חֵ֫לֶב
fat
‘fat’ is one of 4 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H2459 appears in the Book of Numbers — 5 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Numbers
- Numbers 18:12 חֵ֣לֶב חֵ֖לֶב n c ms cs n c ms cs All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first fruits of them which they give to Yahweh, to you have I given them.
- Numbers 18:17 חֶלְבָּ֣/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy: you shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savor to Yahweh.
- Numbers 18:29 חֶלְבּ֔/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Out of all your gifts you shall offer every heave-offering of Yahweh, of all the best of it, even the holy part of it out of it.
- Numbers 18:30 חֶלְבּ/וֹ֙ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Therefore you shall tell them, When you heave the best of it from it, then it shall be reckoned to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the wine-press.
- Numbers 18:32 חֶלְבּ֖/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms You shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have heaved from it the best of it: and you shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that you not die.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, חלב (cheleb) means “fat.” Not a single-sense word: explore its full sense range. It turns up in 69 verses across 14 books, a moderately common footprint. The word gravitates to Leviticus (48%), then Psalms and Numbers. It first appears in Genesis 4:4. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H2459 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 69
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 69 distinct verses.
- 14 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 14 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #450
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 450 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 69 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 69 distinct verses.
- Torah (Pentateuch) 45 verses · 65%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 14 verses · 20%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 10 verses · 14%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Fat 58×, All the fat 12×, Fatness 4×
- American Standard Version†: Fat 56×, All the fat 14×, Fatness 4×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Fat 63×, Fat portions 5×, Finest 3×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Fat 58×, Fat of 22×, Fat portions 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H2459 across 92† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 9 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H2459 across 92† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 15 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H2459 across 88† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 15 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 4 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H2459 across 94† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 9 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 5 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
חלב I
- 1. fat of human body Ju 3:22 (covering intestines); ח׳גִּבּוֹרִים 2 S 1:22 as smearing warrior’s shield; of grossness of wicked כִּסָּה פָּנָיו בְּחֶלְבּוֹ Jb 15:27; fat (of midriff) fig. of unreceptive heart ח׳ סָֽגְרוּ ψ 17:10, v. also 73:7 (read מֵחֵלֶב עֲוֹנָמוֹ for מחלב עֵינֵמוֹ 𝔊 𝔖 Hi Ew Ol De Che Bae al.); טָפַשׁ כַּח׳ לִבָּם ψ 119:70 i.e. their heart is as unresponsive as the midriff-fat near it. e.g. Judges 3:22
- 2. fat of beasts:
- a. as rich food (poet.) Dt 32:14 and in sim. ψ 63:6 (‖ דֶּשֶׁן); so MT Ez 34:3 (but read הֶחָלָב, v. חָלָב), 39:19 (𝔖 Co בשׂר). e.g. Deuteronomy 32:14
- b. especially as offered in sacrifice, sg., to י׳ Ex 23:18 (JE), 1 S 2:15, 16 Ex 29:13(×2), 22(×3) Lv 3:3(×2), 4, 9(×3), 10, 14(×2), 15 + 23 times Lv, Nu 18:17 (all P), Lv 17:6 (H), 1 S 15:22 Is 1:11; 43:24 Ez 44:7, 15; v. Is 34:6(×2), 7 of fat of Edomites slaughtered by י׳’s sword (under fig. of lambs, rams, and bulls); as eaten by (strange) gods Dt 32:38; (poet.), not to be eaten by men Lv 3:17; 7:23, 24(×2), 25 (all P); also pl., fat parts or pieces Gn 4:4 (J) Lv 6:5 + 8 times Lv, 1 K 8:64(×2) 2 Ch 7:7(×2); 29:35; 35:14. e.g. Exodus 23:18
- 3. choicest, best part of products of land Gn 45:18 (E), specif. of oil Nu 18:12 and wine v 12; of corn and oil v 29, 30, 32; also (poet.) ח׳ כִּלְיוֹת חִטָּה Dt 32:14 kidney-fat of wheat (i.e. the very choicest, cf. Is 34:6), ח׳ חִטָּה ψ 81:17, ח׳ חִטִּים 147:14. e.g. Genesis 45:18
חלב II m. (Sab. n.pr.m. חֿלבן = the crafty one Sab.Denkm. 27. 28)
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.m. Ex 29:13 fat (NH id., fat, so Ph. חלב (prob.); Aramaic ܚܶܠܒܳܐ (also diaphragm in Lexx., v. PS1274) orig. diaphragm, midriff; Arabic خِلْبٌ, incl. midriff-fat, RSSem i. 360);—ח׳ abs. Lv 3:16 + 40 times; cstr. Gn 45:18 + 21 times; sf. חֶלְבּוֹ Lv 3:9 + 6 times; חֶלְבָּהּ Lv 4:31, 35, חֶלְבָּם Nu 18:17, חֶלְבָּ֫מוֹ ψ 17:10, חֶלְבְּהֶ֑ן Lv 8:16, 25 (read n.pl. חלביהן Sam. Di); pl. הַחֲלָבִים Lv 8:26 + 7 times; cstr. חֶלְבֵי Lv 6:5 + 4 times; sf. חֶלְבֵהֶן Gn 4:4 (חלביהן Sam. Di, cf. Lv 8:16, 25 supr.);—
II. n.pr.m. (Sab. n.pr.m. חֿלבן = the crafty one Sab.Denkm. 27. 28)—one of David’s heroes 2 S 23:29 (but read חלד(י), v. Dr), 𝔊 Εσθαει, A Αλαφ, 𝔊L Αλλαν (= חֵלֶד 1 Ch 11:30 = חֶלְדַּי 27:15).
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: from an unused root meaning to be fat
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
חָלָב
- (b. h.) [secretion,] milk. Ab. Zar. II, 6 ח׳ שחֲלָבוֹ וכ׳ milk (of a cow) milked by a gentile. Makhsh. VI, 5 מי ח׳ serum of milk; a. fr.—בשר בח׳ the boiling of meat with milk, the prohibitory law concerning &c. (Ex. XXIV, 19; XXXIV, 26; Deut. XIV, 21). Pes. 54ᵇ, v. חִידּוּשׁ.—Ḥull. 110ᵃ לא גמירי דב׳ בח׳ אסור they did not know that boiling meat with milk was forbidden; a. fr.—חֲלֵב בֵּיצִים white of eggs. Y. Ter. X, 47ᵇ bot., cmp. חֶלְבּוֹן.—נֵץ (ה)ח׳ ornithogalum, Star of Bethlehem, a bulbous plant. Shebi. VII, 1, v. חֶלְבֵּצִין; Ukts. III, 2.—Trnsf. הח׳ white wine. Gen. R. s. 98, opp. אדום. e.g. Exodus 24:19
חֲלָב
- Targ. Gen. XVIII, 8. Targ. Job X, 10; a. fr.—Y. Ter. VIII, 46ᵃ חַלְבּוּן חֲ׳ milked. Ḥull. 109ᵇ, v. בִּשְׂרָא I. Ib. 110ᵃ; a. e.
חָלַב
- (denom. of חָלָב) to milk; to yield milk. Ab. Zar. II, 6, v. חָלָב. Bekh. 20ᵇ רוב … חוֹלְבוֹת וכ׳ the majority of animals secrete no milk unless they have given birth; a. fr.
- to be milked. Sabb. 53ᵇ לֵיחָלֵב when the bag is tied on for milking purposes (to support the udders), opp. ליבש for drying up.
חֲלַב
- Y. Ter. VIII, 46ᵃ, v. חֲלָב
חֵלֶב
- (b. h.) fatty concretion (cmp. חַלָּא), esp. that abdominal fat of cattle which it is forbidden to eat, ḥeleb (Lev. III, 17), contrad. to שומן. Kerith. III, 1. Ḥull. 113ᵇ המבשל חֵ׳ בחָלָב if one boils fat with milk. Snh. 4ᵇ חֵלֶב וחָלָב דכי וכ׳ ḥeleb a. ḥalab which are written alike, v. אֵם; a. fr.—Pl. חֲלָבִים, חֲלָבִין. Ber. I, 1 ח׳ ואברים the pieces of fat and the limbs belonging to the altar; Tam. VII, 3 שלחן הח׳ the (marble) table designated for the fat-pieces (and limbs).—Ker. 12ᵃ, sq. חֲלָבִין laws concerning the eating of ḥeleb; Y. Yeb. X, 11ᵃ top מדמי לה לח׳ (not לחלבון); a. fr.—[Y. Ter. X, 47ᵇ bot. לובן חלבין, v. חֶלְבּוֹן.]—גוּשׁ הֵ׳, v. גּוּשׁ. e.g. Leviticus 3:17
*חֵלֶב
- ch. m. (preced.) a viscous substance, glair. Ḥull. 120ᵃ ח׳ דקריש ed. (v. Rashi); v. חָלָא III.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 47 distinct written forms H2459 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H2459, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- אחלב ʼAchlâb H303 Ahlab
- חלב Chêleb H2460 Heleb
- חלבה Chelbâh H2462 Helbah
- חלבון Chelbôwn H2463 Helbon
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. 4 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 66 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 69 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 4:4
- Exodus 23:18
- Leviticus 3:3
- Numbers 18:12
- Deuteronomy 32:14
- Judges 3:22
- 1 Samuel 2:15
- 2 Samuel 1:22
- 1 Kings 8:64
- 2 Chronicles 7:7
- Job 15:27
- Psalms 17:10
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
