Word Study for H2418 (חֲיָא) | Strong's Concordance

chăyâʼ /khah-yaw'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) or חֲיָה

Meaning(Aramaic), corresponding to חָיָה; to live

KJV usagelive, keep alive.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of chăyâʼ — 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 chăyâʼ, represented by H2418, is a term meaning to live or keep alive. It appears 6 times across 6 unique verses in the Bible. Its use is concentrated in the book of Daniel, often as a formal address to royalty or as a declaration of a king's sovereign power over life and death.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H2418 is most frequently used in the formal address, "O king, live for ever" (Daniel 2:4, Daniel 3:9, Daniel 5:10, Daniel 6:6, Daniel 6:21). This respectful salutation is offered to Babylonian and Persian kings by various figures, including the Chaldeans, the queen, and even Daniel himself. A distinct usage appears in Daniel 5:19, where it describes the absolute authority of a king, who had the power to decide whom "he kept alive" and whom "he slew," highlighting a sovereign's control over the lives of his subjects.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related Aramaic words provide context to the meaning of chăyâʼ:

H5957 ʻâlam (forever): This word for indefinite time is almost always paired with H2418 in the honorific address "live for ever," underscoring a wish for the king's long-lasting reign and life Daniel 6:21.
H6992 qᵉṭal (to kill; slay): This term is used as a direct contrast to H2418 in the description of the king's power. The authority to slay some while choosing to keep alive others demonstrates the ultimate earthly power attributed to the monarch Daniel 5:19.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H2418 emerges from its specific context within Daniel:

Sovereign Earthly Power: The word is used to define the pinnacle of human authority, where a king possesses the power to grant life or death, deciding who to keep alive Daniel 5:19.
Aspiration vs. Reality: The common plea for a king to "live for ever" Daniel 3:9 reflects a human desire for stability and enduring leadership. However, it is an aspirational address to a mortal being.
Contrast with God's Authority: While men wish for kings to live forever, this stands in contrast to the true God, who is described as the one who "liveth for ever" and whose kingdom is truly "an everlasting kingdom" (Daniel 4:34, Daniel 7:27). The use of H2418 for earthly kings implicitly highlights the temporary nature of their power compared to God's.

Summary

In summary, H2418 chăyâʼ is a specific Aramaic term whose meaning is revealed entirely within the book of Daniel. It functions both as a formal, honorific salutation for earthly monarchs ("live for ever") and as a descriptor of their ultimate power to keep alive or to kill. Through this narrow application, the word serves a broader narrative purpose, drawing a clear distinction between the wished-for permanence of human rulers and the actual, eternal nature of God's divine kingship.

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 verb across 6 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.

חֱיִי
מַחֵא

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

6 verses, all in Daniel — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

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.