2479. chalchalah

Lexicon

chalchalah: Fear, trembling, anguish

Original Word: חַלְחָלָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: chalchalah
Pronunciation: kahl-khah-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (khal-khaw-law')
Definition: Fear, trembling, anguish
Meaning: writhing, terror

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

great, much pain

Feminine from the same as Chalchuwl; writhing (in childbirth); by implication, terror -- (great, much) pain.

see HEBREW Chalchuwl

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from chul
Definition
anguish
NASB Translation
anguish (4).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

חַלְחָלָה noun feminine anguish, ׳מָֽלְאוּ מָתְנַי ח Isaiah 21:3, בכל מתנים ׳ח Nahum 2:11; Ezekiel 30:4,9 ("" החריד).

חַלְחָלָה noun feminine see I. חול.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the root חָלַל (chalal), which conveys the idea of being pierced or wounded, often associated with pain or fear.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • Strong's Greek Number 5401 • φόβος (phobos): Often translated as "fear" or "terror," this Greek term captures similar themes of dread and alarm, frequently used in the New Testament to describe reactions to divine or supernatural events.
• Strong's Greek Number 5156 • τρόμος (tromos): Translated as "trembling" or "quaking," this term conveys the physical manifestation of fear, akin to the writhing or trembling denoted by חַלְחָלָה.

Usage: The word חַלְחָלָה appears in contexts describing intense emotional or physical reactions to fear, often in prophetic literature where it illustrates the response to divine judgment or calamity.

Context: חַלְחָלָה is a noun that captures the essence of extreme fear or anguish, often manifesting physically as trembling or writhing. This term is used in the Hebrew Bible to depict the profound terror experienced by individuals or nations in the face of divine judgment or catastrophic events. It is frequently found in prophetic books, where it serves to underscore the severity of God's impending actions or the overwhelming nature of a particular threat.

For example, in Isaiah 21:3, the prophet describes his own reaction to a vision of Babylon's fall: "Therefore my body is filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor. I am bewildered by what I hear; I am dismayed by what I see." Here, חַלְחָלָה is translated as "anguish," illustrating the intense emotional and physical turmoil experienced by the prophet.

Similarly, in Ezekiel 30:4, the term is used to describe the terror that will grip Egypt: "A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, and her wealth is carried away, and her foundations are torn down." The use of חַלְחָלָה in this context emphasizes the widespread panic and distress that accompany the prophesied destruction.

The imagery associated with חַלְחָלָה often includes labor pains, highlighting the uncontrollable and overwhelming nature of the fear or distress being described. This term serves as a powerful literary device to convey the gravity of divine pronouncements and the human response to them.

Forms and Transliterations

וְחַלְחָלָה֙ וחלחלה חַלְחָלָ֔ה חַלְחָלָ֤ה חַלְחָלָה֙ חלחלה chalchaLah ḥal·ḥā·lāh ḥalḥālāh vechalchaLah wə·ḥal·ḥā·lāh wəḥalḥālāh

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 21:3
HEB: מָלְא֤וּ מָתְנַי֙ חַלְחָלָ֔ה צִירִ֣ים אֲחָז֔וּנִי
NAS: are full of anguish; Pains
KJV: filled with pain: pangs
INT: are full my loins of anguish Pains have seized

Ezekiel 30:4
HEB: בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וְהָיְתָ֤ה חַלְחָלָה֙ בְּכ֔וּשׁ בִּנְפֹ֥ל
NAS: upon Egypt, And anguish will be in Ethiopia;
KJV: upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia,
INT: Egypt become and anguish Ethiopia fall

Ezekiel 30:9
HEB: בֶּ֑טַח וְהָיְתָ֨ה חַלְחָלָ֤ה בָהֶם֙ בְּי֣וֹם
NAS: Ethiopia; and anguish will be on them as on the day
KJV: afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day
INT: secure become and anguish the day of Egypt

Nahum 2:10
HEB: וּפִ֣ק בִּרְכַּ֗יִם וְחַלְחָלָה֙ בְּכָל־ מָתְנַ֔יִם
NAS: knocking! Also anguish is in the whole
KJV: smite together, and much pain [is] in all loins,
INT: knocking and knees anguish the whole body

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2479
4 Occurrences

ḥal·ḥā·lāh — 3 Occ.
wə·ḥal·ḥā·lāh — 1 Occ.