Original Word: הֲלִיכָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: haliykah
Pronunciation: hah-lee-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (hal-ee-kaw')
KJV: company, going, walk, way
NASB: procession, ways, march, travelers
Word Origin: [feminine of H1978 (הָלִיכּ - steps)]

1. a walking
2. (by implication) a procession or march, a caravan

company, going, walk, way

Feminine of haliyk; a walking; by implication, a procession or march, a caravan -- company, going, walk, way.

see HEBREW haliyk

Word Origin
from halak
Definition
a going, way, traveling company
NASB Translation
march (1), procession (2), travelers (1), ways (2).

[הֲלִיכָה] noun feminine a going, way, travelling-company, suffix הֲלִיכָתָם Nahum 2:6 Qr (הלוכתם Kt); elsewhere only plural, construct הֲלִיכוֺת Psalm 68:25, so Proverbs 31:27 Qr (הילכות Kt), הֲלִכוֺת Habakkuk 3:6, הֲלִיכֹת Job 6:19; suffix הֲלִיכוֺתֶיךָ Psalm 68:25; —

1 going, walk,

a. Nahum 2:6 they shall stumble in their going; elsewhere plural goings:

b. Psalm 68:25 (twice in verse) of going, marching, progress of God into the sanctuary (בַּקֹּדֶשׁ; so Hup Pe Che; Ew Hi De in holiness reference either to solemn processions of worshippers (e.g. De) or, perhaps better, to the theophanic progress of God himself (e.g. Che); also

c. of goings = doings צוֺפִיָּה בֵּיתָהּ ׳ה Proverbs 31:27 watching the doings of her household; of God Habakkuk 3:6 הֲלִכוֺת עוֺלָם לוֺ ways of eternity (al of old) are his.

2 travelling-company, caravan הֲלִיכֹת שְׁבָא Job 6:19 ("" אָרְהוֺת תֵּמָא).

Semantic Range and Imagery

The noun הֲלִיכָה consistently evokes movement—whether the measured tread of a caravan, the disciplined march of soldiers, the stately procession of worshippers, or the quiet circulation of domestic life. Its nuance lies not in the distance covered but in the observable manner of going, the course being taken, and the purpose that drives it. In every occurrence, the term draws the reader’s attention to an ordered path under God’s sovereign eye, inviting reflection on the larger metaphor of life as a “walk” before Him.

Occurrences and Contextual Insights

• Job 6:19 “The caravans of Tema look for water; the travelers of Sheba hope for it.”

A desperate Job likens his friends’ comfort to a dried-up wadi that disappoints thirsty caravans. Here הֲלִיכָה portrays merchants on well-known trade routes, emphasizing human dependence and vulnerability.

• Psalm 68:24 “They have seen Your procession, O God—the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.”

Twice in this verse הֲלִיכָה describes the triumphant, worshipful advance of the ark toward Zion. The repetition magnifies the majesty of divine kingship and anticipates the eschatological gathering of all nations to God’s dwelling.

• Proverbs 31:27 “She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”

The virtuous woman monitors the “ways” of her home. הֲלִיכָה here speaks of everyday routines shaped by wisdom. Domestic order becomes an arena of covenant faithfulness, refuting any false divide between sacred and secular labor.

• Nahum 2:5 “He summons his nobles; they stumble as they advance. They hurry to its wall, and the protective shield is set in place.”

The word depicts Assyrian commanders rushing along siege-paths. The prophet exposes the frantic, unordered stride of a superpower collapsing under divine judgment, contrasting sharply with the stately procession of Psalm 68.

• Habakkuk 3:6 “He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations; the ancient mountains crumbled; the perpetual hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.”

In the hymn’s climax, הֲלִיכָה becomes a plural noun for the LORD’s “everlasting ways.” What armies, caravans, and households exemplify only in part, God embodies perfectly: purposeful, righteous, unchanging movement through history.

(The term occurs six times; Psalm 68:24 contains the form twice.)

Theological Themes

1. Divine Sovereignty over Human Paths Whether in commerce (Job), worship (Psalm), domestic life (Proverbs), or warfare (Nahum), every “going” unfolds within God’s providence. Habakkuk anchors this truth by asserting that God’s own “ways” define reality itself.

2. The Moral Dimension of Movement הֲלִיכָה is never morally neutral. The virtuous woman’s well-ordered routines contrast with the stumbling march of Assyria. Scripture thereby affirms that conduct—corporate or personal—reflects the heart’s posture toward God.

3. Pilgrimage and Worship Psalm 68 links the term to liturgical procession, foreshadowing the believer’s lifelong pilgrimage (compare Hebrews 13:13–14). Worship reorients all other paths, aligning them with God’s redemptive plan.

Christological and New Testament Resonances

The Greek Scriptures frequently cast discipleship as a “walk” (for example, Ephesians 5:2). Jesus identifies Himself as “the way” (John 14:6), fulfilling the Old Testament expectation of righteous הֲלִיכָה and offering the definitive path to the Father. The early church itself is called “the Way” in Acts, underlining continuity with the Hebrew concept of a God-directed course.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Discipleship Leaders can draw on these texts to teach believers that every sphere—commerce, family, worship, civic duty—has a divinely appointed “way.”

• Worship Planning Psalm 68 encourages the intentional design of corporate gatherings as visible processions that celebrate God’s kingship.

• Counseling and Pastoral Care Job 6:19 models honest lament when trusted paths fail, while Habakkuk 3:6 reassures counselees of God’s enduring stability.

• Cultural Engagement Nahum 2:5 warns against trusting empires and military might; faith communities are called to embody a different march, one marked by justice and humility.

Summary

הֲלִיכָה threads through Scripture as a multifaceted picture of movement under God’s authority—from desert caravan to sanctuary aisle, from kitchen floor to battlefield rampart. Each occurrence invites God’s people to examine their own course and to align it with the everlasting ways of the Lord revealed in the Messiah, the One whose path leads unfailingly to life.

בַּהֲלִֽיכָתָ֑ם בהליכתם הֲלִ֘יכ֤וֹת הֲלִיכ֣וֹת הֲלִיכ֥וֹת הֲלִיכֹ֥ת הֲלִיכוֹתֶ֣יךָ הליכות הליכותיך הליכת ba·hă·lî·ḵā·ṯām bahalichaTam bahălîḵāṯām hă·lî·ḵō·w·ṯe·ḵā hă·lî·ḵō·wṯ hă·lî·ḵōṯ haliChot halichoTeicha hălîḵōṯ hălîḵōwṯ hălîḵōwṯeḵāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts