chalats · draw off, rescue

What it means

chalats (חָלַץ) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “draw off, rescue”.

Pull out, take off, remove; also rescue someone from danger, and arm oneself for war.

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. To take something off, like a sandal.
2. To get someone out of danger.
3. To get ready for war.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To draw out, to take off, to pull out; and hence to deliver someone by pulling him out of danger. In the passive form, to be equipped, armed for war, like one who has taken off what hinders.

• The armed men who go ahead Numbers 32:20Joshua 4:13Joshua 6:7
• Pulling off the sandal: the law of the levirate Deuteronomy 25:9Deuteronomy 25:10
• Pulling out the stones with the mark Leviticus 14:40
• “Deliver my soul” Psalms 6:4Psalms 116:8Psalms 50:15
• “He delivers them”: the angel of YHWH Psalms 34:7Proverbs 11:8
• Strengthening; withdrawing Isaiah 58:11Hosea 5:6

Historical and cultural background

If a man was not willing to take his brother’s widow, she pulled his sandal off before the elders, and his house was called “The house of him whose sandal was pulled off” (Deuteronomy 25:9-10).

How we translate it

With the sense of war, “armed” (14 times) or “equipped” (3, in Chronicles). With that of delivering, “deliver” or “rescue” in Job and the Psalms (“deliver my soul”, Psalm 6:4; “you have rescued my soul from death”, 116:8); in 2 Samuel 22:20, “he set me free”. In Deuteronomy 25:9, “pull his sandal off his foot”, and in Isaiah 58:11, “your bones he will strengthen”.

How it is translated

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

• armed ×14
• delivered ×4
• Arm ×3
• equipped ×3
• He delivers ×2
• deliver ×2
• may be delivered ×2
• pull ×2
• rescue me ×2
• I rescued you ×1
• others ×9

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Leviticus×2
• Numbers×9
• Deuteronomy×3
• Joshua×4
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Chronicles×2
• 2 Chronicles×3
• Job×1
• Psalms×12
• Proverbs×2
• Isaiah×3
• Lamentations×1
• Hosea×1

• Leviticus 14:40

  the priest shall command that they pull out the stones in which the mark is and throw them to outside the city, to an unclean place.

• Leviticus 14:43

  And if the mark returns and breaks out in the house after he has pulled out the stones, and after scraping the house and after it has been plastered,

• Numbers 31:3

  Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the army, and let them be against Midian to execute the vengeance of YHWH on Midian.

• Numbers 31:5

  So there were handed over from the thousands of Israel a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for the army.

• Numbers 32:17

  But we will arm ourselves and go ready before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

• Numbers 32:20

  Moses said to them, “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before YHWH for the war,

• Numbers 32:21

  and every armed man of you crosses the Jordan before YHWH until he has dispossessed his enemies from before him,

• Numbers 32:27

  but your servants will cross over, every armed man of the army, before YHWH to the war, as my lord says.”

• Numbers 32:29

  Moses said to them, “If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben cross with you the Jordan, every armed man for the war before YHWH, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession.

• Numbers 32:30

  But if they do not cross armed with you, then they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

• Numbers 32:32

  We will cross over armed before YHWH into the land of Canaan, and with us shall remain the possession of our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.”

• Deuteronomy 3:18

  I commanded you at that time, saying, “YHWH your Elohim has given you this land to take possession of it. Armed, you shall cross over before your brothers, the sons of Israel, all the valiant men.

• Deuteronomy 25:9

  then his sister-in-law shall come near to him in the sight of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, “So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.”

• Deuteronomy 25:10

  And his name shall be called in Israel, “The house of him whose sandal was pulled off.”

• Joshua 4:13

  About forty thousand armed men of the army crossed before YHWH for battle to the plains of Jericho.

• Joshua 6:7

  And he said to the people, “Pass on and go around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of YHWH.”

• Joshua 6:9

  And the armed men were going before the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard was going after the ark, going on and blowing the horns.

• Joshua 6:13

  And the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of YHWH were going, going on and blowing the horns, and the armed men were going before them, and the rear guard was going after the ark of YHWH, going on and blowing the horns.

• 2 Samuel 22:20

  He brought me out into a broad place; he set me free, because he delighted in me.

• 1 Chronicles 12:23

  Now these are the numbers of the heads of those armed for the army who came to David at Hebron, to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, by the command of YHWH:

• 1 Chronicles 12:24

  the sons of Judah, who carried shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred, armed for the army;

• 2 Chronicles 17:18

  and next to him Jehozabad, and with him a hundred and eighty thousand equipped for the army.

• 2 Chronicles 20:21

  He took counsel with the people and appointed singers to YHWH and men praising in the splendor of holiness, as they went out before the equipped troops, and saying, “Give thanks to YHWH, for his loyal love is forever.”

• 2 Chronicles 28:14

  So the equipped men left the captives and the plunder before the officials and all the assembly.

• Job 36:15

  He delivers the poor in his affliction, and in oppression he uncovers their ear.

• Psalms 6:4

  Return, YHWH, deliver my soul; save me for the sake of your loyal love.

• Psalms 7:4

  if I have repaid with evil the one at peace with me, I who delivered my adversary without cause,

• Psalms 18:19

  He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

• Psalms 34:7

  The angel of YHWH encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

• Psalms 50:15

  and call on me in the day of distress; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

• Psalms 60:5

  So that your beloved ones may be delivered, save with your right hand and answer me.

• Psalms 81:7

  In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I examined you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

• Psalms 91:15

  He will call on me, and I will answer him; with him I will be in distress; I will rescue him and honor him.

• Psalms 108:6

  So that your beloved ones may be delivered, save with your right hand and answer me.

• Psalms 116:8

  For you have rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

• Psalms 119:153

  See my affliction and rescue me, for your instruction I have not forgotten.

• Psalms 140:1

  For the director. A psalm of David. Rescue me, YHWH, from the evil human being; from the man of violent deeds guard me,

• Proverbs 11:8

  The righteous is delivered from distress, and the wicked comes in his place.

• Proverbs 11:9

  With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

• Isaiah 15:4

  And Heshbon cries out, and Elealeh; as far as Jahaz their voice is heard; therefore the armed men of Moab shout; his soul trembles within him.

And 4 more times.