H2417 H2417
Aramaic adjective 'living, alive' used as a divine epithet and substantively; also as a noun meaning 'life, lifetime.'
An Aramaic word found exclusively in Daniel and Ezra, carrying two closely related but grammatically distinct uses. As an adjective it describes God as 'the living One' (Daniel 6:20, 26) and people as 'the living' (Daniel 4:17), echoing the Hebrew chai. As a noun it means 'life' or 'lifetime,' as when the Jews pray 'for the life of the king' (Ezra 6:10). The Spanish renderings viviente and los-vivientes neatly preserve the substantival force, while the English 'and-the-One-living' captures the divine epithet usage.
1. living (adjective) — The adjectival use meaning 'living, alive,' applied both to God and to human beings. As a divine epithet in Daniel 6:20 and 6:26, it declares God as 'the living God' (chayyaʾ), paralleling the Hebrew El Chai. In Daniel 2:30 and 4:17 it appears substantivally for 'the living,' i.e., those who are alive. The multilingual glosses confirm this: Spanish viviente and French vivant both render the active participial force. 5×
AR["الأَحْيَاءُ","الأَحْيَاءِ","الْحَيُّ","الْحَيِّ","وَ-لِلْحَيِّ"]·ben["এবং-চিরজীবীকে","জীবন্ত","জীবিতদের","জীবিতরা"]·DE["[ולחי]","[חיא]","[חייא]"]·EN["and-the-One-living","the-living"]·FR["et-pour-vivant","vivant"]·heb["ה-חי","ה-חיים","ו-ל-חי"]·HI["और-सदा","जीवित","जीवितों"]·ID["dan-Dia-yang-hidup","yang-hidup"]·IT["[ולחי]","[חיא]","[חייא]"]·jav["ingkang-gesang","lan-dhateng-Ingkang-Gesang","para-ingkang-gesang"]·KO["그리고-영원히-","산-자들-이","산-자들보다","살아-계신-의","살아-계신-이시요"]·PT["e-ao-que-vive","os-viventes","vivo"]·RU["-живые","Живого","Живой","и-Живущего"]·ES["los-vivientes","viviente","y-al-que-vive-por"]·SW["aliye-hai","na-anayeishi","walio-hai"]·TR["canlılardan","ve-sonsuza-dek","yaşayan","yaşayanlar","İlah'in"]·urd["اور-ابدی-زندہ","زندوں-کے","زندہ","زندہ-لوگ"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. life (noun) — The nominal use meaning 'life' or 'lifetime,' functioning as an abstract plural (chayyim/chayin). In Ezra 6:10 it occurs in the construct phrase 'for the life of the king,' denoting duration and well-being. In Daniel 7:12 it refers to a prolongation of life granted to the beasts. The shift from adjective to abstract noun parallels the Hebrew pattern where the plural chayyim regularly means 'life.' 2×
AR["فِي-الْحَيَاةِ","لِ-حَياة"]·ben["-জীবনে","জীবনের-জন্য"]·DE["[בחיין]","[לחיי]"]·EN["for-the-life-of","in-life"]·FR["[לחיי]","vivant"]·heb["ב-חיים","ל-חיי"]·HI["जीवन-के-लिए","जीवन-में"]·ID["dalam-hidup","untuk-kehidupan"]·IT["[בחיין]","[לחיי]"]·jav["gesang","kangge-gesangipun"]·KO["에-생명에","위해-생명"]·PT["de-vida","pela-vida-de"]·RU["в-жизни","за-жизнь"]·ES["en-vida","por-la-vida-de"]·SW["katika-uhai","kwa-uhai"]·TR["yasami-icin","yaşamda"]·urd["زندگی-کی","لے-زندگی"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חַי adj. living (BH id.);— 1. of God: cstr. חַי Dn 4:31, emph. חַיָּא 6:21, 27; men, pl. emph. חַיַּיָּא the living 2:30; 4:14 (חַי עָֽלְמָא). 2. pl. as n. abstr. life (BH חַיִּים): חַיִּין 7:12; cstr. חַיֵּי Ezr 6:10.