Original Word: חָלָב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chalab
Pronunciation: khaw-LAB
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-lawb')
KJV: + cheese, milk, sucking
NASB: milk, cheese, suckling
Word Origin: [from the same as H2459 (חֶלֶב חֵלֶב - fat)]

1. milk (as the richness of kine)

cheese, milk, sucking

From the same as cheleb; milk (as the richness of kine) -- + cheese, milk, sucking.

see HEBREW cheleb

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
milk
NASB Translation
cheese (1), milk (41), suckling (1).

חָלָב noun masculine milk (Late Hebrew id. (and verb denominative); Aramaic חַלָבָּא, , Phoenician חלב; Arabic noun fresh milk, verb milk; Assyrian alibu, milk, see Dl^{Pr 174}; Ethiopic ) — ׳ח absolute Genesis 18:18 35t. + Ezekiel 34:3 (see below); construct חֲלֵב Exodus 23:19 5t.; suffix חֲלָבִי Songs 5:1, חֲלָבֵךְ Ezekiel 25:4; — milk:

a. as common food Genesis 18:8 (J; distinct from חֶמְאָה curd, q. v.), חֲלֵב צאֹן Deuteronomy 32:14 (poetry; distinct from חֶמְאַת בָּקָר); in Judges 5:25 חָלָב is used parallel with חֶמְאָה; elsewhere חֶמְאָה seems to be produced from חָלָב: — מִיץ חָלָב יוֺצִיא חֶמְאָה Proverbs 30:33 a pressing (squeezing) of milk produces curd; מֵרֹב עֲשׂוֺת חָלָב יאֹכַל חֶמְאָה Isaiah 7:22 because of abundant yield of milk he shall eat curd; compare also חֲרִצֵי הֶחָלָב 1 Samuel 17:18 cuts of milk, i.e. cheeses; it was received in buckets or pails (עֲטִינָיו) Job 21:24 (see Ew De Di VB), and kept in skins (׳נאֹוד ח) Judges 4:19; men drank it (שׁתה) Ezekiel 25:4 (compare השׁקה Judges 4:19), but also ate it (אכל), if emendation הֶחָלָב Ezekiel 34:3 (for הַחֵלֶב) is right, ᵐ5 ᵑ9 Bo Hi-Sm Co, and others; it was poured out, see simile of formation of the embryo תַּתִּיכֵנִי ׳הֲלֹא כֶח Job 10:10 hast thou not poured me out like milk? specifically (1) חֲלֵב עִזִּים לְלַחְמְךָ Proverbs 27:27 milk of goats for thy food (RS^{Semitic i. 204}). (2) with אֵם mother's milk: of kid לֹאתְֿבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֺ Exodus 23:19 = Exodus 34:26 (JE) = Deuteronomy 14:21, compare ׳טְלֵה ח 1 Samuel 7:9 sucking lamb (for sacrifice); but also of human beings ׳גְּמוּלֵי מֵח Isaiah 28:9 weaned from milk ("" עַתִּיקֵי מִשָּׁדָ֫יִם); figurative in promise to Zion וְיָנַקְתְּ חֲלֵב גּוֺיִם Isaiah 60:16 and thou shalt suck the milk of nations ("" תִּינָ֑קִי וְשֹׁד מְלָכִים). (3) ׳ח with wine, as especially delicacy Songs 5:1 (see De), figurative of ׳יs choicest blessings Isaiah 55:1. (4) often in phrase of productiveness of land of Canaan (דְּבַשׁ) זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָ֫שׁ flowing with milk and honey Exodus 3:8,17; Exodus 13:5; Exodus 33:3; Numbers 13:27; Numbers 14:8; Numbers 16:13,14 (all J E), Leviticus 20:24 (H), Deuteronomy 6:3; Deuteronomy 11:9; Deuteronomy 26:9,15; Deuteronomy 27:3; Deuteronomy 31:20; Joshua 5:6; Jeremiah 11:5; Jeremiah 32:22; Ezekiel 20:6,15; in Messianic time the hills ׳תֵּלַכְנָה ח Joel 4:18 ("" יִטְּפוּ הֶהָרִים עָסִיס); figurative of charms of loved one תַּחַת לְשׁוֺנֵךְ ׳דְּבַשׁ וְח Songs 4:12 honey and milk are under thy tongue.

b. milk as white ׳לְבֶןשִֿׁנַּיִם מֵח Genesis 49:12 white of teeth, from milk; ׳צַחוּ מֵח Lamentations 4:7 they were whiter than milk ("" זַכּוּ מִשֶּׁלֶג); so also probably of eyes (iris) ׳רֹחֲצוֺת בֶּח Songs 5:12 bathed in milk, i.e. the white of the eye. — On milk as not used by Israel in sacrifice see RS^{Semitic 204}.

II. חלב (√of following; perhaps compare Assyrian —alâbu, be covered, VR Cant 8:83 Lyon^{Manual, Gloss}, —allibu, cover, clothe IR:18, 68 —allubtu, clothing, Lyon^{Sargontexte 14}, —itlupatu, na—lapu (read b for p) Schr^{COT Gloss}).

Literal and Pastoral Significance

חָלָב most often denotes the ordinary milk obtained from cows, sheep, or goats, a foundational element of the ancient Near-Eastern diet. In Genesis 18:8 Abraham offers “curds and milk” to his heavenly visitors, testifying to the product’s ready availability in pastoral households. Proverbs 27:27 anticipates “plenty of goats’ milk” as part of wise husbandry, while Job 10:10 uses the process of coagulating milk into cheese to illustrate God’s intimate involvement in forming life.

Covenantal Blessing of the Promised Land

From the first appearance of the Exodus promise, milk is linked with honey as a shorthand for covenant prosperity. Exodus 3:8 speaks of “a land flowing with milk and honey,” a phrase repeated through Moses (Exodus 13:5; Deuteronomy 6:3; 11:9), the spies (Numbers 13:27), Joshua (Joshua 5:6), later prophets (Ezekiel 20:6; 20:15), and post-exilic vision (Joel 3:18). The enduring refrain presents milk as a tangible token of Yahweh’s faithfulness to provide sustenance in abundance.

• The imagery presupposes fertile pasturage and healthy flocks; where pasture is lacking, milk dries up (Isaiah 7:21-22), reminding Israel that obedience and blessing are inseparable.
• Even rebels recognized the value: Korah’s followers complained that Moses had not brought them “into a land flowing with milk and honey” (Numbers 16:13-14).

Dietary and Ritual Considerations

The Torah never forbids milk itself, yet it draws lines that preserve theological clarity. Three times Israel is commanded, “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21). The prohibition likely guarded against pagan fertility rites and prevented confusion of life and death symbols. In prophetic critique, shepherds who exploit the flock are accused: “You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool, and slaughter the fattened sheep” (Ezekiel 34:3), exposing social injustice through misuse of milk products.

Israel’s sacrificial system never places milk on the altar; the firstfruits of it were given directly to people (curds, butter, cheese) rather than burned, emphasizing that milk is food for living bodies, not a medium for atonement.

Imagery of Provision and Nurture

Milk’s nourishing character lends itself to wider theological metaphor. “His teeth [are] whiter than milk” (Genesis 49:12) signals robust health in Judah’s future king. In poetic parallelism, Psalm 55:21? Actually not.

The Song of Songs richly layers romantic and covenantal overtones:
• “Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue” (Song of Songs 4:11).
• “I have drunk my wine with my milk” (Song of Songs 5:1) expresses full enjoyment of marital union blessed by God.

Isaiah 66:11 invites Zion’s children to “drink deeply and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, that you may nurse and be delighted with her glorious abundance,” portraying the restored Jerusalem as a mother whose milk never fails.

Prophetic and Poetic Usage

Milk serves as a barometer of national wellbeing. Isaiah announces that in the desolation following Assyrian invasion “curds and honey will be what everyone who remains in the land will eat” (Isaiah 7:22), paradoxically turning scarcity of cultivated crops into reliance on pastoral produce. Lamentations 4:3 decries the ruthless mothers of Jerusalem who “have become cruel, like ostriches in the desert,” withholding the very milk that symbolizes covenant compassion.

At times prophets expand the motif: “You will suck the milk of nations; you will nurse at the breast of kings” (Isaiah 60:16), promising wealth transfer to Zion. Joel 3:18 foresees a day when “the hills will flow with milk,” a universalized echo of the Exodus promise.

Historical Vignettes

• Judges 4:19 shows Jael offering Sisera milk instead of water—an apparently hospitable act that sets the stage for his downfall, contrasting divine deliverance with human vulnerability.
• During David’s flight, friends bring “honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd” (2 Samuel 17:29), marking solidarity through life-giving dairy in the wilderness.

Intertestamental and New Testament Resonances

Although חָלָב itself is Hebrew, the concept underlies the apostolic exhortation “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk” (1 Peter 2:2) and the contrast between “milk” and “solid food” in Hebrews 5:12-14. The writer to the Hebrews assumes the Old Testament picture of milk as basic, indispensable nourishment and applies it to foundational teaching about Christ.

Ministry Application

1. Assurance of Provision: The repeated promise of a land “flowing with milk and honey” affirms God’s desire to meet the material needs of His people, encouraging believers to trust His sufficiency in Christ (Matthew 6:31-33).
2. Call to Holiness: The prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother’s milk warns against syncretism. Christian ministry must avoid blending life-giving truth with the death-dealing patterns of the world.
3. Pastoral Care: Isaiah’s maternal imagery urges leaders to feed the flock gently. Paul echoes this in 1 Thessalonians 2:7—“we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children.”
4. Growth in Doctrine: Just as infants begin with milk and advance to stronger food, discipleship moves from elementary truths to deeper theology, never despising but building upon the basics.

Summary

Across approximately forty-four Old Testament references, חָלָב depicts literal nourishment, covenant blessing, ethical boundary, and prophetic hope. From Abraham’s tent to Isaiah’s vision of a redeemed Jerusalem, milk consistently testifies that the God of Scripture is both provider and parent, sustaining His people for worship, witness, and the inheritance kept for them.

בֶּֽחָלָ֔ב בַּחֲלֵ֥ב בחלב הֶֽחָלָב֙ הֶחָלָ֛ב החלב וְחָלָ֗ב וְחָלָֽב׃ וְחָלָב֙ וַחֲלֵ֣ב וחלב וחלב׃ חֲלֵ֣ב חֲלֵ֬ב חֲלָבִ֑י חֲלָבֵֽךְ׃ חָלָ֑ב חָלָ֔ב חָלָ֖ב חָלָ֛ב חָלָ֡ב חָלָ֣ב חָלָ֤ב חָלָ֥ב חָלָב֙ חלב חלבי חלבך׃ כֶ֭חָלָב כחלב מֵֽחָלָ֔ב מֵחָלָ֑ב מֵחָלָֽב׃ מחלב מחלב׃ ba·ḥă·lêḇ bachaLev baḥălêḇ be·ḥā·lāḇ bechaLav beḥālāḇ chaLav chalaVech chalaVi chaLev chechalo ḥă·lā·ḇêḵ ḥă·lā·ḇî ḥā·lāḇ ḥă·lêḇ ḥālāḇ ḥălāḇêḵ ḥălāḇî ḥălêḇ he·ḥā·lāḇ hechaLav heḥālāḇ ḵe·ḥā·lāḇ ḵeḥālāḇ mê·ḥā·lāḇ mechaLav mêḥālāḇ vachaLev vechaLav wa·ḥă·lêḇ waḥălêḇ wə·ḥā·lāḇ wəḥālāḇInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts