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חֵ֫לֶף

Heleph

BDB lists 2 entries for ‘Heleph’ fuller range ↓

H2501 Strong's Hebrew
Cheleph Transliteration
/kheh'lef/ Pronunciation
Usage in the Hebrew Bible 1 appearance

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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.

חלף — transliterated Cheleph — is a Hebrew name carrying the sense “Heleph.” It is rare — just 1 verse in the entire Hebrew Bible. More than three-quarters of its appearances fall in Joshua. A true hapax — its single appearance is Joshua 19:33. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.

Gloss history

Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship

Strong's · 1890
Heleph
Modern gloss
Heleph
Strong's 1890 agrees
Strong's 1890 and current BDB scholarship align on this entry's primary sense — a good signal that the gloss above is unambiguous and stable. Download share card

About this word

Strong's H2501 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 →

1
distinct verses
The word appears in 1 distinct verse.
1 / 39
OT books
The word appears in 1 of 39 Old Testament books.
Joshua 19:33
only appearance
This word occurs only once, in Joshua 19:33.
#6,101
by frequency
Rank #6,101 (rank 6,101 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).

View all 1 occurrence in the concordance →


Most concentrated in

By section of the Old Testament

  • Pentateuch 0 · 0%
  • Historical 1 · 100%
  • Wisdom 0 · 0%
  • Prophets 0 · 0%

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 1 distinct verse.

  • Prophets (Nevi'im) 1 verse · 100%

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: Was from heleph 1×
  • American Standard Version: Was from heleph 1×
  • Berean Standard Bible: Heleph 1×
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text: Heleph 1×

King James Version Public Domain

Renders H2501 across 1 tagged occurrence — most commonly:

  • “Was from heleph” 1×

American Standard Version Public Domain

Renders H2501 across 1 tagged occurrence — most commonly:

  • “Was from heleph” 1×

Berean Standard Bible Public Domain

Renders H2501 across 1 tagged occurrence — most commonly:

  • “Heleph” 1×

unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Renders H2501 across 1 tagged occurrence — most commonly:

  • “Heleph” 1×

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 0 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.

חלף I [m.] exchange, only cstr., as prep. in return for (so חֲלַף, ܚܠܳܦ, common in Aramaic e.g. Gn 4

חלף II loc. in Naphtali, site unknown Jos 19

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.] exchange, only cstr., as prep. in return for (so חֲלַף, ܚܠܳܦ, common in Aramaic e.g. Gn 4:23 𝔗 𝔖 for Heb. תַּחַת)—ח׳ עֲבֹדֶתֶם (עֲבֹדַתְכֶם) Nu 18:21, 31 (both P).

II. n.pr.loc. in Naphtali, site unknown Jos 19:33.

— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.

Derived from חלף (chêleph) (H2500) — in exchange for.

Part of speech: Proper Name Location


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.

חָלַף

  • [to be smooth, glistening, sharp-edged,]
  • 1. to cut. Denom. חַלִּיף, חֵילֶף.
  • 2. (cmp גּוּז) to pass by, be gone. Num. R. s. 10 (ref. to חלוף, Prov. XXXI, 8) שח׳ והלך וכ׳ of him who passed away and went &c. e.g. Proverbs 31:8
  • 3. to change, exchange. Y. Ber. II, 5ᶜ top נַחֲלוֹף את וכ׳ let us change our meeting-place. Dem. III, 5 חשודה לַחֲלוֹף (Y. ed. לחַלֵּף, Pi.) suspected of exchanging (the provision in her trust). Ib. 6 לח׳ את המתקלקל to replace what has been spoiled; a. fr.
    • same. Yalk. Gen. 148 מי מְחַלְּפוֹ who will replace him? (v. חֲלִיפִין). Dem. III, 5, v. supra; a. e.
    • 1. to exchange, barter. B. Mets. VIII, 4 המַחֲלִיף פרה ב־ if one exchanges a cow for an ass.—Dem. l. c. חשודה להַחֲלִיף, v. supra; Ḥull. 6ᵇ חשודה מַחֲלֶפֶת; a. fr.
    • 2. to drive young shoots, to grow again. Erub. 100ᵇ; a. e., v. גֶּזַע. Pesik. R. s. 11 מַחֲלִיף וכ׳, v. גָּזַז.
    • 3. to change; to reverse. Erub. 9ᵃ ובלבד שלא יַחֲלִיפוּ provided they do not change carriers. Sabb. 8ᵇ; a. fr.—Erub. 99ᵃ לעולם לא תַחֲלִיף it is not necessary to reverse (the authorities; Bets. 3ᵇ, a. e. תיפוך, v. אֲפַךְ).—Part. pass. מוּחֲלָף, f. מוּחֲלֶפֶת. Ib. מ׳ השיטה the statement must be reversed (the authorities for the two opinions must be exchanged); Bets. 3ᵃ
    • 4. to be ambiguous, to equivocate. Snh. 92ᵃ; a. e. כל המחליף וכ׳ he who equivocates in his speech, is like an idolater.
    • , Nithpa. נִתְחַלֵּף
    • 1. to be exchanged, mixed up. Y. Pes. VI, 33ᶜ bot. דבר שאין דרכו (לֵחָלֵף) לִיתְחַלֵּף a thing which is not likely to be exchanged (by mistake); ib. להִתְחַלֵּיף; ib.ᵈ top. Ab. Zar. 17ᵇ מעות … נִתְחַלְּפוּ לי וכ׳ money set aside for Purim was mixed up with money &c. Nidd. 52ᵃ ונִתְחַלְּפָה לך וכ׳ and thou madest a mistake between Iyob and oyeb; B. Bath. 16ᵃ ונתחלף. Ib. לא נ׳ לי I make no mistake; a. e.
    • 2. to change (in appearance). Pesik. R. s. 29 (—30—30) נִתְחַלַּפְתֶּם מן הרעב you have changed (beyond recognition) through starvation; יש לכם להִתְחַלֵּף וכ׳ you will change through plenty. Yalk. Gen. 133 מאיזה שם אני מִתְחַלֵּף (prob. לאיזה) what name I may be ordered to assume in turn.
    • 3. to be succeeded, relieved, transferred. Lev. R. s. 23, end נתח׳ המלך the king has been succeeded (displaced; Num. R. s. 9, beg. מת וכ׳). Yalk. Deut. 813 כיון שנ׳ וכ׳ when the governor was recalled and another &c. Num. R. s. 5, beg. להִתְחַלֵּף מעבודה וכ׳ to be transferred from one service to another. Y. Taan. II, beg. 65ᵃ היו מִתְחַלְּפִין עליה took turns in guarding it.

חֲלַף I

  • , to pass by, be gone. Targ. Cant. II, 11. Targ. Job IX, 11. Ib. 26; a. e.
    • 1. to pass repeatedly, promenade. Kidd. 12ᵇ ח׳ אבבא וכ׳ went up and down in front of the house of his father-in-law (to attract the attention of his mother-in-law).
    • 2. to exchange. Targ. O. Lev. XXVII, 10; a. e.—Ḥull. 6ᵇ חַלּוּפֵי מבעיא so much the more may she be suspected of exchanging (substituting something of her own). Meg. 7ᵇ מְחַלְּפֵי וכ׳ (v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note 8; some ed. מִיחַ׳ Ithpa.) used to exchange their meals (on Purim).—Part. pass. f. מְחַלְּפָא. Y. Peah IV, 18ᵈ bot., a. e. מח׳ שיטתיה, v. preced. Hif.
    • same. Targ. O. l. c.; a. e.
    • to be exchanged; to change; to disappear. Targ. Ps. XC, 5; a. fr.—Gen. R. s. 78, beg. מִתְחַלְּפִין change their names. Ḥull. l. c. ולאִיחַלּוּפֵי לא וכ׳ Rashi (ed. לחַלּוּפֵי) and do we not apprehend an exchange?—Meg. l. c., v. supra.—B. Mets. 59ᵇ, v. חָסֵר II.

חִלֶף I

  • (preced. wds.)
  • 1. shoot.—Pl. חֲלָפִים, constr. הֶלְפֵי, חֶילְ׳. Bets. 3ᵇ; Yeb. 81ᵇ; Zeb. 72ᵇ ח׳ תרדין the young shoots of beet growing out of the root; Orl. III, 7 Ms. M. (ed. חוֹלְפוֹת; Y. ed. חִילְפּוֹת); Tosef. Ter. V, 10 חֲלִיפוֹת ed. Zuck. (Var. חילפות); Ukts. I, 4 חִלְפּוֹת. V. חֲלִיפִין, חֲלִיפָה.
  • 2. rush, v. חֵילֶף.

חֵלֶף II

  • (preced. wds.) reversion. Y. Sabb. VII, 9ᶜ או ח׳ is not perhaps the reverse the case?

חֶלֶף

  • (b. h.) Ḥelef, a place in Naftali. Y. Meg. I, 70ᵃ bot. (ref. to Josh. XIX, 33) מחלף ח׳ me-Helef is (the present) Ḥ. Y. Erub. II, 20ᵃ top ר׳ … בהורי ח׳ וכ׳ R. Jerem. taught at Ḥ. &c. e.g. Joshua 19:33

חֲלַף II

  • st. constr. (חלף) in place of, instead. Targ. Ex. XXI, 24; a. fr.—Sabb. 129ᵃ נפשא ח׳ נפשא life for life (meat is required after bloodletting), סומקא ח׳ סומקא red (wine) for red (blood).—Pl. חֲלָפֵי, with suffix חֲלָפוֹי in his place. Targ. Prov. XI, 8 Ms. (ed. תחותוהי, ed. Lag. both words).—חֲלַף סִדְרָא f. (an adaptation of κλεψύδρα) [change of order,] clepsydra, a water clock used in courts of justice for measuring the time given for argument. Gen. R. s. 49 (not סרדה); Yalk. ib. 83.

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.


Same root — word family

Other BDB entries built from the same root as H2501, 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.

Derives from

Proper names from this root

People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.

Compare all same-root words → 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.


Bible dictionary

Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Heleph). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.

Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897

Exchange, a city on the north border of Naphtali (Josh. 19:33).

Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863

(exchange), the place from which the boundary of the tribe of Naphtali started. (Joshua 19:33)

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · Roswell D. Hitchcock, 1869

changing; passing over

Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.


Septuagint verse parallels

This word appears in 1 verse that also exists in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 1 Hebrew verse 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

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.

Reading settings

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