כִּסְלָה
𐤊𐤎𐤋𐤄
kiçlâh
H3690 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
(1) Confidence, trust — an attitude characterized by a sense of security or reliance, often in a positive context of hoping or expecting good outcomes. (2) Folly, thoughtlessness — a lack of prudent judgment, characterized by reckless or heedless behavior; often used negatively. The term can signify both a positive quality of assurance and a negative quality of naive foolishness, depending on context.
Semantic Range
confidence, trust, hope, assurance, folly, thoughtless confidence, imprudent or naive trust
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root כ-ס-ל (כסל), which at the root level conveys the notion of 'firmness,' 'solidity,' or 'being confident.' The noun כֶּסֶל (kesel) primarily denotes the 'loins' or 'flank,' possibly metonymically extending to 'confidence' or 'security' as something that supports or upholds. כִּסְלָה (kislâh), as a feminine abstract noun, denotes the state or quality of being confident or, in negative contexts, unreasoned confidence—i.e., folly.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical usage, כִּסְלָה is relatively rare and appears with a range from a positive sense of reliance or trust (as in Job 8:14, 'his confidence') to a negative sense implying imprudent confidence or folly (as in Job 31:24, 'if I have made gold my confidence'). The semantic overlap with כֶּסֶל (kesel) and related forms supports this dual range of assured reliance and foolish trust. In earlier Israelite literature, the term often has a more positive sense, but by the later periods the nuance of misplaced trust (folly) becomes prominent, perhaps reflecting wisdom tradition. English translations differ: 'confidence,' 'hope,' 'trust,' and occasionally 'folly,' each capturing different aspects but sometimes missing the term's capacity for irony or warning against overconfidence. Distinct from חָסָה (ḥasah, to take refuge) or בָּטַח (bataḥ, to trust) which have more consistently positive connotations, כִּסְלָה can be contextually ambivalent. The word is not associated with any particular Israelite group or historical development but presents a nuanced aspect of inner attitude in wisdom literature and psalms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
lemma כְּסִלָה first two vowels, corrected to כִּסְלָה; feminine of כֶּסֶל; in a good sense, trust; in a bad one, silliness; confidence, folly.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כסל (k-s-l) — firmness, solidity, confidence, reliance
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3684 | כְּסִיל | in the thick-minded ones |
| H3685 | כְּסִיל | thick-headed one |
| H3687 | כְּסִילוּת | foolishness |
| H3688 | כָּסַל | and they become dull-minded |
| H3689 | כֶּסֶל | the loins |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3690-01 |
כִּסְלָתֶ֑/ךָ | kiselatekha | HNcfsc/Sp2ms |
your confidence | your confidence | 1 |
H3690-02 |
לְ/כִסְלָֽה | lekhiselah | HR/Ncfsa |
to folly | to confidence | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3690-02 |
Psalms 85:9 | לְ/כִסְלָֽה | lekhiselah | HR/Ncfsa |
to folly | to confidence |
H3690-01 |
Job 4:6 | כִּסְלָתֶ֑/ךָ | kiselatekha | HNcfsc/Sp2ms |
your confidence | your confidence |