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כָּלָה

𐤊𐤋𐤄

kâlâh

H3615 verb

SILEX Entry

Root כלה to complete, bring to an end, consume, finish

Definition

To bring to completion or fulfillment; to finish, come to an end, or consume. The root כָּלָה expresses the reaching or accomplishing of a limit or an intended purpose, and hence also ending, ceasing, or perishing. Intransitively, it refers to being completed, finished, or exhausted; transitively, to completing, bringing to an end, consuming, or destroying. It can also carry the sense of longing or pining away, as of a soul reaching its limit. The word's semantic range thus includes both neutral senses of completion and negative senses of complete destruction or consumption.

Semantic Range

to finish, to complete, to accomplish, to bring to an end, to cease, to perish, to be exhausted, to consume, to destroy utterly, to fail, to long for, to pine away, to faint, to spend, to be fulfilled

Root / Etymology

Root: כ-ל-ה. Root meaning: to end, to complete, to finish. The word derives from the root כָּלָה, which conveys the sense of reaching the limit of something, whether a process, resource, or life. Its concrete origin is related to being finished or exhausted, leading to the derived verbal, nominal, and adjectival forms meaning completion, end, or consumption.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, כָּלָה is used widely in both prose and poetry. In legal, narrative, and prophetic contexts, it can describe the conclusion of activities, tasks, or periods ('the work was finished'), the complete consumption of resources ('food was spent'), the exhaustion or perishing of individuals or peoples ('my soul longs for you', 'they perished'), or the decisive destruction of entities ('cities were utterly destroyed'). The verb is often paired with objects: to complete a task, to finish a sacrifice, or to consume an offering. The nuance shifts from neutral or positive completion (as in building the tabernacle) to negative completion (utter destruction). In poetic texts, it can also express the deepest longing or pining of the soul or body, a metaphorical 'coming to an end' from deep desire. The term distinguishes itself from שָׁלֵם (shalem, 'to be whole, complete in well-being') in emphasizing the act or process of bringing to a close rather than the state of completeness or wholeness. In late biblical Hebrew, some senses of utter destruction become more common, especially in exilic and post-exilic prophetic literature. English translations vary in rendering, sometimes as 'consume,' 'finish,' 'destroy,' or 'complete,' but rarely capture the full breadth between positive accomplishment and irreversible ending.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitived (to complete, prepare, consume); accomplish, cease, consume (away), determine, destroy (utterly), be (when... were) done, (be an) end (of), expire, (cause to) fail, faint, finish, fulfil, [idiom] fully, [idiom] have, leave (off), long, bring to pass, wholly reap, make clean riddance, spend, quite take away, waste.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כלה (k-l-h) — to complete, bring to an end, consume, finish

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3616 כָּלֶה and wasting-away ones
H3617 כָּלָה completion
H3618 כַּלָּה completed woman
H3622 כְּלוּהַי Yah Completes
H3623 כְּלוּלָה your bridehood-completions

Word Forms

84 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3615-64 וַ/יְכַ֤ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms and finished and he brought to completion 14
H3615-15 כַּלּ֤וּ kalu HVpv2mp fail Bring to complete end! 10
H3615-16 כְּ/כַלֹּ֥ת kekhalot HR/Vpc when finishing as bringing to completion 9
H3615-07 כָּלָ֣ה kalah HVqp3ms completion completed woman 9
H3615-36 כִּלָּ֔ה kilah HVpp3ms he had finished he brought to completion 9
H3615-18 כְּ/כַלֹּת/וֹ֙ kekhaloto HR/Vpc/Sp3ms when he had finished as his completing 7
H3615-41 כִּלּ֖וּ kilu HVpp3cp had finished they brought to completion 7
H3615-72 וְ/כִלָּ֥ה vekhilah HC/Vpq3ms and-consume and he brought to completion 6
H3615-11 כַּלֹּתָ֣/ם kalotam HVpc/Sp3mp they are consumed their bringing-to-an-end 6
H3615-84 יִכְלֽוּ yikhelu HVqi3mp be consumed they will come to an end 5

Occurrences in Scripture

205 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3615-68 Genesis 2:1 וַ/יְכֻלּ֛וּ vayekhulu HC/VPw3mp were finished and they were completed
H3615-64 Genesis 2:2 וַ/יְכַ֤ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms finished and he brought to completion
H3615-50 Genesis 6:16 תְּכַלֶ֣/נָּה tekhalenah HVpi2ms/Sp3fs you shall finish it you will bring her to completion
H3615-64 Genesis 17:22 וַ/יְכַ֖ל vayekhal HC/Vpw3ms And he finished and he brought to completion
H3615-36 Genesis 18:33 כִּלָּ֔ה kilah HVpp3ms he had finished he brought to completion
H3615-69 Genesis 21:15 וַ/יִּכְל֥וּ vayikhelu HC/Vqw3mp was gone and they came to an end
H3615-36 Genesis 24:15 כִּלָּ֣ה kilah HVpp3ms he had finished he brought to completion
H3615-61 Genesis 24:19 וַ/תְּכַ֖ל vatekhal HC/Vpw3fs and she finished she brought to completion
H3615-41 Genesis 24:19 כִּלּ֖וּ kilu HVpp3cp they have finished they brought to completion
H3615-41 Genesis 24:22 כִּלּ֤וּ kilu HVpp3cp had finished they brought to completion
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