Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

Bryant,

Searching for the meaning of XALAL we are led to two apparently  
parallel passages. The first is in Isaiah 51:9
עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי-עֹז זְרוֹעַ  
יְהוָה עוּרִי כִּימֵי קֶדֶם דֹּרוֹת  
עוֹלָמִים הֲלוֹא אַתְּ-הִיא  
הַמַּחְצֶבֶת רַהַב מְחוֹלֶלֶת  
תַּנִּין
and the second in Job 26:12-13
בְּכֹחוֹ רָגַע הַיָּם  
וּבִתְבוּנָתוֹ מָחַץ רָהַב  
בְּרוּחוֹ שָׁמַיִם שִׁפְרָה חֹלְלָה  
יָדוֹ נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ
I submit that in spite of their superficial resemblance they are  
profoundly distinct.
Job's reply is predicated on a pagan mythology in which the gods  
habitually fight each other to death and are routinely engaged in  
slaughtering each other's henchmen, and other such good deeds. Here  
MAXAC [related to LAXAC and MAXAQ] is surely 'crush', as it is in  
Deuteronomy 32:39, Judges 5:26, Isaiah 30:26, and more. In this  
context XOLLAH appears indeed to be 'caused the mythological NAXA$  
BARIAX to become a XALAL, 'a cadaver, an offal, a mound of dead  
flesh'.  [I think also of XALAL as being a GALAL, a mound of bodies  
collected after a battle or a deadly epidemic].
Isaiah's statement is based, to the contrary, on the Hebrew belief in  
an infinite God of creation, not destruction. In his great wisdom the  
prophet is turning MAXAC, 'crush', into MAXACEBET 'forming', with  
MXOLELET now correspondingly meaning 'generate'. He is also replacing  
the mythological NAXA$ BARIAX with the real TANIN.
It is obvious to me that RAHAB = RAXAB, namely a large monster. I can  
easily imagine RAXAB of YRIXO, see Joshua 2:1, to be MARHIBAH in her  
looks.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Sep 9, 2007, at 1:08 AM, Bryant J. Williams III wrote:

> Dear Isaac,
>
> Below is the information for XLL and for QD$ found in TWOT and BDB.  
> Also when
> looking at the bibliographies you will find that the authors also  
> used TDOT.
>
> Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
>
> TWOT, Volume 1, pp. 288-289, "XALAL,"
>
> 660 חָלַל (ḥālal) I, wound (fatally), bore through, pierce.  
> Survives in Arabic
> ḥalla “pierce through.” Occurs ninety-six times, including  
> derivatives.
> Derivatives
> 660a חָלָל (ḥālāl) slain, fatally wounded.
> 660b חַלָּה (ḥallâ) cake (if pierced).
> 660c חַלּוֹן (ḥallôn) window (if taken as a piercing or  
> hollow in the wall).
> 660d חָלִיל (ḥālı̂l) flute, pipe.
> 660e חָלַל (ḥālal) play the pipe. Denominative verb.
> 660f מְחִלָּה (mĕḥillâ) hole. Occurs only in Isa 2:19  
> (parallel to cave in
> rocks).
> The verb itself is used only eight times and mainly in poetry. It  
> usually means
> a fatal wounding of persons, as does the adjective ḥālāl. Twice  
> it refers to the
> fleeing serpent, parallel to the Lord’s action in smiting Rahab to  
> death (Isa
> 51:9; Job 26:13; though in the latter passage KJV assumes ḥālal  
> “create”).
> In the messianic passage Isa 53:5, “wounded” (KJV marg.  
> “tormented”; jb “pierced
> through”) follows the divine smiting (v. 4). The Poel form used  
> (mĕḥôlāl) is
> similar to that in Isa 51:9; cf. “pierced by the sword” (Pual,  
> Ezk 32:26). The
> quotation in Jn 19:12 (“they shall look on him whom they have  
> pierced”) is from
> Zech 12:10 but this v. uses another verb (dāqar) “pierced through  
> fatally”
> (usually in retribution). In Jer 51:4 and Lam 4:9 dāqar is used as  
> a synonym of
> ḥālal.
> There is no need to read Ps 77:11 as “my  
> sickness” (ḥălōtı̂) instead of “my
> wounding” (ḥalōtı̂), an idea already expressed in Ps 109:22  
> (RSV here
>  “stricken,” but the context is of death). Proverbs 26:10 is to  
> be read with RSV
> “an archer who wounds everyone” rather than the hypothetical  
> KJV “the great
> (God) who formed (created) all things.”
> חָלָל (ḥālāl). Slain, fatally wounded. The rendering  
> “pierced” rests on its
> probable derivation from ḥālal I. This adjective is used eighty- 
> seven times,
> one-fourth of which are qualified with “by the sword.” That the  
> action was fatal
> is confirmed by the context and circumstantial evidence in most  
> instances. It
> included the act of wounding and the resultant groans. The wounds  
> were inflicted
> usually in war, but also in persecution (Ps 69:26 [H 27]) or hunger  
> (Lam 4:9),
> and ended in death. For this reason KJV sometimes equivocates  
> (marg.) between
> “wounded” and “slain” (e.g. I Chr 10:1). (In Lev 21:7, 14  
> the fem. hălālâ refers
> to a woman who had been violated.)
> [Harris, R. Laird ;  Harris, Robert Laird ;  Archer, Gleason  
> Leonard ;   Waltke,
> Bruce K.: Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. electronic ed.  
> Chicago :
> Moody Press, 1999, c1980, S. 288]
>
>  Below is from BDB:
>
> †I. חָלַל S2490 TWOT660, 660e, 661 GK2725, 2726, 2727 vb.  
> bore, pierce (Arabic
> خَلَّ (ḫalla) perforate, pierce through, transfix, Ethiopic  
> ኅለት (ḫəllat)
> (hollow) reed; Aramaic חֲלַל hollow out, חֲלִילָא  
> pipe; ܚܠܻܝܠܴܐ (ḥlilo) adj.
> hollow, ܚܠܳܠܴܐ (ḥlolo) cave, ܚܶܠܬܳܐ (ḥelto) sheath,  
> etc.; NH in deriv. חָלָל n.
> hollow, adj. slain, חָלִיל pipe);—Qal Pf. לִבִּי  
> חָלַל בְּקִרְבִּי my heart is
> pierced (wounded) within me ψ 109:22 (? lit. one has pierced my  
> heart; or read
> Pu. חֻלַּל?); Inf. cstr. חַלּוֹתִי הִיא ψ 77:11  
> it is my piercing, my wound my
> woe; Hu. Pe Bi Che read חֲלוֹתִי my sickness). Pi. Pt. pl.  
> (Baer) בְּיַד
> מְחַללֶי֑ךָ Ez 28:9 in the hand of the ones wounding thee  
> (Sm Co read
> מְחוֹלְלֶ֑ךָ). Pu. Pt. מְחֻלֲלֵי הֶרֶב  
> pierced by the sword Ez 32:26. Po˓el. Pf.
> 3 fs. חֹלֲלָה יָדוֹ נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ Jb 26:13  
> his hand pierced the fleeing
> serpent; רַב־מְחוֹלֵל כֹּל Pr 26:10 an archer  
> piercing all (v. חול) Pt. f.
> מְחוֹלֶלֶת תַּנִּין Is 51:9 who pierced the  
> dragon. Po˓al. Pt. מְחֹלָל
> מִפְּשָׁעֵינוּ Is 53:5 pierced, wounded because of our  
> transgressions (of the
> servant of י׳, || מְדֻכָּא מֵעֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ).
>
> i. חָלָל S2491 TWOT660a, 661b GK2728, 272990 n.m. pierced, ח׳  
> abs. Dt. 21:1 + 25
> times; cstr. חֲלַל Nu 19:16; pl. חֲלָלִים Nu 23:24 + 28  
> times; cstr. חַלְלֵי Is
> 22:2 + 21 times; sf. חֲלָלֶיךָ ψ 69:27, etc. + 11 times  
> sfs.;—   1. pierced,
> fatally wounded ψ 69:27 Je 51:52 Ez 26:15; 30:24 La 2:12 Jb  
> 24:12.   2. slain Nu
> 19:18; 31:8, 19 (P), etc.; sg. coll. 2 S 23:8, 18 = 1 Ch 11:11, 20  
> Ez 6:7;
> 30:11, etc., but usually pl. Gn 34:27 1 S 17:52 (RV wounded) Je  
> 51:49, etc.;
> †חַלְלֵי חֶרֶב Is 22:2 Je 14:18 Ez 31:17, 18; 32:20,  
> 21, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
> Zp 2:12 La 4:9; חַלְלֵי רעב La 4:9; חַלְלֵי  
> יהוה Is 66:16 Je 25:33.
>
> †חַלָּה S2471 TWOT660b GK2705 n.f. a kind of cake (prob. as  
> perforated, v. Di Lv
> 2:4)—ח׳ abs. Nu 15:20 Lv 24:5; cstr. חַלַּת Ex 29:23 + 4  
> times; pl. חַלּוֹת Lv
> 2:4 + 2 times; חַלֹּת Ex 29:2 + 3 times—used in offerings:    
> 1. at the sacrif.
> of David on removal of ark, given to each person as part of peace- 
> offering 2 S
> 6:19.   2. elsewhere only P (H Lv 24:5(×2)): a. of the 12 cakes of  
> the table of
> the holy place, made of סלת Lv 24:5(×2). b. made of  
> ראשׁית ערסת as an offering
> of first-fruits Nu 15:20. c. of לחם שׁמן, to be burnt with  
> the עוֹלָה Ex 29:23 =
> Lv 8:26. d. of מַצָּה burnt on the altar with c Lv 8:26, but  
> usually to be eaten
> by participants in the several forms of peace-offering Nu 6:19, and  
> as such
> mingled with oil Ex 29:2 Lv 2:4 7:12(×2) Nu 6:15. e. ח׳ לחם  
> חמץ to be used by
> the offerer in connexion with the unleavened cakes of d Lv 7:13.
>
> †חַלּוֹן S2474 TWOT660c GK2707 n.m. Jos 2:18 and f. Ez  
> 40:16 window, abs.
> הַחַלּוֹן Gn 26:8 + 12 times; cstr. חַלּוֹן Gn 8:6  
> Pr 7:6; sf. חַלּוֹנָו֯ Ez
> 40:22; mpl. חַלּוֹנִים Ez 40:25 + 3 times; cstr.  
> חַלּוֹנֵי 1 K 6:4; sf.
> חַלּוֹנָי֑ Je 22:14 (defective pl. Ges§ 87 (1)c, dual  
> Ew§ 177 a, but read יו
> סָפוֹן—ָ Mich Hi Gf Or Gie); חַלּוֹנֵינוּ Je  
> 9:20; f. חַלּוֹנוֹת Ez 40:16 + 4
> times; חַלֹּנוֹת Ct 2:9 + 3 times; window פָּתַח ח׳  
> open the window Gn 8:6 (P) 2
> K 13:17; עלה בח׳ Je 9:20; בעד הח׳ through the window Gn  
> 26:8 Jos 2:15 (J) Ju
> 5:28 1 S 19:12 2 S 6:16 = 1 Ch 15:29, 2 K 9:30 Jo 2:9; latticed  
> windows 1 K 6:4
> Ez 40:16; 41:16, 26; בּח׳ Jos 2:18, 21 (J) Pr 7:6 Zp 2:14;  
> אֶל־הח׳ 2 K 9:32;
> מִן־הח׳ Ct 2:9; windows of palace, קָרַע לוֹ  
> חַלּוֹנָי(ו) Je 22:14 cutteth him
> out his windows; of the gates of Ezek.’s temple Ez 40:16, 22, 25 
> (×2), 29, 33,
> 36, of the temple itself Ez 41:16(×2).
>
> †חָלִיל S2485, 2486 TWOT660d, 661c GK2720, 2721 n.m. flute,  
> pipe, ח׳ 1 S 10:5 Is
> 5:12; 30:29; pl. חֲלִלִים 1 K 1:40 Je 48:36(×2).
>
> †ii. [חָלַל S2490 TWOT660, 660e, 661 GK2725, 2726, 2727]  
> vb.denom. play the
> pipe, pipe—Qal Pt. pl. וְשָׁרִים כְּחֹלֲלִים  
> ψ 87:7 as well the singers as the
> pipe-players, cf. AV; < RV Pe De Che Bae al. Pô˓lel Pt. from i.  
> חוּל dancers.
> Pi. Pt. וְהָעָם מְחַלְּלִים בַּחֲלִלִים  
> 1 K 1:40 and the people piped with pipes
> (cf. Assyrian ḫâlalu, according to Dl in ZimBP 117).
>
> †[מְחִלָּה S4247 TWOT660f GK4704] n.f. hole,  
> מְחִלּוֹת עָפָר holes of the dust
> Is 2:19 (|| מְעָרוֹת צֻרִים cause of the rocks).
> [Brown, Francis ;  Driver, Samuel Rolles ;   Briggs, Charles  
> Augustus: Enhanced
> Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. electronic ed. Oak  
> Harbor, WA :
> Logos Research Systems, 2000, S. 319]
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