← H3781 H3783 →

כָּשַׁל

𐤊𐤔𐤋

kâshal

H3782 verb

SILEX Entry

Root כשׁל to stumble, totter, waver, falter

Definition

To stumble, totter, falter, or stagger, often as a result of weakness, loss of balance, or obstruction. The root can also imply figurative senses of failing, faltering, or wavering, both physically and morally. In certain contexts, it extends to being overthrown, collapsing, or falling into ruin, including the sense of failing in one's undertakings or spiritual fidelity.

Semantic Range

to stumble or trip physically, to falter or waver (morally, spiritually), to fail (plans, strength), be overthrown or ruined, to become weak, to cast down

Root / Etymology

From the root כשׁל, which conveys the idea of losing steadiness, being unsteady, or stumbling. It is a denominative verb, with the noun form commonly referring to a stumbling block or cause of stumbling. The root meaning focuses on a loss of balance in a literal or metaphorical sense, while the verb carries this into concrete and figurative realms, including moral failure or defeat.

Historical & Contextual Notes

כָּשַׁל is widely used throughout the Hebrew Bible in both literal and figurative senses. Literally, it describes a person stumbling or physically faltering (e.g., due to weariness, weakness, or injury). Figuratively, it is often used of moral or spiritual faltering, national defeat, or the failure of plans or strength (e.g., Isaiah 5:27, where none will stumble; Isaiah 40:30, 'youths will stumble'). The word is common across early and later biblical texts. Its figurative extension to the idea of moral or national failure is particularly notable in the prophets and poetic literature. It can signify being cast down or ruined, especially under divine judgment (e.g., Isaiah 3:8). While some English translations have rendered it using phrases like 'fall,' 'fail,' 'be overthrown,' or 'be weak,' these often depend heavily on context and sometimes do not capture the full breadth of the original Hebrew, which maintains a strong sense of lost footing or stability. Distinct from other terms for falling (e.g., נפל), כָּשַׁל generally implies an initial wavering or instability rather than a completed fall or collapse. In later Hebrew, the sense of 'stumble' continues, and the noun מִכְשׁוֹל (mikshol) comes to mean a physical or figurative 'stumbling block.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs, especially the ankle); by implication, to falter, stumble, faint or fall; bereave (from the margin), cast down, be decayed, (cause to) fail, (cause, make to) fall (down, -ing), feeble, be (the) ruin(-ed, of), (be) overthrown, (cause to) stumble, [idiom] utterly, be weak.

Bantu Hebrew

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

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

כשׁל (k-š-l) — to stumble, totter, waver, falter

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4383 מִכְשׁוֹל the stumbling-causes

Word Forms

36 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3782-34 יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ yikashelu HVNi3mp will stumble they will stumble 14
H3782-12 כּוֹשֵׁל֙ koshel HVqrmsa stumble stumbling one 5
H3782-26 וְ/כָשְׁל֧וּ vekhashelu HC/Vqq3cp and they will stumble and they stumbled 5
H3782-04 כָּשַׁ֥ל kashal HVqp3ms fails he stumbled 3
H3782-24 וְ/כָשַׁ֤ל vekhashal HC/Vqq3ms and-will-stumble and he stumbled 3
H3782-07 כָּשְׁל֖וּ kashelu HVqp3cp stumbled they stumbled 3
H3782-06 כָּשָׁ֔לוּ kashalu HVqp3cp has stumbled they stumbled 2
H3782-10 כָשְׁלָה֙ khashelah HVqp3fs has stumbled she stumbled 2
H3782-35 יכשלו ykhshlv HVNi3mp they stumble they will be made to stumble 1
H3782-31 יַכְשִֽׁילְ/ךָ֤ yakheshilekha HVhi3ms/Sp2ms he will make you fall he will make you stumble 1

Occurrences in Scripture

65 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3782-26 Leviticus 26:37 וְ/כָשְׁל֧וּ vekhashelu HC/Vqq3cp and they will stumble and they stumbled
H3782-28 1 Samuel 2:4 וְ/נִכְשָׁלִ֖ים venikheshalim HC/VNrmpa and they that stumbled the ones being overthrown
H3782-10 Isaiah 3:8 כָשְׁלָה֙ khashelah HVqp3fs has stumbled she stumbled
H3782-12 Isaiah 5:27 כּוֹשֵׁל֙ koshel HVqrmsa stumbles stumbling one
H3782-26 Isaiah 8:15 וְ/כָ֥שְׁלוּ vekhashelu HC/Vqq3cp and they stumbled and they stumbled
H3782-26 Isaiah 28:13 וְ/כָשְׁל֤וּ vekhashelu HC/Vqq3cp and they stumble and they stumbled
H3782-24 Isaiah 31:3 וְ/כָשַׁ֤ל vekhashal HC/Vqq3ms and-will-stumble and he stumbled
H3782-13 Isaiah 35:3 כֹּשְׁל֖וֹת koshelot HVqrfpa that give way stumbling ones
H3782-08 Isaiah 40:30 כָּשׁ֥וֹל kashol HVqa stumble to stumble
H3782-34 Isaiah 40:30 יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ yikashelu HVNi3mp shall fall they will stumble
← H3781 Hebrew Lexicon H3783 →