קַלַּחַת

𐤒𐤋𐤇𐤕

qallachath

H7037 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קלח to gush forth, to flow, to stream

Definition

A cooking or serving vessel, specifically a pan or shallow pot, typically used for preparing food. The term refers to a utensil for boiling, stewing, or heating foodstuffs.

Semantic Range

pan, shallow pot, cooking vessel, kettle, caldron, dish (ritual or domestic contexts)

Root / Etymology

Likely derived from the root קלח, which conveys the notion of flowing, gushing, or pouring forth, though its precise derivation is uncertain. The form appears to be associated by assonance or possible scribal confusion with צַלַּחַת (ṣallakhat), which refers to a kind of bowl or dish, but the roots and original forms are distinct. Etymology uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term קַלַּחַת occurs only in 1 Samuel 2:14, in the context of the pan into which the priest's servant thrust a fork to remove meat. It appears to function as a synonym for צַלַּחַת (ṣallakhat), which is usually rendered 'dish' or 'bowl' in later readings. The passage refers to sacrificial or ritual contexts, suggesting the vessel's use for boiling or cooking meat. Standard English translations vary, rendering the term as 'caldron,' 'kettle,' or 'pan.' There is little evidence to distinguish קַלַּחַת from צַלַּחַת beyond orthography; some scholars suggest the divergence reflects regional or chronological variation, or scribal interchange. Archaeological evidence indicates a variety of cooking vessels in Iron Age Israelite contexts, with the precise type signified by קַלַּחַת uncertain. In rabbinic literature, later terms for vessels (such as keli and related forms) supersede this usage. In modern Hebrew, קַלַּחַת means 'saucepan' but this is not necessarily reflective of its ancient meaning. The later usage of 'Jew' for the priestly cooks in some translations is anachronistic, as the original context is that of priests in Shiloh during the early monarchic period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

apparently but a form for צַלַּחַת; a kettle; caldron.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קלח (q-l-ḥ) — to gush forth, to flow, to stream

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7037-02 בַ/קַּלַּ֨חַת֙ vaqalachat HRd/Ncfsa into the cauldron shallow cooking pot 1
H7037-01 קַלָּֽחַת qalachat HNcfsa caldron shallow cooking pot 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7037-02 1 Samuel 2:14 בַ/קַּלַּ֨חַת֙ vaqalachat HRd/Ncfsa into the cauldron shallow cooking pot
H7037-01 Micah 3:3 קַלָּֽחַת qalachat HNcfsa caldron shallow cooking pot