H3782 H3782
To stumble, stagger, totter; in Nifal, to stumble and fall; in Hifil, to cause to stumble; also to grow weak or fail in strength.
Kashal is the Hebrew Bible's central verb for losing one's footing — both literally and in the vast metaphorical territory that stumbling opens up. A person stumbles over a stone in the road, but nations stumble into judgment, the wicked stumble in darkness, and the faithful are promised they will walk without stumbling. The Nifal stem adds the weight of consequence: not merely tripping but falling, being overthrown, collapsing. The Hifil turns the verb outward — to make someone else fall, whether by treachery or divine decree. Perhaps most interesting is the metaphorical extension into weakness and failure (Neh 4:10, 'the strength of the bearers has stumbled'), where Syriac kashal's link to skandalizomai ('to cause offense, scandalize') hints at the New Testament's stumbling-block theology already latent in the Hebrew root.
5. bereave, cause childlessness (Piel ketiv) — Piel ketiv reading at Prov 4:16 and Ezek 36:14: to bereave or cause childlessness. This is a textually contested sense — the ketiv consonantal text can be read as the Piel of kashal ('to bereave'), while the qere tradition emends to a form of shakhal ('to be childless'). In Ezek 36:14 the land 'will no longer bereave' its nation; at Prov 4:16 the wicked cannot sleep unless they 'cause someone to stumble/bereave.' The two readings show how scribal tradition negotiated between the stumbling-root and the childlessness-root. Spanish dejar sin hijos ('to leave childless') confirms the bereavement reading in the textual tradition. 2×
AR["[يُعْثِرُوا]","تُثْكِلِينَ-"]·ben["[সন্তানহীন-করবে-]","কেরী"]·DE["straucheln","strauchelte"]·EN["[ketiv]"]·FR["trébucher"]·heb["[תכשלי-]","יכשילו"]·HI["तू-वंचित-करेगी"]·ID["[akan-kamu-tersandung]","[ketiv]"]·IT["[ketiv]","inciampare"]·jav["*"]·KO["[크타브]","네가-자녀-잃게-하지"]·PT["[desfilharás-]","[ketiv]"]·RU["[ктив:йахшолу]"]·ES["[dejarás-sin-hijos]","[hacen-tropezar]"]·SW["[ketiv]"]·TR["[düşürmeyeceksin-]","[düşürürlerse]"]·urd["[لڑکھڑائیں]","[ٹھوکر-گرائے-گی-تُو]"]
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
1. stumble, trip, stagger — Qal: to stumble, trip, or stagger — the basic physical and metaphorical sense covering 25 occurrences. This spans literal tripping (Lev 26:37, stumbling over one another in flight), moral failure (Prov 4:12, the righteous path where one does not stumble), and poetic imagery of weakness (Job 4:4, strengthening stumbling knees). Spanish tropezar and German straucheln both track the Hebrew closely across both physical and figurative uses. Key passages include Ps 27:2 where enemies stumble and fall, and Ps 105:37 where Israel goes out without one who stumbles. 25×
AR["العاثِرَ","الْعَاثِرِينَ","تَعَثَّرَتْ","سَقَطُوا","عَاثِرٌ","عَثَروا","عَثَرَت","عَثَرَتْ","عَثَرُوا","عَثَرْنَا","عَثْرَةً","وَ-يَعثُرُ","وَ-يَعْثُرُ","وَ-يَعْثُرُونَ","وَتَعثَرُ","وَيَعثَرُ","وَيَعْثُرُ"]·ben["আমরা-হোঁচট-খাই","এবং-হোঁচট-খাবে","ও-হোঁচট-খাবে","ঠোকর-খেয়ে","ঠোকরখাওয়াকে","তারা-হোঁচট-খেয়েছে","তারা-হোঁচট-খেল","হোঁচট-খাওয়া","হোঁচট-খেয়ে","হোঁচট-খেয়েছিল","হোঁচট-খেয়েছে"]·DE["hat-stumbled","sie-stumbled","straucheln","strauchelte","stumbled","und-sie-wird-stumble","und-straucheln","und-strauchelte","wie-Silo"]·EN["and-shall-stumble","and-stumbles","and-they-will-stumble","and-will-stumble","and-you-will-stumble","has-stumbled","stumbled","stumbling","the-stumbling","they-stumble","they-stumbled","we-stumble"]·FR["comme-Silo","comme-trébucher","et-ils-fera-stumble","et-trébucher","trébucher"]·heb["ו-כשל","ו-כשלו","ו-כשלת","כושל","כשול","כשל","כשלה","כשלו","כשלנו"]·HI["और-ठोकर-खाएंगे","और-ठोकर-खाएगा","और-लड़खड़ाएंगे","और-लड़खड़ाएगा","और-वे-ठोकर-खाएँगे","ठोकर-खाए","ठोकर-खाते-हैं","लड़खड़ाई","लड़खड़ाए","लड़खड़ाता-हुआ","लड़खड़ाते-को","लड़खड़ाते-हैं","लड़खड़ानेवालों","लड़खड़ाया","वे-लड़खड़ाए","हम-लड़खड़ाते-हैं"]·ID["Dan-akan-tersandung","Dan-engkau-akan-tersandung","Dan-mereka-akan-tersandung","Yang-tersandung","dan-akan-tersandung","dan-tersandung","kita-tersandung","mereka-tersandung","telah-tersandung","tersandung","yang-tersandung"]·IT["come-Silo","come-tranquillo","e-essi-fara-stumble","e-inciampare","il-stumbling","inciampare","vacillo'"]·jav["Kita-kesandhung","Lan-kesandung","Lan-sami-kesandhung","ingkang-kesandhung","ingkang-kesandung","kasandung","kesandhung","lan-badhé-kesandhung","lan-kesandhung","lan-kesandung","lan-panjenengan-kesandung","sami-kesandhung","sami-kesandung","sampun-kesandung","sampun-ringkih"]·KO["그리고-걸려-넘어지리라","그리고-넘어지리라","그리고-넘어질-것이다","그리고-넘어질것이다","그리고-비틀거리리라","넘어졌다","넘어졌다-그들이","넘어졌으니","넘어지는-자를","넘어짐으로","발이-걸리는데","비틀거렸고","비틀거렸네","비틀거렸으니","비틀거리는-자가","비틀거리리라","약해졌나이다"]·PT["E-tropeçará","E-tropeçarás","E-tropeçarão","E-troupeçarão","e-tropeçará","e-tropeçarão","fraquejou","o-tropeçante","tropeceando","tropeçamos","tropeçando","tropeçaram","tropeçou","troupeçou"]·RU["И-споткнётся","и-споткнутся","и-споткнётся","и-споткнёшься","изнемогла","споткнулась","споткнулись","споткнулся","спотыкаемся-мы","спотыкались","спотыкающегося","спотыкающихся","спотыкаясь"]·ES["Al-que-tropieza","Y-tropezarán","Y-tropezarás","el-que-tropieza","tropezador","tropezamos","tropezar","tropezaron","tropezó","y-tropezará","y-tropezarán"]·SW["Na-atajikwaa","Na-utajikwaa","Na-watajikwaa","aliyejikwaa","anayejikwaa","imejikwaa","kujikwaa","na-atajikwaa","na-watajikwaa","tunajikwaa","walijikwaa","wamejikwaa","wanaojikwaa"]·TR["sendeledi","sendelediler","sendelemek","sendeleyeni","sendleldik","tokezledi","tokezleyen","tökezledi","tökezlediler","tökezleyen","ve-düşecekler","ve-sendeleyecek","ve-sendeleyeceksin","ve-sendleyecek","ve-tokezleyecek","ve-tökezleyecekler"]·urd["اور-ٹھوکر-کھائیں-گے","اور-ٹھوکر-کھائے-گا","اور-ٹھوکریں-گے","لڑکھڑائے","لڑکھڑاتا","لڑکھڑایا","وہ-ٹھوکرے","ٹھوکر-کھائی","ٹھوکر-کھاتے-ہیں-ہم","ٹھوکر-کھڑے-کرتیں","ٹھوکر-کے","ٹھوکرنے-والوں-کو","ٹھوکرے","ٹھھوکھر-کھائے","گر-پڑے"]
2. stumble and fall (Nifal) — Nifal: to stumble and fall, be overthrown or brought down — 24 occurrences emphasizing the completed result of stumbling rather than the initial trip. The Nifal reflexive-resultative force means 'to find oneself fallen,' and the contexts are overwhelmingly about judgment and defeat: enemies fall before Israel (Ps 9:3), the wicked stumble in darkness (Prov 4:19), but the righteous rise again after falling seven times (Prov 24:16). Korean 넘어지다 ('to fall over/collapse') and Arabic saqata ('to fall down') both select completive-fall vocabulary rather than simple tripping words, confirming that the Nifal adds genuine resultative force to the root. 24×
AR["[يَتَعَثَّرُونَ]","الضَّعِيفُ","وَ-بِ-عَثْرَتِهِ","وَ-بِـ-سُقُوطِهِمْ","وَ-يَسْقُطُونَ","وَ-يَعْثُرُ","يَسْقُطُ","يَسْقُطُونَ","يَعثَرونَ","يَعثُرونَ","يَعْثُرُونَ"]·ben["[তারা-হোঁচট-খায়]","এবং-তার-হোঁচট-খাওয়ায়","ও-হোঁচট-খাবে","ও-হোঁচট-খেলে","ঠোকর-খাবে","তারা-হোঁচট-খাবে","দুর্বলতম","সে-হোঁচট-খাবে","হোঁচট-খাবে","হোঁচট-খাবে-তারা","হোঁচট-খায়"]·DE["sie-stumble","straucheln","strauchelte","und-straucheln","und-strauchelte"]·EN["[they-stumble]","and-stumble","and-they-shall-stumble","and-when-he-stumbles","and-when-they-stumble","shall-stumble","stumble","the-one-stumbling","they-shall-stumble","they-stumble","they-will-stumble","will-stumble"]·FR["et-trébucher","et-trébucher-lui","trébucher"]·heb["ה-נכשל","ו-ב-היכשלו","ו-ב-היכשלם","ו-כשלו","ו-נכשל","ו-נכשלו","ייכשל","ייכשלו","יכשלו"]·HI["और-जब-ठोकर-खाएँगे","और-ठोकर-खाएँगे","और-ठोकर-खाएगा","और-ठोकर-खाने-पर-उसके","जो-लड़खड़ाता-है","ठोकर-खाएँगे","ठोकर-खाएँगे-वे","ठोकर-खाएंगे","ठोकर-खाते-हैं","में-उनमें","लड़खड़ाएँगे","लड़खड़ाते-हैं","वे-ठोकर-खाएँगे","वे-ठोकर-खाएंगे"]·ID["Dan-ketika-mereka-jatuh","[mereka-tersandung]","akan-jatuh","akan-tersandung","dan-dia-akan-tersandung","dan-ketika-ia-tersandung","dan-mereka-akan-jatuh","jatuh","mereka-akan-tersandung","mereka-tersandung","tersandung","tetapi-mereka-akan-jatuh","yang-lemah"]·IT["e-in-e-quando-egli-stumbles-suo","e-inciampare","essi-stumble","inciampare","stumble","vacillo'"]·jav["[sami-kesandhung]","badhe-kesandhung","badhé-dhawah","badhé-kesandhung","ingkang-kesandhung","kasandung","kesandhung","lan-ing-kesandhung","lan-mboten","lan-nalika-dhawah","nanging-badhé-dhawah","nanging-piyambak-ipun-badhé-kesandhung","piyambakipun-badhé-kesandhung","sami-kesandung"]·KO["[케티브]","그-들-이-넘어지는지","그가-넘어지지","그들이-넘어지리라","그들이-비틀거리리라","그러나-넘어지리라","그리고-비틀거릴-때에-그가","그리고-에-그들의-넘어짐에","넘어지는니라","넘어지리라","넘어지리로다","넘어질-것이다","비틀거리는-자가"]·PT["E-quando-caírem","[tropeçam]","cairão","e-cairão","e-no-tropeçar-seu","e-tropecará","e-tropecarão","o-que-tropeça","tropearão","tropecarão","tropeçará","tropeçarão"]·RU["[спотыкаются]","И-когда-падут-они","и-падут","и-при-спотыкании-его","и-споткнутся","и-споткнётся","падут","погубит","споткнутся","споткнутся.","спотыкаются","спотыкающийся"]·ES["Y-al-caer-ellos","[tropiezan]","caerán","el-que-tropieza","tropezará","tropezarán","y-al-tropezar","y-caerán","y-tropezará"]·SW["Ketiv","aliyejikwaa","anguka","jikwaa","lakini-wataanguka","na-atajikwaa","na-katika-kujikwaa-kwake","na-watakapoanguka","wa-jikwaa","wataanguka","watajikwaa"]·TR["sendelerler","sendeleyecek","sendeleyecekler","sendeliyorlar","tökezler","tökezlerler","tökezleyecekler","tökezleyeceklerini","tökezleyen","ve-be-tökezlediklerinde","ve-sendelediğinde","ve-tökezleyecek","ve-tökezleyecekler"]·urd["[ٹھوکر-کھاتے-ہیں]","اور-میں-اُن-کے-گرنے","اور-ٹھوکر-کھائے-گا","اور-ٹھوکر-کھانے-پر-اُس-کے","اور-گر-پڑیں-گے","اور-گریں-گے","لڑکھڑاتا-ہوا","وہ-ٹھوکر-کھائیں-گے","ٹھوکر-کھائیں-گے","ٹھوکر-کھاتے-ہیں","ٹھوکریں-گے","ٹھوکریں-گے-وہ","گرائے-گی-اُسے","گریں-گے"]
3. cause to stumble (Hifil) — Hifil causative: to cause someone to stumble, make fall, bring about overthrow — 9 occurrences carrying heavy theological and moral weight. In 2 Chr 25:8 God himself has power 'to cause to stumble'; in 2 Chr 28:23 the gods of Damascus 'made him stumble'; in Ps 64:8 the wicked are made to stumble over their own tongues. Spanish hacer tropezar and Korean 넘어뜨리다 ('to knock over') both use explicit causative constructions, mirroring the Hebrew Hifil morphology. This sense connects directly to the New Testament's skandalizomai theology of causing offense. 9×
AR["(يُعْثِرُوا)","أَضْعَفَ","أَعْثَرْتُمْ","تُعْثِرِينَ","لِـ-إِسْقَاطِهِ","وَ-أَعْثَرُوهُمْ","وَ-يُعْثِرونَهُ","وَلِيُعْثِرَ","يُعْثِرُكَ"]·ben["ও-তারা-তাকে-হোঁচট-খাওয়াবে","ও-তারা-হোঁচট-খাইয়েছে-তাদেরকে","ও-পরাজিত-করতে","তোমরা-হোঁচট-খাইয়েছ","দুর্বল-করেছেন","পতন-করতে","পরাজিত-করবেন","হোঁচট-খাওয়ায়","হোঁচট-খাবে"]·DE["straucheln","strauchelte","und-sie-wird-machen-ihn-stumble","und-straucheln"]·EN["He-caused-to-fail","and-they-made-stumble-them","and-they-will-make-him-stumble","and-to-cause-to-stumble","they-cause-to-stumble","to-make-stumble-him","will-cause-to-stumble-you","will-you-cause-to-stumble","you-have-caused-to-stumble"]·FR["[ולהכשיל]","[יכשילך]","[להכשילו]","et-trébucher","trébucher"]·heb["הכשיל","הכשלתם","ו-יכשילוהו","ו-יכשילום","ו-ל-הכשיל","יכשילו","יכשילך-ך","ל-הכשילו-ו","תכשילי"]·HI["और-गिराने-को","और-ठोकर-खिलाएगा","और-ठोकर-खिलाया-उन्होंने","कमजोर-कर-दिया-है","गिराएँ","गिराएगा-तुझे","गिराने-को-उसे","तुमने-ठोकर-खिलाया","तू-ठोकर-खिलाएगी"]·ID["Dan-mereka-menjatuhkannya","Ia-melemahkan","akan-kamu-jatuhkan","akan-menjatuhkanmu","dan-membuat-mereka-tersandung","dan-untuk-menjatuhkan","kamu-telah-membuat-tersandung","mereka-menjatuhkan","untuk-menjatuhkannya"]·IT["[ולהכשיל]","[יכשילך]","[להכשילו]","e-inciampare","e-vacillo'","essi-cause-a-stumble","inciampare"]·jav["Saha-ndadosaken-piyambakipun-kesandhung","kanggé-ngalahaken-piyambakipun","lan-kanggé-ngalahaken","lan-ndadosaken-kesandung-piyambakipun","ngalahaken-panjenengan","njungkelaken","panjenengan-ndadosaken-kesandhung","panjenengan-ndadosaken-kesandung","sampun-ndadosaken-lemes"]·KO["그-가-무너뜨렸네","그-들-이-넘어트렸다면","그리고-그들을-넘어지게-했다","그리고-넘어지게-하시리이다","그리고-에-넓어뜨리기로","넓어뜨릴-것이다-너를","넘어뜨렸다","넘어지게-함-그를","네가-넘어지게-하지"]·PT["E-o-fizeram-tropecar","e-fizeram-os-tropeçar","e-para-fazer-cair","fará-te-cair","farás-tropeçar","fez-tropeçar","fizerem-tropecar","fizestes-tropeçar","para-fazê-lo-tropeçar"]·RU["(совратят).","и-повергнуть","и-споткнули-их","и-споткнулись-из-за-них","к-преткновению-его","ослабил","повергнет-тебя","соблазнили","споткнутся"]·ES["Y-lo-harán-tropezar","ha-hecho-tropezar","hacen-tropezar","harás-tropezar","hicisteis-tropezar","para-hacerlo-tropezar","te-hará-tropezar","y-los-hicieron-tropezar","y-para-hacer-tropezar"]·SW["Na-utawafanya-wajikwae","amedhofisha","atakuangusha","fanya-wengine-kujikwaa","fifilisha","kumwangusha","mmewakwaza","na-kuangusha","na-wakawajikwaza"]·TR["düşürecek","düşürmek-için","düşürmeyeceksin","düşürürlerse","tökezlettiniz","ve-düşürmek","ve-tökezlettiler-onları","ve-yıktılar-onu","zayıflattı"]·urd["(لڑکھڑائیں)","اور-ٹھوکر-کھلاتے-ہیں-انہیں","اور-گرانے-کے-لیے","تم-نے-ٹھوکر-کھلائی","وَ-گِرایا-اُسے","ٹوٹ-گئی","ٹھوکر-کھلانے-کو","ٹھوکر-گرائے-گی-تُو","گرایا-دے-گا-تمہیں"]
4. become weak, totter, fail — Qal with emphasis on growing weak, tottering, or failing in strength rather than physical tripping — 4 occurrences where the image is of buckling, flagging, or declining rather than stumbling over an obstacle. In Neh 4:10 the strength of the burden-bearers 'has stumbled' (i.e., failed); in Ps 109:24 knees 'totter' from fasting; in Isa 35:3 feeble knees are strengthened. Arabic kasila ('to be heavy, sluggish') — the Arabic cognate — preserves precisely this weakness sense, and Korean 약해지다 ('to become weak') and Spanish vacilar ('to waver, falter') both select debilitation vocabulary rather than tripping words. 4×
AR["ارتَعَشَتا","ضَعُفَتْ","ضَعِيفٍ","مُرْتَعِشَةً"]·ben["দুর্বল","দুর্বল-হয়েছে","হোঁচট-খাওয়ার","হোঁচট-খেয়েছে"]·DE["sind-schwach","straucheln","strauchelte"]·EN["are-weak","failed","feeble-one","stumbling"]·FR["[כושל]","[כשל]","comme-trébucher","trébucher"]·heb["כושל","כושלות","כשל","כשלו"]·HI["चूक-रही-है","लड़खड़ाता","लड़खड़ातीं-को","लड़खड़ाते-हैं"]·ID["lemah","melemah","yang-goyah","yang-lemah"]·IT["[כושל]","[כשל]","inciampare","vacillo'"]·jav["ingkang-lemes","kang-goyah","nandhang-lemes","ringkih"]·KO["비틀거리는","비틀거리는-자를","쇠하였다","약하여졌나이다"]·PT["fraco","fraquejou","trôpegos","vacilam"]·RU["дрожащие","изнемогла","ослабели","слабого"]·ES["desfalleció","débil","vacilan","vacilantes"]·SW["dhaifu","imeshindwa","yamelegea","yanayotetemeka"]·TR["azaldı","sendeleyen","tökezledi","zayıf"]·urd["لڑکھڑاتے-ہوئے","لڑکھڑاتے-ہیں","کمزور-ہوا","کمزوروں-کو"]
6. sense 6 — A single occurrence at Jer 18:23 where the prophet prays that his persecutors be 'made to stumble' before God. Spanish derribados ('knocked down') and English 'stumbled' both align with the Nifal/Hifil overthrow senses (2-3), and this singleton likely represents a contextual variant of the defeat-stumbling rather than a genuinely distinct meaning. The passage's imprecatory context intensifies the fall imagery. 1×
AR["عَاثِرِينَ"]·ben["হোঁচট-খাওয়া"]·DE["straucheln"]·EN["stumbled"]·FR["trébucher"]·heb["מוכשלים"]·HI["ठोकर-खाने-वाले"]·ID["tersandung"]·IT["inciampare"]·jav["wonten-ing-wekdal"]·KO["넘어진-자들이"]·PT["derrubados"]·RU["споткнувшимися"]·ES["derribados"]·SW["waliojikwaa"]·TR["sendeleyenler"]·urd["گرائے-ہوئے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כָּשַׁל vb. stumble, stagger, totter (NH id.; Syriac [ܟܫܰܠ] give offence (occasion for stumbling), σκανδαλίζω, (chiefly Ethpe. Aph.), v. PS Brock Schwally; Arabic كَسِلَ is be heavy, sluggish);— Qal Pf. כ׳ Ne 4:4 +, (Ho 5:5b read יִכָּשֵׁל, cf. We), כָּֽשְׁלָה Is 3:8; 59:14; כָּֽשְׁלוּ Je 46:6 +, כָּשַׁלְנוּ Is 59:10, etc.; Impf. 3 mpl. יכשׁ֑ולו Pr 4:16 Kt (but read Hiph., q.v., so Qr); יכשׁלו…