2483. choli
Lexical Summary
choli: sickness, illness, disease

Original Word: חֱלִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: choliy
Pronunciation: kho-lee'
Phonetic Spelling: (khol-ee')
KJV: disease, grief, (is) sick(-ness)
NASB: sickness, illness, disease, affliction, grief, griefs, sick
Word Origin: [from H2470 (חָלָה - To be weak)]

1. malady, anxiety, calamity

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 Origin
from 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
• Former Prophets: 1 Kings 17:17; 2 Kings 1:2; 8:8, 9; 13:14
• Chronicles: 2 Chronicles 16:12 (twice); 21:15 (twice); 21:18, 19
• Writings: Psalm 41:3; Ecclesiastes 5:17; 6:2
• Major Prophets: Isaiah 1:5; 38:9; 53:3, 4; Jeremiah 6:7; 10:19
• Minor Prophets: Hosea 5:13

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).
2. Occasion for Repentance: sickness calls kings and commoners to seek the LORD.
3. Instrument of Providence: God weaves illness into the redemption narrative (Elijah, Hezekiah).
4. Pointer to the Messiah: the Servant’s bearing of sickness prefigures the gospel’s promise of ultimate restoration.

Ministry Application

• Pastoral Care: Psalm 41 encourages practical compassion toward the sick, assuring divine support.
• Prayer and Faith: Hezekiah’s recovery models earnest prayer and gratitude.
• Discernment: Asa’s failure warns against trusting human skill while neglecting divine help.
• Evangelism: Isaiah 53 allows proclamation that Christ carries both sin and its consequences, offering spiritual and, in God’s timing, physical healing.

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 wəḥāləyōw
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman'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
HEB: גְּדֹלוֹת֙ וְנֶ֣אֱמָנ֔וֹת וָחֳלָיִ֥ם רָעִ֖ים וְנֶאֱמָנִֽים׃
NAS: and miserable and chronic sicknesses.
KJV: and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
INT: severe and lasting sicknesses and miserable and chronic

Deuteronomy 28:61
HEB: גַּ֤ם כָּל־ חֳלִי֙ וְכָל־ מַכָּ֔ה
NAS: Also every sickness and every plague
KJV: Also every sickness, and every plague,
INT: Also every sickness and every plague

1 Kings 17:17
HEB: הַבָּ֑יִת וַיְהִ֤י חָלְיוֹ֙ חָזָ֣ק מְאֹ֔ד
NAS: became sick; and his sickness was so
KJV: fell sick; and his sickness was so
INT: of the house came and his sickness severe was so

2 Kings 1:2
HEB: אִם־ אֶחְיֶ֖ה מֵחֳלִ֥י זֶֽה׃ ס
NAS: I will recover from this sickness.
KJV: whether I shall recover of this disease.
INT: whether will recover sickness this

2 Kings 8:8
HEB: לֵאמֹ֔ר הַאֶחְיֶ֖ה מֵחֳלִ֥י זֶֽה׃
NAS: Will I recover from this sickness?'
KJV: Shall I recover of this disease?
INT: saying recover disease this

2 Kings 8:9
HEB: לֵאמֹ֔ר הַאֶחְיֶ֖ה מֵחֳלִ֥י זֶֽה׃
NAS: Will I recover from this sickness?'
KJV: Shall I recover of this disease?
INT: saying recover disease this

2 Kings 13:14
HEB: חָלָ֣ה אֶת־ חָלְי֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָמ֖וּת
NAS: became sick with the illness of which
KJV: was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died.
INT: became with the illness of which die

2 Chronicles 16:12
HEB: עַד־ לְמַ֖עְלָה חָלְי֑וֹ וְגַם־ בְּחָלְיוֹ֙
NAS: in his feet. His disease was severe,
KJV: in his feet, until his disease [was] exceeding
INT: against was severe his disease even his disease

2 Chronicles 16:12
HEB: חָלְי֑וֹ וְגַם־ בְּחָלְיוֹ֙ לֹא־ דָרַ֣שׁ
NAS: yet even in his disease he did not seek
KJV: [was] exceeding [great]: yet in his disease he sought
INT: his disease even his disease did not seek

2 Chronicles 21:15
HEB: וְאַתָּ֛ה בָּחֳלָיִ֥ים רַבִּ֖ים בְּמַחֲלֵ֣ה
NAS: and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease
KJV: And thou [shalt have] great sickness by disease
INT: you sickness severe A disease

2 Chronicles 21:15
HEB: מֵעֶ֙יךָ֙ מִן־ הַחֹ֔לִי יָמִ֖ים עַל־
NAS: out because of the sickness, day
KJV: fall out by reason of the sickness day
INT: your bowels because of the sickness day and

2 Chronicles 21:18
HEB: יְהוָ֧ה ׀ בְּמֵעָ֛יו לָחֳלִ֖י לְאֵ֥ין מַרְפֵּֽא׃
NAS: with an incurable sickness.
KJV: with an incurable disease.
INT: the LORD his bowels sickness else cure

2 Chronicles 21:19
HEB: מֵעָיו֙ עִם־ חָלְי֔וֹ וַיָּ֖מָת בְּתַחֲלֻאִ֣ים
NAS: out because of his sickness and he died
KJV: by reason of his sickness: so he died
INT: his bowels because of his sickness died pain

Psalm 41:3
HEB: מִ֝שְׁכָּב֗וֹ הָפַ֥כְתָּ בְחָלְיֽוֹ׃
NAS: him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore
KJV: all his bed in his sickness.
INT: his bed restore his illness

Ecclesiastes 5:17
HEB: וְכָעַ֥ס הַרְבֵּ֖ה וְחָלְי֥וֹ וָקָֽצֶף׃
NAS: vexation, sickness and anger.
KJV: sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
INT: vexation great sickness and anger

Ecclesiastes 6:2
HEB: זֶ֥ה הֶ֛בֶל וָחֳלִ֥י רָ֖ע הֽוּא׃
NAS: is vanity and a severe affliction.
KJV: and it [is] an evil disease.
INT: This is vanity affliction severe he

Isaiah 1:5
HEB: כָּל־ רֹ֣אשׁ לָחֳלִ֔י וְכָל־ לֵבָ֖ב
NAS: head is sick And the whole
KJV: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart
INT: and the whole head is sick and the whole heart

Isaiah 38:9
HEB: בַּחֲלֹת֕וֹ וַיְחִ֖י מֵחָלְיֽוֹ׃
NAS: of Judah after his illness and recovery:
KJV: and was recovered of his sickness:
INT: had been sick and recovery his illness

Isaiah 53:3
HEB: מַכְאֹב֖וֹת וִיד֣וּעַ חֹ֑לִי וּכְמַסְתֵּ֤ר פָּנִים֙
NAS: and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide
KJV: and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were
INT: of sorrows and acquainted grief hide their face

Isaiah 53:4
HEB: אָכֵ֤ן חֳלָיֵ֙נוּ֙ ה֣וּא נָשָׂ֔א
NAS: Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
KJV: he hath borne our griefs, and carried
INT: Surely our griefs Himself bore

Jeremiah 6:7
HEB: פָּנַ֛י תָּמִ֖יד חֳלִ֥י וּמַכָּֽה׃
NAS: are heard in her; Sickness and wounds
KJV: continually [is] grief and wounds.
INT: me are ever her Sickness and wounds

Jeremiah 10:19
HEB: אַ֛ךְ זֶ֥ה חֳלִ֖י וְאֶשָּׂאֶֽנּוּ׃
NAS: this is a sickness, And I must bear
KJV: Truly this [is] a grief, and I must bear
INT: Truly this sickness bear

Hosea 5:13
HEB: אֶפְרַ֜יִם אֶת־ חָלְי֗וֹ וִֽיהוּדָה֙ אֶת־
NAS: saw his sickness, And Judah
KJV: saw his sickness, and Judah
INT: saw Ephraim his sickness and Judah his wound

24 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2483
24 Occurrences


bə·ḥā·lə·yōw — 1 Occ.
bā·ḥo·lā·yîm — 1 Occ.
ḥā·lə·yōw — 5 Occ.
ḥo·lā·yê·nū — 1 Occ.
ḥō·lî — 5 Occ.
ha·ḥō·lî — 1 Occ.
lā·ḥo·lî — 2 Occ.
mê·ḥā·lə·yōw — 1 Occ.
mê·ḥo·lî — 3 Occ.
ḇə·ḥā·lə·yōw — 2 Occ.
wā·ḥo·lā·yim — 1 Occ.
wā·ḥo·lî — 1 Occ.

2482
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