H2416a H2416a
Alive, living; having life; substantively: living creature; in oath formulas 'as X lives'; also raw, fresh.
Chay is the Hebrew Bible's primary adjective for the state of being alive, and it radiates outward from that biological core into theology, liturgy, zoology, and even cuisine. As an attribute of God, it carries tremendous force: the 'living God' (El chay, Josh 3:10; Ps 42:3) is no dead idol but the fountain of all vitality. As a substantive, chay names living creatures — all flesh that breathes (Gen 6:19). In the oath formula chay YHWH ('as the LORD lives'), it becomes a solemn guarantee anchored in God's own inextinguishable life, appearing over eighty times from Judges through Kings. The word even extends to physical freshness: raw meat (1 Sam 2:15), running water (Gen 26:19 under the related lemma), and living skin (Lev 13:10). Arabic hayy, Aramaic chayya, and Ethiopic hayw all preserve the same Semitic root, while target languages consistently split the biological, theological, and formulaic senses — Korean 살아 계신 ('living,' of God) versus 산 ('alive,' of creatures) versus 여호와의 사심으로 (oath formula) illustrates three distinct translation strategies for one Hebrew word.
1. alive, living (state/attribute) — The core adjectival sense: alive, living, having life — 146 of 244 occurrences. Used predicatively ('Is your father still alive?' Gen 43:7, 27), attributively ('the living God,' Deut 5:26; Josh 3:10; 1 Sam 17:26), and substantively ('the land of the living,' Ps 27:13; Isa 38:11). This sense spans the entire biological-to-theological spectrum: from Jacob's relief that Joseph is alive (Gen 45:26) to the prophetic vision of dry bones coming to life (Ezek 37:3). Spanish vivo/viviente, Korean 살아 있는, Arabic حَيّ, and Swahili hai all deploy their primary vitality adjective. The phrase 'eretz hachayyim ('land of the living') appears eleven times as a poetic designation for this present world in contrast with Sheol. 146×
AR["حَيًّا","حَيٌّ","حَيَّةٌ","حَيّاً"]·ben["জীবিত"]·DE["-","?","am-Leben","lebendig","lebendig-ist","lebt","lebte"]·EN["alive","living"]·FR["vivant"]·heb["חַי","חי"]·HI["जिवित","जीवित","जीवित-है","जेएवित"]·ID["hidup","hidup-hidup","masih-hidup"]·IT["vivendo","vivo"]·jav["gesang"]·KO["산-채로","산채로","살아","살아-있고","살아-있느냐","살아-있는","살아-있다","살아-있으면","살아-있을-때","살아있는","살아있다"]·PT["vivo"]·RU["жив","живого","живой","живым"]·ES["vive","vive?","vivo"]·SW["akiwa-hai","alikuwa-hai","alipokuwa-hai","angekuwa-hai","baba-yako","hai","mwana-yangu","niko-hai"]·TR["canlı","diri","doğuya","hayatta","sağ","sağsın","yaşıyorum"]·urd["زندہ","زندہ-تھا","زندہ-ہوتا","زندہ-ہوں","زندہ-ہوں-میں"]
Gen 9:3, Gen 25:6, Gen 43:7, Gen 43:27, Gen 43:28, Gen 45:3, Gen 45:26, Gen 45:28, Gen 46:30, Exod 21:35, Lev 11:10, Lev 11:46 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. oath formula: as X lives — The oath and adjuration formula: 'as X lives' (chay YHWH, chay 'ani, chay naph'shekha) — 87 occurrences, heavily concentrated in the Deuteronomistic History (Judges through Kings) and the Prophets. The formula functions as the strongest possible oath, staking the claim on the inviolable life of God himself. First appears at Ruth 3:13 (Boaz swearing by YHWH's life), then becomes almost formulaic in Saul's and David's mouths (1 Sam 14:39, 45; 19:6; 20:3; 2 Sam 4:9; 12:5). Arabic uses a parallel construction wa-hayati ('by my life'), confirming the cross-Semitic oath pattern. Korean 여호와의 사심으로 and Spanish 'Vive Jehova' both construct dedicated periphrastic formulas, recognizing this as a fixed speech act rather than a simple adjective. 87×
AR["حَيٌّ","حَيٌّ-"]·ben["জীবন-","জীবনের-দিব্যি","জীবন্ত","জীবন্ত-","জীবিত-"]·DE["lebendig","lebt","lebt-","wie-lebt","wie-lebt-"]·EN["as-lives","as-lives-","lives","lives-"]·FR["comme-vit","comme-vit-","vit","vit-"]·heb["חי","חי-"]·HI["जिवित-","जिवित-है-","जीवित","जीवित-","जीवित-है"]·ID["Hidup-","demi-hidup","demi-hidupnya-","hidup","hidup-"]·IT["come-vive","come-vive-","vive","vive-"]·jav["Gesang","Gesang-","gesang","gesang-","gesangipun-"]·KO["살아-계시는-","살아-계시다-","살아-계신","살아-계신-","살아-계신다-","살아계시다-","살아계신","살아계신-","살아계신다-"]·PT["Vive","vive","vive-","vivo-"]·RU["жив","жив-"]·ES["Vive-","vive","vive-","¡vive-"]·SW["aishivyo","aishivyo-","hai-","kama-Yahwe-aishivyo","kama-Yahwe-anavyoishi","kama-aishivyo","kwa-uhai-wa"]·TR["diri-","hayatı-üzerine-","yaşadığı-gibi","yaşadığı-sürece-","yaşar-","yaşıyor","yaşıyor-"]·urd["زندہ-ہے","زندہ-ہے-"]
Ruth 3:13, 1 Sam 14:39, 1 Sam 14:45, 1 Sam 19:6, 1 Sam 20:3, 1 Sam 20:21, 1 Sam 26:10, 1 Sam 26:16, 1 Sam 28:10, 1 Sam 29:6, 2 Sam 2:27, 2 Sam 4:9 (+38 more)
3. living creature, animal — Substantivized noun: a living being, creature, or animal — 8 occurrences where chay functions as a concrete noun rather than an adjective. God gives Adam dominion over every living thing (Gen 1:28), Eve is named 'mother of all living' (Gen 3:20), and Noah brings every chay into the ark (Gen 6:19). The shift from adjective to noun is confirmed by Arabic hayawan (a separate lexeme for 'animal'), Korean 생물 ('living thing,' a compound noun), and Swahili kiumbe hai ('living creature'). Job 12:10 ('in whose hand is the life of every living thing') uses chay in a way that encompasses all animate creation, from insects to humanity. 8×
AR["الْحَيِّ","حَيٍّ","حَيَوَانٍ"]·ben["জীবন্ত","জীবন্তের","জীবিত","জীবিত-কে","জীবিতের","সেই-জীবন্তের"]·DE["Lebendige","Lebendigen","lebendig","living-thing"]·EN["living","living-thing","the-living"]·FR["le-vivant","vivant","être-vivant"]·heb["ה-חי","חי"]·HI["जीवित","जीवित-की","जीवित-के","जीवित-को","जीवितों-का"]·ID["makhluk-hidup","yang hidup","yang-hidup"]·IT["il-vivendo","vivendo","vivendo-cosa","vivente"]·jav["gesang","ing-gesang","ingkang-gesang","kéwan-gesang","tiyang-gesang"]·KO["그-살아있는-것","산-것-의","산-것에게","산-자의","살아있는-것","살아있는-것-의"]·PT["o-vivente","vivente"]·RU["живого","живое","животным","живущего"]·ES["el-viviente","ser-viviente,","viviente"]·SW["kiumbe-hai","walio-hai"]·TR["-yaşayanın","canlıların","canlının","canlıya","canlıyı","yaratığa","yaşayanlar","yaşayanların"]·urd["جاندار","جانوروں-پر","زندوں-کی","زندہ-اُس","زندہ-کو","زندہ-کی","زندہ-کے","ہر زندہ کے لیے"]
4. raw, fresh, flowing — Extended physical sense: raw, fresh, or uncooked — 2 occurrences where chay describes the state of meat or material rather than animate life. At 1 Sam 2:15 the corrupt priests demand raw (chay) meat rather than boiled, and at Ps 58:9 thorns are swept away 'whether raw or burning' (the precise meaning is debated). Arabic نَيِّء ('raw'), Korean 날것 ('uncooked'), and Spanish cruda ('raw') all select food-preparation vocabulary rather than vitality terms, confirming a genuine semantic extension from 'alive' to 'in its natural, unprocessed state.' This parallels the usage of 'living water' (mayim chayyim) for flowing rather than stagnant water, though that phrase falls under a related lemma. 2×
AR["حَيٍّ","نَيِّئًا"]·ben["কাঁচা","জীবিত"]·DE["der-living","raw"]·EN["raw","the-living"]·FR["raw","vivant"]·heb["חי"]·HI["कच्चा","जीवित"]·ID["mentah"]·IT["raw","vivente"]·jav["jabang-bayi-mati","mentah"]·KO["날것","산-것-으로"]·PT["crua","vivo"]·RU["живое","сырое"]·ES["cruda","vivo"]·SW["mbichi"]·TR["taze","çiğ"]·urd["زِندہ","کچّا"]
5. sense 5 — A single occurrence at 2 Sam 12:22 where chay appears in David's plea 'Who knows whether the child will live?' — the verb-adjacent adjectival form here may represent a borderline case between the simple adjectival sense ('alive') and a verbal-resultative nuance ('will come to be alive'). The multilingual renderings — English 'will live,' Spanish vivirá, French fera vivre — all use verbal forms rather than adjectives, suggesting the translators perceived an inchoative or future-stative meaning. In context, David fasts while the child is sick, hoping God will be gracious 'and the child will live,' blending the adjectival state with future contingency. 1×
AR["وَيَحيا"]·ben["এবং-বাঁচবে"]·DE["und-wird-lebe"]·EN["and-will-live"]·FR["et-fera-vis"]·heb["ו-חי"]·HI["और-जीवेगा"]·ID["dan-hidup"]·IT["e-vorrà-vivi"]·jav["lan-gesang"]·KO["그리고-살리라"]·PT["e-viverá"]·RU["и-будет-жив"]·ES["y-vivirá"]·SW["na-ataishi"]·TR["ve-yaşar"]·urd["اور-جیے"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)H1818 1. blood (physical substance) (327×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H1320 1. body, physical being (207×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)G4561 1. flesh, physical body (150×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. חַי adj. alive, living;—ח׳ Gn 25:6 +; חָ֑י Gn 3:20 +, חֵי Am 8:14 + 15 times (Ew§ 329 explains as cstr., but Ges§ 93, R 7 n. al. as contracted abs.); f. חַיָּה Gn 1:20 +; pl. חַיִּים ψ 116:9 +;— 1. a. of God, as the living one, the fountain of life אֵל חַי Jos 3:10 (J), Ho 2:1 ψ 42:3; 84:3; אלהים חי 2 K 19:4, 16 = Is 37:4, 17; אלהים חיים Dt 5:23 1 S 17:26, 36 Je 10:10; 23:36; חי יהוה Yahweh…