Lexical Summary chol: Sand Original Word: חוֹל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance sand From chuwl; sand (as round or whirling particles) -- sand. see HEBREW chuwl NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chul Definition sand NASB Translation sand (23). Brown-Driver-Briggs חוֺל noun masculineHos 2:1 sand (perhaps as turning or whirling; otherwise explained by Sta, see below חֲוִילָה; Late Hebrew id., Aramaic חָלָא,  ) — ׳ח absolute Genesis 22:17 15t.; construct Genesis 32:13 6t.; — sand Exodus 2:12 (E); set as bound for sea Jeremiah 5:22; ׳שְׂפֻנֵי טמוני ח Deuteronomy 33:19 hidden treasures of sand, poetic for glass (regarded as mysteriously produced out of sand, see Di and references); a. usually sand of seashore, simile of numberlessness, vastness, so of Abraham's seed Genesis 22:17 (J; compare Genesis 15:5); Jacob's Genesis 32:13 (E) of a host Joshua 11:4 (JE), Judges 7:12; 1 Samuel 13:5; 2 Samuel 17:11; a people 1 Kings 4:20; Hosea 2:1; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 48:19 ("" וְצֶאֱצָאֵי מֶעֶיךָ כִּמְעֹתָ֑יו), Jeremiah 33:22; Habakkuk 1:9; of corn gathered by Joseph Genesis 41:49; of days of Job Job 29:18 (on interpretation = phoenix, see Di); of birds עוף כנף (i.e. quails) Psalm 78:27 ("" כֶּעָפָר); of vast extent of Solomon's wisdom 1 Kings 5:9. b. in compare, more than the sand Jeremiah 15:8 (widows of Judah); thoughts of God Psalm 139:18. c. of weight (in balances), metaphor of Job's vexation (כַּעַשׂ) Job 6:3 heavier than the sand, compare וְנֵטֶל הַחוֺל Proverbs 27:3 ("" כֹּבֶד אֶבֶן), said of כַּעַס אֱוִיל. — Combinations are: ׳כח אשׁר על שׂפת הים Genesis 22:17; Joshua 11:4; 1 Samuel 13:5; 1 Kings 5:9; הַיָּם ׳כח Genesis 32:13; Genesis 41:49; Isaiah 10:22; Hosea 2:1 (+ אשׁר לא יִמַּד ולא יִסָּפֵר); הַיָּם ׳ח Jeremiah 33:22; שֶׁעַלשֿׂפת הים לרב ׳כח Judges 7:12; אשׁרעֿלהֿים לרב ׳כח 2 Samuel 17:11; 1 Kings 4:20; (מ)חול יַמִּים Job 6:3; Psalm 78:27; Jeremiah 15:8. Topical Lexicon Literal imagery of incalculable multitude From the patriarchal narratives onward, חוֹל stands as a ready picture of numberless quantity. The promise to Abraham inaugurates the motif: “I will greatly multiply your offspring like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). The identical comparison is renewed to Jacob (Genesis 32:12) and re-echoed by the prophets (Isaiah 48:19; Hosea 1:10; Jeremiah 33:22). In each case sand testifies that God’s covenant purposes exceed human computation; His people cannot be “measured or counted” (Hosea 1:10). Symbol of promise and blessing The multiplication of descendants is not an end in itself but proof of divine favor and the perpetuation of redemptive promise. Even when the nation languishes, the sand-simile sustains hope. Isaiah declares that only “a remnant will return” though Israel be “like the sand of the sea” (Isaiah 10:22), showing that judgement cannot annul covenant. Jeremiah applies the same figure to the perpetuity of the Davidic and Levitical lines (Jeremiah 33:22), reinforcing Messianic expectation. Measure of abundance and prosperity Sand also depicts overflowing provision. Joseph’s granaries filled “like the sand of the sea” (Genesis 41:49); during Solomon’s reign “Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; and they ate, drank, and rejoiced” (1 Kings 4:20). Psalm 78:27 compares the quail shower in the wilderness to “the sand of the seas,” underscoring God’s generous supply. Deuteronomy 33:19 forecasts bounty in “treasures hidden in the sand,” linking the image with material blessing for Zebulun and Issachar. Illustration of divine wisdom and knowledge 1 Kings 4:29 assigns to Solomon “a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” Psalm 139:18 magnifies God Himself: “If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand,” indicating that the Lord’s thoughts eclipse every human estimate. Sand therefore operates as a pedagogical tool—whether describing a gifted king or the omniscient Creator, it declares the immeasurable. Boundary and stability in creation In Jeremiah 5:22 the Lord reminds a rebellious Judah that He has “made the sand a boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier it cannot cross.” Fragile grains become an enduring bulwark, a paradox that showcases divine sovereignty. The shoreline thus provides a daily sermon on God’s governing power and a call to reverent fear. Metaphor for human frailty and burden Job reaches for superlatives: “It would outweigh the sand of the seas” (Job 6:3) to express grief, while later he pictures a long, secure life: “I will... multiply my days as the sand” (Job 29:18). Proverbs adds with wry realism, “A stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation from a fool outweighs them both” (Proverbs 27:3). In each instance sand communicates weight, brevity, or the limits of human endurance. Figure of overwhelming military forces Enemy armies repeatedly appear “as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (Joshua 11:4; Judges 7:12; 1 Samuel 13:5; 2 Samuel 17:11). Habakkuk 1:9 turns the comparison to Babylonian invaders who “gather prisoners like sand.” The imagery magnifies threat yet simultaneously prepares the reader for God’s decisive intervention, as the narratives of Joshua and Judges demonstrate. Images of judgement and sorrow Jeremiah 15:8 foretells widows “more numerous than the sand of the sea,” merging the motif of multitude with grief. The prophet’s usage warns that covenant privileges do not shield from covenant curses when repentance is refused. Incidental but instructive references Exodus 2:12 mentions Moses hiding the Egyptian “in the sand,” a fleeting detail that nevertheless foreshadows the exile’s forty-year sojourn in desert sands. Deuteronomy 33:19 and Job 6:3 remind Christians that seemingly trivial grains can carry rich theological freight when read within the canon. Ministry reflections 1. Assurance in evangelism: the sand-promises ground confidence that God is still gathering an innumerable family through the gospel (cf. Romans 9:27–29 citing Isaiah 10:22). Hence חוֹל serves Scripture as a multifaceted emblem—of promise, power, provision, wisdom, warning, and worship—its very ubiquity in creation mirroring the pervasive reach of the Lord’s redemptive purpose. Forms and Transliterations בַּחֽוֹל׃ בחול׃ הַח֑וֹל החול וְ֝כַח֗וֹל וְכַח֕וֹל וּֽכְח֥וֹל וכחול ח֣וֹל חֽוֹל׃ חוֹל֙ חול חול׃ כְּח֣וֹל כְּח֥וֹל כַּח֕וֹל כַּח֖וֹל כַּח֛וֹל כַּח֥וֹל כַחוֹל֙ כחול מֵח֣וֹל מחול ba·ḥō·wl baChol baḥōwl chachOl Chol ha·ḥō·wl haChol haḥōwl ḥō·wl ḥōwl ka·ḥō·wl ḵa·ḥō·wl kaChol kaḥōwl ḵaḥōwl kə·ḥō·wl keChol kəḥōwl mê·ḥō·wl meChol mêḥōwl ū·ḵə·ḥō·wl ucheChol ūḵəḥōwl vechaChol wə·ḵa·ḥō·wl wəḵaḥōwlLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 22:17 HEB: כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְכַח֕וֹל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־ NAS: of the heavens and as the sand which KJV: of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea INT: as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which and Genesis 32:12 Genesis 41:49 Exodus 2:12 Deuteronomy 33:19 Joshua 11:4 Judges 7:12 1 Samuel 13:5 2 Samuel 17:11 1 Kings 4:20 1 Kings 4:29 Job 6:3 Job 29:18 Psalm 78:27 Psalm 139:18 Proverbs 27:3 Isaiah 10:22 Isaiah 48:19 Jeremiah 5:22 Jeremiah 15:8 Jeremiah 33:22 Hosea 1:10 Habakkuk 1:9 23 Occurrences |
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