What does חָלָל (ḥālāl) mean in the Bible?
חָלָל (ḥālāl): Physical piercing unto death extends metaphorically to moral/spiritual pollution and desecration of the holy.
Hebrew · H2491
חָלָל
Pierced (especially to death); figuratively, polluted
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חָלָל H2491
Pronunciation ḥālāl
What does חָלָל (ḥālāl) mean in the Bible?
חָלָל (ḥālāl): Physical piercing unto death extends metaphorically to moral/spiritual pollution and desecration of the holy.
Full entry for חָלָל (H2491) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2491?
The BSB source-word alignment has 94 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include slain (10), those slain (10), the slain (9), the dead (4), with the slain (4).
Where does חָלָל (ḥālāl) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 34:27. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (35), Jeremiah (9), 1 Chronicles (5), 2 Samuel (5).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It slain 10× Deuteronomy 21:1, Joshua 11:6, 1 Samuel 31:1, 1 Chronicles 5:22
those slain 10× Jeremiah 14:18, Jeremiah 25:33, Lamentations 4:9, Ezekiel 31:17
the slain 9× Numbers 31:8, Psalms 88:5, Jeremiah 51:49, Ezekiel 6:7
the dead 4× Numbers 31:19, 1 Samuel 31:8, 1 Kings 11:15, 1 Chronicles 10:8
with the slain 4× Jeremiah 41:9, Ezekiel 9:7, Ezekiel 30:11, Ezekiel 35:8
of the slain 3× Numbers 23:24, Deuteronomy 32:42, 2 Samuel 1:22
killed [them] 2× 2 Samuel 23:18, 1 Chronicles 11:20
killing 2× Judges 20:31, Judges 20:39
lies slain 2× 2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:25
of them are slain 2× Ezekiel 32:23, Ezekiel 32:24
the victim 2× Deuteronomy 21:3, Deuteronomy 21:6
whom he killed 2× 2 Samuel 23:8, 1 Chronicles 11:11
Your slain 2× Isaiah 22:2, Ezekiel 6:4
. . . 1× Joshua 13:22
[that] slays 1× Ezekiel 21:14
a [mortally] wounded [man] 1× Ezekiel 30:24
a violent 1× Ezekiel 28:8
And the bodies 1× 1 Samuel 17:52
are slain 1× Ezekiel 32:22
be slain 1× Zephaniah 2:12
been slain 1× Numbers 19:18
defiled 1× Leviticus 21:7
die 1× Isaiah 22:2
from the victim 1× Deuteronomy 21:2
her slain 1× Jeremiah 51:47
like a carcass 1× Psalms 89:10
like the wounded 1× Lamentations 2:12
O profane 1× Ezekiel 21:25
of slain 1× Nahum 3:3
of the wounded 1× Job 24:12
of those You wounded 1× Psalms 69:26
on account of the slain 1× Jeremiah 51:49
or one defiled 1× Leviticus 21:14
our dead 1× Judges 16:24
over the slain 1× Jeremiah 9:1
slaughter 1× Ezekiel 21:14
someone who has been killed 1× Numbers 19:16
than those who die 1× Lamentations 4:9
the slain [are] 1× Job 39:30
the slaughter 1× Genesis 34:27
the wounded 1× Jeremiah 51:52
Their slain 1× Isaiah 34:3
those killed 1× Ezekiel 35:8
those you killed 1× Ezekiel 11:6
to death 1× Proverbs 7:26
when the slain 1× Ezekiel 30:4
when the wounded 1× Ezekiel 26:15
when their slain 1× Ezekiel 6:13
who are slain 1× Ezekiel 21:29
will be slain 1× Isaiah 66:16
with the dead 1× Ezekiel 11:6
with those slain 1× Ezekiel 32:21
wounded 1× Judges 9:40
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 34:27 הַ֣חֲלָלִ֔ים to the slaughter Article | Noun - masculine plural Leviticus 21:7 וַחֲלָלָה֙ to defiled Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular Leviticus 21:14 וַחֲלָלָ֣ה to or one defiled Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular Numbers 19:16 בַּֽחֲלַל־ to someone who has been killed Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Numbers 19:18 בֶֽחָלָ֔ל to been slain Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Numbers 23:24 חֲלָלִ֖ים to of the slain Noun - masculine plural Numbers 31:8 חַלְלֵיהֶ֗ם to the slain Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Numbers 31:19 בֶּֽחָלָ֗ל to the dead Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Deuteronomy 21:1 חָלָ֗ל to slain Noun - masculine singular Deuteronomy 21:2 הֶחָלָֽל׃ to from the victim Article | Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 34:27
Aligned rows 94
Books represented 21
Genesis 1 Leviticus 2 Numbers 5 Deuteronomy 5 Joshua 2 Judges 4 1 Samuel 3 2 Samuel 5 1 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 5 2 Chronicles 1 Job 2 Psalms 3 Proverbs 1 Isaiah 4 Jeremiah 9 Lamentations 3 Ezekiel 35 Daniel 1 Nahum 1 Zephaniah 1
Source forms
חַלְלֵי־ 14x ḥal·lê- Isaiah 22:2, Jeremiah 14:18, Lamentations 4:9, Ezekiel 31:17
חָלָ֖ל 7x ḥā·lāl 2 Samuel 23:8, 1 Chronicles 11:11, Ezekiel 6:7, Ezekiel 28:8
חֲלָלִ֖ים 7x ḥă·lā·lîm Numbers 23:24, Joshua 11:6, 1 Samuel 31:1, 1 Chronicles 10:1
חַֽלְלֵ֥י 4x ḥal·lê Isaiah 66:16, Jeremiah 9:1, Jeremiah 51:49, Zephaniah 2:12
חָלָ֑ל 3x ḥā·lāl 2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 23:18, 1 Chronicles 11:20
חָלָֽל׃ 3x ḥā·lāl 2 Samuel 1:25, Jeremiah 51:52, Ezekiel 30:11
חֲלָלִ֥ים 3x ḥă·lā·lîm Judges 9:40, Job 24:12, Daniel 11:26
הֶחָלָ֑ל 2x he·ḥā·lāl Deuteronomy 21:3, Deuteronomy 21:6
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine plural 25x Numbers 23:24, Joshua 11:6, Judges 9:40, Judges 20:31
Noun - masculine plural construct 22x 1 Samuel 17:52, Isaiah 22:2, Isaiah 66:16, Jeremiah 9:1
Noun - masculine singular 19x Deuteronomy 21:1, Deuteronomy 32:42, 2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:25
Article | Noun - masculine plural 4x Genesis 34:27, 1 Samuel 31:8, 1 Kings 11:15, 1 Chronicles 10:8
Article | Noun - masculine singular 3x Deuteronomy 21:2, Deuteronomy 21:3, Deuteronomy 21:6
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural 3x Ezekiel 6:4, Ezekiel 11:6, Ezekiel 11:7
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural 3x Numbers 31:8, Joshua 13:22, Ezekiel 6:13
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular 2x Leviticus 21:7, Leviticus 21:14
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Physical piercing unto death extends metaphorically to moral/spiritual pollution and desecration of the holy.
Source Gloss
pierced (especially to death); figuratively, polluted
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Physical piercing unto death extends metaphorically to moral/spiritual pollution and desecration of the holy.
pierced (especially to death); figuratively, polluted BDB: profaned Usage: kill, profane, slain (man), × slew, (deadly) wounded.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
those killed in warfare, pierced to death by divine judgment
the dead and wounded in Babylon's destruction, pierced by judgment
victims destroyed morally and physically by seduction and sin
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 94 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
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.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain