H2502b H2502b
To equip or arm for war (Qal passive participle: armed men); to arm oneself (Nifal reflexive); to strengthen or fortify (Hifil).
The Hebrew verb chalats II is the language of military readiness — distinct from chalats I ('to draw off, rescue'), it carries a primary idea of vigor and strength applied to warfare. Its overwhelmingly common form is the Qal passive participle chaluts, meaning 'armed' or 'equipped,' used substantively for the armed vanguard that crossed the Jordan ahead of Israel (Num 32:21, 27, 30; Josh 6:7, 13). Spanish armado/armados, French arme, and German gerustet all converge on military-equipment vocabulary. The Nifal reflexive 'to arm oneself' appears in Moses' command to the Reubenites and Gadites: 'arm yourselves for battle before the LORD' (Num 32:17, 20). The root's underlying sense of strength surfaces in a single Hifil occurrence where God 'shall strengthen your bones' (Isa 58:11) — the Assyrian cognate haltsu ('fortification') and Aramaic chalyits ('vigorous, strong') confirm that military arming grew from a deeper semantic field of bodily strength and fortification.
Senses
1. armed, equipped for war — Armed, equipped for war — the Qal passive participle chaluts used adjectivally and substantively for warriors ready for battle. With 17 occurrences, this dominant sense appears as a military technical term throughout the conquest narratives: 'every armed man of you shall cross over the Jordan' (Num 32:21), the armed vanguard marching before the ark at Jericho (Josh 6:7, 9, 13), and the census of warriors from each tribe (1 Chr 12:23-24). Spanish armado/armados and the consistent military context — marching, crossing, fighting — make this sense unmistakable. The participle functions almost as a noun: 'the armed men' (hachaluts) as a distinct unit within Israel's battle order. 17×
AR["المُتَسَلِّحِ","المُجَهَّزِينَ","الْمُجَهَّزُونَ","مُتَجَهِّزُو-","مُتَسَلِّحِينَ","مُجَهَّزي","مُجَهَّزٍ","مُجَهَّزُو","مُجَهَّزِي","مُجَهَّزِي-","مُجَهَّزِينَ","وَ-المُتَسَلِّحونَ"]·ben["-সৈনিকেরা","-সৈন্যদের","এবং-সুসজ্জিত-(সেই)","সজ্জিত","সজ্জিতদের","সজ্জিতরা","সুসজ্জিত","সুসজ্জিতরা","সুসজ্জিতের","সুসজ্জিতেরা","সৈন্যরা"]·DE["[החלוץ]","[חלוצי]","[חלצי]","armed","armed-die","armed-die-von","armed-eins","armed-eins-von","und-der-armed-Maenner"]·EN["and-the-armed-men","armed","armed-for","armed-men-of","armed-one","armed-one-of","armed-ones","armed-ones-of","equipped-for","the-armed","the-armed-men","the-armed-ones"]·FR["[החלוץ]","[חלוצי]","[חלצי]","armed","armed-ones-de","armed-un","armed-un-de","armé-les-de","et-le-armé-hommes","hommes-armés"]·heb["ה-חלוץ","ו-ה-חלוץ","חלוץ","חלוצי","חלוצים"]·HI["और-सशस्त्र","योद्धा","योद्धाओं-ने","सजा-हुआ","सजे-हुए","सज्जित","सशस्त्र","सैनिक","सैनिकों-के","सैन्यके"]·ID["Bersenjatalah","bersenjata","dan-yang-bersenjata","diperlengkapi","prajurit-prajurit","yang-bersenjata","yang-diperlengkapi"]·IT["[החלוץ]","[חלוצי]","[חלצי]","armati","armati-quelli","armati-quelli-di","armati-uno","armati-uno-di","armato-ones-di","e-il-armato-uomini"]·jav["ingkang-kapersiyapaken","ingkang-siap","kapersiyapaken","kapilih","lan-ingkang-sikep-gegaman","para-prajurit-bersenjata","prajurit-ingkang-dipun-sanjatani","prajurit-prajuritipun","tiyang-siaga","tiyang-sikep-gegaman"]·KO["그-무장한-자","그-무장한-자들이","그리고-그-무장한-자가","무장하여","무장한-자가","무장한-자는","무장한-자들","무장한-자들-의","무장한-자들로","무장한-자들이"]·PT["E-o-armado","armado","armado-de","armados","armados-de","e-o-armado","equipados-de","exército","o-armado","o-equipado","os-armados","os-armados-de"]·RU["воинов","воины","войско","вооружённые","вооружённый","вооружёнными","вооружённых","и-вооружённый"]·ES["armado","armado-de","armados","armados-de","el-armado","equipados-de","los-armados","los-equipados","y-el-armado"]·SW["jeshi-lile","mtu-aliyepangwa","na-wenye-silaha","tukiwa-tumepangwa","wakiwa-wamepangwa","waliojitayarisha","waliojitayarisha-kwa","waliotayarishwa-kwa","wapiganaji-wa","wenye-silaha","wenye-silaha-wa"]·TR["Ve-silahlı","donanmışlar","donanmışları","donanmışların","silahliilari","silahlı","silahlı-adamlar","silahlıları","silahlıların","ve-silahlı"]·urd["اور-مسلح","سپاہیوں-نے","لشکر-کے","لیس-ہوئے","مسلح","ہتھیار-بند","ہتھیاربند"]
2. to arm oneself — To arm oneself — the Nifal reflexive expressing the volitional act of taking up weapons and preparing for battle. Found in 3 occurrences, all in the negotiations between Moses and the Transjordanian tribes: 'Arm some of your men for war' (Num 31:3), 'We will arm ourselves' (Num 32:17), and 'If they will arm themselves before the LORD' (Num 32:20). Spanish armaos/nos armaremos and the reflexive construction confirm the self-directed agency: it is not a state of being armed (sense 1) but the deliberate act of arming oneself for a specific campaign. 3×
AR["تَتَجَهَّزُونَ","جَهِّزُوا","نَتَجَهَّزُ"]·ben["সজ্জিত-কর","সজ্জিত-হব","সজ্জিত-হবে"]·DE["arm-euch-selbst","du-wird-arm-euch-selbst","wird-arm-uns-selbst"]·EN["arm-yourselves","will-arm-ourselves","you-will-arm-yourselves"]·FR["arm-vous-mêmes","fera-arm-nous-mêmes","tu-fera-arm-vous-mêmes"]·heb["החלצו","נחלץ","תחלצו"]·HI["तुम-सजोगे","सजाओ","सजेंगे"]·ID["bersenjata","bersenjata-kamu","bersenjatalah"]·IT["arm-voi-stessi","fara-arm-noi-stessi","tu-fara-arm-voi-stessi"]·jav["Siyagakna","badhé-siyaga","panjenengan-siyaga"]·KO["너희가-무장하면","무장하라","무장할-것이니라"]·PT["Armai","nos-armaremos","vos-armardes"]·RU["вооружимся","вооружитесь"]·ES["Armaos","nos-armaremos","os-armáis"]·SW["jipangeni","mtajipanga","tutajipanga"]·TR["donatın","kuşanacağız","kuşanırsanız"]·urd["مسلح-کرو","مسلح-ہو-گے","ہتھیار-بنیں-گے"]
3. to strengthen — To strengthen or fortify — a Hifil causative meaning to make strong, representing the root's underlying semantic of vigor apart from military equipment. Only 1 occurrence: 'The LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and he shall strengthen your bones' (Isa 58:11). Spanish fortalecera shifts to dedicated strength vocabulary, confirming a genuinely distinct sense. The Assyrian cognate haltsu (fortification) and Aramaic chalyitsuta (vigor, strength) illuminate this as the root meaning from which the military 'arming' sense developed. 1×
AR["يُقَوِّي"]·ben["শক্তিশালী-করবেন"]·DE["[יחליץ]"]·EN["He-shall-strengthen"]·FR["[יחליץ]"]·heb["יחליץ"]·HI["मज़बूत-करेगा"]·ID["Ia-akan-menguatkan"]·IT["[יחליץ]"]·jav["Panjenenganipun-badhe-nguataken"]·KO["강하게-하시리라"]·PT["fortalecerá"]·RU["укрепит"]·ES["fortalecerá"]·SW["ataimarisha"]·TR["gucelendiriecek"]·urd["مضبوط-کرے-گا"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. [חָלַץ] vb. equip for war (primary idea of strength, vigour, v. Hiph., n. חֲלָצַיִם, and Assyrian ḫalṣu, fortification (SchrCOT Gloss Asrb. Annals ii. 52), cf. ḫhilṣu, belt, ZehnpfundBAS i. 499; Aramaic ܚܠܻܝܨ accinctus ad opus, strenuus, ܚܠܻܝܨܽܘܬܳܐ fortitudo, strenuitas, Gk. ἀνδρεία, > Thes Rob Ges SS who regard as = I. חלץ in sense strip for battle, expeditus)— Qal only Pt. pass. חָלוּץ Nu…