Lexical Summary kalah: To complete, finish, accomplish, consume, destroy Original Word: כָּלָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance altogether, be, utterly consumed, consummation, was determined, utter end, riddanceFrom kalah; a completion; adverb, completely; also destruction -- altogether, (be, utterly) consume(-d), consummation(-ption), was determined, (full, utter) end, riddance. see HEBREW kalah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kalah Definition completion, complete destruction, consumption, annihilation NASB Translation annihilation (1), complete destruction (5), complete end (4), completely (4), destroy* (2), destruction (2), end (1), entirely (1), full end (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs כָּלָה noun feminine completion, complete destruction, consumption, annihilation; always this form; — 1 completion, but only as adverb, and dubious: completely, altogether Genesis 18:21 (J; read כֻּלָּם Ol Kau Buhl), Exodus 11:1 (si vera lectio) 2 complete destruction, consumption, annihilation: a. almost always by God, especially ׳עָשָׂה כ Isaiah 10:23 (+ וְנֶחֱרָצָה), Nahum 1:8 (2 accusative, si vera lectio; BuhlZAW 1885, 181 proposes בְּקָמָיו for מְקוֺמָהּ see IdHWB 12 KauAT, Text Krit. Erläut. p. 65; see also מָקוֺם below קום), Nahum 1:9; Jeremiah 4:27; Nehemiah 9:31 (2 accusative); + אֵת person = with, pregnant sense, = in dealing with (compare II. אֵת 1d), Zephaniah 1:18 (אַךְ נִבְהָלָה ׳כ), Jeremiah 5:18; Jeremiah 30:11 = Jeremiah 46:28 (אֹתְָךָ = אִתְּךָ), Ezekiel 11:13; Ezekiel 20:17 (אוֺתָם = אִתָּם); + בְּכָלגּֿוֺיִם Jeremiah 30:11; Jeremiah 46:28; without וְנֶחֱרָצָה שָׁמַעְתִּי ׃עשׂה ׳כ Isaiah 28:22, ׳וְנ ׳עַדכֿ Daniel 9:27 (on both compare Isaiah 10:23; Zephaniah 1:18); לְכָלָה for annihilation Ezekiel 13:13 (si vera lectio, see Co), ׳וְלֹא לְהַשְׁחִית לְכ2Chronicles 12:12. b. by men, אַלֿ ׳וְכ תַּעֲשׂוּ Jeremiah 5:10; בְיָדוֺ ׳וְכ Daniel 11:16 and (i.e. with) annihilation in his hand. Topical Lexicon Root Concept and Scope of Usage כָּלָה signals an event brought to its decisive conclusion—often the elimination of an evil, the exhaustion of patience, or the finishing stroke of judgment. The Twenty-one occurrences span the Torah, Historical Books, and Prophets, presenting a single theological theme: God governs endings as surely as beginnings. Divine Judgment that Reaches a “Full End” This word most frequently appears in oracles of wrath. Isaiah warns Judah that “the Lord GOD of Hosts will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land” (Isaiah 10:23). Isaiah 28:22 and Daniel 9:27 reuse the phrase “decreed destruction” to stress the certainty and completeness of the sentence. Nahum addresses Nineveh: “With an overwhelming flood He will make a complete end of his adversaries” (Nahum 1:8). Zephaniah 1:18 extends the scope to all the earth, anticipating the day when no refuge will remain. The term thus underlines the finality of divine judgments; they are not temporary setbacks but settled executions of righteousness. Judgment Tempered by Mercy Remarkably, כָּלָה is also used to show the boundary God sets to His own wrath. After announcing devastation, Jeremiah repeatedly hears God add, “But I will not make a full end of you” (Jeremiah 4:27; 5:18; 30:11; 46:28). Nehemiah recalls the exile yet confesses, “In Your great compassion You did not make an end of them” (Nehemiah 9:31). The vocabulary of total annihilation therefore becomes a canvas on which mercy is painted; divine covenant love preserves a remnant. Covenantal Discipline in History Genesis 18:21 gives the first narrative instance, as the Lord weighs whether the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah has reached the point of a “complete end.” In Exodus 11:1 the last plague is introduced: “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that he will let you go from here; when he lets you go, he will surely drive you out completely.” Historical books echo the pattern: Saul’s murderous outburst against Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:33) illustrates how human wrath seeks a “complete end,” contrasting with the righteous judgment of God. The chronicler reports Rehoboam’s humility, noting that wrath did not come “to destroy him completely” (2 Chronicles 12:12), showing how repentance arrests the trajectory toward total ruin. Eschatological Overtones Prophetic passages employing כָּלָה feed into the larger biblical expectation of a final day when evil will be terminated. Daniel 9:27 welds the idea to the seventieth week, projecting a “complete destruction” that seals prophetic vision. Thus the word bridges immediate historical crises and the ultimate consummation, assuring believers that sin and rebellion have a divine expiration date. Pastoral and Homiletical Implications 1. The certainty of judgment: When proclaiming the gospel, preachers can point to these texts to affirm that God’s justice is not theoretical. Summary כָּלָה highlights both the irresistible finality of divine judgment and the protective boundary of covenant mercy. It summons the faithful to revere God’s holiness, trust His redemptive restraints, and hope for the day when He will bring all rebellion to its ordained, complete end. Forms and Transliterations וְכָלָ֖ה וכלה כָ֥לָה כָּלָ֑ה כָּלָ֕ה כָּלָ֖ה כָּלָֽה׃ כָּלָה֙ כָלָ֔ה כָלָ֖ה כָלָ֜ה כָלָ֤ה כָלָ֨ה כלה כלה׃ לְכָלָ֑ה לְכָלָֽה׃ לכלה לכלה׃ Chalah kā·lāh ḵā·lāh kaLah kālāh ḵālāh lə·ḵā·lāh lechaLah ləḵālāh vechaLah wə·ḵā·lāh wəḵālāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 18:21 HEB: אֵלַ֖י עָשׂ֣וּ ׀ כָּלָ֑ה וְאִם־ לֹ֖א NAS: if they have done entirely according to its outcry, KJV: whether they have done altogether according to the cry INT: about have done entirely and if not Exodus 11:1 1 Samuel 20:33 2 Chronicles 12:12 Nehemiah 9:31 Isaiah 10:23 Isaiah 28:22 Jeremiah 4:27 Jeremiah 5:10 Jeremiah 5:18 Jeremiah 30:11 Jeremiah 30:11 Jeremiah 46:28 Jeremiah 46:28 Ezekiel 11:13 Ezekiel 13:13 Ezekiel 20:17 Daniel 9:27 Nahum 1:8 Nahum 1:9 Zephaniah 1:18 21 Occurrences |
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