Hebrew word · H1975

הַלָּז

halaz

this

A rare way to say 'this' or 'that'. It points to someone or something in view but at a distance: 'that one over there'.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

this, this one (without subst), yonder

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Zechariah 2:4

Range of meaning

A rare way to say 'this' or 'that'. It points to someone or something in view but at a distance: 'that one over there'.

Against the English

KJV and WEB 'this young man'; BSB 'that young man'. 'That' fits better, because the speaker is pointing at someone some distance away.

Used elsewhere in the period

Judges 6:20 ('this rock'), 1 Samuel 14:1 ('the Philistine garrison over there'), 1 Samuel 17:26 ('this Philistine', in Goliath's case scornful, but from the context), 2 Kings 4:25 ('that Shunammite over there'), 2 Kings 23:17, and Daniel 8:16 ('make that man understand the vision', also in a vision with angels).

Where it appears

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 6:20 הַלָּ֔ז this

    And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.

1 Samuel · 2

  1. 1 Samuel 14:1 הַלָּ֑ז this

    One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But Jonathan did not tell his father.

  2. 1 Samuel 17:26 הַלָּ֔ז this

    David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

    Here: A rare, pointing word for "this", something like "that fellow over there". It may have a colloquial or slightly dismissive edge.

2 Kings · 2

  1. 2 Kings 4:25 הַלָּֽז׃ this

    So she set out and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there is the Shunammite woman.

  2. 2 Kings 23:17 הַלָּ֔ז this

    Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.”

Daniel · 1

  1. Daniel 8:16 לְהַלָּ֖ז to this [one]

    And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”

    Here: A rare pointing word, 'this one over here,' with the preposition le- marking the person who receives the explanation. It refers to Daniel without naming him, as if the speaker were pointing at him.

Zechariah · 1

  1. Zechariah 2:4 הַלָּ֖ז this

    and said to him, “Run and tell that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock within it.

    Here: A rare word for 'this' or 'that'. It points at someone visible but some distance away, 'that one over there'. It is not an insult.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.