Bible Word Study
חֵלֶד
chêled · Cheled, an Israelite
חֵלֶד
Cheled, an Israelite
Definition
Cheled is the name of an Israelite warrior, specifically one of King David's mighty men, known as the 'Thirty' or 'Valiant Men'. He is listed in 1 Chronicles 11:30 as 'Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite'. As a proper noun, it refers solely to this individual, with no other biblical meanings or senses. The name appears only in this military roster, identifying him among David's elite fighters.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 11:30. Its usage is strictly as a personal name within a list of warriors. It appears in the context of chronicling the military heroes who supported David's kingdom, specifically in the roster found in 1 Chronicles 11:10-47.
Etymology
The name Cheled (חֵלֶד) is derived from the identical common noun חֶלֶד (cheled, H2465), which means 'world', 'duration of life', or 'age'. As a name, it likely carried a meaning related to 'temporal life' or 'the world', possibly expressing a hope for longevity or a reflection on the nature of earthly existence.
Semantic Range
Naming in ancient Israel often conveyed meaning or parental hopes. A name like Cheled, connected to the concept of 'world' or 'lifespan', may have reflected a cultural awareness of life's transience or a desire for a full life. As one of David's mighty men, his inclusion in this list signifies honor, valor, and loyalty to the king, which were highly valued cultural virtues. As a proper name, Cheled has no direct synonyms. It is etymologically related to the common noun: חֶלֶד (cheled, H2465) — the common noun meaning 'world' or 'duration of life', from which the personal name is derived.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]