---
title: חַיִּים — life · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חַיִּים (2416), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 267 times: life. BDB 1906: n.m. pl.abstr.emph. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# חַיִּים

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«חַיִּים» in the Tanakh dictionary: **life** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 267 times · **Key:** 2416 · **BDB:** חַיִּים

### Glosses

\[by\].the.life (73); life (70); of.life (24)

### Meaning (OSHB)

life [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2416/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. pl.abstr.emph. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2416/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Dt 28:66 pl.abstr.emph. life, ח׳ Gn 2:7 +; חַיִּין Jb 24:22 (Aramaism Ges§ 87 (1) a); חַיֵּי Gn 23:1 +; sf. חַיַּי Gn 47:9 +; חַיָּ֑יְכִי ψ 103:4; (Ges§ 91 (2) R. 2), etc.;— life: physical Gn 27:46 Ex 1:14 (P), Dt 28:66(×2) 2 S 11:11; 15:21 Is 38:12 Je 8:23 La 3:53, 58 Ez 7:13 Jb 3:20; 7:7; 9:21; 10:12; 24:22 ψ 7:6; 17:14; 21:5; 26:9; 31:11; 34:13; 63:4; 64:2; 66:9; 88:4; 103:4 Pr 18:21 Ec 2:17; 6:12; 7:13; 9:9(×2) 10:19 Jon 2:7; 4:3, 8; חַיֵּי שׂרה life of Sarah Gn 23:1 (P); שְׁנֵי ח׳ years of the life of 2 S 19:35 Gn 23:1; 25:7, 17; 47:8, 9(×2), 28 Ex 6:16, 18, 20 (P); שָׁנָה לח׳ Gn 7:11 (P); שְׁנוֹת חַיִּים Pr 3:2; 4:10; 9:11; יְמֵי ח׳ days of the life of Ec 2:3; 5:17, 19; 6:12; 8:15; 9:9; כֹּל יְמֵי ח׳ Gn 3:14, 17 (J) Dt 4:9; 6:2; 16:3; 17:19 Jos 1:5; 4:14 (D) 1 S 1:11; 7:15 1 K 5:1; 11:34; 15:5, 6, 2 K 25:29, 30 = Je 52:33, 34, Is 38:20 (poem of Hez.) ψ 23:6; 27:4; 128:5 Pr 31:12; בּח׳ in or during one’s life Gn 27:46 (P) Lv 18:18 (H) Ju 16:30 2 S 1:23; 18:18 ψ 49:19; 63:5; 104:33; 146:2 Jb 10:1 Ec 3:12; 9:3; רוּחַ ח׳ Gn 6:17; 7:15 (P); ח׳ רוּחִי Is 38:16 (poem of Hez.); ח׳ בשׂרים Pr 14:30; נִשְׁמַת (רוּחַ) ח׳ Gn 2:7; 7:22 (J). life: as welfare and happiness in king’s presence Pr 16:15; as consisting of earthly felicity combined (often) with spiritual blessedness Dt 30:6, 15, 19(×2), 20; 32:47 ψ 30:6; 133:3 Pr 3:22; 4:13, 22; 8:35; 10:16; 11:19; 12:28; 19:23; 21:21; 22:4 Mal 2:5; used only once distinctly of eternal life (late) ח׳ עולם Dn 12:2; אֵל חַיָּ֑י ψ 42:9 God of my life; מעוז ח׳ ψ 27:1; מקור ח׳ ψ 36:10 Pr 10:11; 13:14; 14:27; 16:22; עֵץ (ה)חַיִּים Gn 2:9; 3:22, 24 (J) Pr 3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4; ארח ח׳ ψ 16:11 Pr 5:6; 15:24; ארח לח׳ Pr 10:17; ארחות ח׳ Pr 2:19; דֶּרֶךְ (ה)חַיִּים Pr 6:23 Je 21:8; חקּות ח׳ Ez 33:15; תּוצאות ח׳ Pr 4:23 sources (origin and direction) of life; תוכחת ח׳ Pr 15:31; כָּתוּב לַחַיִּים Is 4:3 written unto life. sustenance, maintenance: חַיִּים לְנַעֲרוֹתֶיךָ Pr 27:27 maintenance for thy maidens, v. מִחְיָה infr.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 137 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (16 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (11 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חַיִּים» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2416/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 116:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.116.9/)

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אֶ֭תְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה בְּ֝אַרְצ֗וֹת הַֽחַיִּֽים׃

*Word for word:* I.will.walk.about before Yahweh in the.lands of the.living

*JPS 1917:* I shall walk before the LORD in the lands of the living.

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[Proverbs 10:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.10.16/)

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פְּעֻלַּ֣ת צַדִּ֣יק לְחַיִּ֑ים תְּבוּאַ֖ת רָשָׁ֣ע לְחַטָּֽאת׃

*Word for word:* \[the\].wage\[s\] of.\[the\].righteous \[is\].(to) life \[the\].yield of.\[the\].wicked \[is\].(to) sin

*JPS 1917:* The wages of the righteous is life; the increase of the wicked is sin.

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