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כָּלָא

𐤊𐤋𐤀

kâlâʼ

H3607 verb

SILEX Entry

Root כלא to shut in, confine, restrain, withhold, prohibit

Definition

To shut in, confine, restrain, withhold, or prohibit. The verb encompasses both physical confinement (such as shutting someone or something within boundaries or enclosure) and the extension of restricting, limiting, or refraining an action, word, or object. It includes the act of forbidding or withholding from a person, group, or activity.

Semantic Range

to confine within or imprison; to restrain or hold back actions, speech, or people; to withhold or prevent (resources, blessings, events); to prohibit or forbid; to stay or detain; to refrain from permitting

Root / Etymology

Root: כלא. The root conveys the core sense of holding back, shutting in, or preventing movement. The derived verb כָּלָא (kalāʼ) specifically refers to acts of confining, restraining, or prohibiting. It can pertain to both physical restriction (e.g., imprisonment or enclosing) and non-physical restraint (e.g., withholding something desired or restraining one’s speech or actions).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כָּלָא is most often used in narrative or legal texts to describe the physical imprisonment or confinement of individuals, particularly in royal or judicial contexts—such as confining prophets or officials. The term may also denote non-physical restraint, such as withholding rain, blessings, or resources (e.g., Leviticus 13:4; Deuteronomy 11:17). In extension, it describes restraining or prohibiting behaviors, speech, or events. It contrasts with related roots such as עצר ('to hold back'), which more narrowly conveys the sense of stopping or withholding, but often lacks the nuance of physical enclosure. English translations sometimes underplay the physical aspect of כָּלָא, rendering it simply as 'restrain' or 'withhold,' but the sense of actual confinement or prohibition often persists in the Hebrew usage. In post-exilic texts, the institution of formal imprisonment adopts the term, showing the root’s continued association with physical confinement. The semantic range includes both human actions (imprison, detain, withhold) and divine action (withholding rain or blessings). In Second Temple and later usage, the core meaning of confinement becomes more prominent as prison institutions develop.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to restrict, by act (hold back or in) or word (prohibit); finish, forbid, keep (back), refrain, restrain, retain, shut up, be stayed, withhold.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כלא (k-l-ʾ) — shut in, confine, restrain, withhold, prohibit

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3608 כֶּלֶא the confinement-place
H3610 כִּלְאַיִם two-kind mixture
H3628 כְּלִיא the confinement-place
H4356 מִכְלָאָה livestock enclosure

Word Forms

16 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3607-14 וַ/יִּכָּלֵ֥א vayikale HC/VNw3ms and was restrained and he was confined 2
H3607-05 כָּל֥וּ kalu HVqp3cp confined Restrain! 2
H3607-15 וַ/יִּכָּלְא֖וּ vayikaleu HC/VNw3mp and they were restrained and they were restrained 1
H3607-03 כָּלְא֥וּ kaleu HVqp3cp have withheld they restrained 1
H3607-02 כָּלְאָ֥ה kaleah HVqp3fs has withheld she restrained 1
H3607-08 כְּלִתִ֜/נִי kelitini HVqp2fs/Sp1cs have kept me you restrained me 1
H3607-10 לְ/כַלֵּ֨א lekhale HR/Vpc to finish to tightly confine 1
H3607-12 תִכְלָ֣א tikhela HVqi2ms will-you-withhold you will restrain 1
H3607-04 כָּלִ֣אתִי kaliti HVqp1cs I have restrained I restrained 1
H3607-16 יִכְלֶ֥ה yikheleh HVqi3ms refuse he restrains 1

Occurrences in Scripture

18 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3607-14 Genesis 8:2 וַ/יִּכָּלֵ֥א vayikale HC/VNw3ms and was restrained and he was confined
H3607-16 Genesis 23:6 יִכְלֶ֥ה yikheleh HVqi3ms refuse he restrains
H3607-14 Exodus 36:6 וַ/יִּכָּלֵ֥א vayikale HC/VNw3ms and was restrained and he was confined
H3607-06 Numbers 11:28 כְּלָאֵֽ/ם kelaem HVqv2ms/Sp3mp restrain them Restrain them
H3607-05 1 Samuel 6:10 כָּל֥וּ kalu HVqp3cp shut up Restrain!
H3607-08 1 Samuel 25:33 כְּלִתִ֜/נִי kelitini HVqp2fs/Sp1cs have kept me you restrained me
H3607-13 Isaiah 43:6 תִּכְלָ֑אִי tikhelai HVqj2fs keep back may you restrain
H3607-09 Jeremiah 32:2 כָלוּא֙ khalu HVqsmsa imprisoned confined one
H3607-07 Jeremiah 32:3 כְּלָא֔/וֹ kelao HVqp3ms/Sp3ms had imprisoned him he confined him
H3607-15 Ezekiel 31:15 וַ/יִּכָּלְא֖וּ vayikaleu HC/VNw3mp and they were restrained and they were restrained
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