What does יָחַל (hôḥālətî) mean in the Bible?
יָחַל (hôḥālətî): Waiting that implies trust in God's future deliverance; patience grounded in hopeful expectation rather than passive delay.
Hebrew · H3176
יָחַל
To wait ; by implication, to be patient , hope
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יָחַל H3176
Pronunciation hôḥālətî
What does יָחַל (hôḥālətî) mean in the Bible?
יָחַל (hôḥālətî): Waiting that implies trust in God's future deliverance; patience grounded in hopeful expectation rather than passive delay.
Full entry for יָחַל (H3176) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3176?
The BSB source-word alignment has 40 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Put your hope (5), I put my hope (2), I wait (2), I will wait (2), [And] Noah waited (1).
Where does יָחַל (hôḥālətî) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 8:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Psalms (19), Job (8), 1 Samuel (2), Ezekiel (2).
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 Put your hope 5× Psalms 42:5, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 43:5, Psalms 130:7
I put my hope 2× Psalms 119:114, Psalms 130:5
I wait 2× Psalms 38:15, Psalms 119:81
I will wait 2× Job 14:14, Micah 7:7
[And] Noah waited 1× Genesis 8:12
And [Saul] waited 1× 1 Samuel 13:8
and wait in hope 1× Isaiah 51:5
going to wait 1× 2 Samuel 18:14
hope 1× Psalms 71:14
I have hope 1× Lamentations 3:21
I have hoped 1× Psalms 119:74
I have put my hope 1× Psalms 119:147
I hope 1× Psalms 119:43
I should still hope 1× Job 6:11
I waited 1× Job 32:11
I will hope 1× Lamentations 3:24
I will hope in Him 1× Job 13:15
linger 1× Micah 5:7
looking 1× Psalms 69:3
Must I wait 1× Job 32:16
on those whose hope 1× Psalms 33:18
she had waited in vain 1× Ezekiel 19:5
should I wait 1× 2 Kings 6:33
They waited 1× Job 29:23
Wait 1× 1 Samuel 10:8
we put our hope 1× Psalms 33:22
when I looked 1× Job 30:26
who hope 1× Psalms 147:11
will put their hope 1× Isaiah 42:4
with expectation 1× Job 29:21
yet they wait 1× Ezekiel 13:6
You have given me hope 1× Psalms 119:49
you who hope 1× Psalms 31:24
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 8:12 וַיִּיָּ֣חֶל to [And] Noah waited Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 1 Samuel 10:8 תּוֹחֵל֙ to Wait Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Jussive - second person masculine singular 1 Samuel 13:8 וַיִּיחֶל to And [Saul] waited Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 2 Samuel 18:14 אֹחִ֣ילָה to going to wait Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular 2 Kings 6:33 אוֹחִ֥יל to should I wait Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular Job 6:11 אֲיַחֵ֑ל to I should still hope Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular Job 13:15 אֲיַחֵ֑ל to I will hope in Him Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular Job 14:14 אֲיַחֵ֑ל to I will wait Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular Job 29:21 וְיִחֵ֑לּוּ to with expectation Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Job 29:23 וְיִֽחֲל֣וּ to They waited Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 8:12
Aligned rows 40
Books represented 10
Genesis 1 1 Samuel 2 2 Samuel 1 2 Kings 1 Job 8 Psalms 19 Isaiah 2 Lamentations 2 Ezekiel 2 Micah 2
Source forms
יִחָֽלְתִּי׃ 5x yi·ḥā·lə·tî Psalms 119:43, Psalms 119:74, Psalms 119:81, Psalms 119:114
אֲיַחֵ֑ל 4x ’ă·ya·ḥêl Job 6:11, Job 13:15, Job 14:14, Psalms 71:14
הוֹחִ֣ילִי 3x hō·w·ḥî·lî Psalms 42:5, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 43:5
אוֹחִ֥יל 2x ’ō·w·ḥîl 2 Kings 6:33, Lamentations 3:24
אוֹחִֽיל׃ס 1x ’ō·w·ḥîl Lamentations 3:21
אוֹחִ֖ילָה 1x ’ō·w·ḥî·lāh Micah 7:7
אֹחִ֣ילָה 1x ’ō·ḥî·lāh 2 Samuel 18:14
הוֹחַ֨לְתִּי 1x hō·w·ḥal·tî Job 32:11
Parsing patterns
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular 5x Psalms 119:43, Psalms 119:74, Psalms 119:81, Psalms 119:114
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular 4x Job 6:11, Job 13:15, Job 14:14, Psalms 71:14
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural 3x Job 29:21, Job 29:23, Ezekiel 13:6
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - feminine singular 3x Psalms 42:5, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 43:5
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular 3x 2 Kings 6:33, Lamentations 3:21, Lamentations 3:24
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular 3x Job 32:11, Psalms 38:15, Psalms 130:5
Article | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural 2x Psalms 31:24, Psalms 147:11
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular 2x 2 Samuel 18:14, Micah 7:7
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Waiting that implies trust in God's future deliverance; patience grounded in hopeful expectation rather than passive delay.
Strong's H3176
Lexical occurrences 42 verses Word forms 3 forms 29 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Psalms 38:15–22 Source Gloss
to wait ; by implication, to be patient , hope
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Waiting that implies trust in God's future deliverance; patience grounded in hopeful expectation rather than passive delay.
to wait; by implication, to be patient, hope BDB: wait Usage: (cause to, have, make to) hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 29
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 15×
Perfect Ps 119:43 · Ps 119:74 · Ps 119:81 · Ps 119:114 · Ps 119:147 · Ps 33:22 6×
Imperfect Job 6:11 · Job 13:15 · Job 14:14 · Ps 71:14 · Isa 42:4 · Mic 5:6 6×
Sequential imperfect Ps 130:7 · Ps 131:3 2×
Participle active Ps 69:4 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 13×
Imperfect 2Kgs 6:33 · 2Sam 18:14 · Lam 3:21 · Lam 3:24 4×
Perfect Job 32:11 · Ps 38:16 · Ps 130:5 3×
Sequential imperfect Ps 42:6 · Ps 42:12 · Ps 43:5 3×
Cohortative Jer 4:19 · Mic 7:7 2×
Jussive 1Sam 10:8 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 1×
Perfect Ezek 19:5 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
I wait; I hope; I have an expectant, patient reliance on someone's intervention
Showing 1 selected witness from 42 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
יָחַל is a primitive root - no further derivation.
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