Original Word: כִּלָּיוֹן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: killayown
Pronunciation: kil-lah-YONE
Phonetic Spelling: (kil-law-yone')
KJV: consumption, failing
NASB: destruction, failing
Word Origin: [from H3615 (כָּלָה - finished)]

1. pining, destruction

pining, destruction

From kalah; pining, destruction:

see HEBREW kalah

Word Origin
from kalah
Definition
failing, pining, annihilation
NASB Translation
destruction (1), failing (1).

כִּלָּיוֺן noun masculine

1 failing, pining;

2 annihilation (on formation compare Lag^{BN 200}); —

1 construct כִּלְיוֺן עֵינַיִם Deuteronomy 28:65 failing of eyes (in longing, compare foregoing, and see Dr).

2 כִּלָּיוֺן חָרוּץ Isaiah 10:22 annihilation, strictly decided.

Meaning and Semantic Range

The noun כִּלָּיוֹן (killayon) pictures a gradual wasting away that ends in total depletion—whether of physical strength, vision, a nation’s vitality, or moral resolve. Originating from a root that means “to be finished” or “to be consumed,” it carries the idea of an exhaustive, almost inevitable draining that leaves nothing in reserve.

Occurrences in Scripture

Deuteronomy 28:65 locates killayon amid the covenant curses: “The LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and despairing soul”. Here it portrays eyes so tired of longing that they finally give out.

Isaiah 10:22 speaks of judgment on rebellious Israel: “Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness”. Killayon—rendered “destruction” or “consumption”—emphasizes a measured but decisive judicial sweep that nevertheless preserves a remnant.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Judgment

Killayon embodies the certainty of covenant sanctions. God’s holiness ensures that persistent rebellion draws an exhaustion of strength, sight, and security (compare Leviticus 26:16).

2. Remnant Hope

Isaiah 10 intertwines killayon with the doctrine of the remnant. Judgment is real, yet never wipes out God’s purpose; His consuming action is purposeful, not capricious.

3. Completeness of Divine Action

The word highlights how God’s dealings leave nothing half-finished. Whether in discipline or redemption, He brings matters to their appointed end (Psalm 138:8).

Historical Context

In Deuteronomy, Israel stands on the brink of Canaan, forewarned of exile realities later chronicled in Lamentations. Isaiah delivers his oracle during Assyria’s ascendancy (eighth century B.C.), when the northern kingdom teetered on collapse and Judah faced existential threat.

Ministry Implications

• Preaching: Killayon warns that sin silently consumes vitality, urging congregations to renew covenant faithfulness.
• Counseling: It validates believers’ feelings of burnout while directing them toward repentance and the restorative presence of God.
• Discipleship: It underscores that divine “consumption” also serves to refine; the goal is holiness, not annihilation (Hebrews 12:10-11).
• Missional Outlook: Even when society seems spiritually spent, God keeps a remnant, encouraging perseverance in witness (Romans 11:5).

New Testament Connections

Paul cites Isaiah 10:22 in Romans 9:27 to show that God’s saving plan always involved judgment that leaves a purified people. The ultimate consumption fell upon Christ at the cross, exhausting the Deuteronomic curse and opening the way for Gentile inclusion (Galatians 3:13-14).

Practical Reflection

Believers today must guard against a slow “eye-failure” of faith. Regular immersion in Scripture, corporate worship, and sacrificial love replenishes what sin would drain, ensuring that what is finally “consumed” is only the old self, while the new self is “renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:10).

וְכִלְי֥וֹן וכליון כִּלָּי֥וֹן כליון kil·lā·yō·wn killaYon killāyōwn vechilYon wə·ḵil·yō·wn wəḵilyōwnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts