27:30 כִּלָּ֣ה kilah HVpp3ms he had finished he brought to completion he finished
H3615-72 Genesis 41:30 וְ/כִלָּ֥ה vekhilah HC/Vpq3ms and will consume and he brought to completion and will consume
H3615-63 Genesis 41:53 וַ/תִּכְלֶ֕ינָה vatikheleynah HC/Vqw3fp came to an end and they were finished and they came to an end
H3615-41 Genesis 43:2 כִּלּוּ֙ kilu HVpp3cp they had finished they brought to completion they finished
H3615-36 Genesis 44:12 כִּלָּ֑ה kilah HVpp3ms ending he brought to completion he finished
H3615-64 Genesis 49:33 וַ/יְכַ֤ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms And he finished and he brought to completion and he finished
H3615-15 Exodus 5:13 כַּלּ֤וּ kalu HVpv2mp Complete Bring to complete end! Finish, you (plural)!
H3615-32 Exodus 5:14 כִלִּיתֶ֨ם khilitem HVpp2mp have you completed you have brought to completion you have brought to completion
H3615-18 Exodus 31:18 כְּ/כַלֹּת/וֹ֙ kekhaloto HR/Vpc/Sp3ms when he had finished as his completing as he finished
H3615-60 Exodus 32:10 וַ/אֲכַלֵּ֑/ם vaakhalem HC/Vph1cs/Sp3mp and that I may consume them let me utterly consume them and consume them
H3615-57 Exodus 32:12 וּ֨/לְ/כַלֹּתָ֔/ם ulekhalotam HC/R/Vpc/Sp3mp and to annihilate them and to fully consume them and to annihilate them
H3615-02 Exodus 33:3 אֲכֶלְ/ךָ֖ akhelekha HVpi1cs/Sp2ms I consume you I will completely consume you I will completely consume you
H3615-77 Exodus 33:5 וְ/כִלִּיתִ֑י/ךָ vekhilitikha HC/Vpq1cs/Sp2ms and consume you and I completely consume you and I consume you
H3615-64 Exodus 34:33 וַ/יְכַ֣ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms and finished and he brought to completion and he finished
H3615-62 Exodus 39:32 וַ/תֵּ֕כֶל vatekhel HC/Vqw3fs and it was completed and she came to an end and it was completed
H3615-64 Exodus 40:33 וַ/יְכַ֥ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms and finished and he brought to completion and he finished
H3615-72 Leviticus 16:20 וְ/כִלָּה֙ vekhilah HC/Vpq3ms And when he has finished and he brought to completion and he finished
H3615-49 Leviticus 19:9 תְכַלֶּ֛ה tekhaleh HVpi2ms you shall finish you will fully complete you will fully finish
H3615-49 Leviticus 23:22 תְכַלֶּ֞ה tekhaleh HVpi2ms you-shall-finish you will fully complete you will fully finish
H3615-48 Leviticus 26:16 מְכַלּ֥וֹת mekhalot HVprfpa wasting consuming women consuming
H3615-45 Leviticus 26:44 לְ/כַלֹּתָ֔/ם lekhalotam HR/Vpc/Sp3mp to destroy them to completely consume them to completely consume them
H3615-72 Numbers 4:15 וְ/כִלָּ֣ה vekhilah HC/Vpq3ms and-when-they-have-finished and he brought to completion and when he has finished
H3615-10 Numbers 7:1 כַּלּ֨וֹת kalot HVpc finishing to bring to completion finishing
H3615-59 Numbers 16:21 וַ/אַכַלֶּ֥ה vaakhaleh HC/Vph1cs and I will consume let me utterly end and let me utterly finish
H3615-18 Numbers 16:31 כְּ/כַלֹּת֔/וֹ kekhaloto HR/Vpc/Sp3ms as he finished as his completing as he finished
H3615-59 Numbers 17:10 וַ/אֲכַלֶּ֥ה vaakhaleh HC/Vpi1cs and-I-will-consume let me utterly end and let me utterly finish
H3615-58 Numbers 17:25 וּ/תְכַ֧ל utekhal HC/Vpi2ms and it will end and you will completely finish and you will completely finish
H3615-33 Numbers 25:11 כִלִּ֥יתִי khiliti HVpp1cs I-finished I have fully consumed I have fully consumed
H3615-11 Deuteronomy 7:22 כַּלֹּתָ֣/ם kalotam HVpc/Sp3mp to-finish-them their bringing-to-an-end their finishing
H3615-16 Deuteronomy 20:9 כְּ/כַלֹּ֥ת kekhalot HR/Vpc when they finish as bringing to completion when they finish
H3615-49 Deuteronomy 26:12 תְכַלֶּ֞ה tekhaleh HVpi2ms you have finished you will fully complete you have fully completed
H3615-14 Deuteronomy 28:21 כַּלֹּת֣/וֹ kaloto HVpc/Sp3ms it consumes his bringing-to-completion his finishing
H3615-16 Deuteronomy 31:24 כְּ/כַלּ֣וֹת kekhalot HR/Vpc when finishing as bringing to completion as finishing
H3615-01 Deuteronomy 32:23 אֲכַלֶּה akhaleh HVpi1cs I will spend I will bring to completion I will finish
H3615-64 Deuteronomy 32:45 וַ/יְכַ֣ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms And Moses finished and he brought to completion and he finished
H3615-16 Joshua 8:24 כְּ/כַלּ֣וֹת kekhalot HR/Vpc when ... had finished as bringing to completion as finishing
H3615-16 Joshua 10:20 כְּ/כַלּ֨וֹת kekhalot HR/Vpc when finishing as bringing to completion as finishing
H3615-66 Joshua 19:49 וַ/יְכַלּ֥וּ vayekhalu HC/Vpw3mp and they finished and they brought to completion and they finished
H3615-66 Joshua 19:51 וַ/יְכַלּ֕וּ vayekhalu HC/Vpw3mp And they finished and they brought to completion and they finished