---
title: חֵלְכָה — hapless · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חֵלְכָה (2489), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 2 times: hapless. BDB 1906: adj. hapless, unfortunate. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# חֵלְכָה

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«חֵלְכָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **hapless** — 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:** 2 times · **Key:** 2489 · **BDB:** חֵֽלְכָה

### Glosses

an.unfortunate.person (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

hapless [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2489/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

adj. hapless, unfortunate [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2489/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** read חַלְכֶּה, חֶלְכֶּה, or חָלְכֶּה, adj. hapless, unfortunate, only as subst. hapless, luckless one(s)—לְחֵֽלְכָה ψ 10:8, 𝔊 εἰς τὸν πένητα, 𝔖 𝔗; חֵלֶ֑כָה 10:14 𝔊 ὁ πτωχός; חלכאים 10:10 Kt, read pl. חַלְכָּאִים (חֶל׳, חָל׳); Qr חֵל כָּאִים, 𝔊 τῶν πενήτων. In all text and meaning dub. (MT reads חֵלְכָה = חֵילְךָ thine army; and חֵל כָּאִים v 10 army of dejected ones, but this against usage of חֵל, and no such fig. sense of חַיִל, v. Ol Hup De Bae Che, and crit. n.)

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חֵלְכָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2489/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 10:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.10.8/)

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יֵשֵׁ֤ב ׀ בְּמַאְרַ֬ב חֲצֵרִ֗ים בַּֽ֭מִּסְתָּרִים יַהֲרֹ֣ג נָקִ֑י עֵ֝ינָ֗יו לְֽחֵלְכָ֥ה יִצְפֹּֽנוּ׃

*Word for word:* he.sits in an.ambush of.villages in.(the) secret places he.kills \[the\].innocent eyes his for an.unfortunate.person they.lie.hidden

*JPS 1917:* He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; in secret places doth he slay the innocent; his eyes are on the watch for the helpless.

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[Psalms 10:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.10.14/)

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רָאִ֡תָה כִּֽי־אַתָּ֤ה ׀ עָ֘מָ֤ל וָכַ֨עַס ׀ תַּבִּיט֮ לָתֵ֪ת בְּיָ֫דֶ֥ךָ עָ֭לֶיךָ יַעֲזֹ֣ב חֵלֶ֑כָה יָ֝ת֗וֹם אַתָּ֤ה ׀ הָיִ֬יתָ עוֹזֵֽר׃

*Word for word:* you.have.seen (dm) you mischief and vexation you.pay.attention to put in hand your on you he.abandons an.unfortunate.person \[the\].fatherless you you.are a.helper

*JPS 1917:* Thou hast seen; for Thou beholdest trouble and vexation, to requite them with Thy hand; unto Thee the helpless committeth himself; Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.

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