Word Study for H2257 (חֲבַל) | Strong's Concordance

chăbal /khab-al'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) from חֲבַל

Meaningharm (personal or pecuniary)

KJV usagedamage, hurt.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of chăbal — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Aramaic word chăbal, represented by H2257, refers to harm (personal or pecuniary); damage, hurt. It is a specific term, appearing only 3 times across 3 unique verses in the Bible. Its usage centers on the concept of injury or loss, whether physical or material.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H2257 is used to describe outcomes of faithfulness and political maneuvering. In the book of Daniel, it highlights divine protection. The men in the fiery furnace have "no hurt" Daniel 3:25, and similarly, after being saved from the lions' den, "no manner of hurt was found upon" Daniel Daniel 6:23. In contrast, Ezra uses the term in a political context, where officials warn against rebuilding Jerusalem, asking, "why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?" Ezra 4:22.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related Aramaic words provide a fuller context for the types of harm described:

H5135 nûwr (fire; fiery, fire.): This word is directly associated with the context of H2257 in Daniel's account of the fiery furnace. The narrative emphasizes that the men walked in the midst of the fire Daniel 3:25 yet suffered no harm.
H5142 nᵉzaq (to suffer (causatively, inflict) loss; have (en-) damage, hurt(-ful).): This term is used in parallel with H2257 to describe potential loss to the monarchy. In Ezra, the concern is that allowing the city to be rebuilt will lead to damage H2257 that grows "to the hurt of the kings" Ezra 4:22.

Theological Significance

The significance of H2257 lies in its application in different spheres of conflict.

Divine Deliverance: The word's absence is a testament to God's power. In Daniel, those who are faithful to God are miraculously delivered from situations intended to cause them physical hurt Daniel 3:25. Daniel's preservation is explicitly linked to his faith: "no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God" Daniel 6:23.
Worldly & Political Concerns: In Ezra, the word shifts from physical preservation to material and political liability. The potential for damage H2257 is presented as a reason for kings to fear the rebuilding of Jerusalem, framing it as a financial and strategic threat Ezra 4:22.

Summary

In summary, H2257 chăbal encapsulates the idea of detrimental harm. Though rare, its usage provides a sharp contrast between the concerns of earthly kingdoms—who fear financial and political damage—and the power of God, who shields his faithful followers from physical hurt even in the most perilous circumstances. The word illustrates how the concept of harm is viewed differently from human and divine perspectives.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 3 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

חֲבָל
חֲבָלָ

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 3 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Daniel (2 verses); never once in the other 37.

Ezra

Daniel

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.