כִּלָּיוֹן
𐤊𐤋𐤉𐤅𐤍
killâyôwn
H3631 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
State or process of being consumed, wasted away, or destroyed. כִּלָּיוֹן denotes not just physical wasting but can refer to decline, dissolution, or annihilation, especially due to prolonged suffering or judgment. It suggests persistent, exhaustive weakening or depletion leading towards nothingness or ruin.
Semantic Range
consumption, wasting away, gradual destruction, failing, annihilation, dissolution, exhaustion, gradual perishing
Root / Etymology
From the root כָּלָה (k-l-h), meaning 'to finish, complete, bring to an end, consume, destroy.' כִּלָּיוֹן is a noun form conveying the result or state of being consumed or diminished. While the root can mean 'to finish' either positively or negatively, כִּלָּיוֹן concentrates on the negative outcome of destruction or complete wasting away.
Historical & Contextual Notes
כִּלָּיוֹן appears in poetic and prophetic contexts, emphasizing the gradual or complete destruction of a person, nation, or entity (cf. Deut 28:65; Ps 88:10). In exilic and post-exilic literature, it takes on a sense of existential or national wasting—a slow withering due to divine judgment or ongoing affliction. The term is distinct from terms for sudden destruction (such as שָׁחַת, 'to ruin, destroy') because כִּלָּיוֹן stresses lingering decline rather than instant annihilation. Standard English renderings such as 'consumption' or 'wasting' capture part of its scope, but often miss its poetic range, which includes emotional, physical, and corporate dissolution. Later translations may render it by broader terms ('failure,' 'destruction'), sometimes conflating it with general misfortune or death. In historical usage, the word shifts from a concrete sense of wasting disease or material depletion to more figurative uses, such as spiritual or communal decline.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from כָּלָה; pining, destruction; consumption, failing.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כלה (k-l-h) — to complete, finish, accomplish, consume, destroy
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3615 | כָּלָה | I will bring to completion |
| H3616 | כָּלֶה | and wasting-away ones |
| H3617 | כָּלָה | completion |
| H3618 | כַּלָּה | completed woman |
| H3622 | כְּלוּהַי | Yah Completes |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3631-01 |
כִּלָּי֥וֹן | kilayon | HNcmsa |
destruction | consuming ruin | 1 |
H3631-02 |
וְ/כִלְי֥וֹן | vekhileyon | HC/Ncmsc |
and-failing | and wasting-away-of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3631-02 |
Deuteronomy 28:65 | וְ/כִלְי֥וֹן | vekhileyon | HC/Ncmsc |
and-failing | and wasting-away-of |
H3631-01 |
Isaiah 10:22 | כִּלָּי֥וֹן | kilayon | HNcmsa |
destruction | consuming ruin |