כֹּל H3605
All, every, whole, everything; the universal quantifier expressing totality, completeness, or distributive scope.
One of the most frequent words in the Hebrew Bible, kol is the universal quantifier that gathers everything into its scope. Whether modifying a noun ('all the earth,' 'every creature'), standing alone as 'everything' (Eccl 1:2, 'all is vanity'), or distributing across individuals ('each one,' Eccl 3:1), it insists on totality. In negative or conditional contexts it shades into 'any' (Deut 4:15-18). The multilingual evidence is strikingly uniform — Spanish 'todos/toda,' French 'tout,' German 'alle' — reflecting how every language needs the same sweeping reach this tiny word provides.
1. all, every, whole — The attributive quantifier modifying a noun to express totality or universality: 'all the people,' 'every nation,' 'the whole land.' This overwhelmingly dominant sense (5,352 occurrences) appears from Genesis to Malachi. Spanish 'todos/toda/todas,' French 'tout,' and German 'alle' converge on the same all-embracing scope, whether the referent is people, land, time, or creation itself (Gen 11:9; 18:25). 5352×
AR["كُلَّ","كُلَّ-","كُلُّ","كُلُّ-","كُلِّ","كُلِّ-"]·ben["সকল","সকল-","সমস্ত","সমস্ত-"]·DE["alle","alle-","der-ganzen-","seiner"]·EN["all"]·FR["tout"]·heb["כל","כל-"]·HI["सब","सब-","सरि-","सारी-"]·ID["segala","segala-","seluruh-","semua","semua-"]·IT["tutto"]·jav["Sedaya","sadaya-","sedaya","sedaya-"]·KO["모든","모든-","모든-것이"]·PT["Todos","Todos-","toda-","todas","todas-","todo","todo-","todos","todos-"]·RU["весь-","все","все-","всей","всей-","всем-","всех","всех-","всякий-","всякого-","всякую-","всё"]·ES["Todos","toda","todas","todo","todos","todos-"]·SW["Israeli-wote","Wote","kila-","mambo-yote","maneno-yote","mataifa-yote","ndugu","wote","yote","yote-","yote-ya","∅-"]·TR["Tüm-","bütün-","her-","her-türlü-","tüm","tüm-"]·urd["تمام","تمام-","ساری","ساری-","سارے","سارے-","سب","سب-"]
Gen 11:9, Gen 14:3, Gen 16:12, Gen 18:25, Gen 22:18, Gen 24:66, Exod 23:17, Exod 24:8, Lev 3:3, Lev 4:8, Lev 4:31, Lev 27:32 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. everything, the totality — The substantival or absolute use where kol functions as a noun meaning 'everything,' 'the whole,' or 'all things,' often with the article or in philosophical contexts. Ecclesiastes repeatedly uses this sense — 'all is vanity' (Eccl 1:2), 'I saw all the works' (Eccl 1:14). German 'das-Alles' (the everything) and Spanish 'el-todo' (the whole) capture how the word shifts from modifier to the thing itself. 22×
AR["الكُلَّ","الكُلُّ","الكُلِّ","الَّذِي-","صَنَعَهُ","قَدْ","كُلُّها","لِلْكُلُّ","هَ-كُلّ"]·ben["সকল","সকলের-জন্য","সমস্তই","সমস্তকে"]·DE["Schwiegertochter","das-Alles","zu-allen"]·EN["all","all-of-it","everything","for-all","the-all"]·FR["comme-à-elle","der-tout","le-tout","zu-tout"]·heb["ה-כול","ה-כל","כולה","ל-ה-כל"]·HI["सब","सब-की","सब-कुछ"]·ID["Segala-sesuatu","segala-sesuatu","semuanya"]·IT["a-tutto","distruzione","il-tutto"]·jav["Sedaya","kangge-sadayanipun","sadayanipun","sedaya"]·KO["그-모든-것","로-모든-것","모든-것","모든-것이"]·PT["O-tudo","o-todo","o-tudo","para-tudo","todo-ele","tudo"]·RU["Всё","всего","всё","всё -","всё-это","всё."]·ES["El-todo","el-todo","por-todo","todo","todo-ello"]·SW["Kila-kitu","Yote","vyote","wote","yote"]·TR["hepsi","hepsine","hepsini"]·urd["سب","سب-کو","سب-کچھ","سب-کے"]
3. all of (pronominal) — Used with pronominal suffixes to express totality of a referenced group: 'all of you,' 'all of them,' 'all of her.' Deut 29:10 gathers 'all of you' before the Lord, and Song 4:7 declares 'all of you is beautiful.' Spanish 'Todos-vosotros' (all of you) and French 'Toute-toi' (all of you, singular) preserve the personal, encompassing quality of this pronominal construction. 20×
AR["جَمِيعُكُمْ","كُلَّكْ","كُلُّكُم","كُلُّكُمْ","كُلُّكِ","لِـ-كُلِّكُمْ"]·ben["তুমি-সম্পূর্ণ","তোমরা-সকলে","তোমরা-সবাই","তোমাদের-সকলকে","সকলে"]·DE["alle","alle-von-du","wie-dir","wie-euch","zu-alle-von-du"]·EN["all-of-you","to-all-of-you"]·FR["Toute-toi","comme-tout","comme-à-toi","leur-tout-eux","tout","tout-de-tu","votre-tout-vous","à-tout-de-tu"]·heb["כול-כם","כולך","כולכם","כולם","ל-כול-כם"]·HI["तुम-सब","तुम-सब-को","तुम-सब-ने","तुम-सबने","सब","सब-तुम","सब-तू","सबने"]·ID["Kamu-semua","Seluruh-engkau","kalian-semua","kamu-sekalian","kamu-semua","kepada-kamu-semua","semuanya"]·IT["a-tutto-di-tu","come-a-te","come-a-voi","tutto","tutto-di-tu","tutto-loro","tutto-tua","tutto-vostro"]·jav["Sedaya-panjenengan","dhateng-panjenengan-sadaya","panjenengan-sadaya","panjenengan-sedaya","sadaya-panjenengan-sadaya","sadaya-panjenengan-sedaya","sedaya","sedayanipun","sedayanipun-panjenengan"]·KO["너-모두가","너희-모두","너희-모두-가","너희-모두가","너희-모두를","너희-모두에게","모두가","모두가-너희가","모든-너희","전부-가"]·PT["Toda-tu","Todos-vós","a-todos-vós","toda-tu","todos","todos-vós"]·RU["Вся-ты","все","все-вы","всем-вам","всех-вас","вся-ты"]·ES["Toda-tú","Todos-vosotros","a-todos-vosotros","toda-tú","todos-vosotros"]·SW["ninyi-nyote","nyinyi-nyote","nyote","wewe-wote","wote-wewe","yote"]·TR["hep","hepiniz","hepinize","hepinizi"]·urd["تم سب","تم-سب","تم-سب-نے","تم-سب-کو","تو-ساری","سب","سب-تم-نے","سَب-تُم","پوری-کی-پوری"]
Deut 1:22, Deut 4:4, Deut 29:10, Josh 8:4, Judg 20:7, 1 Sam 22:7, 1 Sam 22:7, 1 Sam 22:8, Job 13:4, Job 16:2, Job 17:10, Job 27:12 (+8 more)
4. any, anything — Indefinite sense used especially in negative, conditional, or interrogative contexts to mean 'any,' 'anyone,' or 'anything.' Deuteronomy 4:15-18 repeats the pattern 'any form,' 'any likeness,' 'any figure,' where kol is not summing a totality but scanning possibilities. German 'irgendein' (any) and Spanish 'cualquier' (any, whichever) show the shift from universal to indefinite quantification. 18×
AR["أَيَّ-","أَيِّ","أَيِّ-","كُلِّ-","لِ-شَيْءٍ","لِكُلِّ-","مِن-كُلِّ"]·ben["কোনো","কোনো-","কোনো-কিছুতেই-জন্য","কোনো-জন্য-","যেকোনো","যেকোনো-","সব-","সমস্ত-জন্য"]·DE["fuer-irgendein-","irgendein","irgendein-","zu-alle"]·EN["any","any-","for-any-","for-anything"]·FR["pour-tout-","quelque","tout","tout-","à-tout"]·heb["כל","כל-","ל-כל","ל-כל-"]·HI["और-करोगे","किसी-के-लिए","किसी-भी","किसी-भी-","के-लिए-सब-","कोई-","सब-","सब-को-"]·ID["apapun","segala-","sesuatu-","setiap-","untuk-apa-pun","untuk-setiap-"]·IT["a-tutto","alcuno","per-qualsiasi-","qualsiasi","qualsiasi-"]·jav["kanggé-punapa-kemawon","kanggé-sedaya-","sadaya-","satunggaling","sedaya","sedaya-"]·KO["모든-","모든-것-을-위하여","아무","아무것의","어느-","에-모든","에-어떤"]·PT["nenhuma-","para-nada.","para-qualquer-","qualquer-","qualquer-coisa","toda-"]·RU["во-всём","всего-","для-всякого-","для-любого-","за-любой-","любого","любого-","любой-","любым-","ни-для-чего","никакого-","никакой-"]·ES["cualquier","cualquier-","cualquier-cosa","ninguna","ninguna-","para-nada","para-ningún-","por-cualquier-"]·SW["kazi-","kitu-","kitu-chochote","kwa-kiapo-chochote","kwa-kila-","kwa-kitu-chochote","lolote-","mnyama-","mnyama-yeyote","ndege-","samaki-","wa-kitu-chochote","ya-kitu-","ya-kitu-chochote"]·TR["herhangi-","herşey","hiçbirşeye"]·urd["کسی","کسی-","کسی-بھی","کسی-بھی-","کسی-کی","کسی-کے-لیے","کوئی-"]
5. each, every (distributive) — Distributive sense emphasizing individual members of a class rather than the group as a whole: 'for each one,' 'every single,' 'to everything its season.' Ecclesiastes 3:1 famously declares 'for everything there is a season,' distributing across each item. French 'pour-chacun' (for each one) and German 'fuer-jedermann' (for everyone) highlight the one-by-one focus distinct from collective totality. 5×
AR["كُلِّ-","لِ-كُلِّ","لِكُلِّ-","وَقْتًا","وَوَقْتٌ"]·ben["সকলের-জন্য","সব-"]·DE["fuer-jedermann","zu-allen"]·EN["for-every-","for-everyone","to-every-"]·FR["pour-chacun","tout","à-tout"]·heb["ל-כל","ל-כל-"]·HI["सब-","हर-","हर-एक-से"]·ID["kepada-setiap","untuk-setiap"]·IT["per-everyone","per-tutto","tutto"]·jav["dhateng-sedaya-","kanggé-saben-tiyang","kanggé-sedaya-","tumrap-sedaya-"]·KO["모든-에","에게-모든"]·PT["a-toda","para-todo"]·RU["всякому-","для-всякого","для-всякого-"]·ES["a-toda","para-todo"]·SW["kwa-kila"]·TR["her","tüm-için"]·urd["کو-ہر","ہر-کے-لیے"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
כֹּל once כּוֹל (Je 33:8 Kt), n.m. the whole, all (Moab., Ph., id.; Aramaic כּוֹל, ܟܽܠ; Arabic كُلٌّ; Sab. כל, cf. DHMEpigr. Denk. 36–38;. Ethiopic ኵል Assyrian kullatu)—abs. כֹּל, cstr. כֹּל Gn 2:5, 16, 20 + often, once כֹּל־ ψ 138:2 (v. Ba), but more usually כָּל־ (with makk.: without it, †ψ 35:10 Pr 19:7; Köi 84, 95); sf. 2 ms. in p. כֻּלָּךְ †Mi 2:12; 2 fs. כֻּלֵּךְ †Is 14:29, 31, כֻּלָּךְ †Is…