7032. qal
Lexical Summary
qal: Light, swift, agile

Original Word: קָל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qal
Pronunciation: kahl
Phonetic Spelling: (kawl)
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H6963 (קוֹל - voice)]

1. sound, voice

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
sound, voice

(Aramaic) corresponding to qowl -- sound, voice.

see HEBREW qowl

Brown-Driver-Briggs
קָל noun masculineDan 4:28 voice (ᵑ7 Syriac); — ׳ק absolute Daniel 4:28; Daniel 6:21; construct sound of words Daniel 7:11, instrumental Daniel 3:5,7,10,15.

Topical Lexicon
Qal (קָל) – Voice, Sound

Occurrences in Daniel

1. Daniel 3:5 – The call to worship the golden image: “As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music…”
2. Daniel 3:7 – Nations respond to the same “sound.”
3. Daniel 3:10 – The decree is rehearsed before Nebuchadnezzar.
4. Daniel 3:15 – Nebuchadnezzar threatens the furnace at the next “sound.”
5. Daniel 4:31 – A heavenly declaration: “a voice came from heaven.”
6. Daniel 6:20 – Darius cries out “in a voice of anguish.”
7. Daniel 7:11 – The “sound of the boastful words” of the little horn.

Contours of Meaning

Qal gathers every nuance of audible expression in the Aramaic chapters of Daniel—music that summons, a royal proclamation, the anguished cry of a repentant monarch, and the arrogant rhetoric of a final adversary. The term is elastic enough to cover instrumental music, spoken speech, or even heavenly pronouncement, yet unified by the single idea of a compelling, attention-grabbing sound.

Contrasting Voices: Idolatry and Revelation

Daniel 3 places Qal at the center of an empire’s idolatrous liturgy. The orchestrated “sound” is a manufactured substitute for divine revelation, calculated to bind every nation and language to a golden image.
• By dramatic contrast, Daniel 4:31 records the only Qal that descends from heaven. Here the true Sovereign interrupts human pride: “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you.” The heavenly voice overrides the imperial voice, exposing the limits of earthly power.
• In Daniel 6:20, Darius’s “voice of anguish” underscores human frailty. Even kings tremble when confronted with the living God’s faithfulness to His servant.
Daniel 7:11 pushes the contrast into eschatology. The “sound of the boastful words” of the little horn epitomizes end-time rebellion, a final echo of the idolatrous music of chapter 3, soon silenced by divine judgment: “I kept looking until the beast was slain.”

Prophetic and Eschatological Implications

Qal marks a progression from the forced worship of chapter 3, through divine intervention in chapters 4 and 6, to the climactic judgment of chapter 7. The pattern anticipates New Testament teaching that “faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17) while warning that not every voice is worthy of obedience. Scripture’s consistency is evident: the same God who spoke from heaven in Daniel later declares from heaven in Matthew 3:17 and ultimately shakes heaven and earth in Hebrews 12:26.

Applications for Faith and Ministry

1. Discernment: Believers must distinguish between the attractive “sound” of cultural idolatry and the authentic voice of God recorded in Scripture.
2. Worship: True worship is a response to divine revelation, not to human orchestration. Churches may employ music, but music must never replace the Word that commands it.
3. Courage: Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Christians today may face coercive “sounds” that demand compromise. Their stand encourages unwavering fidelity.
4. Humility: Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling reminds leaders that authority is derivative. Ministry that listens for heaven’s voice will avoid the pride that precipitates downfall.
5. Hope: The silencing of the little horn assures the church that every arrogant voice will be muted when Christ returns “with a loud command” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Key Theological Themes

• Revelation versus manipulation
• Sovereignty of God over human authorities
• The moral weight of speech (Proverbs 18:21; James 3:5-6)
• Eschatological victory of God’s Kingdom

Qal’s sevenfold appearance in Daniel therefore functions as an audible thread that ties together persecution, revelation, repentance, deliverance, and ultimate judgment—each “voice” serving the overarching purpose of magnifying the One whose word endures forever.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּקָ֥ל בקל קָ֖ל קָ֣ל קָל֙ קל bə·qāl beKal bəqāl kal qāl
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 3:5
HEB: דִּֽי־ תִשְׁמְע֡וּן קָ֣ל קַרְנָ֣א מַ֠שְׁרוֹקִיתָא
NAS: you hear the sound of the horn,
KJV: ye hear the sound of the cornet,
INT: forasmuch hear the sound of the horn flute

Daniel 3:7
HEB: כָּֽל־ עַמְמַיָּ֡א קָ֣ל קַרְנָא֩ מַשְׁר֨וֹקִיתָ֜א
NAS: heard the sound of the horn,
KJV: heard the sound of the cornet,
INT: and all the peoples the sound of the horn flute

Daniel 3:10
HEB: דִּֽי־ יִשְׁמַ֡ע קָ֣ל קַרְנָ֣א מַ֠שְׁרֹקִיתָא
NAS: hears the sound of the horn,
KJV: that shall hear the sound of the cornet,
INT: who hears the sound of the horn flute

Daniel 3:15
HEB: דִּֽי־ תִשְׁמְע֡וּן קָ֣ל קַרְנָ֣א מַשְׁרוֹקִיתָ֣א
NAS: you hear the sound of the horn,
KJV: ye hear the sound of the cornet,
INT: who hear the sound of the horn flute

Daniel 4:31
HEB: בְּפֻ֣ם מַלְכָּ֔א קָ֖ל מִן־ שְׁמַיָּ֣א
NAS: mouth, a voice came
KJV: mouth, there fell a voice from heaven,
INT: mouth the king's A voice from heaven

Daniel 6:20
HEB: לְגֻבָּ֔א לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל בְּקָ֥ל עֲצִ֖יב זְעִ֑ק
NAS: out with a troubled voice. The king
KJV: with a lamentable voice unto Daniel:
INT: the den to Daniel voice A troubled cried

Daniel 7:11
HEB: בֵּאדַ֗יִן מִן־ קָל֙ מִלַּיָּ֣א רַבְרְבָתָ֔א
NAS: because of the sound of the boastful
KJV: because of the voice of the great
INT: Then because of the sound words of the great

7 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7032
7 Occurrences


bə·qāl — 1 Occ.
qāl — 6 Occ.

7031
Top of Page
Top of Page