Original Word: כַּלָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: kallah
Pronunciation: kal-lah'
Phonetic Spelling: (kal-law')
KJV: bride, daughter-in-law, spouse
NASB: bride, daughter-in-law, daughters-in-law, brides
Word Origin: [from H3634 (כָּלַל - perfected)]

1. a bride (as if perfect)
2. (hence) a son's wife

bride, daughter-in-law, spouse

From kalal; a bride (as if perfect); hence, a son's wife -- bride, daughter-in-law, spouse.

see HEBREW kalal

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
daughter-in-law, bride
NASB Translation
bride (15), brides (2), daughter-in-law (14), daughters-in-law (3).

כַּלָּה noun feminine daughter-in-law, bride; — absolute ׳כ Jeremiah 2:32 14t.; suffix כַּלָּתוֺ Genesis 11:31 5t.; כַּלָּתָהּ Ruth 1:22 2t., etc.; plural suffix כַּלֹּתֶיהָ Ruth 1:6,8, כַּלּוֺתֶיהָ Ruth 1:7, כַּלּוֺתֵיהֶם Hosea 4:13,14; —

1 daughter-in-law, in reference to husband's father Genesis 38:11,16,24 (J), compare 1 Chronicles 2:4; 1 Samuel 4:19; Ezekiel 22:11; Micah 7:6; Genesis 11:31 (P), Leviticus 18:15; Leviticus 20:12 (both H); husband's mother Ruth 1:6,7,8,22; Ruth 2:20,22; Ruth 4:15.

2 bride, usually

a. just before marriage Isaiah 49:18; Isaiah 61:10; Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 2:32 (all in simile, etc.), "" חָתָן Jeremiah 7:34; Jeremiah 16:9; Jeremiah 25:10; Jeremiah 33:11; Joel 2:16; Songs 4:8,9,10,11,12; Songs 5:1.

b. also just after marriage = young wife Hosea 4:13,14; read הַכַּלָּה likewise 2 Samuel 17:3 (for ᵑ0 הַכֹּל), ᵐ5 We Dr Klo Kit Bu.

Meaning and Scope

כַּלָה denotes a woman newly received into a family, either as a “bride” on her wedding day or as a settled “daughter-in-law.” The term therefore straddles two relational circles: the covenant formed by marriage and the enlarged household that results from it.

Narrative Portraits

• Genesis 11:31 presents Sarai as Terah’s כַּלָה, signaling the transfer of allegiance that marriage requires and setting the stage for Abram’s journey of faith.
• In Genesis 38 Tamar is called “daughter-in-law” five times (38:11, 16, 24–25). Judah’s failure to honor his obligations to her exposes the social vulnerability of a כַּלָה and the divine concern for covenantal faithfulness.
• The Book of Ruth uses the word nine times (for example Ruth 1:8; 2:11; 4:15). Ruth’s unbroken loyalty to Naomi and Israel’s God turns the ordinary status of a daughter-in-law into a testimony of hesed, illustrating how Gentiles can be grafted into the covenant people.
• 1 Samuel 4:19 notes that Eli’s death is announced to “his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas,” showing that the כַּלָה shares in the destiny—good or ill—of her husband’s house.

Legal and Moral Safeguards

Leviticus 18:15 and 20:12, together with Ezekiel 22:11, prohibit sexual relations between a man and his כַּלָה; the severity of the sanctions preserves both family order and covenant purity. The curse formula of Deuteronomy 27:23 underscores that any breach of these boundaries is an assault on the holiness of God-ordained marriage.

Poetic and Wisdom Imagery

The Song of Songs employs כַּלָה five times (4:8-11; 5:1), intertwining romantic delight with covenant exclusivity. “You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride” (Song of Solomon 4:9) moves from familial affection (sister) to marital union (bride), foreshadowing the intimacy God seeks with His people.

Proverbs does not use כַּלָה directly, yet the idealized bride of the Song informs wisdom’s call to faithful love and chastity.

Prophetic and Eschatological Usage

Isaiah 49:18; 61:10; 62:5; Jeremiah 2:32 draw on bridal imagery to depict Zion’s restoration: “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5). The rejoicing bride contrasts sharply with judgment oracles in which her voice is silenced (Jeremiah 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; 33:11). When the sounds of “bride and bridegroom” cease, covenant blessings have been withdrawn; their return signals renewal. Joel 2:16 places the bride in a call to national repentance: public lament takes precedence over private celebration.

From Old to New Covenant

Though כַּלָה occurs only in the Hebrew Scriptures, its theological trajectory reaches Revelation, where “the bride” becomes the corporate people of God (Revelation 19:7; 21:2). The Old Testament use lays the foundation: marriage is covenant, exclusive and joyful; YHWH is the faithful Bridegroom; His people are called to covenant loyalty.

Ministry Implications

1. Marriage Counseling and Weddings: The biblical picture of כַּלָה endorses lifelong covenant, mutual delight, and family integration. Wedding homilies can draw on Song of Songs 4 and Isaiah 62 to celebrate both human and divine love.
2. Discipleship: Ruth’s example encourages believers who have joined the family of faith from outside backgrounds, showing that covenant love outweighs ethnic and cultural barriers.
3. Preaching on Judgment and Hope: Jeremiah’s removal and restoration of bridal joy provide vivid imagery for sermons on sin’s consequences and God’s promise of renewal.
4. Sexual Ethics: Levitical prohibitions guard the sanctity of marriage and warn against relational boundaries that, when crossed, undermine community health and divine fellowship.

Related Terms and Themes

• חָתָן (bridegroom) complements כַּלָה and together frame wedding celebrations (Jeremiah 25:10).
• בְּרִית (covenant) underlies every occurrence, whether family (Judah–Tamar), national (Zion), or cosmic (Messianic marriage supper).
• חֶסֶד (steadfast love) animates the actions of a faithful כַּלָה (Ruth) and the Lord’s enduring commitment to His people.

In all thirty-four passages, כַּלָה consistently testifies that God binds Himself to His people with the same joy, exclusivity, and permanence that He ordains for earthly marriage.

וְכַכַּלָּ֖ה וְכַלָּ֖ה וְכַלָּת֣וֹ וְכַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ וְכַלּוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם וככלה וכלה וכלותיכם וכלתו וכלתיה כַּכַּלָּֽה׃ כַּלָּ֑ה כַּלָּ֔ה כַּלָּ֖ה כַּלָּֽה׃ כַּלָּֽתְךָ֖ כַּלָּה֒ כַּלָּת֔וֹ כַּלָּת֖וֹ כַּלָּת֜וֹ כַּלָּתֶ֔ךָ כַּלָּתָ֑הּ כַּלּֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ כַלָּ֑ה כַלָּה֒ כַלָּת֖וֹ כַלָּתֵ֤ךְ כַלָּתָהּ֙ כַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ כַלֹּתֶ֖יהָ ככלה׃ כלה כלה׃ כלותיכם כלתה כלתו כלתיה כלתך לְכַלָּתָ֗הּ לכלתה chalLah challaTah challaTech challaTo challoTeiha kak·kal·lāh kakkalLah kakkallāh kal·lā·ṯāh ḵal·lā·ṯāh kal·lā·ṯe·ḵā kal·lā·ṯə·ḵā ḵal·lā·ṯêḵ kal·lā·ṯōw ḵal·lā·ṯōw kal·lāh ḵal·lāh ḵal·lō·ṯe·hā kal·lō·w·ṯê·ḵem kalLah kallāh ḵallāh kallaTah kallāṯāh ḵallāṯāh kallaTecha ḵallāṯêḵ kallāṯeḵā kallāṯəḵā kallaTo kallāṯōw ḵallāṯōw ḵallōṯehā kalloteiChem kallōwṯêḵem lə·ḵal·lā·ṯāh lechallaTah ləḵallāṯāh vechakkalLah vechalLah vechallaTo vechalloteiChem vechalloTeiha wə·ḵak·kal·lāh wə·ḵal·lā·ṯōw wə·ḵal·lāh wə·ḵal·lō·ṯe·hā wə·ḵal·lō·w·ṯê·ḵem wəḵakkallāh wəḵallāh wəḵallāṯōw wəḵallōṯehā wəḵallōwṯêḵemInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts