Word Study for H2432 (חִילֵן)

Chîylên /khee-lane'/ Ask about this word

Meaningfortress; Chilen, a place in Palestine

KJV usageHilen.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Chîylên — 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 Hebrew word Chîylên, represented by H2432, is a proper name for a location in Palestine, defined as fortress. It is a rare term, appearing only 1 time in 1 unique verse in the entire Bible. Its meaning is derived from a word signifying a fortress.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The sole appearance of H2432 is in a geographical list within the book of Chronicles. The verse states, "And Hilen with her suburbs, Debir with her suburbs" 1 Chronicles 6:58. This passage details the cities allotted to the priestly descendants of Aaron, identifying Hilen as one of the Levitical cities provided for them.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words appear alongside H2432, providing geographical and administrative context:

H1688 Dᵉbîyr: The name of a king and two places in Palestine, Debir is mentioned in the same list as Hilen 1 Chronicles 6:58. It was a significant city conquered by Joshua Joshua 10:38.
H4054 migrâsh: This term for a suburb or open pasture land is consistently paired with Levitical cities. It describes the lands given to the Levites around their designated cities Numbers 35:2.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H2432 is not derived from the name itself, but from the context of its single appearance.

Priestly Allotment: Hilen is identified as a city given to the sons of Aaron 1 Chronicles 6:58. This highlights the fulfillment of God's provision for the priestly line, which was given specific cities among the other tribes.
Divine Command: The granting of cities like Hilen with their suburbs H4054 fulfills the command given in Numbers, where God instructed Israel to provide cities for the Levites to dwell in from their own inheritance Numbers 35:2.
Historical Record: Its inclusion in the Chronicles list underscores the importance of maintaining a precise historical and geographical record of the covenant people's inheritance and settlement in the land.

Summary

In summary, H2432 Chîylên is a specific place name whose importance is tied entirely to its role as a Levitical city. While its definition suggests a fortress, its single biblical reference in 1 Chronicles 6:58 serves primarily to document the historical and geographical distribution of the priestly families. Its significance is therefore not found in complex theology but in its function within the administrative record of God's provision for His designated priests.

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 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form — 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.

חִילֵז

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

1 verse, all in 1 Chronicles — 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.