קַל H7031
Swift, fleet, light-footed; describing rapid movement of persons, animals, messengers, or clouds.
An adjective conveying lightness and speed of movement. It describes warriors fleet of foot (Amos 2:14–15; 2 Sam 2:18, of Asahel), swift messengers sent on urgent missions (Isa 18:2), pursuers faster than eagles (Lam 4:19), and even the LORD riding on a swift cloud (Isa 19:1). Ecclesiastes 9:11 uses it proverbially — 'the race is not to the swift' — subverting the very quality the word celebrates. Spanish captures the range with ligero and veloces, while the French léger preserves the root sense of 'lightness' that underlies the speed.
Senses
1. swift, fast, light-footed — Quick, fleet, light in movement — applied to persons (Asahel, 2 Sam 2:18; warriors, Amos 2:14–15), animals (a swift she-camel, Jer 2:23), natural phenomena (a light cloud, Isa 19:1), and abstract agents (the swift vanishing of the wicked, Job 24:18). The word can function as a substantive ('the swift one,' Isa 30:16; Eccl 9:11) or adverbially ('swiftly,' Isa 5:26). French léger and Spanish ligero both illuminate the underlying sense of lightness that makes speed possible, while Lamentations 4:19 adds the comparative dimension — 'swifter than eagles.' 13×
AR["أَسْرَعَ", "السَّرِيعُ", "خَفِيفًا", "خَفِيفٌ", "خَفِيفٌ-", "سَريعًا", "سَرِيعٍ", "سَرِيعَةٌ", "سَرِيعَةٍ", "سِرَاعًا", "لَ-قَّلِّيم", "مِنَ-السَّريعِ", "وَ-الخَفيفُ"]·ben["এবং-দ্রুতগতি", "দ্রুত", "দ্রুতদের-জন্য", "দ্রুতদের-থেকে", "হালকা-"]·DE["[וקל]", "[לקלים]", "[מקל]", "[קל]", "[קלים]", "er-machte-leicht", "leicht", "swift"]·EN["Swifter", "and-swift", "from-swift", "swift", "swiftly", "the-swift", "to-the-swift", "we-shall-ride"]·FR["[קל]", "et-léger", "léger", "rapide", "swift", "לקלים", "קל"]·heb["ה-קל", "ו-קל", "ל-קלים", "מ-קל", "קַל", "קל", "קלה", "קלים"]·HI["और-तेज़", "जल्दी", "तेज", "तेज-दौड़नेवालों-को", "तेज़", "तेज़ी-से", "से-फुर्तीले", "हल्का"]·ID["Lebih-cepat", "bagi-yang-cepat", "cepat", "dan-yang-cepat", "dari-yang-cepat", "dengan-gesit", "ringan", "yang-cepat"]·IT["[מקל]", "al-a-il-swift", "e-voce", "leggero", "swift", "voce"]·jav["Rikat", "cepet", "ingkang-rikat", "ingkang-énggal", "kanggé-ingkang-rikat", "lan-kang-rikat", "rikat", "saking-kang-rikat", "ènthèng", "énthèng-"]·KO["가벼운-", "그리고-빠른-자는", "빠른", "빠른-것에", "빠른-자들-에게", "빠른-자들-이었네", "빠른-자에게서", "빠른-자여", "빨리"]·PT["Leve", "Mais-rápidos", "do-veloz", "e-rápido", "leve", "ligeira", "ligeiro", "o-ligeiro", "para-os-ligeiros", "rápido", "rápidos", "veloz"]·RU["Быстрее", "быстрая", "быстро", "быстром", "быстрые", "быстрый", "быстрым", "и-лёгкий", "лёгкий", "лёгком", "лёгок-", "у-быстрого"]·ES["Ligero-", "Más-veloces", "a-los-veloces", "del-veloz", "el-veloz", "ligera", "ligero", "pronto", "veloces", "veloz", "y-el-ligero"]·SW["Mwepesi", "Wepesi", "alikuwa-mwepesi", "haraka", "jepesi", "kutoka-kwa-mwenye-mbio", "kwa-upesi", "kwa-wenye-haraka", "mwepesi", "na-mwenye-miguu-nyepesi", "wepesi"]·TR["Hızlı", "hafif-", "hizla", "hizli", "hizlilara", "hızlı", "hızlıdan", "ve-hızlı", "çabuk"]·urd["اور-تیز-رفتار", "تیز", "تیز-", "تیز-تھے", "تیز-سے", "تیزی-سے", "جلدی", "کے-لیے-تیزوں"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
קַל adj. light, swift, fleet;—ms. ק׳ Am 2:15 +, קָ֑ל v 14; fs. קַלָּה Je 2:23; pl. קַלִּים Is 18:2 +;—קַל בְּרַגְלָיו light with his feet Am 2:15 2 S 2:18; ק׳ alone, swift, messengers Is 18:2, pursuers La 4:19 (מִן comp.), camel Je 2:23, cloud Is 19:1; of swift vanishing of wicked Jb 24:18 (Bu קַלּוּ for קַל הוּא); as subst. Am 2:14; Je 46:6; Ec 9:11, = swift (horse) Is 30:16; קַל as adv., swiftly (+ מְהֵרָה) Is 5:26; Jo 4:4.