חָשַׁל
cha.shal
be feeble
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Analysis of חָשַׁל (chashal) The Hebrew word *chashal* carries the meaning "be feeble" or "become weak," describing a state of physical or functional diminishment. Based on the lexical data, this verb appears only once in the biblical text, which limits our ability to observe how the word was used across different contexts or with varying nuances. The single occurrence of *chashal* in the biblical corpus suggests this was either a less common expression for weakness in biblical Hebrew, or that writers typically preferred alternative vocabulary for describing feebleness. The rarity of this particular term makes it difficult to determine whether it had specialized applications or carried connotations distinct from more frequently used synonyms for weakness and infirmity. Without multiple contextual examples, the precise implications and usage range of *chashal* remain constrained by the limited evidence. Its core semantic value—indicating a loss of strength or vigor—is clear from the definition itself, but the specific circumstances in which biblical authors chose this particular word over others remain largely inaccessible from the lexical data alone.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence across the text