2344. chol
Lexical Summary
chol: Sand

Original Word: חוֹל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chowl
Pronunciation: khole
Phonetic Spelling: (khole)
KJV: sand
NASB: sand
Word Origin: [from H2342 (חוּל חִיל - To twist)]

1. sand (as round or whirling particles)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
sand

From chuwl; sand (as round or whirling particles) -- sand.

see HEBREW chuwl

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from 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).
2. Pastoral comfort: Psalm 139:18 encourages believers that the Lord’s thoughts toward them exceed every grain of sand—an incalculable care.
3. Call to humility: if Creator wisdom is “measureless as the sand,” ministers must anchor their teaching in the revealed Word rather than speculative insight.
4. Warning and hope: the sand may represent either vast judgement or vast mercy; faithful proclamation must maintain both, urging repentance while celebrating covenant faithfulness.

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 wəḵaḥōwl
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman'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
HEB: אֶֽת־ זַרְעֲךָ֙ כְּח֣וֹל הַיָּ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר
NAS: your descendants as the sand of the sea,
KJV: thy seed as the sand of the sea,
INT: and make your descendants as the sand of the sea which

Genesis 41:49
HEB: יוֹסֵ֥ף בָּ֛ר כְּח֥וֹל הַיָּ֖ם הַרְבֵּ֣ה
NAS: in great abundance like the sand of the sea,
KJV: corn as the sand of the sea,
INT: Joseph grain the sand of the sea much

Exodus 2:12
HEB: הַמִּצְרִ֔י וַֽיִּטְמְנֵ֖הוּ בַּחֽוֹל׃
NAS: the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
KJV: the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
INT: the Egyptian and hid the sand

Deuteronomy 33:19
HEB: וּשְׂפוּנֵ֖י טְמ֥וּנֵי חֽוֹל׃ ס
NAS: And the hidden treasures of the sand.
KJV: and [of] treasures hid in the sand.
INT: and treasures and the hidden of the sand

Joshua 11:4
HEB: עַם־ רָ֕ב כַּח֛וֹל אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־
NAS: people as the sand that is on the seashore,
KJV: people, even as the sand that [is] upon the sea
INT: people them many as the sand after and

Judges 7:12
HEB: אֵ֣ין מִסְפָּ֔ר כַּח֛וֹל שֶׁעַל־ שְׂפַ֥ת
NAS: as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
KJV: [were] without number, as the sand by the sea
INT: were without number as the sand and side

1 Samuel 13:5
HEB: פָּרָשִׁ֔ים וְעָ֕ם כַּח֛וֹל אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־
NAS: and people like the sand which
KJV: and people as the sand which [is] on the sea
INT: horsemen and people the sand which and

2 Samuel 17:11
HEB: בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע כַּח֥וֹל אֲשֶׁר־ עַל־
NAS: even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea
KJV: even to Beersheba, as the sand that [is] by the sea
INT: against to Beersheba as the sand after is by

1 Kings 4:20
HEB: וְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ רַבִּ֔ים כַּח֥וֹל אֲשֶׁר־ עַל־
NAS: [were] as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore
KJV: [were] many, as the sand which [is] by the sea
INT: and Israel numerous as the sand that is on

1 Kings 4:29
HEB: וְרֹ֣חַב לֵ֔ב כַּח֕וֹל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־
NAS: of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.
KJV: of heart, even as the sand that [is] on the sea
INT: and breadth of mind the sand after and

Job 6:3
HEB: כִּֽי־ עַתָּ֗ה מֵח֣וֹל יַמִּ֣ים יִכְבָּ֑ד
NAS: than the sand of the seas;
KJV: For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea:
INT: For then the sand of the seas would be heavier

Job 29:18
HEB: קִנִּ֣י אֶגְוָ֑ע וְ֝כַח֗וֹל אַרְבֶּ֥ה יָמִֽים׃
NAS: [my] days as the sand.
KJV: [my] days as the sand.
INT: my nest shall die as the sand shall multiply days

Psalm 78:27
HEB: כֶּעָפָ֣ר שְׁאֵ֑ר וּֽכְח֥וֹל יַ֝מִּ֗ים ע֣וֹף
NAS: fowl like the sand of the seas,
KJV: fowls like as the sand of the sea:
INT: the dust meat the sand of the seas fowl

Psalm 139:18
HEB: אֶ֭סְפְּרֵם מֵח֣וֹל יִרְבּ֑וּן הֱ֝קִיצֹ֗תִי
NAS: them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake,
KJV: them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake,
INT: count the sand outnumber awake

Proverbs 27:3
HEB: אֶ֭בֶן וְנֵ֣טֶל הַח֑וֹל וְכַ֥עַס אֱ֝וִ֗יל
NAS: is heavy and the sand weighty,
KJV: [is] heavy, and the sand weighty;
INT: A stone weighty and the sand the provocation of a fool

Isaiah 10:22
HEB: עַמְּךָ֤ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כְּח֣וֹל הַיָּ֔ם שְׁאָ֖ר
NAS: O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
KJV: Israel be as the sand of the sea,
INT: your people Israel the sand of the sea a remnant

Isaiah 48:19
HEB: וַיְהִ֤י כַחוֹל֙ זַרְעֶ֔ךָ וְצֶאֱצָאֵ֥י
NAS: would have been like the sand, And your offspring
KJV: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring
INT: have been the sand your descendants and the offspring

Jeremiah 5:22
HEB: אֲשֶׁר־ שַׂ֤מְתִּי חוֹל֙ גְּב֣וּל לַיָּ֔ם
NAS: For I have placed the sand as a boundary
KJV: which have placed the sand [for] the bound
INT: which have placed the sand A boundary the sea

Jeremiah 15:8
HEB: לִ֤י אַלְמְנֹתָו֙ מֵח֣וֹל יַמִּ֔ים הֵבֵ֨אתִי
NAS: before Me Than the sand of the seas;
KJV: are increased to me above the sand of the seas:
INT: numerous their widows the sand of the seas will bring

Jeremiah 33:22
HEB: וְלֹ֥א יִמַּ֖ד ח֣וֹל הַיָּ֑ם כֵּ֣ן
NAS: be counted and the sand of the sea
KJV: cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea
INT: cannot be measured and the sand of the sea so

Hosea 1:10
HEB: בְּנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כְּח֣וֹל הַיָּ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר
NAS: of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea,
KJV: of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea,
INT: of the sons of Israel the sand of the sea Which

Habakkuk 1:9
HEB: קָדִ֑ימָה וַיֶּאֱסֹ֥ף כַּח֖וֹל שֶֽׁבִי׃
NAS: They collect captives like sand.
KJV: the captivity as the sand.
INT: forward collect sand captives

23 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2344
23 Occurrences


ba·ḥō·wl — 1 Occ.
ḵa·ḥō·wl — 1 Occ.
ḥō·wl — 3 Occ.
ha·ḥō·wl — 1 Occ.
ka·ḥō·wl — 7 Occ.
kə·ḥō·wl — 4 Occ.
mê·ḥō·wl — 3 Occ.
ū·ḵə·ḥō·wl — 1 Occ.
wə·ḵa·ḥō·wl — 2 Occ.

2343
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