כֶּלַח
𐤊𐤋𐤇
Kelach
H3625 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Kelach is a proper noun referring to a specific ancient city in the region of Assyria, identified in the Hebrew Bible as one of the major urban centers established by Nimrod. Its usage is restricted to a place name, with the associated connotation of a significant city within the Assyrian heartland. The term denotes the historic city later identified by scholars with ancient Kalhu (modern Nimrud).
Semantic Range
proper noun; ancient city; urban center in Assyria; specifically the historical site Kalhu (Nimrud); never used for people or as a common noun
Root / Etymology
From the root כּלח (kalach), possibly meaning 'to complete, be firm/robust,' though the meaning is uncertain in this context. As a place name, כֶּלַח (Kelach) may represent a preservation of a non-Hebrew, likely Assyrian, toponym in Hebrew orthography. Etymology uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Kelach appears only as a proper noun in Genesis 10:11-12, in the account of the lineage of Nimrod and the origins of Mesopotamian cities. In the context of the Table of Nations, Kelach is described alongside Nineveh and other significant Assyrian cities, emphasizing its importance in the ancient Near Eastern urban landscape. Archaeological and historical research identifies biblical Kelach with the Assyrian city Kalhu (modern Tell Nimrud), an important capital in the Neo-Assyrian period. Modern translations often render כֶּלַח as 'Calah,' though this is based on the Greek rendering in the Septuagint. While later tradition sometimes associates the city with Assyrian imperial power or uses the term generically for Assyrian civilization, in the biblical context, it refers specifically to the ancient city and should not be generalized. The name is not used as an ethnonym or personal name in the Hebrew Bible. The root כּלח does not otherwise appear with the same sense in biblical Hebrew. The translation 'Calah' does not convey the original geographic nuances or the significance of the city in Assyrian history.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
the same as כֶּלַח; Kelach, a place in Assyria; Calah.
Bantu Hebrew
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כלח (k-l-ḥ) — completion, firmness, robustness
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3624 | כֶּלַח | full maturity |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3625-01 |
כָּֽלַח | kalach | HNp |
Calah | Kelach | Kelach | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3625-01 |
Genesis 10:11 | כָּֽלַח | kalach | HNp |
Calah | Kelach | Kelach |
H3625-01 |
Genesis 10:12 | כָּ֑לַח | kalach | HNp |
Calah | Kelach | Kelach |