Lexical Summary chalitsah: Removal, deliverance, or drawing off Original Word: חֲלִיצָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance armour From Chelets; spoil -- armour. see HEBREW Chelets NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chalats Definition what is stripped off (a person) NASB Translation spoil (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs [חֲלִיצָה] noun feminine what is stripped off a person, as plunder, in war; — only suffix חֲלִצָתוֺ 2 Samuel 2:21; חֲלִיצוֺתָם Judges 14:19. Topical Lexicon OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 2488, חֲלִיצָה, designates what is taken off an enemy after defeat—his armor, garments, or other military accoutrements. Both Old Testament occurrences appear in narratives of hand-to-hand combat where one warrior urges another to take spoils, or himself seizes them. The idea of “stripping” is primary, yet in Israel’s theological vocabulary it is inseparably linked to victorious deliverance granted by the LORD. Occurrences in Scripture • Judges 14:19 records Samson, empowered by the Spirit, killing thirty Philistines: “He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle”. In both texts חֲלִיצָה functions as a tangible token of conquest, attesting that the slain no longer pose a threat. Military and Cultural Background Ancient Near Eastern warfare regarded armor as the most prized portion of spoil. Because metalwork was costly, capturing an enemy’s cuirass or mail shirt instantly enriched the victor and humiliated the defeated. To “strip” a foe was therefore both an economic and symbolic act. It declared the warrior’s supremacy, made public the opponent’s vulnerability, and visually demonstrated that the gods—Yahweh, in Israel’s case—had judged in favor of the conqueror. Theological Significance 1. Divine Enablement in Battle Samson’s stripping of Philistine warriors follows the statement, “the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him.” The sequence underscores that true victory and its spoils originate in divine power, not human prowess (compare Zechariah 4:6). 2. Deliverance and Disarmament The underlying verb root (commonly meaning “draw out” or “deliver”) hints that spoils signify rescue; the enemy’s weapons are removed so that God’s people may live unthreatened. Colossians 2:15 later affirms that God “disarmed the powers and authorities,” showing the theological trajectory from physical disarmament to spiritual. 3. Honor versus Ambition Abner’s counsel to Asahel invites him to gain honor by taking armor from a lesser opponent rather than rashly pursuing the commander himself. The episode warns against ungodly ambition that overruns wisdom, a principle echoed in Proverbs 16:18. Christological Echoes Just as warriors removed the armor of their foes, Jesus Christ at the cross stripped spiritual adversaries of their power. His resurrection declares the definitive spoil—“death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Thus חֲלִיצָה foreshadows the ultimate triumph in which the enemy is left weaponless. Ministry Application • Spiritual Warfare: Believers are called to “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). Because Christ has already stripped the enemy, Christians fight from a position of secured victory, not uncertain struggle. Related Concepts Armor (Ephesians 6:10-18); Spoils of War (Numbers 31:25-54); Deliverance (Psalm 34:7); Disarmament of Powers (Colossians 2:15). See also Strong’s Hebrew 2502 חָלַץ (to draw out, equip, deliver), which supplies the verbal backdrop for חֲלִיצָה. Forms and Transliterations חֲלִ֣יצוֹתָ֔ם חֲלִצָת֑וֹ חליצותם חלצתו chalitzaTo chaLitzoTam ḥă·li·ṣā·ṯōw ḥă·lî·ṣō·w·ṯām ḥăliṣāṯōw ḥălîṣōwṯāmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Judges 14:19 HEB: וַיִּקַּח֙ אֶת־ חֲלִ֣יצוֹתָ֔ם וַיִּתֵּן֙ הַחֲלִיפ֔וֹת NAS: of them and took their spoil and gave KJV: of them, and took their spoil, and gave INT: men and took their spoil and gave the changes 2 Samuel 2:21 2 Occurrences |
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