What does חָלָב (ḥālāb) mean in the Bible?
חָלָב (ḥālāb): Milk as symbol of abundance and nourishment; distinctly marks promised land's fertility in covenantal language
Hebrew · H2461
חָלָב
Milk (as the richness of kine)
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חָלָבH2461
Pronunciationḥālāb
What does חָלָב (ḥālāb) mean in the Bible?
חָלָב (ḥālāb): Milk as symbol of abundance and nourishment; distinctly marks promised land's fertility in covenantal language
Full entry for חָלָב (H2461) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2461?
The BSB source-word alignment has 44 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include with milk (21), milk (5), and milk (4), of milk (3), than milk (2).
Where does חָלָב (ḥālāb) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 18:8. Its strongest book concentrations include Deuteronomy (8), Exodus (6), Isaiah (4), Numbers (4).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itwith milk21×Exodus 3:8, Exodus 3:17, Exodus 13:5, Exodus 33:3
milk5×Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, Deuteronomy 14:21, Judges 5:25
and milk4×Genesis 18:8, Deuteronomy 32:14, Song Of Solomon 4:11, Isaiah 55:1
of milk3×Judges 4:19, Proverbs 30:33, Isaiah 7:22
than milk2×Genesis 49:12, Lamentations 4:7
. . .1×Job 21:24
from milk1×Isaiah 28:9
in milk1×Song Of Solomon 5:12
like milk1×Job 10:10
my milk1×Song Of Solomon 5:1
of cheese1×1 Samuel 17:18
suckling1×1 Samuel 7:9
the milk1×Isaiah 60:16
your milk1×Ezekiel 25:4
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 18:8וְחָלָ֗בtoand milkConjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singularGenesis 49:12מֵחָלָֽב׃פtothan milkPreposition-m | Noun - masculine singularExodus 3:8חָלָ֖בtowith milkNoun - masculine singularExodus 3:17חָלָ֖בtowith milkNoun - masculine singularExodus 13:5חָלָ֖בtowith milkNoun - masculine singularExodus 23:19בַּחֲלֵ֥בtomilkPreposition-b | Noun - masculine singular constructExodus 33:3חָלָ֖בtowith milkNoun - masculine singularExodus 34:26בַּחֲלֵ֥בtomilkPreposition-b | Noun - masculine singular constructLeviticus 20:24חָלָ֖בtowith milkNoun - masculine singularNumbers 13:27חָלָ֥בtowith milkNoun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowGenesis 18:8
Aligned rows44
Books represented16
Genesis2Exodus6Leviticus1Numbers4Deuteronomy8Joshua1Judges21 Samuel2Job2Proverbs2Song Of Solomon3Isaiah4Jeremiah2Lamentations1Ezekiel3Joel1
Source forms
חָלָ֖ב13xḥā·lāḇExodus 3:8, Exodus 3:17, Exodus 13:5, Exodus 33:3
חָלָב֙6xḥā·lāḇNumbers 16:13, Deuteronomy 27:3, Deuteronomy 31:20, 1 Samuel 7:9
בַּחֲלֵ֥ב3xba·ḥă·lêḇExodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, Deuteronomy 14:21
בֶּֽחָלָ֔ב1xbe·ḥā·lāḇSong Of Solomon 5:12
הֶחָלָ֛ב1xhe·ḥā·lāḇJudges 4:19
הֶֽחָלָב֙1xhe·ḥā·lāḇ1 Samuel 17:18
וְחָלָ֗ב1xwə·ḥā·lāḇGenesis 18:8
וְחָלָב֙1xwə·ḥā·lāḇSong Of Solomon 4:11
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular26xExodus 3:8, Exodus 3:17, Exodus 13:5, Exodus 33:3
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular3xGenesis 18:8, Song Of Solomon 4:11, Isaiah 55:1
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct3xExodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, Deuteronomy 14:21
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular3xGenesis 49:12, Isaiah 28:9, Lamentations 4:7
Article | Noun - masculine singular2xJudges 4:19, 1 Samuel 17:18
Noun - masculine singular construct2xProverbs 27:27, Isaiah 60:16
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct1xDeuteronomy 32:14
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular1xSong Of Solomon 5:1
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Milk as symbol of abundance and nourishment; distinctly marks promised land's fertility in covenantal language
Source Gloss
milk (as the richness of kine)
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Milk as symbol of abundance and nourishment; distinctly marks promised land's fertility in covenantal language
milk (as the richness of kine) BDB: milk Usage: cheese, milk, sucking.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Milk from goats as provision for household sustenance and nourishment
Showing 1 selected witness from 44 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
חָלָב is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.