H2513b H2513b
Smoothness, flattery; also smooth skin or slippery ground, always with overtones of deception or danger.
Chelqah (II) takes the physical quality of smoothness and extends it into moral and existential territory. Flattering lips speak chelaqot, smooth words that conceal a double heart (Ps 12:2-3), and the adulteress lures with 'the smoothness of her tongue' (Prov 6:24). Isaiah 30:10 records Israel demanding that prophets speak 'smooth things' rather than truth. Yet the word also retains physical senses: the smooth skin of Jacob's neck that enabled his deception of Isaac (Gen 27:16), and the slippery ground on which God sets the wicked before their ruin (Ps 73:18).
3. slippery places — Slippery places or treacherous ground where footing is lost. In Psalm 73:18, God sets the wicked on slippery places so that they slide to destruction. Spanish lugares resbaladizos ('slippery places') captures the spatial, physical metaphor precisely. The psalmist's insight is that apparent prosperity is unstable ground, and the metaphor of smoothness-as-danger completes the arc from flattery to physical peril. 1×
AR["في-أماكِنَ-زَلِقَةٍ"]·ben["পিচ্ছিল-স্থানে"]·DE["auf-slippery-stellt"]·EN["on-slippery-places"]·FR["dans-grâce"]·heb["ב-חלקות"]·HI["फिसलने-वाली-जगहों-में"]·ID["di-tempat-yang-licin"]·IT["piacevole"]·jav["ing-panggenan-lunyu"]·KO["미끄러운-곳들-에"]·PT["em-lugares-escorregadios"]·RU["на-скользких-местах"]·ES["en-lugares-resbaladizos"]·SW["mahali-pa-kutelezeleka"]·TR["kaygan-yerlere"]·urd["بِ-پھسلن-والی-جگہوں-پر"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. smoothness, flattery — Smoothness of speech, flattery, or deceitful eloquence. The dominant sense across four occurrences (Ps 12:2-3; Prov 6:24; Isa 30:10). Spanish lisonjas ('flatteries') and French grâce (in the sense of smooth charm) both highlight the seductive, persuasive quality. In Isaiah 30:10 the people actively demand smooth prophecies, preferring comfortable deception over uncomfortable truth. 4×
AR["المَلَقِ","مَلْسَاءَ","مُلْسَاتٍ","مِنْ-مَلَاسَةِ"]·ben["-এর-মসৃণতা-থেকে","তোষামোদের","মসৃণতা"]·DE["[חלקות]","[מחלקת]","flattery"]·EN["flattery","from-the-smooth","smooth-things"]·FR["[חלקות]","de-מחלקת","grâce"]·heb["חלקות","מ-חלקת"]·HI["चापलूसी-के","चिकनाई-से","चिकनी-बातें"]·ID["dari-bujukan","hal-hal-yang-menyenangkan","yang-licin"]·IT["[חלקות]","da-da-il-smooth","piacevole"]·jav["ingkang-gampil","lunyu","saking-alusing"]·KO["부드러운-것들을","부드러움-에서","아첨하는"]·PT["coisas-lisas","de-lisonja-de","lisonjeiros"]·RU["лесть","льстивые","льстивыми","от-гладкого"]·ES["de-la-lisonja-de","lisonjas"]·SW["kutoka-kwa-ulaini-wa","mambo-ya-kuridhisha","ubembelezaji"]·TR["den-tatlılığından","yaltaklık","yaltaklığın","yumusak-seyler"]·urd["چکنی-باتیں","چکنی-سے","چکنے"]
2. smooth part (of body) — The smooth, hairless part of the body, specifically Jacob's neck-skin in Genesis 27:16. Spanish suavidad ('smoothness, softness') and French lisse ('smooth') retain the tactile, physical quality. Rebekah covered this smooth skin with goat-hair so that blind Isaac would be deceived, linking physical smoothness to the broader theme of deception that pervades the word's semantic field. 1×
AR["مَلاسَةِ"]·ben["মসৃণ-অংশ"]·DE["die-Glätte"]·EN["smooth-part-of"]·FR["lisse-partie-de"]·heb["חלקת"]·HI["चिकने"]·ID["bagian-yang-licin"]·IT["smooth-part-di"]·jav["ingkang-alus"]·KO["매끄러운-곳"]·PT["lisura-de"]·RU["гладкость"]·ES["suavidad-de"]·SW["laini-ya"]·TR["düzgünlüğünün"]·urd["چکنے-حصے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. [חֶלְקָה] n.f. smooth part, smoothness, flattery;—cstr. חֶלְקַת Gn 27:16; Pr 6:24; pl. חֲלָקוֹת ψ 12:3 + 3 times;— 1. smoothness, smooth part חֶלְקַת צַוָּארָיו Gn 27:16. 2. pl. slippery places ψ 73:18 fig. of situation of wicked. 3. smoothness = flattery שְׂפַת ח׳ ψ 12:3, cf. v 4; חֶלְקַת לָשׁוֹן Pr 6:24; = subst. pl. smooth things, i.e. agreeable, flattering things Is 30:10.—i. חֶלְקָה v. sub חָלַק" dir="rtl" >I. חלק.