כֶּלַח
𐤊𐤋𐤇
kelach
H3624 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A state of full physical development, particularly referring to the age or condition of maturity in a human being. In the singular, most often denotes the prime or fullness of one's age; in context, generally the period when a person is considered to have reached complete adult capability, strength, or stature. May also be used more generally for fullness or completeness, though primary usage is tied to human life stage.
Semantic Range
maturity, fullness of age, prime of life, full completion, wholeness, ripe age
Root / Etymology
The word כֶּלַח (kelach) is of uncertain etymology. It is commonly connected by lexicographers to an unused or unattested root *כָּלַח, with supposed meaning 'to be complete, mature, full,' potentially related to the root כלה (kalah, 'to complete, accomplish'). However, no forms of this root are found elsewhere in Biblical Hebrew. The nominal form כֶּלַח is thus best understood as indicating 'fullness of age' based on contextual usage, while the underlying verbal root remains only hypothesized.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term כֶּלַח appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible. Its most notable occurrence is in Job 5:26, where it describes a person reaching the end of life 'in a full age' or 'in the fullness/completeness of maturity,' drawing on agricultural imagery of a sheaf harvested at its proper time. The word thus conveys a sense of wholeness, ripeness, and fitting completion. Unlike other terms for age (e.g., זָקֵן/zaqen 'old, elder,' עֵת/'et 'time, season'), כֶּלַח highlights the qualitative aspect of an age or life stage as being fully realized or matured rather than merely advanced in years. English translations often render it as 'old age,' 'maturity,' or 'full age,' but these may not fully capture the nuance of completeness or optimal maturity present in the Hebrew. The term is not specific to either men or women nor does it carry technical legal or cultic significance. Its usage is limited and primarily poetic, with no evidence for significant semantic change in later Hebrew or in Second Temple and rabbinic literature. No clear parallel for this word exists in neighboring Semitic languages.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to be complete; maturity; full (old) age.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כלח (k-l-ḥ) — completion, maturity, fullness
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3625 | כֶּלַח | Kelach |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3624-02 |
בְ/כֶ֣לַח | vekhelach | HR/Ncmsa |
in-ripe-age | mature fullness | in mature fullness | 1 |
H3624-01 |
כָּֽלַח | kalach | HNcmsa |
vigor | full maturity | full maturity | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences