קַ֔לּוּ

𐤒𐤋𐤅

qâlal

they were swifter

To be light, insignificant, or of little weight, both literally and metaphorically; to be or make small in mass or value, to treat or regard lightly, to despise or hold in contempt. The verb also carries senses of being quick or swift, and by extension, to curse or pronounce a curse upon, in the sense of diminishing someone's worth or status. In causative stems, it can mean to lighten or ease, to make something less burdensome.

H7043

2 Samuel 1:23 · Word #10

Lexicon H7043

Lemmaקָלַל
Lemma (Paleo)𐤒𐤋𐤋
Transliterationqâlal
Strong'sH7043
DefinitionTo be light, insignificant, or of little weight, both literally and metaphorically; to be or make small in mass or value, to treat or regard lightly, to despise or hold in contempt. The verb also carries senses of being quick or swift, and by extension, to curse or pronounce a curse upon, in the sense of diminishing someone's worth or status. In causative stems, it can mean to lighten or ease, to make something less burdensome.

Morphology HVqp3cp All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state
Binyan q — Qal — Simple active
Conjugation p — Perfect — Completed action
Person 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they")
Gender c — Common — Common (both genders)
Number p — Plural — Plural

Common Translation

Phrasethey were swifter

SIBI-P1 Translation H7043-25

they were light

Morphological NotesVerb, Qal stem, perfect (suffix conjugation), 3rd person common plural.
Rendering RationaleThe Qal perfect 3rd common plural expresses a completed state: "they were light." This preserves the root idea of lightness (in weight or worth) without importing contextual nuances such as swiftness or contempt.

View full lexicon entry for H7043 →

SILEX v2

SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)

they were swifter

Same as P1No — adjusted for context
RationaleChanged 'they were light' (P1) to 'they were swifter' for קַלּוּ; the context is a speed comparison (swiftness), not weight.