Original Word: חֶבֶל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chebel
Pronunciation: kheh'-bel
Phonetic Spelling: (kheh'-bel)
KJV: band, coast, company, cord, country, destruction, line, lot, pain, pang, portion, region, rope, snare, sorrow, tackling
Word Origin: [from H2254 (חָבַל - To bind)]

1. a rope (as twisted), especially a measuring line
2. (by implication, as measured) a district or inheritance
3. (by implication, as of cords) a noose
4. (figuratively) a company (as if tied together)
5. (also) a violent pang or spasm (especially of childbirth)
6. (also) ruin

band, coast, company, cord, country, destruction, line, lot,

Or chebel {khay'-bel}; from chabal; a rope (as twisted), especially a measuring line; by implication, a district or inheritance (as measured); or a noose (as of cords); figuratively, a company (as if tied together); also a throe (especially of parturition); also ruin -- band, coast, company, cord, country, destruction, line, lot, pain, pang, portion, region, rope, snare, sorrow, tackling.

see HEBREW chabal

I. חֶ֫בֶל noun masculine^{Joshua 2:14} feminine ^{Zephaniah 2:6} (but see below) cord, territory, band; ׳ח absolute Joshua 2:15 +; construct Deuteronomy 3:4 +, חֵ֫בֶל Joshua 19:29; suffix חַבְלוֺ Job 18:10; plural חֲבָלִים 2 Samuel 8:2 10t. + Ezekiel 47:13; Job 21:7 see below; construct חַבְלֵי Joshua 17:5 5t.; חֶבְלֵי Psalm 116:3 2t. + Psalm 18:5 (read משׁברי see below); suffix הֲבָלָ֑יִךְ Isaiah 33:23; חֲבָלָיו Isaiah 33:20; —

1 cord, rope, by which men were lowered Joshua 2:15 (JE), Jeremiah 38:6,11,12,13, or stones dragged 2 Samuel 17:13; of tents Isaiah 33:20; tackling of ship Isaiah 33:23; for binding Ezekiel 27:24; Job 40:25; Esther 1:6; symbol of captivity or subjection 1 Kings 20:31,32; figurative of snare for wicked Job 18:10 ("" מַלְכֻּדְתּוֺ), set by wicked Psalm 140:6 ("" מַּה); Psalm 119:61 cords of wicked men have surrounded me; of wicked held בחבלי חַטָּאתוֺ Proverbs 5:22; ׳ח הָשָּׁ֑וְא Isaiah 5:18 cords (ropes) of wickedness ("" כַּעֲבוֺת הָעֲגָלָה); of cords of distress (עֹ֑נִי) Job 36:8 ("" וִקִּים); so חֶבְלֵי מָוֶת (probably) Psalm 116:3, חֶבְלֵי שׁאוֺל Psalm 18:6 = 2 Samuel 22:6 ("" מוֺקְשֵׁי מָוֶת); — for חֶבְלֵי מות Psalm 18:5 read מִשְׁבְּרֵי, see 2 Samuel 22:5 and "" נַחֲלֵי בְלִיַּעַל, De Che Bae; to draw בְּחַבְלֵי אָדָם Hosea 11:4 (i.e. humanely, kindly); of cord of life חֶבֶל הַכֶּסֶף Ecclesiastes 12:6.

2 measuring-cord, line מִדָּה ׳ח Zechariah 2:5; so ׳ח alone 2 Samuel 8:2 (3 t. in verse); Amos 7:17; Micah 2:5; Psalm 78:55; figurative (of favoured life) Psalm 16:5; in General of one's portion, fortune Job 21:17 according to ᵑ7 Thes Add. Ew Di and others, but < see חֵבֶל. Thence

3 measured portion, lot, part, region, נַחֲלָה ׳ח inherited portion Deuteronomy 32:9; 1 Chronicles 16:18 = Psalm 105:11; also ׳ח alone Joshua 17:5,14; Joshua 19:9; Ezekiel 47:13 (חבלים; ᵑ9 ᵑ7 read as dual, see Ew Sm Da and others; Co strike out on internal grounds); of particular regions אַרְגֹּב ׳ח Deuteronomy 3:4,13,14; 1 Kings 4:13; אַכְזִיב ׳ח Joshua 19:29 (si vera 1., see WMM^{Asien 194}); הַיָּם ׳ח Zephaniah 2:5; also Zephaniah 2:6, but ׳היתה ח here dubious; Sta proposes 2 feminine singular הָיִת, and strike out הים ׳ח; without הים, Zephaniah 2:7.

4 band, company of prophets 1 Samuel 10:5,10. — II.חֶבֶל see below II. חָבַל.

חֵ֫בֶל noun masculine^{Isaiah 66:7} (but see Jeremiah 49:24) pain, pang; — ׳ח absolute Isaiah 66:7; elsewhere plural חֲבָלִים Isaiah 13:8 3t. + Job 21:17 see below; construct חֶבְלֵי Hosea 13:13; suffix חֲבָלֶיהָ Isaiah 26:17; חֶבְלֵיהֶם Job 39:3 (on suffix see Ges^{§ 135}, 5, R 1); — pain, pang:

1 pains of travail:

a. object of תְּשַׁלַּחְנָה Job 39:3 meton. for off spring ("" יַלְדֵיהֶן; see Di; of goats and hinds).

b. simile of distress of exiles Isaiah 26:17; figurative of anguish of nations צִירִים וַחֲבָלִים יאֹחֵזוּן Isaiah 13:8 ("" כַּיּוֺלֵדָה יְחִילוּן), also Jeremiah 13:21; Jeremiah 22:23; Jeremiah 49:24; of crisis of redemption Hosea 13:13 ("" חֶבְלֵי יוֺלֵדָה), of birth of new Israel Isaiah 66:7.

2 of other than birth-pangs only חבלים Job 21:17; pains, pangs, sorrows (so ᵐ5 ᵑ9 Thes, — otherwise Add. — Rob-Ges Hi Da and others; "" נֵר יִדְעָ֑ךְ, יָבאֹ אֵידָם ); > others, portion, fortune, see חֶבֶל.

חֹבְלִים noun [masculine] plural union (literally binders) name of Zechariah's second symbolic staff Zechariah 11:7 and with article Zechariah 11:14. see חָבַל 1

II. חֶ֫בֶל noun masculine destruction — חֶבֶל נִמְרָץ Micah 2:10; compare II.חָבַל

Pi`el above

Scope and Main Ideas

חֶבֶל is used in the Old Testament for (1) literal ropes or cords, (2) measuring lines and the boundaries or regions established by them, (3) bands or companies of people, and (4) the pangs or cords of pain, death, or judgment. From these four spheres spring numerous theological, historical, and pastoral themes.

Literal Ropes and Cords

1. Salvation and deliverance
• Joshua 2:15,18 – Rahab’s scarlet cord not only lowers the spies to safety but becomes the tangible sign of her own rescue, a vivid Old-Covenant foreshadowing of redemption by a scarlet-covered house.
• Hosea 11:4 – “I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love,” where divine grace replaces bondage with benevolent leading.
2. Bondage and oppression
• Judges 15:13-14; 16:11 – The Philistines rely on new ropes to subdue Samson, yet Spirit-empowered freedom destroys the cords; physical release mirrors the greater deliverance God grants His covenant people.
• 1 Kings 20:31-32 – Rebel servants approach the king of Israel with ropes on their heads, openly displaying submission and dependence on royal mercy.
3. Measuring and judgment
• 2 Samuel 8:2 – David measures Moab “with a length of rope,” determining life or death; the cord becomes an implement of just rule under the king who prefigures Messiah.

Boundary Lines, Regions, and Allotments

1. Covenant inheritance
• Psalm 16:6 – “The lines have fallen in pleasant places for me; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” The believer’s contentment rests on God-drawn boundary cords.
• Deuteronomy 32:9; Psalm 78:55 – Israel itself is God’s allotted portion, reminding the Church that divine election is no mere abstraction but a carefully measured possession.
2. Geographic regions
• Deuteronomy 3:4,13; 1 Kings 4:13 – “the region of Argob” identifies whole tracts of land by the measuring cord that once marked them off.
• 1 Samuel 11:7 – Saul’s severed oxen are sent “throughout all the territory of Israel,” using חֶבֶל for the united tribal lands summoned to battle.
3. Land loss through sin
• Amos 7:17 – Divine judgment divides the land “with a measuring line,” reversing covenant privilege.
• Micah 2:5 – No one remains “to divide the land by lot,” a sober reminder that inheritance can be forfeited through persistent rebellion.

Bands or Companies

1. Prophetic ministry
• 1 Samuel 10:5; 19:20 – A “band of prophets” (chebel nevi’im) signals a Spirit-formed community, bound together in praise and proclamation.
2. Social cohesion or turmoil
• Genesis examples are absent, but later texts apply the term to groups of warriors or workers, picturing either solidarity under God or collective hostility to His will.

Cords and Pangs of Death, Sin, or Travail

1. Mortal peril
• Psalm 18:4-5; 116:3; 2 Samuel 22:6 – “The cords of death encompassed me.” What threatens the psalmist bodily anticipates the greater deliverance achieved in the resurrection of Christ.
2. Spiritual bondage
• Proverbs 5:22 – “The cords of his sin entangle him,” revealing sin’s power to bind until the greater Samson breaks the ropes.
• Job 36:8 – “caught in cords of affliction,” a theme echoed whenever suffering draws souls to seek divine mercy.
3. Birth pangs and eschatological hope
• Isaiah 13:8; Hosea 13:13; Micah 4:9-10 – Labor pains herald both judgment and the birth of a renewed people. Jesus will later describe the “beginning of birth pains,” showing that חֶבֶל imagery bridges Testaments.

Maritime and Occupational Imagery

Isaiah 33:23 portrays Jerusalem’s endangered ship: “Your ropes are slack,” emphasizing national weakness that only the LORD can remedy. Mariners’ rigging, farmers’ plumb-lines, and surveyors’ cords all converge to picture a life held together—or falling apart—by the strength of the God-given חֶבֶל.

Theological Threads

1. Sovereignty and stewardship – Whether cord or coastline, every boundary belongs to the LORD; crossing them unlawfully invites judgment, respecting them secures blessing.
2. Bondage versus freedom – Human cords fail; divine cords rescue (Joshua 2; Hosea 11). The gospel transforms restraints into instruments of grace.
3. Suffering unto glory – The pangs of judgment become the birth pangs of restoration; pain is not purposeless but preparatory for new creation.

Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Psalm 16:6 offers assurance to believers struggling with discontent; God Himself has drawn their boundaries.
• Counseling: Proverbs 5:22 warns addicts of sin’s tightening cords while holding out the stronger cords of love (Hosea 11:4).
• Missions: Rahab’s scarlet rope invites every outsider to trust the covenant LORD for deliverance.
• Social ethics: 2 Samuel 8:2 and Amos 7:17 remind rulers and citizens alike that divine justice governs every allotment of power, land, and wealth.
• Eschatology: The recurrent labor pains orient the church toward the promised full redemption when every cord of death is finally snapped (Revelation 21:4).

Summary

Across its sixty-plus occurrences, חֶבֶל entwines history, geography, worship, and prophecy. From Rahab’s window to Zion’s birth pangs, from David’s measuring line to the believer’s pleasant places, the word teaches that every rope, boundary, and pang lies under the wise and gracious hand of God, who alone can bind or loose and who draws His people to Himself with cords of everlasting love.

בְּחֶ֣בֶל בְּחַבְלֵ֣י בְּחַבְלֵ֨י בְּחַבְלֵי־ בַּֽחֲבָלִ֔ים בַּחֲבָלִ֑ים בַּחֲבָלִ֧ים בַּחֲבָלִֽים׃ בַּחֲבָלֶ֑יהָ בַּחֶ֖בֶל בַּחֶ֙בֶל֙ בַּחֶ֣בֶל בחבל בחבלי בחבלי־ בחבליה בחבלים בחבלים׃ הַחֶ֖בֶל הַחֹֽבְלִ֑ים החבל החבלים וְחֶ֣בֶל וְחֶ֥בֶל וַֽחֲבָלִים֙ וַחֲבָלִ֗ים וַחֲבָלִ֛ים וַחֲבָלִ֣ים וּ֝בְחֶ֗בֶל ובחבל וחבל וחבלים חֲ֝בָלִ֗ים חֲבָלִ֑ים חֲבָלִ֔ים חֲבָלִ֣ים חֲבָלִֽים׃ חֲבָלִים֙ חֲבָלָ֑יִךְ חֲבָלָ֖יו חֵ֛בֶל חֶ֖בֶל חֶ֗בֶל חֶ֝֗בֶל חֶ֣בֶל חֶ֤בֶל חֶ֥בֶל חֶֽבֶל־ חֶבְלֵ֣י חֶבְלֵ֥י חֶבְלֵי־ חֶבְלֵיהֶ֥ם חַבְל֑וֹ חַבְלֵֽי־ חֹֽבְלִ֔ים חבל חבל־ חבלו חבלי חבלי־ חבליהם חבליו חבליך חבלים חבלים׃ יִתָּמֵֽךְ׃ יתמך׃ לַחֲבָלִ֑ים לחבלים מֵחֶ֙בֶל֙ מֵחֶ֥בֶל מחבל ba·ḥă·ḇā·le·hā ba·ḥă·ḇā·lîm ba·ḥe·ḇel bachavaLeiha bachavaLim baChevel baḥăḇālehā baḥăḇālîm baḥeḇel bə·ḥaḇ·lê bə·ḥaḇ·lê- bə·ḥe·ḇel bechavlei beChevel bəḥaḇlê bəḥaḇlê- bəḥeḇel chavaLav chavaLayich chavaLim chavlei chavLo Chevel chevLei chevleiHem choeLim ḥă·ḇā·lā·yiḵ ḥă·ḇā·lāw ḥă·ḇā·lîm ha·ḥe·ḇel ha·ḥō·ḇə·lîm ḥaḇ·lê- ḥaḇ·lōw ḥăḇālāw ḥăḇālāyiḵ ḥăḇālîm ḥaḇlê- ḥaḇlōw haChevel hachoeLim haḥeḇel haḥōḇəlîm ḥe·ḇel ḥê·ḇel ḥe·ḇel- ḥeḇ·lê ḥeḇ·lê- ḥeḇ·lê·hem ḥeḇel ḥêḇel ḥeḇel- ḥeḇlê ḥeḇlê- ḥeḇlêhem ḥō·ḇə·lîm ḥōḇəlîm la·ḥă·ḇā·lîm lachavaLim laḥăḇālîm mê·ḥe·ḇel meChevel mêḥeḇel ū·ḇə·ḥe·ḇel ūḇəḥeḇel uveChevel vachavaLim veChevel wa·ḥă·ḇā·lîm waḥăḇālîm wə·ḥe·ḇel wəḥeḇel yit·tā·mêḵ yittaMech yittāmêḵInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts