Dictionary:חַיִל/0

חַיִל

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חַיִל

Part of Speech	Noun
Occurrences	251
Possible Meanings	Strength, courage Capability Wealth Army
Related Words	_

Possible Meanings

The word חַיִל in its various forms appears 251 times in Tanakh.¹ The word is used to refer to various forms of strength or capability, or to people who possess these attributes.² Here are a few examples of each of the main usages:³

1. Power (physical strength) or courage (strength of spirit)

• Biblical verses – Shemuel I 2:4, Yeshayahu 5:22, Tehillim 33:16
• Additional data –

2. Capability (or strength of ability)

• Biblical verses – perhaps Mishlei 12:4, 31:10, Rut 3:11
• Additional data –

3. Wealth (which affords power)

• Biblical verses – Bereshit 34:29, Bemidbar 31:29, Devarim 8:17-18, Yirmeyahu 15:13, 17:3, Yechezkel 28:4-5, Yoel 2:22, Tehillim 49:7,11, Iyyov 15:29
• Additional data –

4. Army

• Biblical verses – Shemot 14:4,9,17,28, 15:4, Bemidbar 31:14
• Additional data –

Disputed Cases

Some of these cases are also the subject of dispute among the commentators:

Shemot 18:21 – וְאַתָּה תֶחֱזֶה מִכָּל הָעָם אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל:

• Men possessing endurance and courage – R. Yonah ibn JanachSefer HaShorashim (חיל)About Ibn Janach, Ibn EzraShemot 18:21About Ibn Ezra.
• Men possessing wealth – Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelYitro Amalek 2About the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, RashiShemot 18:21About Rashi, Seikhel TovShemot 18:21About Seikhel Tov.⁴
• Military commanders – AbarbanelDevarim 1About Abarbanel.⁵
• Men possessing the capability to lead a large group of people – RambanShemot 18:21About Ramban.⁶
• Men possessing many good attributes – U. CassutoShemot 18:21,25-26About Prof. U. Cassuto.⁷

Idioms

In many instances, חיל appears as part of the terms איש חיל,‎ בן חיל,‎ or גבור חיל. These terms can also have different possible meanings (a person possessing strength, courage, capability, or wealth, or a soldier) which correspond to the various meanings of חיל listed above.

Semantic Evolution

Intra-Biblical

Rabbinic Hebrew

Modern Hebrew

¹ The word חֵל (a wall or fortress) occurs in another eight verses. It is likely related to חַיִל, as noted already by R. Yonah ibn JanachSefer HaShorashim (חיל)About Ibn Janach.

² RambanShemot 18:21About Ramban suggests an alternative common denominator between all of the usages of the word חיל. According to him, the word means a collection or group (either of soldiers, wealth, capabilities, etc.).

³ There are numerous cases in which a number of these meanings are possible

⁴ See also ע"צ מלמד, "עושר, כבוד וחיל במקרא", מגדים כ' (תשנ"ג): 81-80 who supports this possibility. Rashbam Shemot 18:21 combines this option with the first.

⁵ Abarbanel maintains that part of the need for implementing Yitro's system was to organize the nation's army in preparation for conquering the land of Israel – see Moshe's Duties and Yitro's Advice.

⁶ See note above that Ramban interprets חיל as a collection or group. According to Ramban, Yitro's advice in 18:21 is a כלל ופרט, i.e. it contains a general description (אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל) followed by a set of details (יִרְאֵי אֱ-לֹהִים אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע), while the Torah in recounting Moshe's implementation in 18:25 suffices with just the general description – see Advice and Implementation.

⁷ See Advice and Implementation for Cassuto's position that any differences between the descriptions of Yitro's advice and Moshe's implementation are merely the result of literary variation.