Bible Word Study
כֹּל
kôl · null
כֹּל
Definition
The Hebrew word כֹּל (kôl) is a noun meaning 'all,' 'every,' or 'the whole.' It expresses totality, comprehensiveness, or universality. In Ezra 4:14, it refers to 'all the king's revenue,' emphasizing complete inclusion. It can also function idiomatically to mean 'any' or 'whosoever,' as in Ezra 6:11, which decrees punishment for 'anyone' who alters the king's command. The word underscores the entirety of a group, object, or concept without exception.
Biblical Usage
כֹּל appears exclusively in the Aramaic portions of the Old Testament, specifically in the books of Ezra and Daniel. It is used in official documents, decrees, and narratives involving Persian administration. Common contexts include royal proclamations (Ezra 7:13), inventories (Ezra 6:17), and legal stipulations (Ezra 6:11). It consistently conveys totality, whether referring to people, objects, or abstract concepts like 'all the work' (Ezra 5:7).
Etymology
כֹּל is the Aramaic cognate of the Hebrew word כֹּל (H3605), both deriving from a common Semitic root meaning 'whole' or 'complete.' The Aramaic form was adopted into biblical texts during the post-exilic period when Aramaic was the lingua franca of the Persian Empire. Its meaning remained stable, denoting entirety or the sum of parts.
Semantic Range
While כֹּל itself is a common term, its usage in Aramaic biblical texts highlights God's sovereignty over 'all' kingdoms and rulers, as seen in decrees of Persian kings who unknowingly fulfill divine purposes (Ezra 6:12). It reinforces the theme of God's comprehensive authority in history, even through foreign administrations, assuring believers of His control over all circumstances. In the Persian imperial context, כֹּל often appears in formal decrees and administrative language, reflecting the empire's bureaucratic emphasis on totality and precision. Its use underscores the absolute authority of the king, whose commands applied to 'all' subjects. This contrasts with modern, more relativistic uses of 'all,' as it carried legal weight and implied enforceable completeness. כֹּל (kōl, H3605) — The Hebrew equivalent, used throughout most of the Old Testament with identical meaning. כֻּלֹּה (kullōh, H3607) — A variant form meaning 'all of it' or 'the whole,' often used for emphasis.
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]