Lexical Summary kala: To restrain, to withhold, to shut up, to keep back Original Word: כָּלָא Strong's Exhaustive Concordance finish, forbid, keep back, refrain, restrain, retain, shut up, be stayed, A primitive root; to restrict, by act (hold back or in) or word (prohibit) -- finish, forbid, keep (back), refrain, restrain, retain, shut up, be stayed, withhold. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to shut up, restrain, withhold NASB Translation hold them back (1), kept (1), refuse (1), restrain (3), restrained (3), shut (4), stopped (1), withheld (2), withhold (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [כָּלָא] verb shut up, restrain, withhold (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic כְּלָא,  ; Ethiopic  restrain, hinder; Assyrian Kâlû, id.; Arabic  protect Qor 21:43 compare BaZMG 1887, 605 Anm. 4) — Qal Perfect3masculine singular suffix כְּלָאוֺ Jeremiah 32:3; 3feminine singular כָּֽלְאָה Haggai 1:10; 2feminine singular suffix כְּלִתִ֫נִי 1 Samuel 25:33; 1singular כָּלִאתִי Psalm 119:101; 3plural כָּֽלְאוּ Haggai 1:10, כָּלוּ 1 Samuel 6:10; Imperfect3masculine singular יִכְלֶה Genesis 23:6; 2masculine singular תִּכְלָא Psalm 40:12; 2feminine singular תִּכְלָאִ֑י Isaiah 43:6; 1singular אֶכְלָא Psalm 40:10; Imperative suffix כְּלָאֵם Numbers 11:28; Infinitive construct לִכְלוֺא Ecclesiastes 8:8; Passive participle כָּלוּא Jeremiah 32:2, כָּלֻא Psalm 88:9; (on the metaplastic forms, as if from כלה, see Ges§ 75, 21 c Köi. 611); — 1 shut up, with accusative 1 Samuel 6:10 (+ בְ local), Jeremiah 32:3; passive participle Jeremiah 32:2 (בְ local), figurative Psalm 88:9 (opposed to יצא). 2 restrain, with accusative 1 Samuel 25:33 (+ מִבּוֺא בְדָמִים), Psalm 119:101 (+ מִכָּלֿ); כְּלָאֵם (sc. מֵהִתְנַבֵּא) Numbers 11:28; שְׂפָתַי ׳כ Psalm 40:10; אֶתהָֿרוּחַ ׳כ Ecclesiastes 8:8. On Psalm 74:11 see כלה Pi`el 2. 3. withhold, אֶתקִֿבְרוֺ ׳כ מִמְּךָ מִקְּבֹר מֵתֶ֑ךָ Genesis 23:6 (P), רַחֲמֶיךָ מִמֶּ֑נּי ׳כ Psalm 40:12; Haggai 1:10 b, probably also va (read טָ֑ל for ᵑ0 ᵐ5 מִטָּ֑ל, We); absolute אַלתִּֿכְלָאִי (that is, exiles) Isaiah 43:6 ("" תְּנִי). Niph`al Imperfect וַיִּכָּלֵא הַגֶּשֶׁם מִןהַֿשָּׁמַיִם Genesis 8:2 (J), and the rain from heaven was restrained, compare וַיִּכָּֽלְאוּ מַיִם רַבִּים Ezekiel 31:15 (in figurative; "" מנע); וַיִּכָּלֵא הָעָם מֵהָבִיא Exodus 36:6 (P). Pi`el [Perfect כִּלָּא and] Infinitive construct לְכַלֵּא see כלה Pi`el Topical Lexicon Root Sense and Thematic Overview כָּלָא (Strong’s 3607) gathers together the ideas of restraining, shutting in, withholding, or bringing something to an enforced halt. The contexts move fluidly from physical confinement (animals, people) to the withholding of speech, resources, or even divine mercy. The word therefore stands at the intersection of sovereignty and self-control, a reminder that both the Lord and His people may—and often must—say “no further” for righteous ends. Divine Restraint in Judgment and Mercy Genesis 8:2 portrays the first post-flood use: “The springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained.” The same God who released the waters now checks them, underscoring His absolute mastery over judgment. The prophetic writings use the verb similarly. Haggai 1:10 twice states, “Because of you, the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its crops.” When covenant priorities are ignored, God employs כָּלָא to press pause on prosperity so that hearts will return to Him. Conversely, Psalm 40:11 pleads, “Do not withhold Your mercy from me, O LORD; may Your loving devotion and truth always guard me.” The psalmist knows that divine restraint lifted means life and blessing. Human Restraint and Governance Exodus 36:6 commends the kind of leadership able to say “enough”: Moses’ command “Let no man or woman make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary” led to the people being “restrained from bringing more.” Wise leaders imitate God’s character when they curb well-intended excess for the sake of order. Numbers 11:28 and 1 Samuel 25:33 display personal restraint. Joshua urges Moses, “My lord Moses, stop them!” concerning unauthorized prophecy, while David blesses Abigail for “keeping me from bloodshed.” Self-restraint becomes a mark of spiritual maturity, protecting community and soul alike. Physical Confinement and Imprisonment The term can denote literal incarceration. Jeremiah 32 twice reports that the prophet was “confined in the courtyard of the guard” during Babylon’s siege. The usage in Psalm 88:8, “I am confined and cannot escape,” pushes the image inward, capturing the claustrophobia of suffering saints who feel hemmed in by circumstances. Ecclesiastes 8:8 adds a sobering universal: no one can “restrain the wind,” nor evade the day of death; ultimate boundaries lie beyond human power. Prophetic Fulfillment and Eschatological Sealing Daniel 9:24 announces that seventy weeks are decreed “to seal up vision and prophecy.” Here כָּלָא marks the consummation of redemptive history. When the appointed span ends, revelation will be completed, sin restrained, and righteousness enthroned. The same idea surfaces in Ezekiel 31:15, where the Lord “restrained the waters” over fallen Assyria, sealing its fate. כָּלָא thereby links present acts of divine governance with the final closure that awaits at history’s climax. Covenantal Light on Blessing and Withholding Isaiah 43:6 proclaims the reversal of exile: “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’” The verb that once shut Israel in judgment now forbids the nations to restrain her return. Genesis 23:6 uses the same word for the Hittites’ generosity toward Abraham, refusing to “withhold” a burial site. God’s covenant partners are to mirror His open-handedness, never restricting what serves His purposes. Applications for Worship and Personal Discipleship 1. Praise the God who both restrains and releases. Worship gains depth when believers acknowledge the times He has checked disaster or withheld consequences. Homiletical and Pastoral Insights • Sermons can contrast the floodgates of Genesis 7 with the restraints of Genesis 8 to highlight mercy triumphing over judgment. Through its eighteen appearances כָּלָא threads a coherent biblical message: God exercises sovereign restraint for redemptive ends, and His people are called to mirror that wise withholding until the day He seals all things in perfect righteousness. Forms and Transliterations אֶכְלָ֑א אכלא וַיִּכָּלְא֖וּ וַיִּכָּלֵ֥א ויכלא ויכלאו יִכְלֶ֥ה יכלה כְּלִתִ֜נִי כְּלָא֔וֹ כְּלָאֵֽם׃ כָּ֝לֻ֗א כָּל֥וּ כָּלְא֥וּ כָּלְאָ֥ה כָּלִ֣אתִי כָלוּא֙ כלא כלאה כלאו כלאם׃ כלאתי כלו כלוא כלתני לְכַלֵּ֨א לִכְל֣וֹא לכלא לכלוא תִּכְלָ֑אִי תִכְלָ֣א תכלא תכלאי ’eḵ·lā ’eḵlā chaLu echLa kā·lə·’āh kā·lə·’ū kā·li·ṯî kā·lu kā·lū ḵā·lū kalAh kālə’āh kālə’ū kaLiti kāliṯî kaLu kālu kālū ḵālū kə·lā·’êm kə·lā·’ōw kə·li·ṯi·nî kəlā’êm kəlā’ōw kelaEm kelaO keliTini kəliṯinî lə·ḵal·lê lechalLe ləḵallê lichLo liḵ·lō·w liḵlōw tichLa tichLai ṯiḵ·lā tiḵ·lā·’î ṯiḵlā tiḵlā’î vaiyikkaLe vaiyikkalU way·yik·kā·lê way·yik·kā·lə·’ū wayyikkālê wayyikkālə’ū yichLeh yiḵ·leh yiḵlehLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 8:2 HEB: וַֽאֲרֻבֹּ֖ת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וַיִּכָּלֵ֥א הַגֶּ֖שֶׁם מִן־ NAS: from the sky was restrained; KJV: from heaven was restrained; INT: and the floodgates of the sky was restrained and the rain from Genesis 23:6 Exodus 36:6 Numbers 11:28 1 Samuel 6:10 1 Samuel 25:33 Psalm 40:9 Psalm 40:11 Psalm 88:8 Psalm 119:101 Ecclesiastes 8:8 Isaiah 43:6 Jeremiah 32:2 Jeremiah 32:3 Ezekiel 31:15 Daniel 9:24 Haggai 1:10 Haggai 1:10 18 Occurrences |
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