Lexical Definition

‎חַיִל‎ chayil (khah'-yil) strength: soldiers ^H:N-M
from ‎חוּל‎

able, activity, ([phrase]) army, band of men (soldiers), company, (great) forces, goods, host, might, power, riches, strength, strong, substance, train, ([phrase]) valiant(-ly), valour, virtuous(-ly), war, worthy(-ily).

• probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources
• an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength

1) strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army
1a) strength
1b) ability, efficiency
1c) wealth
1d) force, army

See Greek: δύναμαι · δύναμις · δύναμις · δυνατός · δυνατός · ἔθνος · εὐπορία · ἰσχύς · ἰσχύω · ὄχλος · παῖς · πλοῦτος · πόλεμος · στρατεία · στρατιά · στρατόπεδον · συναγωγή · σῶμα

Extended Information

meaning of: חַיִל

• : worthy

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Aramaic form: חַיִל
‎חַ֫יִל‎₂₄₄ noun masculine^{2Kgs 10:2} strength, efficiency, wealth, army; — absolute ‎׳‎‎ח‎ Gen 47:6 +, ‎חָ֑יִל‎ Ps 60:14* +, ‎חָ֑יִל‎ Ps 60:14* +, ‎חֵיל‎ Isa 36:2; 2Kgs 18:17 construct ‎חֵיל‎ Exod 14:28 + (on Ps 10:10 see ‎חלכה‎); suffix ‎חֵילִי‎ Job 31:25 + 2 t.; ‎חֵילְךָ‎ Jer 15:13 +; ‎חֵילוֺ‎ Exod 14:4 +, etc.; plural ‎חֲיָלִים‎ 1Chr 7:5 + 19 t.; suffix ‎חֵילֵיהֶם‎ Isa 30:6 —

1. strength, usually physical:
a. seldom alone (chiefly in poetry) 1Sam 2:4; Ps 18:33*; Ps 18:40* = 2Sam 22:33; 2Sam 22:40 also ‎׳‎‎נָָּֽברוּ ח‎ Job 21:7, compare Eccl 10:10 ‎מֵחַיִל אֶלחָֿ֑יִל‎ Ps 84:8* ‎׳‎‎בְּכֹחַ ח‎ 2Chr 26:13 of virility Prov 31:3 of ‎׳‎‎י‎'s power Ps 59:12*; Ps 110:3, compare Hab 3:19 strength of horse Ps 33:17 figurative of product of vine and fig-tree Joel 2:22 (|| ‎פְּרִי‎).
b. of result or display of strength ‎׳‎‎עשׂה ח‎ achieve might = do valiantly Num 24:18 (JE), 1Sam 14:48; Ps 60:14* = Ps 108:14*; Ps 118:15; Ps 118:16.
c. often in phrases ‎׳‎‎גִּבּוֺר(הַ)ח‎, ‎׳‎‎גִּבּוֺרֵי(הַ)ח‎ hero(es) of strength, mighty man (men) of valour Josh 1:14 (D), Josh 6:2; Josh 8:3; Josh 10:7 (all J E), Judg 6:12; Judg 11:1; 1Sam 9:1; 1Sam 16:18; 1Kgs 11:28; 2Kgs 5:1; 2Kgs 15:20; 2Kgs 24:14; 2Kgs 24:16; 1Chr 5:24; 1Chr 7:2; 1Chr 7:9; 1Chr 8:40 + (very frequently in Chronicles), note especially ‎׳‎‎הַגִּבּוֺרִים וכל גבורי ח‎ 1Chr 28:1 also ‎׳‎‎ח‎ ‎׳‎‎ג‎ 2Chr 13:3 (|| ‎מלחמה‎ ‎׳‎‎ג‎); ‎(הַ)חֲיָלִים‎ ‎׳‎‎ג‎ 1Chr 7:5; 1Chr 7:7; 1Chr 7:11; 1Chr 7:40; 1Chr 11:26 (see also ‎גִּבּוֺר‎, p. 150); ‎׳‎‎בֶּןֿ(הַ)ח‎, ‎׳‎‎בְּנֵי(הַ)ח‎ Deut 3:18; Judg 18:2 + (see ‎בֵּן‎ 8, p. 121); ‎׳‎‎אִישׁ ח‎, ‎׳‎‎אַנְשֵׁי ח‎ Judg 3:29; Judg 20:44; Judg 20:46; Judg 1:12; Judg 11:16; 2Sam 23:20 (Qr; Kt ‎חי‎, on phrase ‎בןאֿישׁ חיל‎ compare Dr) = 1Chr 11:22 (Kt ‎חיל‎), 2Sam 24:9; Nah 2:4*; Jer 48:15; 1Chr 10:12; Neh 11:6; Ps 76:6* ironical ‎לִמְסֹךְ שֵׁכָר‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎ Isa 5:22 = (|| ‎גבורים‎ ‎לשׁתות יין‎ ); Eccl 12:3 metaphor of legs.

2. ability, efficiency, often involving moral worth ‎׳‎‎אַנְשֵׁי ח‎ Gen 47:6 (J), Exod 18:21; Exod 18:25 (both E); of a woman ‎אֵשֶׁת‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ Prov 12:4; Prov 31:10; Ruth 3:11 compare 1Kgs 1:42; 1Kgs 1:52 (opposed to ‎רעה‎), and especially ‎יִרְאֵי אלהים אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת שׂנְאֵי בָּ֑צַע‎ ‎׳‎‎אַנְשֵׁי ח‎ Exod 18:21(E); ‎עָשָׂה חיל‎ Prov 31:29 do worthily, efficiently, perhaps also Ruth 4:11 late (with weakened meaning of ‎גִּבּוֺר‎) ‎גִּבּוֺרֵי חֵיל מְלֶאכֶת עֲבוֺדַת בֵּית הָאלהים‎ 1Chr 9:13, compare ‎בַּכִּחַ לַעֲבֹדָה‎ ‎׳‎‎אישׁ ח‎ 1Chr 26:8. So also 1Sam 10:26 (read ‎׳‎‎בְּנֵי ח‎, see ᵐ5 We Dr, men of worth, opposed to ‎בני בליעל‎ v1Sam 10:27) for ᵑ0 ‎׳‎‎ח‎ force, band.

3. wealth Gen 34:29 = Num 31:9 (both P), Deut 8:17; Deut 8:18; Deut 33:11; Isa 8:4; Isa 10:14; Isa 30:6 (|| ‎אוֺצְרֹתָם‎), Isa 60:5 (|| ‎הֲמוֺן יָם‎) vIsa 60:11; Isa 61:6; Mic 4:13; Jer 15:13; Jer 17:3 (both || ‎אצרות‎), Zeph 1:13; Ezek 26:12; Ezek 28:4; Ezek 28:5 (twice in verse); Zech 14:14; Job 5:5; Job 15:29; Job 20:15; Job 20:18; Job 31:25; Ps 49:7*; Ps 49:11*; Ps 62:11*; Ps 73:12; Prov 13:22.

4. force, army, very often Exod 14:4; Exod 14:9; Exod 14:17; Exod 14:28 (all P), Exod 15:4 (song), 1Sam 17:20; 2Sam 8:9; 2Kgs 6:4; 2Kgs 6:15; 2Kgs 25:1; 2Kgs 25:5 (twice in verse); 2Kgs 25:10; 2Chr 13:3 (‎בְּחַיִל גִּבּוֺרֵי מלחמה‎), 2Chr 14:7*; 2Chr 16:7; 2Chr 23:14 +; so usually Jeremiah: Jer 32:2; Jer 34:1 +; frequently Ezekiel: Ezek 17:17; Ezek 27:10 +; Dan 11:7; Dan 11:13; Dan 11:25 (twice in verse); Dan 11:26 = a band 1Sam 10:26 (ᵑ0, but see 2, adfin.); of train of Queen of Sheba ‎גדול‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ 1Kgs 10:2 = 2Chr 9:1 ‎חֵיל כָּבֵד‎ Isa 36:1 = 2Kgs 18:17 a powerful army (on form compare Sta^{§ 194 c}); also (late) ‎חֵיל הַצָּבָא‎ 1Chr 20:1; 2Chr 26:13, ‎חֵיל עָם‎ Esth 8:11 ‎הֲמוֺן חֲיָלִים‎ Dan 11:10 ‎׳‎‎שַׂרהֿח‎ 2Sam 24:2 = captain of the host, ‎׳‎‎שָׂרֵי הח‎ v2Sam 24:4 v2Sam 24:4 ‎שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים‎ captains of armies (bands, divisions) 1Kgs 15:20 = 2Chr 16:4; 2Kgs 25:23; Jer 40:7; Jer 40:13; Jer 41:11; Jer 41:13; Jer 41:16; Jer 42:1; Jer 42:8; Jer 43:4; Jer 43:5. ‎פִּקּוּדֵי החִיל‎ Num 31:14 (P). — ‎חֵילוּ‎ Ezek 32:31 omitted by B Hi Co: for ‎חֵילֵךְ‎ Ezek 27:11 read probably a proper name, of a location, compare Da; Co proposes ‎חתלון‎ (compare Ezek 47:15; Ezek 48:1), Hal^{MÈl. Epigr. 1874, 69} ‎חלך‎ = Cilicia, see Lag^{M i. 211}.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References