Hebrew · Strong's H3615
כָּלָה
(kah-LAH)
verb
To end, be completed, perish, or consume, indicating a comprehensive termination or fulfillment of a process or entity.
The Hebrew verb *kalah* encompasses a broad semantic range related to bringing something to an end. It can denote the cessation of an action or state, the completion of a task, or the utter destruction or consumption of a person or object. This versatility means that *kalah* often describes finality, whether it is the finishing of a building project, the perishing of life, or the complete consumption of resources. The context in which *kalah* appears is paramount for understanding its precise meaning, ranging from a neutral completion to a forceful eradication. It can reflect human actions of finishing or divine acts of judgment and destruction.
Common English renderings
- accomplish
- cease
- consume
- destroy
- done
- end
- fail
Key verses
"For my life is spent with sorrow, And my years with sighing: My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, And my bones are wasted away."
Read in context →
"And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times: then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it; whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice."
Read in context →
"Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."
Read in context →
"And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it."
Read in context →
"Mine eyes do fail with tears, my heart is troubled; My liver is poured upon the earth, because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, Because the young children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city."
Read in context →
Related words