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Isaiah 13:15 — Word Study

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WLCכָּל־ הַנִּמְצָ֖א יִדָּקֵ֑ר וְכָל־ הַנִּסְפֶּ֖ה יִפּ֥וֹל בֶּחָֽרֶב׃

BSAWhoeverkôl [everyone who is found, every one that is overtaken] is caughtmâtsâʼ [found, thrust through] will be stabbeddâqar [pierced, thrust through] and whoeverkôl [every one that is] is capturedçâphâh [snatched, swept away] will dienâphal [fall, be slain] by the swordchereb [cutting instrument, knife]

Word
Listen & take awayIsaiah 13
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 15 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (be.Cha.rev) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Isaiah 13:15quick helps
In a sentenceThe verse warns of dire consequences for those caught or captured in a time of judgment.
Who is speakingThe prophet Isaiah, delivering a message of impending doom.
Where we areThe context is a prophecy concerning the fate of Babylon and its inhabitants.
The hard wordיִדָּקֵ֑ר
Take awayThe certainty of death awaits those who are caught or captured.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbדָּקַר The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

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 — Isaiah 13:15

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 Judgment Against Babylongenerated

14Like a hunted gazelle, like a sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land.
15Whoever is caught will be stabbed, and whoever is captured will die by the sword.
16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished.
17Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold.

Isaiah 13:15 describes the fate of those who are caught or captured during the judgment against Babylon. The imagery evokes a sense of urgency and despair, highlighting the severity of the situation. This passage is part of a larger prophecy that outlines the destruction that will come upon Babylon, as seen in the surrounding verses, including Isaiah 13:14 and Isaiah 13:16.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Isaiah 14:19–22But you are cast out of your grave like a rejected branch, covered by those slain with the sword, and dumped into a rocky pit like a carcass trampled underfoot.
2Isaiah 47:9–14These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.
3Jeremiah 50:27–35Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come— the time of their punishment.
4Jeremiah 51:3Do not let the archer bend his bow or put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; devote all her army to destruction!

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.Isaiah 14:19–22 Isaiah 47:9–14 Jeremiah 50:27–35 Jeremiah 51:3

The Key Word כֹּל, kol-generated

The word כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'every.' It encompasses totality, referring to every person or thing involved in the context of judgment. This term emphasizes the indiscriminate nature of the fate awaiting those who are caught or captured.

In this verse, it is used to indicate that everyone who is found will face the consequences, highlighting the severity of the situation and the certainty of judgment.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations generally agree on the meaning of the verse.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verbs יִדָּקֵ֑ר (he will be pierced through) and יִפּ֥וֹל (he will fall) govern the structure of the verse, with two clauses detailing the consequences for those caught and captured. The Hebrew word order emphasizes the actions that will befall those individuals.

The sentence structure clearly delineates the fate of two groups: those who are caught and those who are captured, with each action leading to a definitive outcome.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates יִדָּקֵ֑ר as ἡττηθήσεται, which suggests a nuance of defeat rather than just physical piercing. This choice reflects a broader interpretation of the consequences faced by those caught.

The translation of יִפּ֥וֹל as πεσοῦνται aligns with the idea of falling, reinforcing the sense of inevitable downfall for those captured.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Isaiah 13:15 warns that anyone caught or captured will face death by stabbing or the sword. This reflects the severe judgment coming upon Babylon and its people.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to be caught or captured in this context?

Being caught or captured refers to those who are overtaken during the impending judgment, leading to their demise.

Why is the imagery of stabbing and the sword used?

This imagery conveys the violence and finality of judgment, illustrating the harsh consequences for those who cannot escape.

How does this verse fit into the larger prophecy against Babylon?

This verse is part of a broader warning about the destruction of Babylon, emphasizing the fate of its inhabitants.

What can we learn from this verse about judgment?

This verse serves as a reminder of the seriousness of judgment and the certainty of consequences for actions taken.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does this verse teach about the consequences of being caught in wrongdoing?
  2. How can we apply the message of judgment in our own lives today?
  3. What does it mean to seek refuge from judgment, as implied in the surrounding verses?
  4. In what ways can we be vigilant to avoid being caught in harmful situations?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early interpretations of this verse by Jerome highlight the consequences of being caught or captured, emphasizing the severity of the judgment.

JeromeVerse 15. c. 347–420
Everyone who is found will be killed, and everyone who comes will fall by the sword. Those who do not flee will be struck with a sword, and anyone who tries to resist or return will not be of any help to the captured city,
Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 13 →
JeromeVerse 15. c. 347–420
However, you will be dragged down to the depths of the lake. LXX: But now you will descend to the underworld, and to the foundations of the earth.
Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 13 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Isaiah 13:15 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Every one that is found shall be thrust through,.... With a sword, spear, or lance, and be slain; that is, everyone that is found in the city of Babylon; and so the Targum adds, "and everyone that is

Read John Gill on Isaiah 13 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. Every one that is found - in the city. Joined , [ hanicpeh (H5595)] - 'intercepted' (Maurer).

Read Robert Jamieson on Isaiah 13 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

That is found in Babylon, at the taking of it; the expectation whereof made them flee away with all speed.

Read Matthew Poole on Isaiah 13 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Isaiah 13:15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined [unto them] shall fall by the sword.Ver. 15. Every one that is found shall be thrust through.] This maketh them flee for it. Quis enim vult mori? prorsus nemo. Life is sweet, and men will rather flee than die. Every one that is joined unto them.] Or, That is decrepid, worn out with old age. See 2 Chronicles 36:17.

Read John Trapp on Isaiah 13 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(15) Every one that is joined unto them.—Better, every one that is caught. The first clause of the verse refers to those that are in the city at the time of its capture, the second to those who are taken as they endeavour to escape.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Isaiah 13 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 15. Every one that is found - "Every one that is overtaken"] That is, none shall escape from the slaughter; neither they who flee singly, dispersed and in confusion; nor they who endeavour to make their retreat in a more regular manner, by forming compact bodies: they shall all be equally cut off by the sword of the enemy. The Septuagint have understood it in this sense, which they have well expressed: - Ὁςγαρανἁλῳἡττηθησεται, Καιοἱτινεςσυνηγμενοιεισιπεσουνταιμαχαιρα. "Whosoever is caught shall be overthrown, And all that are collected together shall fall by the sword." Where, for ηττηθησεται, MS. Pachom has εκκενθησεται, et οιγ Cod. Marchal. in margine, et MS. I. D. II.…

Read AdamClarke on Isaiah 13 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

15. Every one that is found] Chiefly the natives of Babylon, who had no land to flee to. The phrase ‘every one that is joined unto them’ is better translated, every one that is caught.

Read Cambridge on Isaiah 13 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Every one that is found - In Babylon, or that is overtaken in fleeing from it. This is a description of the capture of the city, and of the slaughter that would ensue, when the invaders would spare neither age nor sex.

Read Albert Barnes on Isaiah 13 →

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

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Whoever is caught will be stabbed, and whoever is captured will die by the sword.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Whoever is caught will be stabbed, and whoever is captured will die by the sword.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Everyone who is caught will be stabbed; everyone who is seized will die by the sword.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is taken shall fall by the sword.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is taken shall fall by the sword.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined to them shall fall by the sword.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Euery one that is founde, shall be striken through: and whosoeuer ioyneth himselfe, shall fal by the sworde.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

All that are found shall be thrust through; and every one that is in league [with them] shall fall by the sword.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Every one who is found is thrust through, And every one who is added falleth by sword.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Everyone who is found is thrust through, || And everyone who is added falls by sword.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Every one who is found will be killed, and every one who is captured will die by the sword.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Every one that shall be found, shall be slain: and every one that shall come to their aid, shall fall by the sword.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Anyone who is captured will be stabbed to death; anyone who is caught will be killed by the sword.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Everyone who is overtaken will have a spear put through him, and everyone who goes in flight will be put to the sword.

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.

clausenoun phrase · subjectכָּלeverynoun phraseהַ(the).[oneנִּמְצָ֖אwho.is].foundverbיִדָּקֵ֑רhe.will.be.pierced.throughוְandclausenoun phrase · subjectכָלeverynoun phraseהַ(the).[oneנִּסְפֶּ֖הwho.is].capturedverbיִפּ֥וֹלhe.will.fallprepositional phrase · prepositionalבֶּbynoun phrasetheחָֽרֶבsword

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls largely agree on the wording of this verse, with the 1Qisaa scroll matching the MT closely. However, other scrolls, such as 4Q55 and 4Q56, have words supplied by an editor, indicating some textual variations.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

כָּל־ הַנִּמְצָ֖א יִדָּקֵ֑ר וְכָל־ הַנִּסְפֶּ֖ה יִפּ֥וֹל בֶּחָֽרֶב׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
הַנִּמְצָ֖אἁλῷיִדָּקֵ֑רἡττηθήσεταιוְכָל־οἵτινεςהַנִּסְפֶּ֖הεἰσίνיִפּ֥וֹלπεσοῦνται

5 of the 7 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.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Qisaaa copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

כול הנמצא ידקר וכול הנספה יפול בחרב

7 words on the leather.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q55a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[כל] [הנמצא] [ידקר] [וכל] [הנספה] [יפול] [בחרב]

nothing on the leather here — 7 supplied entire by an editor.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q56a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[כל] [הנמצא] [ידקר] [וכל] [הנספה] [יפול] [בחרב]

nothing on the leather here — 7 supplied entire by an editor.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Q8a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[הנמצא] [ידקר] [וכל] [הנספה] [יפול] [בחרב]

6 words of the verse are on this fragment — 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.

Isaiah 13:15כֹּלeveryeveryכֹּלמָצָא[one who] i[one who] is foמָצָאדָּקַרhe will be he will be pierדָּקַרכֹּלand everyand everyכֹּלסָפָה[one who] i[one who] is caסָפָהנָפַלhe will falhe will fallנָפַלחֶ֫רֶבby the sworby the swordחֶ֫רֶבכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלחָרֵבto dryto dryחָרֵבפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַלעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהחָלָלslain: kilslain: killedחָלָלחֵןfavorfavorחֵןבָּקַשׁto seekto seekבָּקַשׁעָרֵלuncircumciuncircumcisedעָרֵלשָׁלַףto drawto drawשָׁלַףפֶּן־lestlestפֶּן־חַטָּאָהsinsinחַטָּאָהגּוֹרָלallottedallottedגּוֹרָלרָעָבfaminefamineרָעָב
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Isaiah 13:15

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.

every [one who] is found he will be pierced through and every [one who] is captured he will fall by the sword
כָּל־kol- every H3605 Noun common · masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Amplified meaning
everyone who is found, every one that is overtaken
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
every [one who] is found he will be pierced through and every [one who] is captured he will fall by the sword
הַנִּמְצָ֖אha.nim.Tza' [one who] is found H4672 Particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine singular
455× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Matsa means to find or attain something, whether it is a physical object, a person, or a condition, as seen in various KJV translations.
Amplified meaning
found, thrust through
Tyndale gloss
to find
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָצָא (matsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to find or attain. It encompasses a range of actions, including discovering something lost, encountering someone, or coming upon a situation. The word can also imply being present or sufficient. Lexicons note various forms and uses, including Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, which indicate different nuances of finding and encountering.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָצָא 452 vb. attain to, find

Qal

find

find out

= come upon, light upon

noteworthy phrases

Niph. pass. of Qal, be found

Hiph.

cause to find, attain

cause to light upon, come upon, come

cause to encounter

present unto

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4672 מָצָא attain to, find

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4672 matsa' maw-tsaw'

a primitive root; properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or

exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire;

figuratively, to occur, meet or be present:--+ be able,

befall, being, catch, X certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to

hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion,

out), get (hold upon), X have (here), be here, hit, be left,

light (up-)on, meet (with), X occasion serve, (be) present,

ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָצָא (ma.tsa) — to find.

1) to find, attain to

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to find

1a1a) to find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought)

1a1b) to find (what is lost)

1a1c) to meet, encounter

1a1d) to find (a condition)

1a1e) to learn, devise

1a2) to find out

1a2a) to find out

1a2b) to detect

1a2c) to guess

1a3) to come upon, light upon

1a3a) to happen upon, meet, fall in with

1a3b) to hit

1a3c) to befall

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be found

1b1a) to be encountered, be lighted upon, be discovered

1b1b) to appear, be recognised

1b1c) to be discovered, be detected

1b1d) to be gained, be secured

1b2) to be, be found

1b2a) to be found in

1b2b) to be in the possession of

1b2c) to be found in (a place), happen to be

1b2d) to be left (after war)

1b2e) to be present

1b2f) to prove to be

1b2g) to be found sufficient, be enough

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to find, attain

1c2) to cause to light upon, come upon, come

1c3) to cause to encounter

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | V-Niphal — Particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine singular
HTd/VNrmsa
every [one who] is found he will be pierced through and every [one who] is captured he will fall by the sword
יִדָּקֵ֑רyi.da.Ker he will be pierced through H1856 Verb · Niphal · imperfect third person masculine singular
11× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To pierce or stab, as in Psalm 109:16, and can also mean to starve or revile, like in Psalm 57:4.
Amplified meaning
pierced, thrust through
Tyndale gloss
to pierce
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

דָּקַר (daqar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to pierce or stab. It encompasses various forms, including to pierce through (Qal), to be pierced (Niphal), and to be pierced or riddled (Pual). The entries suggest a range of meanings from physical piercing to figurative uses like reviling.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[דָּקַר] vb. pierce, pierce through

Qal pierce, run through

Niph. be pierced through

Pu. pierced, riddled

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1856 [דָּקַר] pierce, pierce through

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1856 daqar daw-kar'

a primitive root; to stab; by analogy, to starve;

figuratively, to revile:--pierce, strike (thrust) through,

wound.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

דָּקַר (da.qar) — to pierce.

1) to pierce, thrust through, pierce through

1a) (Qal) to pierce, run through

1b) (Niphal) to be pierced through

1c) (Pual) pierced, riddled (participle)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Niphal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Niphal · imperfect third person masculine singular
HVNi3ms
every [one who] is found he will be pierced through and every [one who] is captured he will fall by the sword
וְכָל־ve.khol and every H3605 Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Amplified meaning
every one that is
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct
HC/Ncmsc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
every [one who] is found he will be pierced through and every [one who] is captured he will fall by the sword
הַנִּסְפֶּ֖הha.nis.Peh [one who] is captured H5595 Particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine singular
19× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to snatch or sweep something away, like destroying or consuming it. It can also mean to gather or catch up something. The KJV translates it as consume, destroy, or add.
Amplified meaning
snatched, swept away
Tyndale gloss
to snatch
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

סָפָה (safah) is a Hebrew verb that conveys the idea of sweeping or snatching away. It can refer to both the act of gathering or increasing something and the act of scattering or destroying it. The entries describe various forms of the verb, including its uses in different grammatical aspects, such as Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, indicating actions like being snatched away or caught up.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[סָפָה] vb. sweep or snatch away, catch up

Qal

intrans. be snatched away

trans. sweep away

Niph.

be swept away, destroyed

be caught up, captured

Hiph. I will catch up against them calamities

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5595 סָפָה sweep or snatch away, catch up

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5595 caphah saw-faw'

a primitive root; properly, to scrape (literally, to shave;

but usually figuratively) together (i.e. to accumulate or

increase) or away (i.e. to scatter, remove, or ruin;

intransitively, to perish):--add, augment, consume, destroy,

heap, join, perish, put.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

סָפָה (sa.phah) — to snatch.

1) to sweep or snatch away, catch up, destroy, consume

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be snatched away

1a2) to sweep or snatch away

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be swept away, be destroyed

1b2) to be caught up, be captured

1c) (Hiphil) to catch up, gather

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | V-Niphal — Particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine singular
HTd/VNrmsa
every [one who] is found he will be pierced through and every [one who] is captured he will fall by the sword
יִפּ֥וֹלyi.Pol he will fall H5307 Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singular
435× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to fall, and it's used in many ways, like falling down, failing, or being defeated. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah. God's people often fell away from Him, but He always offered a way back.
Amplified meaning
fall, be slain
Tyndale gloss
to fall: fall
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָפַל (naphal) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to fall,' encompassing a wide range of applications, including falling by accident, experiencing violent death, or going to ruin. It can also refer to prostrating oneself, attacking, or causing someone to fall. The term appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, often indicating physical or metaphorical downfall.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָפַל 433 vb. fall, lie

Qal 366

fall, by accident

Esp. of violent death

fig. = go to ruin, perish, etc.

fig. = experience calamity

fall, of a city

Fall prostrate

fall = prostrate oneself before

fall upon one's neck, in embrace

Fall upon = attack

desert or fall away to, go over to

Fig., of deep sleep

Other idiomatic uses

= lie; = lie prostrate

Hiph.

cause to fall

Of causing death; = overthrow, bring to destruction

Esp. of casting lot

Fig., let drop, cause to fail

cause deep sleep to fall

Other idioms

Hithp. throw, or prostrate oneself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5307 נָפַל fall, lie .. fall, by accident

. . Esp. of violent death

. fig. = go to ruin, perish, etc.

. fig. = experience calamity

. fall, of a city

. . Fall prostrate

. fall = prostrate oneself before

. fall upon one's neck, in embrace

. . Fall upon = attack

. desert or fall away to, go over to

. Fig., of deep sleep

. Other idiomatic uses

. = lie; = lie prostrate

. . cause to fall

. Of causing death; = overthrow, bring to destruction

. Esp. of casting lot

. Fig., let drop, cause to fail

. cause deep sleep to fall

. Other idioms

. throw, or prostrate oneself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5307 naphal naw-fal'

a primitive root; to fall, in a great variety of applications

(intransitive or causative, literal or figurative):--be

accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide

(by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall

(away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have

(inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for 6419), lay

(along), (cause to) lie down, light (down), be (X hast) lost,

lying, overthrow, overwhelm, perish, present(-ed, -ing), (make

to) rot, slay, smite out, X surely, throw down.

see HEBREW for 06419

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָפַל (na.phal) — to fall: fall.

: fall/drop/fail

1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to fall

1a2) to fall (of violent death)

1a3) to fall prostrate, prostrate oneself before

1a4) to fall upon, attack, desert, fall away to, go away to, fall into the hand of

1a5) to fall short, fail, fall out, turn out, result

1a6) to settle, waste away, be offered, be inferior to

1a7) to lie, lie prostrate

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to fall, fell, throw down, knock out, lay prostrate

1b2) to overthrow

1b3) to make the lot fall, assign by lot, apportion by lot

1b4) to let drop, cause to fail (fig.)

1b5) to cause to fall

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to throw or prostrate oneself, throw oneself upon

1c2) to lie prostrate, prostrate oneself

1d) (Pilel) to fall

נָפַל (na.phal) — to fall: deserting.

: deserting

1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to fall

1a2) to fall (of violent death)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singular
HVqi3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fol (vb.): The idea of falling is most frequently expressed in Hebrew by naphal, but also by many other words; in Greek by pipto, and its compounds. The uses of the word in Scripture are very varied. There is the literal falling by descent; the falling of the countenance in sorrow, shame, anger, etc. (Ge 4:5,6); the falling in battle (Ge 14:10; Nu 14:3, etc.); the falling into trouble, etc. (Pr 24:16,17); prostration in supplication and reverence (Ge 17:3; Nu 14:5, etc.); falling of the Spirit of Yahweh (Eze 11:5

every [one who] is found he will be pierced through and every [one who] is captured he will fall by the sword
בֶּחָֽרֶב׃be.Cha.rev by the sword H2719 Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
413× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A sword or cutting instrument is what this Hebrew word refers to, including knives and tools for cutting stone. It is used in the Bible to describe weapons and sharp objects.
Amplified meaning
cutting instrument, knife
Tyndale gloss
sword
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חֶ֫רֶב (chereb) means 'sword' and can also refer to other cutting instruments like knives and tools. It is derived from a root meaning 'drought,' highlighting its destructive nature. The term is used in various contexts in the Old Testament, primarily to denote weapons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חֶ֫רֶב 411 n.f. sword (as weapon)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2719 חֶ֫רֶב sword (as weapon)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2719 chereb kheh'-reb

from 2717; drought; also a cutting instrument (from its

destructive effect), as a knife, sword, or other sharp

implement:--axe, dagger, knife, mattock, sword, tool.

see HEBREW for 02717

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חֶ֫רֶב (che.rev) — sword.

1) sword, knife

1a) sword

1b) knife

1c) tools for cutting stone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
HRd/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sord.

See ARMOR, III, 5.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Sword

Of the Hebrew was pointed, sometimes two-edged, was worn in a sheath, and suspended from the girdle (Ex. 32:27; 1 Sam. 31:4; 1 Chr. 21:27; Ps. 149:6: Prov. 5:4; Ezek. 16:40; 21:3-5).

It is a symbol of divine chastisement (Deut. 32:25; Ps. 7:12; 78:62), and of a slanderous tongue (Ps. 57:4; 64:3; Prov. 12:18). The word of God is likened also to a…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

[ARMS, ARMOR]

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Used by

Gideon Jud 7:20

Goliath 1Sa 21:9

Peter Mt 26:51; Joh 18:10

→ David' s army equipped with 1Ch 21:5

→ To be beaten into plowshares Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3

→ Made of plowshares Joe 3:10

→ Two-edged Heb 4:12; Re 1:16; 2:12

→ FIGURATIVE

Of war Ge 27:40

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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