Original Word: יָחַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: yachal
Pronunciation: yah-khal'
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-chal')
KJV: (cause to, have, make to) hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait
NASB: hope, wait, waited, have hope, wait expectantly, delay, hoped
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to wait
2. (by implication) to be patient, hope

cause to, have, make to hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait

A primitive root; to wait; by implication, to be patient, hope -- (cause to, have, make to) hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to wait, await
NASB Translation
delay (1), have hope (2), hope (13), hoped (1), wait (13), wait expectantly (2), waited (7), waste time (1).

[יָחַל] verb Niph`al wait;

Pi`el await (compare Late Hebrew יִחוּל expectation); —

Niph`al Perfect3feminine singular נוֺחֲלָה Ezekiel 19:5 (yet see below); Imperfect וַיִּיָּ֫חֶל Genesis 8:12 + 1 Samuel 13:18 Kt (see Dr; Qr Hiph`il וַיּוֺחֶל); — wait: Genesis 8:12 and he waited yet seven days; so 1 Samuel 13:18 Kt; of Israel under figure of lioness, וַתֵּרֶא כִּי נוֺחֲלָה אָֽבְדָה תִּקְוָתָהּ Ezekiel 19:5 when she saw that her hope tarried, was lost (but dubious; Sm compare Aramaic be weak, whence perhaps sink down; Hi (perhaps after ᵐ5) כִּי נִדַּח לָהּ that he was thrust away from her; Co plausibly נוֺאֲלָה that she had acted foolishly).

Pi`el Perfect2masculine singular suffix יִחַלְתָּ֑נִי Psalm 119:49; 1singular יִחָ֑לְתִּי Psalm 119:48 4t. Psalm 119; 3masculine plural יִחֲלוּ Job 29:23; Ezekiel 13:6; יִחֵ֑לּוּ Job 29:21; 1plural יִחַלְנוּ Psalm 33:22; Imperfect יְיַחֵל Micah 5:6; אֲיַחֵל Job 6:11 3t.; אֲיַחֲלָה Job 30:26; יְיַחֵ֑לוּ Isaiah 42:4; יְיַחֵלוּן Isaiah 51:5; Imperative יַחֵל Psalm 130:7; Psalm 131:3;Participle מְיַחֵל Psalm 69:4; מְיַחֲלִים Psalm 31:25 2t.; —

1 wait, tarry for, followed by לְ Micah 5:6 (of rain, "" יְקַוֶּה); so Micah 1:12 according to We, who reads יִחֲלָה (Perfect) for חָלָה; absolute wait Job 14:14.

2 wait for = hope for, followed by לְ Isaiah 42:4; Job 29:21,23; Job 30:25 ("" קִוֵּיתִי), Psalm 31:25; Psalm 33:18; Psalm 33:22; Psalm 69:4; Psalm 119:43; Psalm 119:74; Psalm 119:81; Psalm 119:114; Psalm 119:147; Psalm 147:11; followed by ל infinitive לְקַיֵּם דָּבָר ׳ויח Ezekiel 13:6; followed by אֶל Isaiah 51:5; Psalm 130:7; Psalm 131:3; absolute hope, Job 6:11; Job 13:15; Psalm 71:14.

3 causative make to hope Psalm 119:49 (suffix person).

Hiph`il Perfect הוֺתַ֫לְתִּי Job 32:11, etc.; וְהוֺחַ֫לְתִּי (consecutive, see Hi De<sup>2</sup> Dr<sup>§:§ 106, 119r</sup>) Job 32:16; Imperfect וַיּ֫וֺחֶל 1 Samuel 13:8 Qr; 2 masculine singular תּוֺחֵל 1 Samuel 10:8; אוֺחִיל 2 Kings 6:33; Lamentations 3:21,24; אוֺתִּ֫ילָה Jeremiah 4:19 Qr (Kt אָחוּלָה), Micah 7:7; אֹחִילָה 2 Samuel 18:14; — wait, tarry, absolute (properly shew a waiting attitude): 1 Samuel 10:8 (followed by עַד בּוֺאִי), 1 Samuel 13:8 (Qr; compare Niph`al); 2 Samuel 18:14; Job 32:18; Jeremiah 4:19 (but see חול); wait for, hope for (as

Pi`el), followed by לְ 2 Kings 6:33; Micah 7:7; Lamentations 3:24; Job 32:11; Psalm 38:16; Psalm 42:6; Psalm 42:12; Psalm 43:5; Psalm 130:5 ("" קִוִּיתִי); absolute hope, Lamentations 3:21.

Semantic Richness and Scope

יָחַל portrays active, persevering hope—an expectant waiting that rests on the character and promises of God rather than on human calculation. The verb can stress either the inward attitude (“I will hope”) or the outward posture (“I will wait”), but in every context the two ideas are inseparable; biblical hope waits because it trusts and trusts because it waits.

Distribution in Scripture

Approximately forty occurrences span the Old Testament, with major concentrations in Job, Psalms, and the laments of the prophets. The settings range from private anguish (Job), to congregational worship (Psalms), to national crisis (Lamentations, Micah), revealing how hope forms the lifeline of God’s people in every age and circumstance.

Hope amid Suffering (Job and Lament Literature)

Job, stripped of every earthly security, supplies the verb’s first cluster of occurrences. His anguished cry, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him” (Job 13:15), captures the word’s daring realism: hope is not denial of suffering but defiance of despair. Even when Job feels abandoned, יָחַל keeps him facing God.

The same realism fuels Lamentations. Jerusalem’s fall does not extinguish hope; it purifies it. “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (Lamentations 3:26). Here יָחַל anchors endurance to the certainty of covenant mercy that “is new every morning” (3:23).

Covenantal Confidence in the Psalms

The Psalms employ יָחַל more than any other book, turning individual trust into corporate confession.
• Psalms 33:18 couples hope with reverent fear: “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His loving devotion.”
• Psalms 130, a pilgrim song sung en route to the temple, transforms waiting from personal discipline to communal identity: “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope” (130:5); “O Israel, put your hope in the LORD” (130:7).
• The acrostic structure of Psalms 119 wraps a lifetime of Torah meditation in hope. Refrains such as “I wait for Your salvation, O LORD” (119:166) place expectation not in personal piety but in the sure word of God.

Prophetic Expectation and National Renewal

Micah 7:7 stands at the hinge between judgment and restoration: “But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation.” יָחַל names the posture required during exile and the attitude that will usher in deliverance. Isaiah 51:5 similarly unites Gentile inclusion with Israel’s hope: “My righteousness draws near, My salvation is on the way, and My arm will bring justice to the nations; the islands will look to Me and wait in hope for My arm.” The prophets thus broaden the horizon of hope to embrace all nations while reinforcing Israel’s election.

Wisdom and Ethical Dimensions

Proverbs uses other terms for hope, yet יָחַל’s wisdom implications surface in passages like Psalms 147:11: “The LORD delights in those who fear Him, who hope in His loving devotion.” Hope becomes an ethical act, aligning the heart with divine pleasure. Such hope shapes speech (Psalms 119:43), perseverance in prayer (119:147), and humility (131:3).

Christological and Eschatological Trajectory

While יָחַל is confined to the Old Testament, its theology flows into the New. The Septuagint often renders it by ἐλπίζω, the verb Paul uses to describe the believer’s stance toward the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:19) and the return of Christ (Titus 2:13). Thus, every Old Testament occurrence becomes a seedbed for the “living hope” made explicit through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3). The Messiah embodies the object and guarantor of יָחַל; in Him, the tension between waiting and fulfillment finds resolution.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

1. Suffering Saints: יָחַל equips believers to face chronic pain, injustice, or persecution without surrendering to cynicism. Counselors can walk sufferers through Job and Lamentations to cultivate honest yet hope-filled lament.
2. Corporate Worship: Worship leaders can weave Psalms 33, 42, 130, and 147 into liturgies that train congregations to wait together, countering a culture of instant gratification.
3. Missions and Outreach: Prophetic use of יָחַל grounds global evangelism in God’s pledge to extend hope to the nations, encouraging workers that no people group waits in vain.
4. Spiritual Formation: Personal disciplines of Scripture meditation, fasting, and silence mirror the Psalmists’ rhythm of hoping in the word; discipleship programs should frame these practices not as legalisms but as avenues of expectant waiting.
5. Eschatology: Teaching on the second coming should echo the balance of already/not yet inherent in יָחַל—certainty of fulfillment wedded to patience in the interim.

In every era, יָחַל summons God’s people to an active, patient, and joyful expectancy that is never embarrassed by delay, for it rests on the faithfulness of the covenant-keeping Lord.

אֲיַחֵ֑ל אֹחִ֣ילָה אוֹחִ֖ילָה אוֹחִ֥יל אוֹחִֽיל׃ אוחיל אוחיל׃ אוחילה אחילה איחל הַ֝מְיַחֲלִ֗ים הַֽמְיַחֲלִ֥ים הוֹחִ֣ילִי הוֹחַ֨לְתִּי הוֹחָ֑לְתִּי הוֹחָֽלְתִּי׃ הוחילי הוחלתי הוחלתי׃ המיחלים וְ֭הוֹחַלְתִּי וְיִֽחֲל֖וּ וְיִֽחֲל֣וּ וְיִחֵ֑לּוּ וַֽאֲיַחֲלָ֥ה וַיִּיָּ֣חֶל וַיֹּ֣וחֶל ואיחלה והוחלתי ויוחל ויחלו וייחל יְיַחֵ֖ל יְיַחֵֽילוּ׃ יְיַחֵלֽוּן׃ יִֽחַלְתָּֽנִי׃ יִחַ֥לְנוּ יִחָֽלְתִּי׃ יַחֵ֣ל יַחֵ֥ל יחל יחלנו יחלתי׃ יחלתני׃ ייחילו׃ ייחל ייחלון׃ לַֽמְיַחֲלִ֥ים למיחלים מְ֝יַחֵ֗ל מיחל נֽוֹחֲלָ֔ה נוחלה תּוֹחֵל֙ תוחל ’ă·ya·ḥêl ’ăyaḥêl ’ō·ḥî·lāh ’ō·w·ḥî·lāh ’ō·w·ḥîl ’ōḥîlāh ’ōwḥîl ’ōwḥîlāh ayaChel ham·ya·ḥă·lîm hamyachaLim hamyaḥălîm hō·w·ḥā·lə·tî hō·w·ḥal·tî hō·w·ḥî·lî hoChalti hoChili hōwḥālətî hōwḥaltî hōwḥîlî lam·ya·ḥă·lîm lamyachaLim lamyaḥălîm mə·ya·ḥêl meyaChel məyaḥêl nō·w·ḥă·lāh nochaLah nōwḥălāh oChil oChilah tō·w·ḥêl toChel tōwḥêl vaayachaLah vaiyiYachel vaiYochel Vehochalti veyichaLu veyiChellu wa’ăyaḥălāh wa·’ă·ya·ḥă·lāh way·yî·yā·ḥel way·yō·w·ḥel wayyîyāḥel wayyōwḥel wə·hō·w·ḥal·tî wə·yi·ḥă·lū wə·yi·ḥêl·lū wəhōwḥaltî wəyiḥălū wəyiḥêllū ya·ḥêl yaChel yaḥêl yə·ya·ḥê·lū yə·ya·ḥê·lūn yə·ya·ḥêl yeyaCheilu yeyaChel yeyacheLun yəyaḥêl yəyaḥêlū yəyaḥêlūn yi·ḥā·lə·tî yi·ḥal·nū yi·ḥal·tā·nî yiChalnu YichalTani yiChalti yiḥālətî yiḥalnū yiḥaltānîInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts