קָלַל
to be light
‘to be light’ is one of 3 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Piel verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘make light’
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem.
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘be slight’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘shew oneself swift Is 30’
- Pilpel
- A reduplicated intensive stem of two-letter or hollow roots.
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
Form
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
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).
Person
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Grammatical forms 40 distinct
- Verb, Hiphil, Imperative, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular 7 times (9%)
- Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 7 times (9%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural 7 times (9%)
- Verb, Piel, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 5 times (6%)
- Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 5 times (6%)
- Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct 5 times (6%)
- Verb, Niphal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 4 times (5%)
- Verb, Piel, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 3 times (4%)
+32 more forms (39 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 82 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H7043 appears — 79 distinct verses across 22 books. 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.
Genesis 6 verses
- Genesis 8:8 הֲ/קַ֣לּוּ ptcl inter + Qal pf 3cp He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the surface of the ground,
- Genesis 8:11 קַ֥לּוּ Qal pf 3cp The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
- Genesis 8:21 לְ/קַלֵּ֨ל prep + Piel inf.cs Yahweh smelled the sweet savor. Yahweh said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done.
- Genesis 12:3 וּ/מְקַלֶּלְ/ךָ֖ conj + Piel ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 2ms I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. In you will all of the families of the earth be blessed."
- Genesis 16:4 וַ/תֵּקַ֥ל conj + Qal wimpf 3fs He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
- Genesis 16:5 וָ/אֵקַ֖ל conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Sarai said to Abram, "This wrong is your fault. I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Yahweh judge between me and you."
Exodus 3 verses
- Exodus 18:22 וְ/הָקֵל֙ conj + Hiphil impv 2ms Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.
- Exodus 21:17 וּ/מְקַלֵּ֥ל conj + Piel ptcp.act ms "Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
- Exodus 22:28 תְקַלֵּ֑ל Piel impf 2ms "You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
Leviticus 6 verses
- Leviticus 19:14 תְקַלֵּ֣ל Piel impf 2ms "'You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am Yahweh.
- Leviticus 20:9 יְקַלֵּ֧ל קִלֵּ֖ל Piel impf 3ms Piel pf 3ms "'For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
- Leviticus 24:11 וַ/יְקַלֵּ֔ל conj + Piel wimpf 3ms The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.
- Leviticus 24:14 הַֽ/מְקַלֵּ֗ל ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act ms "Bring out of the camp him who cursed; and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
- Leviticus 24:15 יְקַלֵּ֥ל Piel impf 3ms You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.
- Leviticus 24:23 הַֽ/מְקַלֵּ֗ל ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act ms Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they brought forth him who had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. The children of Israel did as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Deuteronomy 1 verse
Joshua 1 verse
Judges 1 verse
1 Samuel 5 verses
- 1 Samuel 2:30 יֵקָֽלּוּ Qal impf 3mp Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before me forever: but now Yahweh says, Be it far from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
- 1 Samuel 3:13 מְקַֽלְלִ֤ים Piel ptcp.act mp For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse on themselves, and he didn't restrain them.
- 1 Samuel 6:5 יָקֵ֤ל Hiphil impf 3ms Therefore you shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
- 1 Samuel 17:43 וַ/יְקַלֵּ֧ל conj + Piel wimpf 3ms The Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? The Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- 1 Samuel 18:23 הַֽ/נְקַלָּ֤ה ptcl inter + Niphal ptcp.act fs Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. David said, Seems it to you a light thing to be the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
2 Samuel 10 verses
- 2 Samuel 1:23 קַ֔לּוּ Qal pf 3cp Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, In their death they were not divided: They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.
- 2 Samuel 6:22 וּ/נְקַלֹּ֤תִי conj + Niphal wpf 1cs I will be yet more vile than this, and will be base in my own sight: but of the handmaids of whom you have spoken, they shall honor me.
- 2 Samuel 16:5 וּ/מְקַלֵּֽל conj + Piel ptcp.act ms When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of the house of Saul came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out, and cursed still as he came.
- 2 Samuel 16:7 בְּ/קַֽלְל֑/וֹ prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Thus said Shimei when he cursed, Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and base fellow:
- 2 Samuel 16:9 יְקַלֵּ֞ל Piel impf 3ms Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head."
- 2 Samuel 16:10 יְקַלֵּ֗ל קַלֵּ֣ל Piel impf 3ms Piel impv 2ms The king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, Curse David; who then shall say, Why have you done so?
- 2 Samuel 16:11 וִֽ/יקַלֵּ֔ל conj + Piel impf 3ms David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeks my life: how much more [may] this Benjamite now [do it]? let him alone, and let him curse; for Yahweh has invited him.
- 2 Samuel 16:13 וַ/יְקַלֵּ֔ל conj + Piel wimpf 3ms So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
- 2 Samuel 19:21 קִלֵּ֖ל Piel pf 3ms But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, Shall Shimei not be put to death for this, because he cursed Yahweh's anointed?
- 2 Samuel 19:43 הֱקִלֹּתַ֔/נִי Hiphil pf 2ms + sfx pers 1cs The men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more [right] in David than you: why then did you despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? The words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
1 Kings 5 verses
- 1 Kings 2:8 קִֽלְלַ֨/נִי֙ Piel pf 3ms + sfx pers 1cs Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.
- 1 Kings 12:4 הָקֵל֩ Hiphil impv 2ms Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make you the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.
- 1 Kings 12:9 הָקֵל֙ Hiphil impv 2ms He said to them, What counsel do you give, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that your father did put on us lighter?
- 1 Kings 12:10 הָקֵ֣ל Hiphil impv 2ms The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus shall you tell this people who spoke to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but make you it lighter to us; thus shall you speak to them, My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.
- 1 Kings 16:31 הֲ/נָקֵ֣ל ptcl inter + Niphal pf 3ms It happened, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.
2 Kings 3 verses
- 2 Kings 2:24 וַֽ/יְקַלְלֵ֖/ם conj + Piel wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3mp He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Yahweh. There came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and mauled forty-two lads of them.
- 2 Kings 3:18 וְ/נָקַ֥ל conj + Niphal wpf 3ms This is but a light thing in the sight of Yahweh: he will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
- 2 Kings 20:10 נָקֵ֣ל Niphal pf 3ms Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to decline ten steps: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten steps.
2 Chronicles 3 verses
- 2 Chronicles 10:4 הָקֵל֩ Hiphil impv 2ms Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make you the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.
- 2 Chronicles 10:9 הָקֵל֙ Hiphil impv 2ms He said to them, What counsel give you, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that your father did put on us lighter?
- 2 Chronicles 10:10 הָקֵ֣ל Hiphil impv 2ms The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus shall you tell the people who spoke to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but make you it lighter to us; thus shall you say to them, My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.
Nehemiah 2 verses
- Nehemiah 13:2 לְ/קַֽלְל֔/וֹ prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms because they didn't meet the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: however our God turned the curse into a blessing.
- Nehemiah 13:25 וָ/אֲקַֽלְלֵ֔/ם conj + Piel wimpf 1cs + sfx pers 3mp I contended with them, and cursed them, and struck certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, [saying], You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.
Job 5 verses
- Job 3:1 וַ/יְקַלֵּ֖ל conj + Piel wimpf 3ms After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.
- Job 7:6 קַ֭לּוּ Qal pf 3cp My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And are spent without hope.
- Job 9:25 קַ֭לּוּ Qal pf 3cp "Now my days are swifter than a runner. They flee away, they see no good,
- Job 24:18 תְּקֻלַּ֣ל Pual impf 3fs "They are foam on the surface of the waters. Their portion is cursed in the earth: They don't turn into the way of the vineyards.
- Job 40:4 קַ֭לֹּתִי Qal pf 1cs "Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Psalms 3 verses
- Psalms 37:22 וּ֝/מְקֻלָּלָ֗י/ו conj + Pual ptcp.pass mp cs + sfx pers 3ms For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
- Psalms 62:4 יְקַלְלוּ Piel impf 3mp They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.
- Psalms 109:28 יְקַֽלְלוּ Piel impf 3mp They may curse, but you bless. When they arise, they will be shamed, But your servant shall rejoice.
Proverbs 4 verses
- Proverbs 14:6 נָקָֽל Niphal ptcp.act ms A scoffer seeks wisdom, and doesn't find it, But knowledge comes easily to a discerning person.
- Proverbs 20:20 מְ֭קַלֵּל Piel ptcp.act ms Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness.
- Proverbs 30:10 יְקַלֶּלְ/ךָ֥ Piel impf 3ms + sfx pers 2ms "Don't slander a servant to his master, Lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
- Proverbs 30:11 יְקַלֵּ֑ל Piel impf 3ms There is a generation that curses their father, And doesn't bless their mother.
Ecclesiastes 4 verses
- Ecclesiastes 7:21 מְקַלְלֶֽ/ךָ Piel ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 2ms Also don't take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
- Ecclesiastes 7:22 קִלַּ֥לְתָּ Piel pf 2ms for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 קִלְקַ֔ל Pilpel pf 3ms If the axe is blunt, and one doesn't sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.
- Ecclesiastes 10:20 תְּקַלֵּ֔ל תְּקַלֵּ֖ל Piel juss 2ms Piel juss 2ms Don't curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; And don't curse the rich in your bedchamber: For a bird of the sky may carry your voice, And that which has wings may tell the matter.
Isaiah 6 verses
- Isaiah 8:21 וְ/קִלֵּ֧ל conj + Piel wpf 3ms They shall pass through it, sore distressed and hungry; and it shall happen that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and turn their faces upward:
- Isaiah 9:1 הֵקַ֞ל Hiphil pf 3ms But there shall be no gloom to her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time has he made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
- Isaiah 23:9 לְ/הָקֵ֖ל prep + Hiphil inf.cs Yahweh of hosts has purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.
- Isaiah 30:16 יִקַּ֥לּוּ Niphal impf 3mp but you said, No, for we will flee on horses; therefore shall you flee: and, We will ride on the swift; therefore shall those who pursue you be swift.
- Isaiah 49:6 נָקֵ֨ל Niphal pf 3ms yes, he says, It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth.
- Isaiah 65:20 יְקֻלָּֽל Pual impf 3ms There shall be no more there an infant of days, nor an old man who has not filled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old, and the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
Jeremiah 5 verses
- Jeremiah 4:13 קַלּ֥וּ Qal pf 3cp Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots [shall be] as the whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! for we are ruined.
- Jeremiah 4:24 הִתְקַלְקָֽלוּ Hithpalpel pf 3cp I saw the mountains, and, behold, they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth.
- Jeremiah 6:14 נְקַלָּ֔ה Niphal ptcp.pass fs They have healed also the hurt of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
- Jeremiah 8:11 נְקַלָּ֔ה Niphal ptcp.pass fs They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
- Jeremiah 15:10 מְקַלְלַֽו/נִי Piel ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 1cs Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have not lent, neither have men lent to me; [yet] everyone of them does curse me.
Ezekiel 3 verses
- Ezekiel 8:17 הֲ/נָקֵל֙ ptcl inter + Niphal pf 3ms Then he said to me, Have you seen [this], son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to anger: and, behold, they put the branch to their nose.
- Ezekiel 21:21 קִלְקַ֤ל Pilpel pf 3ms For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows back and forth, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver.
- Ezekiel 22:7 הֵקַ֣לּוּ Hiphil pf 3cp In you have they set light by father and mother; in the midst of you have they dealt by oppression with the foreigner; in you have they wronged the fatherless and the widow.
Jonah 1 verse
Nahum 1 verse
Habakkuk 1 verse
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.
קלל (qâlal) is a Hebrew verb most often rendered “to be light.” As a verb its force shifts by stem, across 7 stems (Qal, Niphal, and more). The Hebrew Bible uses it across 79 verses — moderately common. Debuting at Genesis 8:8, it then recurs through the corpus. Related forms include קל, קלל and קללה. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7043 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 →
- 79
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 79 distinct verses.
- 22 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 22 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #487
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 487 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 79 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 79 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 42 verses · 53%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 21 verses · 27%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 16 verses · 20%
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).
- King James Version: Curse 8×, Cursed 8×, Are swifter 4×
- American Standard Version: Cursed 6×, Are swifter 4×, Curse 4×
- Berean Standard Bible: Curse 8×, Are swifter 4×, Curse you 3×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Curse 6×, And 4×, Cursed 4×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7043 across 82 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 47 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 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7043 across 81 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 51 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 H7043 across 82 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 49 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7043 across 99 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 53 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
20 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel) and one or more reduplicated stems (the Pōlēl/Pilpēl type), which for hollow or geminate roots behave much like Piel — often intensive or iterative.
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 20 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.
Qal
- Pf. 2 ms. קַלּוֹתָ Na 1:14; 1 s. קַלֹּתִי Jb 40:4; 3 pl. קַלּוּ Gn 8:11 +; Impf. 3 fs. וַתֵּקַל 16:4; 1 s. וָאֵקֵל v 5; 3 mpl. יֵקָֽ֑לּוּ 1 S 2:30;— e.g. Nahum 1:14
- 1. be slight, of water, be abated, from off (מֵעַל) earth Gn 8:3, 11 (J). e.g. Genesis 8:3
- 2. be swift, c. מִן comp., of warriors 2 S 1:23, horses Je 4:13; Hb 1:8; one’s days Jb 7:6; 9:25. e.g. 2 Samuel 1:23
- 3. trifling, i.e. of little account, of pers. Gn 16:4, 5 (J; both c. בְּעֵינֶיהָ); 1 S 2:30; Na 1:4; Jb 40:4. e.g. Genesis 16:4
Niphal
- Pf. 3 ms. נָקֵל (Ges§ 67 times) 2 K 20:10 +, וְנָקַל consec. 2 K 3:18; נָקָ֑ל Pr 14:6; 1 s. consec. וּנְקַלֹּתִי 2 S 6:22; Impf. 3 mpl. יִקַּ֫לּוּ Is 30:16; Pt. f. (עַל־)נְקַלָּה Je 6:14 + 2 times;— e.g. 2 Kings 20:10
- 1. shew oneself swift Is 30:16 (‖ עַל־קַל נִרְכָּ֑ב). e.g. Isaiah 30:16
- 2. appear trifling, 1 S 18:23 (בְּעֵינֵיכֶם; Inf. subj., cf. Dr), c. מִן comp. be too trifling Is 49:6, especially of sin 1 K 16:31 (Inf. subj.), and (c. מִן comp.) Ez 8:17; easy 2 K 3:18 (בְּעֵנַי), 20:10 (c. Inf.), Pr 14:6; Pt. (as subst.) c. עַל in adv. phr. עַל־נְקַלָּה lightly i.e. superficially, Je 6:14; 8:11. e.g. 1 Samuel 18:23
- 3. be lightly esteemed 2 S 6:22 (‖ שָׁפָל; opp. אִכָּכֵ֑דָה). e.g. 2 Samuel 6:22
Piel
- Pf. 3 ms. קִלֵּל 2 S 19:22 +, etc.; Impf. יְקַלֵּל Lv 20:9 +, etc.; Imv. ms. קַלֵּל 2 S 16:10; Inf. cstr. קַלֵּל Gn 8:21 Jos 24:9, etc.; Pt. מְקַלֵּל Ex 21:17 +; sf. כֻּלֹּה מקללוני Je 15:10, read מְקַלְלַוְנִי! (Baer); err. for כֻּלְּהֶם קִלְלוּנִי JDMich Gf Gie Du al., etc.;—curse (prop. make contemptible): e.g. 2 Samuel 19:22
- 1. c. acc. pers. homin. Ex 21:17 (E), Gn 12:3 (J), Lv 19:14 (H), Ju 9:27; 2 S 16:9 + 16 times; קִלְלַנִי קְלָלָה 1 K 2:8; obj. om. 2 S 16:5, 7, 10, 11, 13 ψ 62:5; 109:28 (opp. בֵּרַךְ); acc. pers. + ב of oath 1 S 17:43; 2 K 2:24; c. ב of oath alone Is 8:21. e.g. Exodus 21:17
- 2. c. acc. dei Ex 22:27 (E), Lv 24:15 (H), 1 S 3:13 (reading אֱלֹהִים for לָהֶם, 𝔊 Comm.), + (obj. om.) Lv 24:11, 14, 23. e.g. Exodus 22:27
- 3. c. acc. rei Gn 8:21 (י׳ subj.), Jb 3:1. e.g. Genesis 8:21
Pual
- Impf. 3 ms. יְקֻלָּ֑ל Is 65:20 be cursed by death; 3 fs. תְּקֻלַּל Jb 24:18 their portion is cursed; Pt. pl. sf. מְקֻלָּלָיו ψ 37:22 those cursed by him (opp. מְבֹרָכָיו). e.g. Isaiah 65:20
Hiphil
- Pf. 3 ms. הֵקַל Is 8:23; 2 ms. sf. הֱקִלֹּתַנִי 2 S 19:44 (van d. H. הֲ-); 3 pl. הֵקַלּוּ Ez 22:7; Impf. 3 ms. יָקֵל 1 S 6:5; Imv. ms. הָקֵל Ex 18:22 +; Inf. cstr. id., Is 23:9 Jon 1:5;— e.g. Isaiah 8:23
- 1. make light, lighten, יָקֵל אֶת־יָדוֹ מֵעֲלֵיכֶם 1 S 6:5 he will lighten his hand from upon you; c. מֵעַל pers. alone, make light from upon one, lighten one’s burden Ex 18:22 (E), Jon 1:5; 1 K 12:10 = 2 Ch 10:10; + מִן partit. 1 K 12:4, 9 = 2 Ch 10:4, 9. e.g. 1 Samuel 6:5
- 2. treat with contempt, acc. pers. 2 S 19:44; Is 23:9; Ez 22:7; dir. caus. bring contempt, dishonour Is 8:23 (opp. הִכְבִּיד). e.g. 2 Samuel 19:44
Pilp
- Pf. 3 ms.
- 1. shake קִלְקַל בַּחִצִּים Ez 21:26 (in divination). e.g. Ezekiel 21:26
- 2. (peculiarly) whet Ec 10:10 (proposes move quickly to and fro). e.g. Ecclesiastes 10:10
Hithpalp
- reflex. of 1: Pf. 3 pl. הִתְקַלְקָ֑לוּ Je 4:24 hills shook themselves, shook. e.g. Jeremiah 4:24
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
vb. be slight, swift, trifling (prob. orig. be light; NH [קָלַל], קַל, קִלֵּל = BH; Assyrian ḳalálu ii. despise, dishonour; so Tel Am (appar. Canaanism); Arabic قَلَّ be small, scanty; Sab. קללם scanty Hal 143, 8 f. (cf. FellZMG liv (1900), 246); Ethiopic ቀለለ: be light, small, easy; ii. despise; 𝔗 קְלַל, Syriac ܩܰܠ, = BH; also (v. Pilp., etc.) Arabic قَلْقَلَ shake, ቈልቈለ: vibrate, whirl (of sword), ቀልቀለ: v. be shaken;—SchwallyZAW xi (1891), 170 ff. thinks shake original, v. מַקֵּל);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
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.
קָלָל
- (v. קָלִיל) a vessel, esp. the pitcher containing the ashes of the red cow. Par. III, 3; X, 3 ק׳ של חטאת the vessel containing the ashes for lustration; Tosef. ib. IX (X), 5; a. e.—Pl. קְלָלוֹת. Par. X, 4. Tosef. ib. III (II), 4 קְלִילִיּוֹת (Var. קלולי; R. S. to Par. III, 3 קילולות, corr. acc.).
קָלָל ²
- Targ. Y. Num. XIX, 9.
קָלַל
- (b. h.) [to swing] to be light, slender, unimportant.—Part. קַל. Snh. VI, 5 (ref. to קללת, Deut. XXI, 23) בזמן … קַלַּנִי מראשי וכ׳ when man suffers punishment, what does the Shekhinah say? ‘I am lighter than my head, than my arm’ (euphem. for, I feel my head heavy &c.); Y. ib. 23ᵈ bot. אנן תנינן קַלֵּינִי (= קל איני) we read ḳalleni, I am not lighter; אית תניי תני קל אני some Tannai reads ḳal ăni; מאן דאמר קליני לית הוא אלא קליל according to him that reads ḳalleni, it is a euphemistic expression for ‘light’ (i.e. my head is light, I feel giddy; my arm is light, I feel weak); מאן דאמר קלני … נטיל according to the version ḳallani, it is a euphemistic expression for ‘heavy’ (i.e. my head, my arm is heavy); Bab. ib. 46ᵇ Abbayi says כמאן דאמר קל לית (read ḳalleni) as one says, ‘light (I am) not’ (i.e. I feel heavy, without euphemism)—(which is refuted by Raba, who explains the word in question) קליל לי עלמא, v. קַלִּיל II. e.g. Deuteronomy 21:23
- , הֵקיל I) to lighten. M. Kat. 17ᵇ הכביד … מֵיקַל וכ׳ if the mourner’s hair is too heavy, he may make it lighter with a razor; Y. ib. III, 82ᵃ top. Erub. IV, 9 להָקֵל על העשיר to make it easy for the rich man; a. fr.—Trnsf. ה׳ ראשו to be irreverent, talk frivolously (v. קַלּוּת). Ber. IX, 5 לא יָקֵל אדם את ראשו כנגד וכ׳ man (a pilgrim coming to Jerusalem) must not behave irreverently in sight of the eastern gate &c. Yalk. Gen. 24 מֵיקֶלֶת ראשה she is frivolous (light-minded); Yalk. Is. 265 מֵקֶילֶת ראש; (Gen. R. s. 18 מיקרת, v. יָקַר).—2) to be lenient; to incline towards the less restrictive practice, opp. החמיר, v. חָמַר I. Y. M. Kat. l. c. הלכה כדברי מי שהוא מיקל the adopted practice follows the opinion of him who is more lenient; Erub. 46ᵃ, a. fr. כדברי המיקל וכ׳. Yeb. 88ᵃ הֵיקַלְתָּ עליה, v. חָמַר I. Pes. 52ᵇ, v. מַגִּיד. Erub. l. c. wherever you find יחיד מיקל ורבים וכ׳ an individual scholar favoring the more lenient practice against several in favor of restriction. Sabb. 129ᵃ, a. fr. ספק נפשות להָקל where there is a doubt involving the endangering of human life, the more lenient rule is applied; a. fr.—3) to be sparing, beggarly. Ib. כל המיקל … מְקִילִין לו מזוניתיו וכ׳ he that stints himself at the meal taken after blood-letting, to him they in heaven will give his sustenance stintingly; a. e.
- [to diminish,] to curse. Keth. VII, 6 מְקַלֶּלֶת, v. יִוֹלֵד. Sabb. 62ᵇ שאשתו מְקַלַּלְתּוֹ בפניו whom his wife curses in his presence. Pes. 87ᵇ (ref. to Prov. XXX, 10 sq.) אפו׳ דור שאביו יְקַלֵּל וכ׳ even if it be a generation of men that curse their father …, do not denounce &c. Yoma 75ᵃ ק׳ את הנחש וכ׳ God cursed the serpent, yet it climbs up the roof and finds its food. Sot. 11ᵃ (expl. ועלה, Ex. I, 10, as euphem. for ועלינו) כאדם שמְקַלֵּל את עצמו וכ׳ like a man that wants to curse himself (express an ill omen about himself), and hangs his curse on others. B. Bath. 88ᵇ הקב"ה בירך … וקִלְּלָן וכ׳ the Lord blessed Israel with the twenty-two letters of the alphabet (from א of אם, Lev. XXVI, 3, to ת of קוממיות, ib. 13), and cursed them with eight letters (from ו of ואם, ib. 14, to ם of נפשם, ib. 43). Snh. 70ᵃ מתוך שקלקלו … קִלְּלוֹ ברביעי because Ham injured him by (preventing his begetting) a fourth son, he (Noah) cursed him by his fourth son (Canaan). Ib. 91ᵇ כל המונע … שבמעי אמן מְקַלְּלִין אותו (not אמו) he that withholds a tradition from his pupil, even the embryos in their mother’s womb will curse him; Yalk. Prov. 947; a. fr. e.g. Proverbs 30:10
- to be cursed. Ber. 61ᵃ בתחלה נ׳ … נִתְקַלְּלָה וכ׳ the serpent was cursed first, and then Eve &c.; Gen. R. s. 20; Erub. 18ᵃ. Ib. 18ᵇ נתקללה בבל נִתְקַלְּלוּ וכ׳ when Babylon was cursed, her neighbors were cursed. Bekh. 8ᵃ אם מבהמה נתקללה וכ׳ if she (Eve) was cursed (with prolonged pregnancy) more than cattle &c. Ib. נ׳ הוא … אחת לשבע it (the serpent) was cursed seven times more than certain cattle. Ib. נ׳ הוא מחיה (not נתקלקל); a. fr.—[Tosef. Sot. II, 3 ניקללה ניוולה, Var. ניקל, read: ניקתה בניוולה, v. נָקָה Nif.]
קְלַל
- 1. to be light; to be of light esteem. Targ. O. Gen. XVI, 4, sq.
- 2. to be reduced. Ib. VIII, 8; 11 קַלּוּ ed. Berl. (ed. Vien. קַלִּיאוּ).
- to be reduced. Targ. Y. ib.
- 1. (denom. of (denom. of קַלִּיל) to be quick, to pass swiftly. Targ. Job VII, 6; IX, 25.
- 2. to make light; trnsf. to ease, relieve. Pesik. B’shall., p. 93ᵃ קַלֵּיל גרמך וכ׳ make thyself light of weight, or I will throw thee off.—Y. Kidd. II, 62ᵈ bot. הוון מחמרין וק׳ עליהון they were strict in their practice, and he lightened their burden (allowed them what they considered forbidden). Y. M. Kat. III, 82ᵃ הן דהוינן סברין דו מְקַלְּלָה חמר he whom we thought to be lenient made it stricter; a. e.—[Yalk. Gen. 133 ומקללה בשוק, v. קְלַק.]
- 1. to disregard, dishonor; also to curse. Targ. Ex. XXII, 27 (v. קִיל II). Targ. Ps. LV, 13 (h. text חרף); a. e.—Y. Bicc. III, 65ᵈ top ר׳ מני מֵיקיל לאילין וכ׳ R. M. spoke with disrespect of those that get appointments to office for money; Midr. Sam. ch. VII ר׳ אמי הוה מֵקֵיל (or מַקֵּיל). Y. Dem. I, 22ᵃ top, v. קִיל II. Y. Peah VIII, 21ᵃ אַקְלוּנָךְ they cursed thee; a. e.
- 2. to relieve, to favor the more lenient rule. Targ. Ex. XVIII, 22 (some ed. O. וְיִקְלוּן, read וְיַ׳). Targ. I Kings XII, 4; 9.—Erub. 46ᵃ באבילות הוא דאַקִּילוּ וכ׳ (or דַּאֲקִילוּ) only as to mourning ceremonies the Rabbis adopt the more lenient rules. Yeb. 88ᵃ ולא לֵיקֵיל, or חֲמַר I; a. fr.—V. קַלְקֵל.
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 73 distinct written forms H7043 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 13 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7043, 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
- קל qal H7031 swift
- קלל qâlâl H7044 burnished
- קללה qᵉlâlâh H7045 curse
- קלקל qᵉlôqêl H7052 contemptible
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 → Showing 4 of 6 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 73 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 79 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 8:8
- Exodus 18:22
- Leviticus 19:14
- Deuteronomy 23:4
- Joshua 24:9
- Judges 9:27
- 1 Samuel 2:30
- 2 Samuel 1:23
- 1 Kings 2:8
- 2 Kings 2:24
- 2 Chronicles 10:4
- Job 3:1
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.
