---
title: קָלָה — be lightly esteemed · The Tanakh dictionary
description: קָלָה (7034), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 6 times: be lightly esteemed. BDB 1906: vb. be lightly esteemed, dishonoured. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# קָלָה

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«קָלָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be lightly esteemed** — 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:** 6 times · **Key:** 7034 · **BDB:** קָלָה²

### Glosses

\[one.who.is\].lightly.esteemed (1); \[one.who\].dishonors (1); he.will.be.dishonored (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be lightly esteemed [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1511/7034/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be lightly esteemed, dishonoured [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1511/7034/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be lightly esteemed, dishonoured (‖ form of קלל; cf. NH קָלוֹן, 𝔗 קְלָנָא disgrace, shame);—Pf. 3 ms. consec. וְנִקְלָה Is 16:14 Dt 25:3; Pt. נִקְלֶה Is 3:5 + 2 times;—be lightly esteemed, held of little account, Is 16:14 (glory of Moab); אִישׁ רָשׁ וְנִקְלֶה 1 S 18:23; so (Pt. as subst.) Is 3:5 (opp. נִכְבָּד), Pr 12:9 (opp. מִתְכַּבֵּד); more positively, be dishonoured, degraded, Dt 25:3 (לְעֵינֶיךָ). treat with contempt, dishonour, Pt. מַקְלֶה אָבִיו וגו׳ Dt 27:16 one dishonouring \[i.e. opp. כַּבֵּד of 5th Command\].

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 6 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 2 with the glosses (5 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «קָלָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1511/7034/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 12:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.12.9/)

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ט֣וֹב נִ֭קְלֶה וְעֶ֣בֶד ל֑וֹ מִ֝מְּתַכַּבֵּ֗ד וַחֲסַר־לָֽחֶם׃

*Word for word:* \[is\].good \[one.who.is\].lightly.esteemed and a.servant \[belongs\].to him more than.\[one.who\].honors.himself and \[he.is\].lacking of.food

*JPS 1917:* Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant, than he that playeth the man of rank, and lacketh bread.

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[Deuteronomy 27:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/DEU.27.16/)

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אָר֕וּר מַקְלֶ֥ה אָבִ֖יו וְאִמּ֑וֹ וְאָמַ֥ר כָּל־הָעָ֖ם אָמֵֽן׃ס

*Word for word:* \[is\].cursed \[one.who\].dishonors father his and mother his and it.will.say all the people amen

*JPS 1917:* Cursed be he that dishonoureth his father or his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen.

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