What does כַּלָּה (kalāh) mean in the Bible?
כַּלָּה (kalāh): Bride as ideal completeness; the word etymologically implies perfection, wholeness, and covenant union
Hebrew · H3618
כַּלָּה
A bride (as if perfect); hence, a son's wife
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כַּלָּה H3618
Pronunciation kalāh
What does כַּלָּה (kalāh) mean in the Bible?
כַּלָּה (kalāh): Bride as ideal completeness; the word etymologically implies perfection, wholeness, and covenant union
Full entry for כַּלָּה (H3618) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3618?
The BSB source-word alignment has 34 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include my bride (6), of the bride (4), his daughter-in-law (3), Your daughter-in-law (3), daughters-in-law (2).
Where does כַּלָּה (kalāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 11:31. Its strongest book concentrations include Ruth (7), Song Of Solomon (6), Jeremiah (5), Genesis (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 It my bride 6× Song Of Solomon 4:8, Song Of Solomon 4:9, Song Of Solomon 4:10, Song Of Solomon 4:11
of the bride 4× Jeremiah 7:34, Jeremiah 16:9, Jeremiah 25:10, Jeremiah 33:11
his daughter-in-law 3× Genesis 11:31, Leviticus 20:12, Ezekiel 22:11
Your daughter-in-law 3× Genesis 38:24, Leviticus 18:15, Ruth 4:15
daughters-in-law 2× Ruth 1:7, Ruth 1:8
her daughter-in-law 2× Ruth 1:22, Ruth 2:22
and a daughter-in-law 1× Micah 7:6
and her daughters-in-law 1× Ruth 1:6
and the bride 1× Joel 2:16
and your daughters-in-law 1× Hosea 4:13
as a bride 1× Isaiah 61:10
his bride 1× Isaiah 62:5
Judah’s daughter-in-law 1× 1 Chronicles 2:4
like a bride 1× Isaiah 49:18
Now Eli’s daughter-in-law 1× 1 Samuel 4:19
or a bride 1× Jeremiah 2:32
to her daughter-in-law 1× Ruth 2:20
to his daughter-in-law 1× Genesis 38:11
was his daughter-in-law 1× Genesis 38:16
your daughters-in-law 1× Hosea 4:14
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 11:31 כַּלָּת֔וֹ to his daughter-in-law Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Genesis 38:11 כַּלָּת֜וֹ to to his daughter-in-law Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Genesis 38:16 כַלָּת֖וֹ to was his daughter-in-law Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Genesis 38:24 כַּלָּתֶ֔ךָ to Your daughter-in-law Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular Leviticus 18:15 כַּלָּֽתְךָ֖ to your daughter-in-law Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular Leviticus 20:12 כַּלָּת֔וֹ to his daughter-in-law Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Ruth 1:6 וְכַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ to and her daughters-in-law Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular Ruth 1:7 כַלֹּתֶ֖יהָ to daughters-in-law Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular Ruth 1:8 כַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ to daughters-in-law Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular Ruth 1:22 כַלָּתָהּ֙ to her daughter-in-law Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 11:31
Aligned rows 34
Books represented 12
Genesis 4 Leviticus 2 Ruth 7 1 Samuel 1 1 Chronicles 1 Song Of Solomon 6 Isaiah 3 Jeremiah 5 Ezekiel 1 Hosea 2 Joel 1 Micah 1
Source forms
כַלָּ֑ה 3x ḵal·lāh Song Of Solomon 4:9, Song Of Solomon 4:10, Song Of Solomon 4:12
כַּלָּ֑ה 3x kal·lāh Song Of Solomon 4:11, Jeremiah 7:34, Jeremiah 25:10
כַּלָּת֔וֹ 3x kal·lā·ṯōw Genesis 11:31, Leviticus 20:12, 1 Chronicles 2:4
כַּלָּ֔ה 2x kal·lāh Song Of Solomon 4:8, Isaiah 62:5
כַּלָּ֖ה 2x kal·lāh Jeremiah 2:32, Micah 7:6
וְכַכַּלָּ֖ה 1x wə·ḵak·kal·lāh Isaiah 61:10
וְכַלָּ֖ה 1x wə·ḵal·lāh Joel 2:16
וְכַלּוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם 1x wə·ḵal·lō·w·ṯê·ḵem Hosea 4:13
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular 13x Song Of Solomon 4:8, Song Of Solomon 4:9, Song Of Solomon 4:10, Song Of Solomon 4:11
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular 6x Genesis 11:31, Genesis 38:11, Genesis 38:16, Leviticus 20:12
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular 2x Ruth 1:7, Ruth 1:8
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular 2x Genesis 38:24, Leviticus 18:15
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular 2x Ruth 1:22, Ruth 2:22
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural 1x Hosea 4:13
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular 1x Ruth 1:6
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular 1x Joel 2:16
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Bride as ideal completeness; the word etymologically implies perfection, wholeness, and covenant union
Source Gloss
a bride (as if perfect); hence, a son's wife
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Bride as ideal completeness; the word etymologically implies perfection, wholeness, and covenant union
a bride (as if perfect); hence, a son's wife BDB: daughter-in-law Usage: bride, daughter-in-law, spouse.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
כַּלָּה is built from this root:
כָּלַל H3634
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