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Hebrew

To lighten

קָלַלStrong’s H7043

qalal (qa-lal)

Appears in 79 verses of the Old Testament

In short

Qalal is the Hebrew word usually translated “lighten”, “cursed” and “it is trifling”. It appears in 79 verses of the Old Testament.

“Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;”
Genesis 8:8 KJV
Meaning
  1. To be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light(Qal) · (Niphal) · (Piel) · (Pual) to be cursed · (Hiphil) · (Pilpel) · (Hithpalpel) to shake oneself, be moved to and fro
How it's translated
  • lighten 6
  • and he cursed 4
  • it is trifling 3
  • to curse 2
  • he will curse 2
  • they have been swift 2
  • you curse 2
  • a trifling 2

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • 2 Samuel 10
  • Genesis 6
  • Leviticus 6
  • Isaiah 6
  • 1 Samuel 5
  • 1 Kings 5

22 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 79 verses, by book
Deuteronomy 1
23:4
Joshua 1
24:9
Judges 1
9:27
2 Kings 3
2:243:1820:10
2 Chronicles 3
10:410:910:10
Nehemiah 2
13:213:25
Ecclesiastes 4
7:217:2210:1010:20
Ezekiel 3
8:1721:2122:7
Jonah 1
1:5
Nahum 1
1:14
Habakkuk 1
1:8
Hebrew dictionary

קָלַל qalal · to lighten

1) to be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be slight, be abated (of water) 1a2) to be swift 1a3) to be trifling, be of little account 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be swift, show oneself swift 1b2) to appear trifling, be too trifling, be insignificant 1b3) to be lightly esteemed 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to make despicable 1c2) to curse 1d) (Pual) to be cursed 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to make light, lighten 1e2) to treat with contempt, bring contempt or dishonour 1f) (Pilpel) 1f1) to shake 1f2) to whet 1g) (Hithpalpel) to shake oneself, be moved to and fro

From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “lighten” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

LIGHTEN, verb intransitive

li'tn. [from light, the fluid.]

  1. To flash; to burst forth or dart, as lightning; to shine with an instantaneous illumination.
  2. To shine like lightning.
  3. To fall; to light. obsolete
All definitions and other forms of “lighten”

    LIGHTEN, verb transitive

    li'tn.

    1. To dissipate darkness; to fill with light; to spread over with light; to illuminate; to enlighten; as, to lighten an apartment with lamps or gas; to lighten the streets.
    2. To illuminate with knowledge; in a moral sense.“A light to lighten the Gentiles” Luke 2:32
    3. To free from trouble and fill with joy.“They looked to him and were lightened” Psalms 34:5

    LIGHTEN, verb transitive

    li'tn. [from light, not heavy.]

    1. To make lighter; to reduce in weight; to make less heavy; as, to lighten a ship by unloading; to lighten a load or burden.
    2. To alleviate; to make less burdensome or afflictive; as, to lighten the cares of life; to lighten the burden of grief.
    3. To cheer; to exhilarate.

    Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

    Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Hebrew, not from any one translation.