H3617 H3617
Complete destruction, annihilation; adverbially 'completely'; a determined decree of judgment.
In prophetic literature, kalah names the utter end that God brings upon rebellious peoples -- a total, sweeping annihilation with nothing left over. The noun carries a finality that distinguishes it from ordinary defeat: when the prophets say God will 'make a kalah,' they mean a devastation that is both thorough and irreversible (Isa 10:23; Jer 4:27). Occasionally it functions adverbially, intensifying an action to mean 'completely' or 'altogether,' as in God's investigation of Sodom (Gen 18:21). In one passage it shades toward a fixed, irrevocable decree (1 Sam 20:33), where the sense of finality attaches not to destruction itself but to the determination behind it.
Senses
1. complete destruction, annihilation — The primary sense denotes complete destruction or annihilation, almost always as an act of divine judgment. The prophets pair it with words for cutting off and decreeing (Isa 10:23, neherasah; Nah 1:8-9) to stress total, irrevocable ruin. Spanish 'destruccion, consumacion' and German 'Braut' (a homograph confusion with the separate lemma for 'bride') highlight how translations must distinguish this stern theological term. Key passages: Isaiah 28:22, Jeremiah 5:10, Nehemiah 9:31. 17×
AR["الْفَنَاءِ", "فَنَاءً", "لِلْإِفْنَاءِ", "وَ-فَنَاءً"]·ben["এবং-সম্পূর্ণ-ধ্বংস", "ধ্বংসের-জন্য", "নিঃশেষ", "পরিসমাপ্তি", "শেষ", "সমাপ্তি", "সম্পূর্ণ", "সম্পূর্ণ-ধ্বংস", "সম্পূর্ণ-শেষ"]·DE["Braut", "Schwiegertochter", "[כלה]", "[לכלה]", "und-Vernichtung"]·EN["a-complete-destruction", "a-full-end", "an-end", "and-complete-end", "but-complete-end", "complete-destruction", "complete-end", "completion", "destruction", "for-destruction"]·FR["[כלה]", "comme-à-elle", "destruction", "et-destruction", "fin"]·heb["ו-כלה", "כלה", "ל-כלה"]·HI["अंत", "और-अंत", "और-पूर्ण-विनाश", "को-समाप्त", "नाश", "पूरी-तरह", "पूर्ण-विनाश", "विनाश", "समाप्ति"]·ID["Kepunahan", "kehancuran", "kepunahan", "kesudahan", "namun-penghabisan", "penghabisan", "penuh", "seluruhnya", "tetapi-penghabisan", "untuk-penghancuran."]·IT["[כלה]", "a-distruzione", "come-a-lei", "distruzione", "e-distruzione"]·jav["kanggé-ngrampungaken", "karusakan", "lan-tuntas", "nanging-jangkep", "ngrampungaken", "pangrisakan", "pungas", "pungkasan", "tumpes", "tuntas"]·KO["그러나-완전한-끝은", "끝남과", "끝으로", "끝을", "끝을-내시나이까", "끝장을", "마침-과", "멸망과", "멸절을", "멸하기-위하여", "완전한", "완전한-끝을", "종결-을"]·PT["a-consumação", "destruição", "destruição-completa", "e-fim", "exterminação", "fim", "para-destruição", "um-fim"]·RU["гибель", "для-уничтожения", "и-конца", "истребление", "истребления", "конец", "конца", "полного-конца", "полностью", "уничтожение"]·ES["Destrucción", "consumación", "destrucción", "exterminio", "fin", "para-destruir", "pero-fin"]·SW["kuangamiza", "lakini-mwisho-kamili", "maangamizi", "mwisho", "mwisho-kamili", "unamaliza"]·TR["Yahve", "bitis", "son", "tamama", "tamamlanma", "tuketme", "ve-son"]·urd["انجام", "اور-مکمل", "اور-مکمل-تباہی", "تباہی-کے-لیے", "تکمیل", "خاتمہ", "ختم", "فنا", "فنا-کر", "مکمل-تباہی"]
2. completely, utterly (adverbial) — Used adverbially to mean 'completely' or 'utterly,' modifying the totality of an action rather than naming destruction itself. In Genesis 18:21 God descends to see whether the outcry against Sodom is 'altogether' as reported, and in Exodus 11:1 the word intensifies the finality of Pharaoh's expulsion of Israel. French renders this adverbial force with 'achever' (to finish), capturing the sense of thoroughness. Key passages: Genesis 18:21, 2 Chronicles 12:12. 3×
AR["كَامِلَةً", "كُلِيَّا", "لِلكمالِ"]·ben["সম্পূর্ণ", "সম্পূর্ণরূপে"]·DE["[לכלה]", "completely", "ein-Ende"]·EN["complete", "completely"]·FR["[לכלה]", "achever", "completely"]·heb["כלה", "ל-כלה"]·HI["उसके-बाद", "पुर", "पूरी-तरह"]·ID["seluruhnya", "sepenuhnya", "untuk-kehancuran"]·IT["[לכלה]", "completare", "completely"]·jav["ngantosing-telas", "punggel", "sadaya"]·KO["완전히"]·PT["destruição", "totalmente", "tudo"]·RU["полностью"]·ES["completamente"]·SW["kabisa"]·TR["tamamen"]·urd["مکمل", "پوری-طرح"]
3. determined decree — A specialized sense pointing to a determined decree or settled divine purpose. In 1 Samuel 20:33, Jonathan perceives that it was 'determined' by his father Saul to kill David -- the emphasis falls not on the act of destruction but on the irrevocable decision behind it. Daniel 9:27 uses a related form in the same vein. Multilingual glosses converge on 'determined' (English, French, German), underscoring the volitional, decretal aspect. 1×
AR["قُضِيَتْ"]·ben["সিদ্ধান্ত-হয়েছে"]·DE["determined"]·EN["determined"]·FR["determined"]·heb["כלה"]·HI["तय"]·ID["sudah-diputuskan"]·IT["determinò"]·jav["sampun-puput"]·KO["결정되었다"]·PT["completado"]·RU["решено"]·ES["completada"]·SW["imeamuliwa"]·TR["kararladı"]·urd["پوری-ہو-گئی-ہے"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)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×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)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×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כָּלָה n.f. completion, complete destruction, consumption, annihilation; always this form;— 1. completion, but only as adv., and dubious: completely, altogether Gn 18:21 (J; read כֻּלָּם Ol Kau Buhl), Ex 11:1 (si vera l.) 2. complete destruction, consumption, annihilation: a. almost always by God, especially עָשָׂה כ׳ Is 10:23 (+ וְנֶחֱרָצָה), Na 1:8 (2 acc., si vera l.; Buhl ZAW 1885, 181…