H2426 H2426
Army or military force; rampart, fortification wall, or bulwark of a city; strength, might, or vital force.
Chel (or chayil in this form) carries a martial double life: it names both the army that besieges a city and the rampart that defends it. As a military term (11 occurrences), it appears in accounts of Tou sending his son to David 'with his army' (2 Sam 8:9; 1 Chr 18:9) and the Syrian army coming against Judah (2 Chr 24:23). Spanish ejército and German Heer capture this organized-force sense. As a fortification term (6 occurrences), it denotes the outer wall or rampart: 'He stretched the line over the rampart and the wall' in the lament over Jerusalem (Lam 2:8), and the psalmist blesses Zion with 'peace within your ramparts' (Ps 122:7). Spanish baluarte/muralla and German Wall shift to architectural vocabulary. A residual sense of raw 'strength' or 'force' bridges the two, as in the dispatching of the army's 'force' (1 Chr 20:1) and the helpless whom the wicked crush (Ps 10:10).
Senses
1. army, military force — An army, military force, or organized body of troops — soldiers assembled for war or dispatched on campaign. This dominant sense (11 occurrences) surfaces in historical narratives: Tou king of Hamath sends his son to David 'with his entire army' (2 Sam 8:9; 1 Chr 18:9), Sennacherib sends his commander 'with a great army' against Jerusalem (2 Kgs 18:17), and the Syrian force comes against Judah (2 Chr 24:23-24). Spanish ejército, French armée, and German Heer all converge on the organized military unit. The phrase 'army of' plus a king's name becomes a formulaic construction in the historical books. 11×
amh["የ-ሠራዊት-"]·AR["-الجيش", "بِجَيْشٍ", "بِـ-جَيْشٍ", "جَيشِ", "جَيْشُ", "جَيْشِ", "جَيْشِهِ", "وَ-جَيْشِ"]·ben["-কে", "এবং-সেনাবাহিনী", "তাঁর-সৈন্যের", "সঙ্গে-সৈন্যদল", "সেনা", "সৈন্য-", "সৈন্যদল", "সৈন্যবাহিনী", "সৈন্যবাহিনীর-", "সৈন্যে"]·ces["-toho-vojska"]·dan["hæren-"]·DE["Heer-von", "Kraft", "[בחיל]", "[וחיל]", "[חילו]", "der-Festung", "mit-Heer"]·ell["τ-του-στρατού-"]·EN["and-army-of", "army-of", "his-army", "the-army-", "with-an-army", "with-army"]·FR["armée", "armée-de", "avec-armée", "avec-force", "de-l'armée-", "et-armée", "rempart"]·guj["-ના-સૈન્ય-"]·hat["la-lamè"]·hau["na-runduna"]·heb["ב-חיל", "החיל-", "ו-חיל", "חֵילוֹ", "חיל"]·HI["और-सैन्य", "में-सेना", "सेना", "सेना-", "सेना-अपनी-के", "सेना-के-साथ"]·hun["a-sereg-nek"]·ID["dan-tentara", "dengan-pasukan", "dengan-tentara", "pasukan", "pasukan-Nya,", "tentara", "tentara-"]·IT["[בחיל]", "[חילו]", "con-esercito", "di-quest'-armata", "e-esercito", "esercito", "esercito-di"]·jav["ageng", "balatentara-", "balatentaranipun", "kanthi-wadya", "lan-wadyabala", "prajurit", "prajurit-", "wadyabala"]·JA["軍-の"]·KO["-군대의", "군대", "군대가", "군대로", "군대를", "그리고-군대", "그의-군대", "에-군대와"]·mar["सैन्याचा-"]·mya["၏စစ်တပ်-"]·nld["het-leger"]·nor["hæren-"]·pnb["فوج-"]·pol["wojska-"]·PT["com-exército", "e-exército-de", "este-exército", "exército-de", "exército-seu", "o-exército-de"]·ron["oștirii-"]·RU["войска-", "войско", "войском-Своим", "и-войском", "с-войском", "сила"]·ES["con-ejército", "ejército-de", "ejército-de-él", "el-ejército-", "y-ejército-de"]·SW["jeshi-hili", "jeshi-la", "jeshi-lake", "lote", "na-jeshi", "na-jeshi-la"]·swe["hären"]·tam["படை-"]·tel["-యొక్క-సైన్యము-"]·tgl["hukbo-ng"]·TH["กองทัพ-นี้"]·TR["gücü", "ordusu", "ordusunu", "ordusunun", "ordusunun-", "orduyla-", "ve-ordusunun"]·ukr["-цього-війська"]·urd["اور-لشکر-کے", "اپنے-لشکر-کے", "سے-لشکر", "فوج", "فوج-کی", "لشکر", "لشکر-کے-ساتھ"]·VI["của-đạo-quân-"]·yor["ti-ogun-"]·yue["軍隊"]·ZH["军队-"]
2. rampart, fortification wall — A rampart, bulwark, or outer fortification wall surrounding a city or stronghold. Six occurrences concentrate in poetic and prophetic texts: Joab besieges Abel and batters 'the rampart' (2 Sam 20:15), Isaiah declares 'God will appoint salvation as walls and rampart' (Isa 26:1), Lamentations mourns that the LORD 'caused rampart and wall to lament' (Lam 2:8), and the pilgrim psalm blesses Zion, 'Peace be within your ramparts' (Ps 122:7). Spanish baluarte/muralla, French rempart, and German Wall/Festung distinguish this from the military sense. Zechariah 9:4 pictures God striking Tyre's sea-rampart — her maritime defenses reduced to nothing. 6×
AR["السُّورَ", "بِ-سورِ", "حِصْنُهَا", "في-أَسوارِكِ", "فِي-السُّورِ", "وَسِيَاجًا"]·ben["ও-পরিখা", "দেয়ালে", "প্রাচীর", "প্রাচীরে", "প্রাচীরে-তোমার;"]·DE["[וחל]", "[חיל]", "[חל]", "gegen-der-rampart", "in-dein-Mauern", "in-rampart-von"]·EN["against-the-rampart", "and-rampart", "in-rampart-of", "in-your-walls", "rampart"]·FR["[וחל]", "[חל]", "contre-le-rampart", "dans-rampart-de", "dans-rempart", "rempart"]·heb["ב-חילך", "ב-חל", "ו-חל", "חיל", "חל"]·HI["और-गढ़", "तेरी-दीवारों-में", "दीवार-में", "प्राचीर"]·ID["benteng", "dan-benteng", "di-benteng", "di-bentengmu", "di-tembok"]·IT["[בחילך]", "[וחל]", "[חל]", "contro-il-rampart", "in-rampart-di", "potenza"]·jav["betèng", "ing-béténg-panjenengan", "ing-tèmbòking", "lan-baluwarti", "pagering-latar", "wonten-benteng"]·KO["군대-가", "그리고-해자로", "너-의-성벽-안-에", "성벽-에", "에-그-외곽", "외벽-과"]·PT["dentro-dos-teus-muros", "e-baluarte", "em-muro-de", "muralha", "no-muro"]·RU["в-стенах-твоих", "вал", "и-валом", "у-вала"]·ES["el-baluarte", "en-el-muro", "en-muralla-tuya", "en-muro-de", "muralla", "y-baluarte"]·SW["katika-eneo-la", "kwenye-ngome", "na-ngome", "ndani-ya-kuta-zako", "ngome", "ukuta-wa-nje"]·TR["gücü", "siperi", "surlarında", "surunda", "sığınakta", "ve-siperini"]·urd["اور-فصیل", "تیری-فصیلوں-میں", "دیوار-میں", "دیوار-پر", "فصیل"]
3. strength, might, force — Strength, might, or vital force in an abstract or general sense — the raw power behind armies and walls. Two occurrences preserve this root meaning: Joab leading out 'the force of the army' at the turn of the year (1 Chr 20:1), and the enigmatic Psalm 10:10, where the helpless 'fall by his strength.' Spanish fuerza and German Kraft shift to power vocabulary. This sense may represent the semantic core from which both the military and architectural meanings derive — chel as concentrated force, whether in soldiers or in stone. 2×
AR["جَيْشُ", "قُوَّةَ"]·ben["শক্তি", "শক্তির"]·DE["Kraft", "der-hilflos"]·EN["force-of", "the-helpless"]·FR["armée", "rempart"]·heb["חיל"]·HI["बल", "सेना"]·ID["kekuatan", "pasukan"]·IT["[(חיל)]", "esercito"]·jav["balatentara", "wadyabala"]·KO["군대", "힘"]·PT["a-força", "força-de"]·RU["силу", "толпа"]·ES["ejército-de", "fuerza-de"]·SW["nguvu", "nguvu-za"]·TR["gücünü", "ordusu"]·urd["بے-چارے", "فوج"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חֵל, חֵיל n.m. Ob 20 rampart, fortress (perhaps orig. surrounding wall, cf. Sab. Denkm 91 n.2)—abs. חֵיל Na 3:8, חֵל La 2:8 + 3 times (+ ψ 10:10 Qr v. חלכה); cstr. חֵל 1 K 21:23; sf. חֵילֵךְ ψ 122:7, חֵילָהּ Zc 9:4; חֵילָה = חֵילָהּ ψ 48:11, Ol§ 40 c. 75 g. 96 e Sta§ 347 c;— 1. rampart (defined by Jews as בֶּן חוֹמָה, i.e. a little wall, cf. Ki s.v.), of an outer fortification 2 S 20:15…