7051. qalla

Lexical Summary

qalla: Lightness, frivolity, or triviality

Original Word: קַלָּע
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qalla`
Pronunciation: kal-lah
Phonetic Spelling: (kal-law')
KJV: slinger
NASB: slingers
Word Origin: [intensive from H7049 (קָלַע - To sling)]

1. a slinger

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

slinger

Intensive from qala'; a slinger -- slinger.

see HEBREW qala'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from qala
Definition
slinger
NASB Translation
slingers (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[קַלָּע] noun masculine slinger; — plural קַלָּעִים 2 Kings 3:25.

Topical Lexicon

Word Overview

קַלָּע designates a “slinger,” a combatant skilled in hurling stones with a sling. Though it appears only once (2 Kings 3:25), the term illuminates a wider biblical picture of projectile warfare practiced by Israel and her neighbors.

Historical Background of Slingers

1. Military role. In the Ancient Near East slingers were valued light infantry. The sling, a leather pouch with attached cords, projected stones or lead pellets accurately beyond bow-shot. Infantry and chariot units often integrated slingers to harass enemy lines, break shield walls, and target commanders.
2. Training. Archaeological reliefs and comparative texts show recruits drilling from youth. Scripture confirms such precision; the Benjaminites “could sling a stone at a hair without missing” (Judges 20:16).
3. Strategic value. Sling ammunition was plentiful, inexpensive, and, in rocky highlands such as Israel’s, readily available on site. A well-placed stone could disable cavalry or batter city walls before heavier siege engines arrived.

Biblical Setting: 2 Kings 3:25

When Israel, Judah, and Edom campaigned against Mesha of Moab, they devastated the countryside:

“Only Kir-hareseth was left, but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it as well.” (2 Kings 3:25)

Kir-hareseth, perched on a steep prominence, resisted conventional assault. Slingers encircled the city, pelting ramparts and defenders. Their action:
• Maintained a continuous offensive while engineers prepared other siege works.
• Forced Moabite archers off the walls, limiting return fire.
• Demonstrated the coalition’s determination to press judgment on Moab (cf. 2 Kings 3:19).

Comparative References to Sling Warfare

Although קַלָּע itself is unique to 2 Kings 3:25, allied vocabulary widens our understanding:
• Slingers of Benjamin (Judges 20:16).
• David as shepherd-slinger facing Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40, 49).
• “Slinging stones at Rabbah” during Joab’s siege (2 Samuel 11:25).

These passages confirm that the practice persisted from the period of the Judges through the divided monarchy.

Theological and Ministry Implications

1. God uses unlikely means. A humble sling overcomes giants (1 Samuel 17:50) and fortified cities (2 Kings 3:25). Victory derives from the Lord, not armament (Psalm 44:6-7).
2. Judgment executed. The coalition’s devastation of Moab carried out prophetic announcement (2 Kings 3:18-19). The sling becomes an instrument of divine justice, underscoring God’s faithfulness to His word.
3. Spiritual readiness. Just as slingers drilled for accuracy, believers cultivate skill in wielding “the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17), prepared to demolish strongholds and arguments (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Practical Application for Believers

• Faithfulness in small disciplines equips for decisive moments; consistent practice with a simple sling led to strategic triumphs.
• Trust God’s sufficiency: ordinary tools—words spoken, acts of service—become powerful when directed by Him.
• Remember that divine judgment, though sometimes slow, is certain; thus live in reverent obedience and proclaim the gospel while the day of grace endures.

Forms and Transliterations

הַקַּלָּעִ֖ים הקלעים hakkallaIm haq·qal·lā·‘îm haqqallā‘îm

Englishman's Concordance

2 Kings 3:25
HEB: חֲרָ֑שֶׂת וַיָּסֹ֥בּוּ הַקַּלָּעִ֖ים וַיַּכּֽוּהָ׃
NAS: its stones; however, the slingers went about
KJV: they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about
INT: Kir-hareseth went the slingers and struck

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7051
1 Occurrence

haq·qal·lā·‘îm — 1 Occ.