chelev · fat; best

What it means

chelev (חֶלֶב) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “fat; best”.

Fat. It was considered the best part of the animal, so it also means "the best".

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The soft white tissue around an animal's insides, burned for YHWH.
2. The richest, choicest part of something.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Fat: that of the animal, held to be the richest part; so, figuratively, “the best” of something.

• The fat of the offering: “All fat {belongs} to YHWH” Leviticus 3:16Genesis 4:4
• Eating the fat is forbidden Leviticus 3:17
• “Than the fat of rams” 1 Samuel 15:22
• The best of something: of the oil, of the wheat, of the land Numbers 18:12Psalms 81:16Genesis 45:18

Historical and cultural background

Leviticus commands burning the fat of the sacrifices of peace on the altar and forbids eating it: “you shall not eat any fat or any blood” (Leviticus 3:17).

How we translate it

“Fat” 85 times; “best” 6 when it is the best of the oil, the new wine and the grain (Numbers 18:12); “finest” 1 (“the finest of the wheat”, Psalm 81:16). In Genesis 45:18 it keeps the image: “you will eat the fat of the land”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• fat ×85
• best ×6
• finest ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×2
• Exodus×6
• Leviticus×48
• Numbers×6
• Deuteronomy×3
• Judges×1
• 1 Samuel×3
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×2
• 2 Chronicles×4
• Job×1
• Psalms×6
• Isaiah×5
• Ezekiel×4

• Genesis 4:4

  And Abel also brought, he too, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat. And YHWH regarded Abel and his offering,

• Genesis 45:18

  and take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’

• Exodus 23:18

  You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, and the fat of my feast shall not remain until morning.

• Exodus 29:13

  You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe on the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.

• Exodus 29:22

  You shall take from the ram the fat and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh, for it is a ram of ordination,

• Leviticus 3:3

  From the sacrifice of peace he shall present as a fire offering to YHWH the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

• Leviticus 3:4

  the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

• Leviticus 3:9

  From the sacrifice of peace he shall present as a fire offering to YHWH its fat: the whole fat tail, which he shall remove close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

• Leviticus 3:10

  the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

• Leviticus 3:14

  From it he shall present his offering, a fire offering to YHWH: the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

• Leviticus 3:15

  the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

• Leviticus 3:16

  The priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar; it is food of a fire offering for a pleasing aroma. All fat belongs to YHWH.

• Leviticus 3:17

  It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall not eat any fat or any blood.”

• Leviticus 4:8

  All the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall take off from it: the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

• Leviticus 4:9

  the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys,

• Leviticus 4:19

  All its fat he shall take off from it and offer it up in smoke on the altar.

• Leviticus 4:26

  All its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace. So the priest shall make expiation for him for his sin, and he will be forgiven.

• Leviticus 4:31

  All its fat he shall remove, just as the fat is removed from the sacrifice of peace, and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a pleasing aroma to YHWH. So the priest shall make expiation for him, and he will be forgiven.

• Leviticus 4:35

  All its fat he shall remove, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace, and the priest shall offer up in smoke them on the altar, on top of the fire offerings of YHWH. So the priest shall make expiation for him for his sin that he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

• Leviticus 6:12

  The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, arrange the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke on it the fat of the peace offerings.

• Leviticus 7:3

  All its fat he shall present from it: the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails,

• Leviticus 7:4

  the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

• Leviticus 7:23

  “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: You shall not eat any fat of ox or lamb or goat.

• Leviticus 7:24

  The fat of a carcass and the fat of an animal torn by beasts may be used for any other work, but you shall certainly not eat it.

• Leviticus 7:25

  For whoever eats the fat of the beast from which one presents a fire offering to YHWH, the person who eats it shall be cut off from his people.

• Leviticus 7:30

  His own hands shall bring the fire offerings of YHWH; the fat with the breast he shall bring —the breast to wave it as a wave offering before YHWH.

• Leviticus 7:31

  The priest shall offer up in smoke the fat on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and to his sons.

• Leviticus 7:33

  The one among the sons of Aaron who presents the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh as a portion.

• Leviticus 8:16

  He took all the fat that was on the entrails, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses offered it up in smoke on the altar.

• Leviticus 8:25

  He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh.

• Leviticus 8:26

  And from the basket of unleavened bread that was before YHWH he took one unleavened cake, and one cake of bread with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh.

• Leviticus 9:10

  The fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver from the sin offering he offered up in smoke on the altar, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

• Leviticus 9:19

  and the fat portions from the ox and from the ram, the fat tail, and that which covers, and the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver;

• Leviticus 9:20

  they put the fat portions on the breasts, and he offered up in smoke the fat portions on the altar.

• Leviticus 9:24

  Fire came out from before YHWH and consumed on the altar the burnt offering and the fat portions; and all the people saw it, and they shouted for joy and fell on their faces.

• Leviticus 10:15

  The thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring, together with the fire offerings of the fat portions, to wave as a wave offering before YHWH; and it shall be yours and your sons’ with you, as a statute forever, as YHWH has commanded.”

• Leviticus 16:25

  And the fat of the sin offering he shall offer up in smoke on the altar.

• Leviticus 17:6

  And the priest shall splash the blood on the altar of YHWH at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and offer up in smoke the fat for a pleasing aroma to YHWH.

• Numbers 18:12

  All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the new wine and grain, the first of them that they give to YHWH, I have given them to you.

• Numbers 18:17

  But the firstborn of a bull or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. Their blood you shall splash on the altar, and their fat you shall burn as a fire offering, for a pleasing aroma to YHWH.

And 52 more times.