הָלַךְ1545 H3212
To go, walk, travel, depart; figuratively to walk in a way of life; idiomatically 'come!' as an invitation; in Hifil, to lead or drive.
Halak is one of the most frequent verbs in the Hebrew Bible and among the most semantically flexible. At its core it simply means 'to go' — the unmarked verb of locomotion that covers everything from Abraham setting out for Canaan (Gen 12:4) to Elijah walking forty days to Horeb. But its figurative reach is enormous: to 'walk in the ways of the LORD' is the Bible's signature metaphor for faithful obedience, and to 'walk in the statutes of the nations' is its antonym. The imperative lekh or lekhu often functions less as 'go!' and more as 'come!' or 'come now!' — an invitation to joint action (Gen 37:20, 'come, let us kill him'). Arabic captures this range across dhahaba ('go/depart'), salaka ('walk a path'), and ta'ala ('come!'), while Korean splits it between 가다, 걷다, and 오라. The Hifil causative adds agency: God 'led' Israel through the wilderness, and Moses 'drove back' the sea.
2. walk in, follow a way — Qal figurative: to walk in a way, follow a path of conduct — 79 occurrences where halak combines with a prepositional phrase (be-darke, be-chuqqot, 'in the ways/statutes of') to describe moral conduct or lifestyle. 'If you walk in my statutes' (Lev 26:3); 'they walked in the statutes of the nations' (2 Kgs 17:8). Arabic salaka ('to travel a path') and yamshi ('to walk, conduct oneself') both select path-following vocabulary distinct from simple 'go.' Korean 걷다 (geotda, 'to walk') and Swahili kutembea ('to walk about') similarly shift register. This is the conceptual metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY lexicalized into Hebrew grammar. 79×
AR["تَسْلُكُونَ","فَسَارَ","وَ-سَلَكَ","وَذَهَبَ","وَسَارَ","وَسَلَكَ"]·ben["আর-চললেন","এবং-চলল","এবং-চললেন","এবং-সে-চলল","এবং-সে-চললেন","এবং-হাঁটল","ও-চললেন","ও-তিনি-চললেন","তোমরা-চলবে","তোমরা-হাঁটবে","যাবে"]·DE["du-soll-wandeln","und-er-ging","und-er-wandelte","und-wandelte","wandeln"]·EN["and-he-walked","and-walked","walk","you-shall-walk"]·FR["et-aller","et-il-marcha","et-marcha","marcher","tu-devra-marcher"]·heb["ו-הלך","ו-ילך","תלכו"]·HI["और-उसने-चला","और-चला","चलोगे","चलोगे-तुम","वय्येलेख"]·ID["Dan-berjalan","Dan-ia-berjalan","berjalanlah","dan-berjalan","dan-dia-berjalan","dan-ia-berjalan","kamu-berjalan"]·IT["camminare","e-andare","e-camminò","e-egli-camminò","tu-dovra-camminare"]·jav["Lan-lumampah","kedah-panjenengan-tindak","lan-lumampah","lan-mlampah","lan-piyambakipun-mlampah","lan-piyambakipun-tindak","lan-tindak","panjenengan-lumampah","sami-lumampah"]·KO["걸으라","걸으리라-너희는","걸을-것이다-너희는","그리고-갔다","그리고-걸었다","그리고-그-가-걷다","그리고-그가-갔다","그리고-그가-걸었다"]·PT["E-andou","andareis","e-andou","¶ E-andou"]·RU["И-ходил","и-пошёл","и-ходил","ходите"]·ES["Y-anduvo","andaréis","caminaréis","y-anduvo"]·SW["Lakini-akaenda","Na-akaenda","mtaenda","na-akaenda","na-akafuata","na-akatembea","na-alitembea","tembeeni"]·TR["Ve-yürüdü","ve-yurudu","ve-yürüdü","yürüyeceksiniz"]·urd["اور-چلا","چلو","چلو-گے"]
Exod 15:22, Lev 18:3, Lev 20:23, Lev 26:3, Lev 26:21, Lev 26:41, Num 13:26, Deut 1:19, Deut 5:33, Deut 13:4, Deut 19:9, Deut 26:17 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. go, depart, travel — Qal basic: to go, depart, travel — the primary sense at 884 occurrences, covering all directed movement from one place to another. Abraham 'went' as the LORD had spoken (Gen 12:4); Jacob 'went on his way' (Gen 32:1); messengers 'went' and returned. Arabic dhahaba ('to go, depart') and Korean 가다 (gada, 'to go') are the standard equivalents. Spanish fue/fueron and German ging/gingen likewise use their unmarked motion verbs. This is the semantic baseline from which all other senses extend. 884×
AR["فَذَهَبَ","وَ-ذَهَبَ","وَذَهَبَ"]·ben["আর-গেল","আর-গেলেন","এবং-গেল","এবং-গেলেন","ও-গেল","ও-গেলেন"]·DE["und-er-ging","und-es-ging","und-ging"]·EN["and-he-went","and-went"]·FR["et-alla","et-il-alla"]·heb["ו-הלך","ו-ילך"]·HI["और-गय","और-गया"]·ID["Dan-pergilah","dan-ia-pergi","dan-pergi","dan-pergilah","dan-pergilah-ia"]·IT["e-ando","e-andò","e-egli-andò"]·jav["Lan-kesah","Lan-késah","Lan-piyambakipun-késah","Lan-tindak","lan-kesah","lan-késah","lan-mlampah","lan-piyambakipun-késah","lan-tindak","lan-tindhak"]·KO["그리고-갔다","그리고-그가-갔다"]·PT["E-foi","Yitschaq","e-foi"]·RU["И-пошёл","и-пошёл"]·ES["Y-fue","y-fue"]·SW["Na-akaenda","akakwenda","na-Esau-akakwenda","na-akaenda","na-akakwenda"]·TR["Ve-gitti","ve-gitti"]·urd["اور-چلا","اور-چلا-گیا","اور-گیا"]
3. come, come now — Imperative as invitation: 'come!, come now!' — 63 occurrences where the imperative lekh/lekhu functions pragmatically not as 'go away!' but as 'come!' or 'come, let us...' inviting joint action. 'Come, let us sell him' (Gen 37:27); 'Come, let us make our father drink wine' (Gen 19:32); 'Go, I am sending you' (Gen 37:13, where 'go' is a commissioning rather than dismissal). Arabic ta'ala and halumma ('come!') and Korean 오라 (ora, 'come!') all use dedicated invitation vocabulary, confirming that this imperative has undergone pragmatic bleaching from directional 'go' to hortatory 'come.' Spanish Venid/ven makes the shift explicit. 63×
AR["تَعالَ","تَعالَوْا","تَعَالَوْا","هَلُمَّ","هَلُمُّوا","هَلُمّوا"]·ben["এস","এসো"]·DE["geh","geht","ging","komm","komme","kommen","kommt"]·EN["Come","come"]·FR["aller","allez!","venir","viens","à-aller"]·heb["לְכוּ","לכה-ה","לכו"]·HI["आ","आओ","चलो"]·ID["Marilah","datanglah","marilah"]·IT["andare","andate","ando'","venire","vieni"]·jav["'Mangga","Mangga","Rawuh","Sumangga","Sumangga-rawuh","mangga","rawuh","rawuha","sumangga","sumangga-rawuh"]·KO["가라","가자","오라"]·PT["Vinde","vai","vem","vinde"]·RU["Идите","Пойдём","давайте","иди","идите","пойди","придите"]·ES["Venid","ven","vengan","venid"]·SW["Njooni","njoo","njooni"]·TR["Gel","Gelin","gel","gelin"]·urd["آ","آؤ"]
4. lead, bring, cause to go — Hifil causative: to lead, bring, drive, cause to go — 13 occurrences where an agent causes another's movement. God 'caused Israel to walk' forty years in the wilderness (Deut 29:5); Moses 'led them' upright (Lev 26:13); a strong east wind 'drove back' the sea (Exod 14:21). Arabic qada/saqa ('to lead/drive') and Korean 인도하다 (indohada, 'to guide') both select causative-leadership vocabulary. Spanish guió/llevó ('guided/carried') and German führte ('led') likewise mark the causative shift. This sense is morphologically grounded in the Hifil stem. 13×
AR["الـ-مُسَيِّرُ","اِذْهَبُوا","خُذِي","لِـ-قَائِدِ","لِيَسُوقَهُ","وَ-أَسَّرْتُكُمْ","وَ-سَاقَ","وَ-هَدَيْتُهُ","وَأَسَرْتُكُمْ","يَذْهَبُ","يَقُودُ","يُسيِّرُهُم","يُولِيكْ"]·ben["এবং-আমি-চালালাম","এবং-চালালেন","এবং-চালিয়েছিলাম","চালনাকারীকে","চালাবেন","নিয়ে-যাও","নিয়ে-যাবে","নিয়ে-যেতে","বহন-করবে","বে-সমস্ত","যিনি-চালিয়েছেন","যিহোবা-নিয়ে-যাবেন"]·DE["gehen","ging","leads","nehmen","nimm","und-ich-caused-zu-wandeln","und-ich-fuehrte","und-vertrieb-back","wird-führen-weg","zu-der-einer-leading"]·EN["and-I-caused-to-walk","and-I-led","and-drove-back","he-will-take","leads","take","the-One-who-led-us","to-bring-him","to-the-one-leading","will-carry","will-lead-away"]·FR["aller","et-chassa-dos","et-je-caused-à-marcher","et-je-conduisit","et-je-led","leads","prendre","prends","à-aller"]·heb["ה-מוליך","הוליכו","היליכי","ו-אוליך","ו-אולך","ו-הוליך","יוליך","יוליכם","ל-הליכו-ו","ל-מוליך"]·HI["और-चलाया","और-चलाया-मैंने","चलानेवाले-को","ले-चलनेवाला","ले-जा","ले-जाएगा","ले-जाएगा-उनको","ले-जाओ","ले-जाने-के-लिए-उसे"]·ID["Bawalah","Dan-Aku-memimpin","Kepada-yang-memimpin","Membawa","bawalah","dan-Aku-memimpin","dan-menggerakkanlah","dia-akan-membawa","kamu","membawa","untuk-membawanya","yang-menuntun"]·IT["andare","ando'","e-cacciò-back","e-io-caused-a-camminare","e-io-condusse","e-io-guido","leads","prendere","prendi"]·jav["Badhe-nuntun","Bekta-mlampah","Dhateng-ingkang-nuntun","Lan-Kawula-mimpin","Yéhuwah-badhe-nuntun","ingkang-ngirid","iridna","kanggé-nggawa","lan-Kawula-nuntun","lan-Yéhuwah-nundhung","lan-ngirid","mbeta","ngirid"]·KO["그-인도하신-분","그리고-가게-하셨다","그리고-나는-이끌었다","그리고-나는-인도하였다","그리고-인도하였다","끌고-가시리라-그들-을","끌어가기-위하여-그를","나를-것이다","데려가라","데려가리라","이끌시리라","인도하신-이-에게"]·PT["Ao-que-guiou","Fazei-ir","e-conduzi","e-fez-ir","e-fiz-andar","e-vos-fiz-andar","leva","levará","o-SENHOR-os-levará","o-que-fez-andar","para-levar-o"]·RU["Возьми","И-водил-Я","Поведёт","ведите","ведшему-","ведший","вести-его","и-водил","и-гнал","и-повёл","отведёт","отведёт-их","унесёт"]·ES["Al-que-guió","Llevará","Y-os-hice-andar","e-hizo-ir","el-que-nos-condujo","haced-ir","lleva","llevará","los-llevará","para-llevarlo","y-lo-conduje","y-os-hice-andar"]·SW["Mchukue","Na-niliwatembeza","aliyetuongoza","aliyewaongoza","atabeba","atakupeleka","atampeleka","awaongoze","lholiykwo","na-akaiendesha","na-nikamwongoza","na-nikawaendesheni","pelekeni"]·TR["götür","götürecek","götürecek-onları","götürmek-için","götürün","tasir","ve-götürdü","ve-götürdüm","ve-yürüteceğim","ve-yürüttüm","yürüten","yürütene-"]·urd["اور-چلایا-میں-نے","اور-ہٹایا","لے-جا","لے-جاؤ","لے-جائے-گا","لے-جائے-گا-انہیں","لے-جائےگا","لے-جانے-والا","لے-جانے-والے-کا","لے-جانے-کو"]
Exod 2:9, Exod 14:21, Lev 26:13, Deut 28:36, Deut 29:5, Josh 24:3, 2 Kgs 17:27, 2 Chr 36:6, Ps 125:5, Ps 136:16, Eccl 10:20, Jer 2:6 (+1 more)
5. go away, depart permanently — Qal emphatic: to go away, depart permanently, pass away — 5 occurrences where halak carries the connotation of irreversible departure or vanishing. 'Let us go in the midst of us' (Exod 34:9, imploring God not to permanently withdraw); 'all knees shall go to water' (Ezek 7:17; 21:7, i.e., dissolve away). The finality is marked cross-linguistically by Spanish se irán ('they will go away,' reflexive emphasizing complete departure) and German lass-gehen ('let go'). The small cluster in Ezekiel's judgment oracles gives this sense a distinctly ominous, eschatological coloring. 5×
AR["تَسيلُ","تَسِيلُ","يَذْهَبْنَ","يَسيرُ-"]·ben["বয়ে-যাবে","যাক","যাবে","যাবে।"]·DE["gehen","lass-gehen-"]·EN["let-go-","shall-go"]·FR["aller","que-aller-"]·heb["ילך","תלכנה"]·HI["चले","चलेंगे","जाएंगी","वे-बहेंगे"]·ID["akan-mengalir","akan-pergi.","pergilah"]·IT["andare","let-andare-"]·jav["badhe-késah","badhé-lumampah","dados","kesahipun-"]·KO["가리라","가소서","갈-것이다","흐르리라"]·PT["andarão","irão","vá-"]·RU["вот","пойдут","потекут","пусть-идёт-"]·ES["irán","se-irán","vaya"]·SW["aende-","wataenda","yatatirika","yatatoka"]·TR["gidecek","gidecekler","gitsin"]·urd["بہہ-جائیں-گے","بہیں-گے","جائیں-گی","چلے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
הָלַךְ1545 vb. go, come, walk (MI ואהלך, לך; SI וילכו; NH הִלֵּךְ (rare), Aramaic הֲלַךְ, הַךְ (also Biblical Aramaic), oftener הַלֵּיךְ Pa., ܗܰܠܶܟ, Palm. Ithp. אתילכא Vog No. 15, 1. 4; Assyrian alâku DlW; also Arabic هَلَكَ perish)— Qal Pf. 3 ms. ה׳ Gn 26:26 +; הָלָ֑ךְ 2 S 8:6 +; 3 pl. הָֽלְכוּ Gn 14:24 +; (הֶ)הָֽלְכוּא Jos 10:24 (Ges§ 23, 3; 138, 3 b Köi 414 f.), etc.; Impf. rarely a. 3 ms.…