2507. Cheleq

Lexical Summary

Cheleq: Portion, share, part, inheritance

Original Word: חֵלֶק
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Cheleq
Pronunciation: KHEH-lek
Phonetic Spelling: (khay'-lek)
KJV: Helek
Word Origin: [the same as H2506 (חֵלֶק - portion)]

1. portion
2. Chelek, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Helek

The same as cheleq; portion; Chelek, an Israelite -- Helek.

see HEBREW cheleq

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. חֵ֫לֶק proper name, masculine (portion) a Gileadite Numbers 26:30; Joshua 17:2. ᵐ5 Ξελεγ, (κ), Κελεζ, etc.; ᵐ5^L Joshua 17:2 Ελεκ.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Conceptual Range

חֵלֶק (cheleq) conveys the idea of a “portion,” “division,” or “sub-clan.” In tribal settings it identifies a smaller family grouping within a larger tribe, emphasizing both inheritance and identity. The word therefore points to belonging: each Israelite was to know his allotted place within the covenant community.

Occurrences and Context

1. Numbers 26:30 records the “Helek” family line among the Manassite clans during the wilderness census. The list is preparatory, anticipating future inheritance in Canaan.
2. Joshua 17:2 repeats the name when land is actually distributed west of the Jordan. The narrative moves from promise to fulfillment: what was counted in the desert becomes concrete territory in the land.

Tribal and Territorial Significance

Manasseh received a double inheritance through the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:5-6). Within Manasseh, the clan of Helek underscores how finely the land was apportioned: every extended family received tangible evidence of the Lord’s covenant faithfulness.
• Land defined worship obligations. By living within Manasseh’s boundaries, the sons of Helek would present tithes at designated Levitical cities (Joshua 21:5-6) and attend the three annual feasts in Jerusalem once centralized worship was established (Deuteronomy 12:5-11).
• Land defined military duty. Mosaic law required men to defend their allotted inheritance (Numbers 32:20-23). The Helekites thus shared in the tribal militias that safeguarded the central highlands against Canaanite resistance (Judges 1:27).
• Land defined social justice. The Jubilee legislation ensured that “the land must not be sold permanently” (Leviticus 25:23), anchoring each clan’s economic security. For the descendants of Helek this prevented permanent loss of identity within Israel.

Intercanonical Connections

Although חֵלֶק surfaces only twice as a proper clan name, the root resurfaces often in the Psalms and Prophets to describe Yahweh Himself as a believer’s “portion.” “The LORD is my portion,” says Lamentations 3:24, using the same root. The clan name therefore foreshadows the deeper reality that God, not land, is the ultimate inheritance. The physical allotment in Joshua prefigures the spiritual allotment secured in Jesus Christ, “the heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2). Just as the Helekites could point to boundary stones as evidence of divine promise, believers now point to the finished work of Christ and the indwelling Spirit as “a pledge of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14).

Theological and Ministry Implications

1. Covenant Faithfulness: The preservation of a minor clan’s name through centuries of transmission highlights Scripture’s precision and God’s memory. No family is overlooked in the economy of redemption.
2. Identity in Community: Helek existed only within Manasseh; likewise, Christians find their identity within the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Ministry therefore promotes belonging, discipleship, and mutual care.
3. Stewardship of Inheritance: The land gift demanded responsible cultivation and defense. Today believers steward spiritual gifts and resources “as good managers of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).

Application for Today

• Remembered by Name: Pastoral ministry may highlight obscure biblical names like Helek to assure congregants that the Lord sees each person.
• Secure Boundaries: Just as God established physical borders, He sets moral and doctrinal boundaries for His church. Teaching sound doctrine parallels guarding ancestral land.
• Expectant Hope: The transition from Numbers to Joshua models the shift from promise to possession. Believers live between the “already” of Christ’s resurrection and the “not yet” of full inheritance, spurring perseverance and holy longing.

Helek’s brief scriptural footprint thus opens a window into covenant detail, communal identity, and the grand movement from land promises to their ultimate realization in Christ.

Forms and Transliterations

חֵ֗לֶק חלק לְחֵ֕לֶק לחלק Chelek ḥê·leq ḥêleq lə·ḥê·leq leChelek ləḥêleq

Englishman's Concordance

Numbers 26:30
HEB: מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הָאִֽיעֶזְרִ֑י לְחֵ֕לֶק מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַֽחֶלְקִֽי׃
NAS: of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family
KJV: of the Jeezerites: of Helek, the family
INT: the family of the Iezerites of Helek the family of the Helekites

Joshua 17:2
HEB: אֲבִיעֶ֜זֶר וְלִבְנֵי־ חֵ֗לֶק וְלִבְנֵ֤י אַשְׂרִיאֵל֙
NAS: and for the sons of Helek and for the sons
KJV: and for the children of Helek, and for the children
INT: of Abiezer the sons of Helek the sons of Asriel

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2507
2 Occurrences

ḥê·leq — 1 Occ.
lə·ḥê·leq — 1 Occ.