Lexical Summary choli: sickness, illness, disease Original Word: חֱלִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance disease, grief, is sickness From chalah; malady, anxiety, calamity -- disease, grief, (is) sick(-ness). see HEBREW chalah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chalah Definition sickness NASB Translation affliction (1), disease (2), grief (1), griefs (1), illness (3), sick (1), sickness (14), sicknesses (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs חֳלִי noun masculineDeuteronomy 28:59 sickness, חֳלִי Deuteronomy 28:61 8t.; חֹ֑לִי Deuteronomy 7:15 2t.; suffix חָלְיוֺ Isaiah 38:9 7t. + Ecclesiastes 5:16 (where strike out suffix, compare Vrss Now); plural חֳלָיִם Deuteronomy 28:59, חֳלָיִים2Chronicles 21:15, חֳלָיֵנוּ Isaiah 53:4; — sickness, disease Deuteronomy 7:15; Deuteronomy 28:59,61; 1 Kings 17:17; 2 Kings 1:2; 2 Kings 8:8,9; 2 Kings 13:14; Isaiah 38:9; 2Chronicles 16:12 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 21:15 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 21:19; Psalm 41:4; Ecclesiastes 6:2; of the suffering servant of ׳י Isaiah 53:3,4 (in both "" מַכְאֹב); of rich man Ecclesiastes 5:16 (read וָחֳלִי see above); incurable disease לְאֵין מַרְמֵּא ׳ח2Chronicles 21:18; recover from sickness חיה מֵחלי Isaiah 38:9; metaphor of distress of land Hosea 5:13 ("" מָזוֺר), Isaiah 1:5; Jeremiah 10:19; = wound, of violence in Jerusalem Jeremiah 6:7 ("" מַכָּה). Topical Lexicon Overview The noun ḥĕlî appears twenty-four times and denotes bodily sickness or disease, yet its scriptural breadth reaches into covenant theology, royal narratives, wisdom reflection, prophetic indictment, and messianic hope. It is never a neutral clinical term; every occurrence is framed by the larger purposes of God—whether judgment, discipline, compassion, or redemption. Distribution and Literary Settings • Torah: Deuteronomy 7:15; 28:59, 61 Covenant Blessings and Curses (Deuteronomy) At Israel’s threshold of the land, sickness is explicitly tied to covenant fidelity. “The LORD will remove from you all sickness” (Deuteronomy 7:15) stands over against the chilling threat that He will bring upon the nation “severe and lingering illnesses” (28:59) and “every sickness and plague not recorded in this Book of the Law” (28:61). Thus ḥĕlî functions as a barometer of covenant obedience and becomes a category for understanding later national calamities. Royal Narratives and Prophetic Encounters 1 Kings 17:17 initiates a pattern: personal sickness occasions prophetic visitation. The widow’s son’s illness leads to Elijah’s intercessory miracle. In 2 Kings 1:2 Ahaziah’s injury propels him toward idolatrous inquiry and elicits Elijah’s rebuke. Ben-hadad’s lingering illness (2 Kings 8:8-9) opens the stage for Hazael’s coup. Elisha himself “had become ill with the sickness of which he would die” (2 Kings 13:14), demonstrating that even the most anointed servants are not exempt from mortality. Chronicles deepens the lesson: Asa’s foot disease (2 Chronicles 16:12) exposes misplaced trust in physicians; Jehoram’s bowel disease (21:15-19) showcases covenant curses landing on a king who led Judah astray. Wisdom and Poetic Reflection Psalm 41:3 locates sickness within the sphere of mercy: “The LORD sustains him on his sickbed and restores him from his bed of illness.” Ecclesiastes pairs sickness with frustration and futility (5:17; 6:2), emphasizing life’s fragility and the emptiness of wealth without divine gift. Prophetic Metaphor and National Diagnosis Isaiah 1:5 employs ḥĕlî metaphorically: “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint,” indicting Judah’s spiritual rebellion. Jeremiah echoes: “Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me” (Jeremiah 6:7). Hosea intensifies the image: “When Ephraim saw his sickness… then Ephraim went to Assyria” (Hosea 5:13), exposing the folly of political alliances over repentance. Hezekiah’s Testimony (Isaiah 38) The superscription “A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery” (Isaiah 38:9) uses ḥĕlî to introduce a royal psalm of gratitude, illustrating that divine deliverance from sickness can become a platform for doxology and renewed commitment. Messianic Significance (Isaiah 53) The Servant is “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (53:3) and the people esteem Him “stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions… Surely He has borne our sicknesses” (53:4). Here ḥĕlî is transferred from covenant breakers to the covenant keeper who suffers vicariously, laying the groundwork for New Testament affirmation of Christ’s healing and atoning work (Matthew 8:17). Theology of Sickness 1. Consequence of Sin: national (Deuteronomy, Jeremiah) and personal (Chronicles). Ministry Application • Pastoral Care: Psalm 41 encourages practical compassion toward the sick, assuring divine support. Summary ḥĕlî traverses Scripture as more than a medical term; it is a narrative device, theological signal, and prophetic symbol. Whether as covenant curse, personal trial, poetic lament, or messianic burden, the word consistently directs readers to the sovereignty of God over human frailty and to the hope of ultimate healing in the promised Redeemer. Forms and Transliterations בְּחָלְיוֹ֙ בְחָלְיֽוֹ׃ בָּחֳלָיִ֥ים בחליו בחליו׃ בחליים הַחֹ֔לִי החלי וְחָלְי֥וֹ וָחֳלִ֥י וָחֳלָיִ֥ם וחלי וחליו וחלים חֳלִ֖י חֳלִ֥י חֳלִי֙ חֳלָיֵ֙נוּ֙ חָלְי֑וֹ חָלְי֔וֹ חָלְי֗וֹ חָלְיוֹ֙ חֹ֑לִי חלי חליו חלינו לָחֳלִ֔י לָחֳלִ֖י לחלי מֵחֳלִ֥י מֵחָלְיֽוֹ׃ מחלי מחליו׃ bā·ḥo·lā·yîm bāḥolāyîm bə·ḥā·lə·yōw ḇə·ḥā·lə·yōw bechalYo bəḥāləyōw ḇəḥāləyōw bocholaYim chalYo cholaYenu Choli ha·ḥō·lî ḥā·lə·yōw haCholi haḥōlî ḥāləyōw ḥo·lā·yê·nū ḥo·lî ḥō·lî ḥolāyênū ḥolî ḥōlî lā·ḥo·lî lāḥolî lochoLi mê·ḥā·lə·yōw mê·ḥo·lî mechalYo mechoLi mêḥāləyōw mêḥolî vechalYo vocholaYim vochoLi wā·ḥo·lā·yim wā·ḥo·lî wāḥolāyim wāḥolî wə·ḥā·lə·yōw wəḥāləyōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 7:15 HEB: מִמְּךָ֖ כָּל־ חֹ֑לִי וְכָל־ מַדְוֵי֩ NAS: from you all sickness; and He will not put KJV: will take away from thee all sickness, and will put INT: at all sickness any diseases Deuteronomy 28:59 Deuteronomy 28:61 1 Kings 17:17 2 Kings 1:2 2 Kings 8:8 2 Kings 8:9 2 Kings 13:14 2 Chronicles 16:12 2 Chronicles 16:12 2 Chronicles 21:15 2 Chronicles 21:15 2 Chronicles 21:18 2 Chronicles 21:19 Psalm 41:3 Ecclesiastes 5:17 Ecclesiastes 6:2 Isaiah 1:5 Isaiah 38:9 Isaiah 53:3 Isaiah 53:4 Jeremiah 6:7 Jeremiah 10:19 Hosea 5:13 24 Occurrences |
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