Deuteronomy 32:18 — Word Study
WLCצ֥וּר יְלָדְךָ֖ תֶּ֑שִׁי וַתִּשְׁכַּ֖ח אֵ֥ל מְחֹלְלֶֽךָ׃
BSAYou ignoredshâyâh△▸ [dismissed, were unmindful of] the Rocktsûwr [strong refuge, divine protector] who brought you forthyâlad■ [gave you birth, begat thee] you forgotshâkach▸ [were oblivious to, neglected] the Godʼêl [Elohim, supreme Creator] who gave you birthchûwl [formed, created thee]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| צ֥וּר | [the] rock | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| יְלָדְךָ֖ | [which] he fathered you | Verb qal perfect third person masculine singular, suffix |
| תֶּ֑שִׁי | you forgot | Verb, Qal, jussive second person masculine singular |
| וַתִּשְׁכַּ֖ח | and you forgot | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect second person masculine singular |
| אֵ֥ל | God | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| מְחֹלְלֶֽךָ׃ | [who] gave birth to you | Verb piel participle (active) masculine singular common, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth. |
| KJV | Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. |
| ASV | Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth. |
| YLT | The Rock that begat thee thou forgettest, And neglectest God who formeth thee. |
| WEB | Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth. |
| BBE | You have no thought for the Rock, your father, you have no memory of the God who gave you birth. |
Where they part company is יְלָדְךָ֖ — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of two main clauses linked by a conjunction, emphasizing both actions of forgetting and their subjects.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbשָׁיָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 6 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Deuteronomy 32:18
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Song of Mosesgenerated
Deuteronomy 32:18 is part of Moses' song, where he recounts the faithfulness of God contrasted with the unfaithfulness of Israel. This verse highlights the danger of forgetting the divine source of life and protection, emphasizing the importance of remembering God's role in our existence.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deuteronomy 32:4–15 | He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He. |
| 2 | Isaiah 17:10 | For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines— |
| 3 | Deuteronomy 6:12 | be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. |
| 4 | Deuteronomy 8:11–14 | Be careful not to forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments and ordinances and statutes, which I am giving you this day. |
| 5 | Psalm 9:17 | The wicked will return to Sheol— all the nations who forget God. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 12 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — צ֥וּר, tzurgenerated
The Hebrew word צ֥וּר (tzur) means 'rock' and is often used metaphorically to describe God as a strong refuge or protector. It is a masculine singular noun that emphasizes stability and strength, suggesting that God is a solid foundation in times of trouble.
This word appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, indicating its significance in understanding God's character. In this context, Moses uses it to remind the Israelites of their reliance on God, who is their ultimate source of strength and safety.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb תִּשְׁכַּ֖ח (tishkach), meaning 'you forgot', governs the whole verse, with two clauses following it: one describing the Rock and the other describing God. This structure emphasizes the actions of forgetting and the subjects being forgotten.
The sentence's order highlights the importance of the subjects: first, the Rock who brought forth life, and second, God who gave birth, both central to the Israelites' identity and relationship with the divine.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates צ֥וּר as θεὸν (Theon), meaning 'God', which broadens the term from a physical rock to the divine essence of God. This choice emphasizes God's role as a protector and sustainer.
The translation of יְלָדְךָ֖ as σε (se) narrows the focus to the individual, highlighting the personal relationship between God and His people.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Deuteronomy 32:18 warns the Israelites against forgetting God, who is described as their Rock and Creator. This verse reminds them of the importance of remembering their divine protector and the one who gave them life.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Forgetting the Rock signifies neglecting the source of strength and protection that God provides, leading to spiritual decline.
This verse serves as a reminder to remain mindful of God's presence and role in our lives, encouraging us to acknowledge His guidance and support.
Referring to God as a Rock emphasizes His stability, strength, and reliability, portraying Him as a safe refuge in times of trouble.
Remembering our Creator is vital for maintaining a strong relationship with God and recognizing His influence in our lives.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I acknowledge God as my Rock and protector in my daily life?
- What are some instances where I have forgotten to rely on God during difficult times?
- How can I actively remember and honor my Creator in my actions and decisions?
- What steps can I take to ensure that I do not forget the importance of my relationship with God?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Deuteronomy 32:18 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleOf the rock [that] begat thee thou art unmindful,.... The same with the rock of salvation, Deuteronomy 32:15; repeated and expressed in different words, that their wretched ingratitude might be taken
Read John Gill on Deuteronomy 32 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryOf the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. No JFB commentary on this verse.
Read Robert Jamieson on Deuteronomy 32 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleOf the Rock, i.e. of God, one of whose titles this is, above, ; or of Christ, who is called the Rock, , whom the Israelites are said to have tempted, there, . That begat thee, i.e. who hath adopted you to be his people, and hath showed as much care and kindness to you as if he had begotten you.
Read Matthew Poole on Deuteronomy 32 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsDeuteronomy 32:18 Of the Rock [that] begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.Ver. 18. And hast forgotten God that formed thee.] Or, That brought thee forth. Here God is compared to a mother, as in the former clause to a father. So James 1:18, "Of his own will begat he us," - απεκυησε, He brought us forth, and did the office of a mother to us; which doth notably set forth his love and the work of his grace.
Read John Trapp on Deuteronomy 32 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(18) Of the Rock that begat thee.—“The Rock hath begotten thee forgetful, and thou hast forgotten God that travailed with thee” is another possible translation of this verse. The expression in the second clause is found also in Psalms 90:2 (a prayer of Moses), “Before the mountains were brought forth, while Thou wast yet in travail with earth and world, and from eternity unto eternity Thou art God!” The word which I have rendered “forgetful” is usually taken as a verb. But the verb is not found elsewhere (i.e., it is invented for the sake of this passage), and the word may not impossibly be an adjective.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Deuteronomy 32 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 18. Of the Rock that begat thee] צור tsur, the first cause, the fountain of thy being. See Clarke on Deuteronomy 32:4.
Read AdamClarke on Deuteronomy 32 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges18. Rock] See on Deuteronomy 32:4; God, Heb. ’El. The predicates used of Him are generally interpreted as if attributing to Him the functions both of father and mother. But the first vb. is more usually in the O.T. of the mother, and is rightly rendered here by R.V. marg. bare; the second, gave thee birth, is rather was in travail with thee; cp. Numbers 11:12.
Read Cambridge on Deuteronomy 32 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible18. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee — Moses emphasizes the ingratitude of the nation in that they forsake Him who has shown paternal and maternal love to them.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Deuteronomy 32 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
You have forgotten the Rock who fathered you, and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.
Tyndale line
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth.
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth.
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
Thou hast forgotten the mightie God that begate thee, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
Strictly literal
Of the Rock that begot thee wast thou unmindful, And thou hast forgotten God who brought thee forth.
The Rock that begat thee thou forgettest, And neglectest God who formeth thee.
You forget the Rock that begot you, || And neglect God who forms you.
Of the Rock that begat thee thou wast unmindful, and forgottest the God that had brought thee forth.
You have deserted the Rock, who became your father, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
From the Latin
Thou hast forsaken the God that beget thee, and hast forgotten the Lord that created thee.
Simplified
You dismissed the Rock who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave birth to you.
You have no thought for the Rock, your father, you have no memory of the God who gave you birth.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is supported by the Septuagint, which matches all six words. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs in two words, using תשׁא (give loan) and מהללך (praise). The Dead Sea Scrolls show partial restoration but align closely with the Masoretic Text.
צ֥וּר יְלָדְךָ֖ תֶּ֑שִׁי וַתִּשְׁכַּ֖ח אֵ֥ל מְחֹלְלֶֽךָ׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
צור ילדך תשׁא ותשׁכח אל מהללך
2 words differ from the Masoretic Text: תשׁא (give loan), מהללך (praise)
הצו ר ילד׳כה תשא ותשכח אל מחולל׳כה
5 words on the leather — 2 partly restored.
[צור] [ילד׳ך] [תשי] [ותשכח] [אל] [מחלל׳ך]
nothing on the leather here — 6 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Deuteronomy 32:18
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
צוּר (tsur) means rock or cliff, often referring to a sharp rock or boulder. It can also signify a refuge or an edge, and is used in various contexts, including references to God as a rock. The word is built from the root associated with strong, compressed formations, and it appears in different forms, such as in the phrase 'rock of God.'
צוּר n.m. rock, cliff
base
H6697 צוּר rock, cliff
6697 tsuwr tsoor
or tsur {tsoor}; from 6696; properly, a cliff (or sharp rock,
as compressed); generally, a rock or boulder; figuratively, a
refuge; also an edge (as precipitous):--edge, X (mighty) God
(one), rock, X sharp, stone, X strength, X strong. See also
1049.
see HEBREW for 06696
see HEBREW for 01049
צוּר (tsur) — Rocks (of Goats).
Combined with ya.el (יָעֵל "Wildgoats'" H3277)
This name means rock, cliff
צוּר (tsur) — rock.
1) rock, cliff
1a) rocky wall, cliff
1b) rock (with flat surface)
1c) block of stone, boulder
1d) rock (specific)
1e) rock (of God)
1f) rock (of heathen gods) n pr dei
1g) Rock
Aramaic equivalent: tur (טוּר "mountain" H2906)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
rok ((1) cela`; (2) tsur (3) challamish, "flint"; compare Arabic khalanbus, "flint"; (4) kephim (Job 30:6; Jer 4:29); compare Kephas, "Cephas" = Petros, "Peter" (Joh 1:42 the King James Version and the Revised Version margin); (5) petra):
1. Names:
Tsur and cela` are the words most often found, and there is no well-defined distinction between them. They are frequently coupled together in the parallelism which is characteristic of the Hebrew writers: e.g.
"Be thou to me a strong rock (tsur),
A house of defense to save me.
For thou art my rock (tsela) and my fortress"
(Ps 31:2,3).
"He clave rocks (tsur) in the wilderness,
And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
Rock
(Heb. tsur), employed as a symbol of God in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 22:3; Isa. 17:10; Ps. 28:1; 31:2,3; 89:26; 95:1); also in the New Testament (Matt. 16:18; Rom. 9:33; 1 Cor. 10:4). In Dan. 2:45 the Chaldaic form of the Hebrew word is translated “mountain.” It ought to be translated “rock,” as in Hab. 1:12 in the Revised Version. The “rock” from which the stone is cut there signifies the…
The Hebrew word יָלַד (*yalad*) means to bear, bring forth, or beget, and it encompasses various forms of childbirth and lineage declaration. It can refer to both the act of giving birth and the role of a midwife. The entries also note its use in contexts of distress and wicked behavior, as well as in reference to birthdays.
יָלַד 497 vb. bear, bring forth, beget
Qal
bear, bring forth
less often beget
of both parents
Niph. be born
Pi. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife
Pu. be born
Hiph.
beget (a father a child)
bear
Hoph. day of one's being born = birthday
Hithp. declared their pedigree
base
H3205 יָלַד bear, bring forth, beget .. bear, bring forth
. less often beget
. of both parents
. be born
. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife
. be born
. . beget (a father a child)
. bear
. day of one's being born = birthday
. declared their pedigree
3205 yalad yaw-lad'
a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget;
medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show
lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring
forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be
delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch,
labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be
the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).
יָלַד (ya.lad) — to beget.
1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to bear, bring forth
1a1a) of child birth
1a1b) of distress (simile)
1a1c) of wicked (behaviour)
1a2) to beget
1b) (Niphal) to be born
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to cause or help to bring forth
1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife
1c3) midwife (participle)
1d) (Pual) to be born
1e) (Hiphil)
1e1) to beget (a child)
1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity)
1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive)
1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)
V-Qal-Perf-3ms | Suff — Verb qal perfect third person masculine singular · suffixHVqp3ms/Sp2ms
שָׁיָה (shayah) is a verb that means to forget or to be unmindful. It appears in Deuteronomy 32:18, where it refers to forgetting the rock that begot you. The entries indicate that it is a primitive root, primarily used in the Qal form.
[שָׁיָה] vb. only Qal Dt 32:18 the Rock which begat thee thou forgattest
ref
H7876 שָׁיָה the rock which begat thee thou forgattest
7876 shayah shaw-yaw'
a primitive root; to keep in memory:--be unmindful. (Render
Deuteronomy 32:18, "A Rock bore thee, thou must recollect; and
(yet) thou hast forgotten," etc.)
שָׁיָה (sha.yah) — to forget.
(Qal) to forget, deprive
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms — Verb · Qal · jussive second person masculine singularHVqj2ms
The Hebrew word שָׁכַח (shakach) means 'to forget' and encompasses various nuances such as ignoring or ceasing to care. It can appear in different forms, including Qal (to forget), Niphal (to be forgotten), and Hiphil (to cause to forget). The entries highlight its primitive root nature and its usage in contexts where memory or attention is lacking.
שָׁכַח 102 vb. forget
Qal 86 forget
Niph. be forgotten
Pi. י׳ hath caused to forget
Hiph. to make my people forget my name
Hithp. they were forgotten in the city.
base
H7911 שָׁכַח forget
7911 shakach shaw-kakh'
or shakeach {shaw-kay'-akh}; a primitive root; to mislay,
i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention:--X
at all, (cause to) forget.
שָׁכַח (sha.khach) — to forget.
1) to forget, ignore, wither
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to forget
1a2) to cease to care
1b) (Niphal) to be forgotten
1c) (Piel) to cause to forget
1d) (Hiphil) to make or cause to forget
1e) (Hithpael) to be forgotten
Aramaic equivalent: she.khach (שְׁכַח "to find" H7912)
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-2ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect second person masculine singularHc/Vqw2ms
The Hebrew word אֵל (*'el*) primarily means 'god' and conveys the idea of might or strength. It can refer to the one true God of Israel, as well as to other deities, angels, and mighty men. The entries highlight its use in various contexts, including nature and power, but do not present significant disagreement among lexicons.
אֵל n.m. god, but with various subordinate applications to express the idea of might
applied to men of might and rank
angels
gods of the nations
Ēl
as characterizing mighty things in nature
God, the one only and true God of Israel
אֵל strength, power
base
H410 אֵל god, but with various subordinate applications to express the idea of might . applied to men of might and rank
. angels
. gods of the nations
. Ēl
. as characterizing mighty things in nature
. God, the one only and true God of Israel
. אֵל strength, power
410 'el ale
shortened from 352; strength; as adjective, mighty;
especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity):--God
(god), X goodly, X great, idol, might(-y one), power, strong.
Compare names in "-el."
see HEBREW for 0352
אֵל (el) — God.
This name means god, god-like one, mighty one, strength, power
Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
אֵל (el) — El (Berith).
This name means god, god-like one, mighty one, strength, power
Combined with "Berith" (berith בְּרִית H1286)
אֵל (el) — El (Elohe).
Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
This name means god, god-like one, mighty one, strength, power
Combined with "God" (elohim אֱלֹהִים H0430)
אֵל (el) — El (Most High).
Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
This name means god, god-like one, mighty one, strength, power
Combined with "Most High" (el.yon עֶלְיוֹן H5945B)
אֵל (el) — god.
: god
1) god, god-like one, mighty one
1a) mighty men, men of rank, mighty heroes
1b) angels
1c) god, false god, (demons, imaginations)
1d) God, the one true God, Jehovah
2) mighty things in nature
3) strength, power
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
god ('Elohim, 'El, [`Elyon], Shadday, Yahweh; Theos):
I. INTRODUCTION TO THE GENERAL IDEA
1. The Idea in Experience and in Thought
2. Definition of the Idea
3. The Knowledge of God
4. Ethnic Ideas of God
(1) Animism
(2) Fetishism
(3) Idolatry
(4) Polytheism
(5) Henotheism
(6) Pantheism
(7) Deism
(8) Semitic Monolatry
(9) Monotheism
II. THE IDEA OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
1. The Course of Its Development
2. Forms of Its Manifestation
(1) The Face or Countenance of God
(2) The Voice and Word of God
(3) The Glory of God
(4) The Angel of God
(5) The Spirit of God
(6) The Name of God
(7) Occasional Forms
3. The Names of God
(1) Generic
(2) Attributive
(3) Yahweh
4. Pre-prophetic Conceptions of God
(1) Yahweh Alone Is the God of Israel
(a) His Early Worship
(b) Popular Religion
(c) Polytheistic Tendencies
(i) Coordination
(ii) Assimilation
(iii) Disintegration
(d) No Hebrew Goddesses
(e) Human Sacrifices
God
(A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew ’El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of ’Eloah_, plural _’Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by “LORD,” printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argument to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid of understanding (Ps. 14:1).
The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of the being of God are:
(1.) The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason.
(good). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures two chief names are used for the one true divine Being--ELOHIM, commonly translated God in our version, and JEHOVAH, translated Lord . Elohim is the plural of Eloah (in Arabic Allah); it is often used in the short form EL (a word signifying strength , as in EL-SHADDAI, God Almighty, the name by which God was specially known to the patriarchs. (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; Exodus 6:3) The etymology is uncertain, but it is generally agreed that the primary idea is that of strength, power of effect , and that it properly describes God in that character in which he is exhibited to all men in his works, as the creator, sustainer and supreme governor of the world. The plural form of Elohim has given rise to much discussion. The fanciful idea that it…
This name, the derivation of which is uncertain, we give to that eternal, infinite, perfect, and incomprehensible Being, the Creator of all things, who preserves and governs all by his almighty power and wisdom, and is the only proper object of worship. The proper Hebrew name for God is JEHOVAH, which signifies He is. But the Jews, from a feeling of reverence, avoid pronouncing this name, substituting for it, wherever it occurs in the sacred test, the word ADONAI, Lord; except in the expression, ADONAI JEHOVAH, Lord Jehovah, for which they put, ADONAI ELOHIM, Lord God. This usage, which is not without an element of superstition, is very ancient, dating its origin some centuries before Christ; but there is no good ground for assuming its existence in the days of the inspired Old Testament writers. The proper word for God is ELOHIM, which is plural in its form, being thus used to signify…
The Hebrew word חוּל (chuwl) is built from a primitive root meaning to twist or whirl. It covers a range of meanings, including to dance, writhe in pain, bear children, and wait anxiously. The word can also imply strength or firmness, as noted in some entries. Various forms indicate different nuances, such as being made to writhe or suffering anguish.
חוּל [חִיל] vb. whirl, dance, writhe
Qal
dance
twist, writhe
whirl, whirl about
Po‛lel
dance
writhe in travail with, bear, bring forth (poet.)
wait anxiously
Po‛lal
be made to writhe
be brought forth
Hiph. cause to be in anguish
Hoph. be born
Hithpol.
whirling
writhing, suffering torture
wait longingly
Hithpalp. and she writhed in anxiety
base
[חול, חִיל] vb. be firm, strong
base
H2342a חוּל [חִיל] whirl, dance, writhe .. dance
. twist, writhe
. whirl, whirl about
.. dance
. writhe in travail with, bear, bring forth (poet.)
. wait anxiously
.. be made to writhe
. be brought forth
. cause to be in anguish
. be born
. . whirling
. writhing, suffering torture
. wait longingly
. and she writhed in anxiety
H2342b חול, חִיל br firm, strong
2342 chuwl khool
or chiyl {kheel}; a primitive root; properly, to twist or
whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), i.e. (specifically) to
dance, to writhe in pain (especially of parturition) or fear;
figuratively, to wait, to pervert:--bear, (make to) bring
forth, (make to) calve, dance, drive away, fall grievously
(with pain), fear, form, great, grieve, (be) grievous, hope,
look, make, be in pain, be much (sore) pained, rest, shake,
shapen, (be) sorrow(-ful), stay, tarry, travail (with pain),
tremble, trust, wait carefully (patiently), be wounded.
חוּל (chul) — to twist: tremble.
: tremble/fear
1) to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to dance
1a2) to twist, writhe
1a3) to whirl, whirl about
1b) (Polel)
1b1) to dance
1b2) to writhe (in travail with), bear, bring forth
1b3) to wait anxiously
1c) (Pulal)
1c1) to be made to writhe, be made to bear
1c2) to be brought forth
1d) (Hophal) to be born
1e) (Hithpolel)
1e1) whirling (participle)
1e2) writhing, suffering torture (participle)
1e3) to wait longingly
1f) (Hithpalpel) to be distressed
חִיל (chil) — be firm.
to be firm, strong
חוּל (chul) — to twist: give birth.
: give_birth
1) to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to dance
1a2) to twist, writhe
1a3) to whirl, whirl about
1b) (Polel)
1b1) to dance
1b2) to writhe (in travail with), bear, bring forth
1b3) to wait anxiously
V-o | Suff — Verb piel participle (active) masculine singular common · suffixHVprmsc/Sp2ms