Hebrew word · H2448

חַכְלִלוּת

chakhlilut

dullness

Found only here. It is related to ḥakhlili in Gen 49:12 ('his eyes are ḥakhlili from wine'). Lexicons such as HALOT connect it with an Akkadian root meaning 'to be dark, dim', which gives 'dullness, darkness, cloudiness' of the eyes. An older tradition takes it as 'redness'.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

redness, dullness

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 Proverbs 23:29

Range of meaning: Found only here. It is related to ḥakhlili in Gen 49:12 ('his eyes are ḥakhlili from wine'). Lexicons such as HALOT connect it with an Akkadian root meaning 'to be dark, dim', which gives 'dullness, darkness, cloudiness' of the eyes. An older tradition takes it as 'redness'.
Against the English: KJV and YLT have 'redness of eyes'. BSB and WEB have 'bloodshot eyes'. The supplied lexical gloss is 'dullness'. The Septuagint has 'whose eyes are livid' (pelidnoi, the dark colour of a bruise). So translations range from red, to dull or glazed, to blackened.
How it drifted: 'Bloodshot' is a vivid modern guess that fits drunkenness, but it narrows a rare word whose colour sense is uncertain and that probably means 'dark' or 'dim'.
Used elsewhere in the period: Gen 49:12, in Jacob's blessing of Judah, where it is positive: eyes dark or sparkling with abundant wine. Here the same word family is used negatively. Septuagint 'livid' may point to black eyes from fighting.

Similar words

חַכְלִילִי chakhlili · dull

Where it appears

Proverbs · 1

Proverbs 23:29 חַכְלִל֥וּת dullness of

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?

Here: Another word found only here. It is related to the adjective in Gen 49:12, where Judah's eyes are 'darker/duller than wine'. It probably means dark, clouded, glazed eyes. 'Redness' or 'bloodshot' is a common traditional guess, not certain.

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