חֲלִיצָה
𐤇𐤋𐤉𐤑𐤄
chălîytsâh
H2488 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Body armor, specifically a protective garment or equipment worn in battle; by extension, military equipment or armament. The term carries the sense of that which equips or prepares a person for combat.
Semantic Range
body armor, protective battle garment, armament, equipment for battle
Root / Etymology
From the root חלץ (ḥ-l-ṣ), meaning 'to draw off, draw out, equip, arm.' The noun חֲלִיצָה is a derivative denoting the equipment which is put on or drawn out for the purposes of battle, namely, body armor or military gear.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חֲלִיצָה appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Isaiah 59:17), where it refers to the body armor or protective clothing associated with warfare. In the monarchic period and later, specialized terms for military equipment became more prevalent as military technology developed. The root חלץ generally refers to girding oneself, equipping for a struggle, or drawing out, and its noun form here emphasizes the sense of outward protection (unlike other terms that may refer to shields or helmets specifically). English translations frequently render the term as 'armor,' which captures the core sense, though the word is broad enough to encompass varied types of protective battle dress. Later Jewish tradition associates a similarly spelled term with the levirate marriage ceremony (chalitzah), but this is unrelated in meaning and etymology.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from חֶלֶץ; spoil; armour.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
חלץ (ḥ-l-ṣ) — equip, arm, draw out, gird
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2502 | חָלַץ | I will draw him out |
| H2503 | חֶלֶץ | Helez |
| H2504 | חָלָץ | loins |
| H4254 | מַחֲלָצָה | the changeable garments |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2488-02 |
חֲלִ֣יצוֹתָ֔/ם | chalitsotam | HNcfpc/Sp3mp |
their spoil | their body armor | 1 |
H2488-01 |
חֲלִצָת֑/וֹ | chalitsato | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his armor | his battle-armor | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2488-02 |
Judges 14:19 | חֲלִ֣יצוֹתָ֔/ם | chalitsotam | HNcfpc/Sp3mp |
their spoil | their body armor |
H2488-01 |
2 Samuel 2:21 | חֲלִצָת֑/וֹ | chalitsato | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his armor | his battle-armor |