Original Word: חָשַׁל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chashal
Pronunciation: khaw-shal'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-shal')
KJV: feeble
NASB: stragglers
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to make (intrans. be) unsteady, i.e. weak

feeble

A primitive root; to make (intrans. Be) unsteady, i.e. Weak -- feeble.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to shatter
NASB Translation
stragglers (1).

[חָשַׁל] verb shatter (Biblical Aramaic חֲשַׁל shatter; Late Hebrew Pi`el, "" משׁבר; Syriac forge a metal, Arabic drive cattle violently; Assyrian —ašâlu, shatter, destroy Zim^{BP 12} Dl^{Pr 42}) —

Niph`al Participle figurative כָּלֿ הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים Deuteronomy 25:18 all the shattered ones, i.e. those broken down, worn out, followed by וְאַתָּה עָיֵף וְיָגֵעַ; others think = חלשׁ.

Concept Overview

The term denotes a state of physical or moral frailty so pronounced that those described by it lag behind the community and are exposed to danger. Scripture uses the word to spotlight vulnerability that calls for protection, not exploitation.

Biblical Occurrence

Deuteronomy 25:18 records Amalek’s treacherous assault on Israel’s rear guard: “When you were weary and worn out, he cut off all the stragglers at your rear; he had no fear of God” (Berean Standard Bible). The word translated “stragglers” embodies the idea of weariness that leaves a person defenseless.

Historical Background

The setting is Israel’s wilderness journey shortly after the Exodus. Rather than confronting the nation honorably, Amalek struck the exhausted fringe—women, children, elderly, and sick—violating every norm of ancient Near-Eastern warfare and hospitality. This cowardly act etched Amalek’s name into Israel’s collective memory and shaped later commands to remember and eradicate that ethos of predation (Deuteronomy 25:17–19; 1 Samuel 15:2–3).

Theological Reflection

1. Divine Concern for the Weak

The sole occurrence of the word sits in a passage where God condemns the abuse of the frail. The Lord’s covenant heart consistently champions those who cannot defend themselves (Exodus 22:22–24; Psalm 146:9).

2. Moral Accountability of Nations

Amalek’s sin was not merely military aggression; it was contempt for God (Deuteronomy 25:18). Scripture links the treatment of the vulnerable to reverence for the Almighty (Proverbs 14:31; Matthew 25:40).

3. Foreshadowing Redemptive Themes

Israel’s own weakness in the wilderness magnifies divine grace: “He gives power to the faint, and to the powerless He increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29). God’s saving acts repeatedly emerge in contexts where His people are “stragglers.”

Practical Ministry Application

• Shepherding the Rear Guard

Churches are called to notice and guard those who drift to the margins—new believers, the elderly, the chronically ill, the poor. True community moves at the pace of its slowest members (Romans 15:1).

• Rejecting Amalek’s Strategy

Any ministry model that prizes efficiency over compassion echoes Amalek. Leadership must ensure programs do not sacrifice the weak for the sake of the strong (1 Corinthians 12:22–25).

• Strength from the Lord

Believers who feel spiritually “faint” find hope in promises such as 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Human frailty becomes an arena for divine power.

Cross-References

Isaiah 35:3–4; Psalm 72:12–14; Ezekiel 34:16; Acts 20:35; James 1:27

הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִ֣ים הנחשלים han·ne·ḥĕ·šā·lîm hannecheshaLim hanneḥĕšālîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts