חֲצִי123 H2677
Half, one of two equal parts; also the middle or midpoint of a spatial or temporal span.
A common quantitative term dividing something into two equal portions -- half a tribe, half a cubit, half the spoil. It governs precise measurements in the tabernacle blueprints (Exod 25:10, 17) and the division of land among tribes (Josh 13:29). Yet in a handful of vivid passages it shifts from fraction to focal point: 'at midnight' (Exod 12:29), 'in the middle of the night' (Ruth 3:8), or 'the middle of the Jordan' (Josh 4:10), where languages like Spanish medianoche and German Mitte confirm the spatial-center reading rather than a numerical half.
Senses
1. half, fractional portion — One of two equal parts of any measurable whole -- half of the blood (Exod 24:6), half a cubit (Exod 25:10), half the tribe of Manasseh (Josh 13:29), half the kingdom (Esth 5:3). Spanish mitad and French moitie uniformly mark the fractional, quantitative reading. This overwhelmingly dominant sense (114x) covers cultic measurements, territorial allotments, and proportional divisions. 114×
AR["وَ-نِصفَ", "وَ-نِصفُ", "وَ-نِصْفُ", "وَ-نِصْفِ", "وَنِصْفُ", "وَنِصْفِ"]·ben["আর-অর্ধেক", "এবং-অর্ধ", "এবং-অর্ধেক"]·DE["und-Haelfte-von"]·EN["and-half-of"]·FR["et-moitié-de"]·heb["ו-חצי"]·HI["और-आधा", "और-आधी-", "और-आधे"]·ID["dan-setengah"]·IT["e-half-di", "e-meta-di", "e-metà-di"]·jav["lan-sapalih", "lan-sapalihing", "lan-sepalihnipun", "lan-separo-", "lan-separoh", "lan-separuh", "lan-setengah"]·KO["그리고-반", "그리고-반을", "그리고-반의", "그리고-절반", "그리고-절반이"]·PT["e-metade", "e-metade-de"]·RU["И-половина", "а-половину", "и-пол-", "и-половина", "и-половине", "и-половину", "и-половины"]·ES["y-la-mitad-de", "y-mitad-de"]·SW["na-nusu", "na-nusu-ya", "na-pia"]·TR["ve-yarım", "ve-yarısı", "ve-yarısına", "ve-yarısını", "ve-yarısını-"]·urd["اور-آدھا", "اور-آدھی", "اور-آدھے", "اور-آدھے-نے"]
Exod 24:6, Exod 24:6, Exod 25:10, Exod 25:10, Exod 25:10, Exod 25:17, Exod 25:17, Exod 25:23, Exod 26:12, Exod 26:16, Exod 27:5, Exod 36:21 (+38 more)
2. middle, midpoint — The midpoint or center of a span of time or space, where the focus falls on the central position rather than a divided portion. At Exodus 12:29, 'at the half of the night' means midnight -- Spanish a medianoche and German bei Haelfte von confirm the temporal-center reading. Similarly at 2 Samuel 10:4 (garments cut 'at the middle'), the point of cutting, not the resulting portion, is in view. 9×
AR["بِ-النِّصْفِ", "في-النِصفِ", "في-نِصف", "في-نِصفِ", "فِي-نِصْفِ", "مِنْ-نِصْفِهِ"]·ben["অর্ধেক-করে", "অর্ধেক-তে", "অর্ধেকে", "তার-মধ্য-থেকে", "মধ্যরাতে", "মধ্যে"]·DE["Haelfte", "[בחצי]", "bei-Haelfte-von", "bei-middle-von", "in-Haelfte", "in-der-Haelfte", "in-der-Mitte-von", "in-der-middle-von"]·EN["at-half-of", "at-middle-of", "from-its-middle", "in-half-of", "in-the-half", "in-the-middle-of", "in-the-midst-of"]·FR["dans-le-middle-de", "dans-le-moitié", "dans-moitié", "in-moitié", "moitié", "à-middle-de", "à-milieu-de", "à-moitié-de"]·heb["ב-ה-חצי", "ב-חצי", "מ-חציו"]·HI["आधी-में", "आधे-में", "आधे-से", "बीच-में", "में-आधे", "से-उसके-बीच"]·ID["dari-tengahnya", "di-tengah", "pada-tengah", "setengahnya"]·IT["[מחציו]", "a-metà-di", "a-mezzo-di", "a-middle-di", "in-frecce-di", "in-il-metà", "in-il-mezzo-di", "in-metà", "meta"]·jav["ing-separuh", "ing-tengah", "ing-tengah-", "saking-satengah", "satengah", "wonten-ing-tengah-tengahing"]·KO["그의-반에서", "반-에", "반-에서", "에-반", "에-절반", "에-한가운데에", "에-한밤중에", "한밤중에"]·PT["de-metade-dele", "na-meia-de", "na-metade-de", "no-meio", "no-meio-de", "pela-metade"]·RU["в-полночь", "в-половине", "в-середине", "наполовину", "от-середины-её", "посреди"]·ES["a-la-mitad-de", "a-medianoche-de-", "a-mitad-de", "en-mitad-de", "por-la-mitad", "por-su-mitad"]·SW["katika-nusu-ya", "katikati", "katikati-ya", "kutoka-katikati-yake", "kwa-nusu", "nusu", "usiku-wa-manane"]·TR["-de-yarısında", "de-yarısı", "ortasında", "ortasında-", "ortasından", "yarısında", "yarısında-", "yarısından", "yarısından-"]·urd["آدھی", "آدھی-رات-میں", "آدھے-سے", "آدھے-میں", "اُس-کے-درمیان-سے", "درمیان-میں"]
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
חֲצִי123 n.m. Nu 12:12 half (NH id.; Ph. חצי; on format. v. Lag BN 113)—abs. חֲצִי 1 K 3:25(×2) + 3 times; הַחֵ֑צִי 1 K 10:7, cf. 16:21; וָחֵ֔צִי Ez 40:42; וָחֵצִי Dn 12:7 + 13 times (usually c. Pashta or Tiphcha), cf. בַּחֵ֖צִי 2 S 10:4 1 Ch 19:4; cstr. חֲצִי Ex 12:29 + 84 times; sf. חֶצְיוֹ Ex 38:4 + 7 times + Jos 8:33 וְהַחֶצְיוֹ (but art. suspicious v. Ges§ 127 R 3, 4); חֶצְיָהּ Ne 3:38;…