חֶלְקִי
a Chelkite or descendant of Chelek
Definition
חֶלְקִי (Chelqîy) is a patronymic noun meaning 'a Chelkite,' designating a descendant of Chelek (חֵלֶק). It identifies a member of a specific clan within the Israelite tribe of Manasseh. The term appears exclusively in the context of a census listing the clans of Manasseh after the Exodus, specifically in Numbers 26:30. As a proper name, it has no other semantic senses or variations in meaning across biblical passages.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in Numbers 26:30, within the second wilderness census. It functions solely as a clan identifier, listing the Chelkites as one of the familial divisions descended from Gilead within the tribe of Manasseh. There are no patterns of usage across different books or literary contexts.
Etymology
The word is derived patronymically from the proper name חֵלֶק (Cheleq, H2507), meaning 'portion' or 'smoothness.' The suffix -ִי (-îy) indicates 'belonging to' or 'descendant of,' thus forming 'of Chelek' or 'Chelkite.' It follows a standard Hebrew pattern for forming family or clan names from a patriarchal ancestor.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite society, clan names like Chelkite were crucial for establishing tribal lineage, inheritance rights, and social identity, especially concerning land allotments in Canaan. Being listed in the census of Numbers 26 tied the clan to the covenant community and its future territorial claims. This contrasts with modern individualistic identity, highlighting the collective, familial nature of Israel's organization.
גִּלְעָדִי (Gilʻâdîy, H1569) — a descendant of Gilead, the broader familial group to which the Chelkites belonged.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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