Hebrew word · H2486

חָלִ֫ילָה

chalilah

forbid

An exclamation of strong rejection, built from the root ḥ-l-l ('to profane, pollute, make common') with a directional ending. BDB glosses it 'ad profanum!', literally 'to profanation!', meaning 'far be it!'.

Appears 21 times in 19 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

far be it (from me), God forbid that, let it not be

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 Genesis 18:25

Range of meaning

An exclamation of strong rejection, built from the root ḥ-l-l ('to profane, pollute, make common') with a directional ending. BDB glosses it 'ad profanum!', literally 'to profanation!', meaning 'far be it!'. It is used when an action would be shameful or a sacrilege for the person named: 'far be it from me/you/God'.

Against the English

'Far be it from you' (BSB, KJV-style) and 'God forbid' catch the sense of strong refusal but lose the root picture of desecration. Abraham is not just saying 'please don't'. He is saying such an act would profane God's own name and character.

How it drifted

Mild. 'Far be it' has become a stock polite phrase in English ('far be it from me to criticise…'), which can make Abraham sound mild or ironic. In Hebrew the word is vehement.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used about 20 times, e.g. Gen 44:7, 17; Josh 22:29; 1 Sam 2:30; 1 Sam 24:6; Job 34:10 ('far be it from God to do wickedness', a close parallel in thought). Rabbinic commentary (Rashi, following Genesis Rabbah) explains it here as 'it is ḥullin, a profane thing, for you'.

From the study of Joshua 24:16

Range of meaning

An exclamation that rejects something as unthinkable: “far be it!”, “never!”, “perish the thought!” Most lexicons (BDB, HALOT) take it from the root ḥll, “to profane, make common”. On that view it means something like “to the profane!”, i.e. “that would be a desecration”. It is usually followed by “to me/us” and then min (“from”) plus a verb: “a profanation for us, from doing X”.

Against the English

KJV's “God forbid” sounds like a prayer that brings God in. The Hebrew has no word for God here. BSB, WEB and YLT have “far be it from us”, which keeps the sense of revulsion but loses the hint of sacrilege.

How it drifted

“God forbid” comes from the English Reformation Bibles (Tyndale onward), which borrowed a native English oath to render this idiom. That oath now sounds like either a casual phrase or a prayer, and neither is in the Hebrew.

Used elsewhere in the period

Abraham uses it to God in Gen 18:25 (“Far be it from you to do such a thing… shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”). Joseph's brothers use it in Gen 44:7, 17. David uses it about harming the LORD's anointed in 1 Sam 24:6 (Heb. v.7). In the same book, Josh 22:29 has the two-and-a-half tribes say “Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD”. The Septuagint usually renders it mē genoito (“may it not be!”), the formula Paul later uses in Romans.

From the study of 1 Samuel 14:45

Range of meaning

An exclamation rejecting something as unthinkable: 'far be it!', 'never!', 'God forbid!' It is usually connected (BDB, HALOT) with the root ḥ-l-l 'to profane', so literally 'to profanation!', that is, 'that would be a desecration.'

Against the English

KJV 'God forbid'; WEB 'Far from it!'; BSB 'Never!'; YLT 'a profanation!' (the most literal).

How it drifted

KJV's 'God forbid' adds the word God, which is not in the Hebrew. The sense is still close, because the word does carry a note of offence against what is holy.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in Samuel, almost always in speech: 1 Sam 2:30; 12:23; 20:2, 9; 24:6; 26:11; 2 Sam 20:20. It is often paired with an oath, as here.

Where it appears

Genesis · 4

  1. Genesis 18:25 חָלִ֨לָה חָלִ֣לָה far be it

    Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

    Here: An exclamation of horror built on the root ḥ-l-l, 'to profane, make common'. Roughly 'A desecration!' or 'Unthinkable!'. Abraham opens by calling the idea something that would defile God's own character.

  2. Genesis 44:7 חָלִ֙ילָה֙ far be it

    “Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.

  3. Genesis 44:17 חָלִ֣ילָה far be it

    But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”

Joshua · 2

  1. Joshua 22:29 חָלִילָה֩ far be it

    Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from Him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God, which stands before His tabernacle.”

    Here: An exclamation built on the root for 'profane': 'that would be a desecration!' It opens a sworn-style denial and throws the whole sentence off as unthinkable.

  2. Joshua 24:16 חָלִ֣ילָה far be it

    The people replied, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!

    Here: A strong exclamation of refusal, probably from the root for “profane, common”: roughly “That would be a profanation!” or “Unthinkable!” It is a cry of horror, not a calm statement of intent.

1 Samuel · 8

  1. 1 Samuel 2:30 חָלִ֣ילָה far be it

    Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

    Here: A strong exclamation of refusal, probably from the root for 'profane': 'That would be a profanation!' God refuses to keep such a house in his presence.

  2. 1 Samuel 12:23 חָלִ֤ילָה far be it

    As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.

    Here: A strong oath-like refusal formed from the root for 'profane, defile'. Samuel treats the very idea as something unthinkable, an act that would defile him.

  3. 1 Samuel 14:45 חָלִ֗ילָה far be it

    But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die—he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has accomplished this today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

    Here: An exclamation of horror, probably from the root for 'profane, defile': 'that would be a desecration!' It marks Saul's sentence as something sacrilegious, not just unwise.

  4. 1 Samuel 20:2 חָלִילָה֮ far be it

    “Far from it!” Jonathan replied. “You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!”

  5. 1 Samuel 20:9 חָלִ֣ילָה far be it

    “Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?”

  6. 1 Samuel 22:15 חָלִ֣ילָה far be it

    Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of my father’s household, for your servant knew nothing of this whole affair—not in part or in whole.”

  7. 1 Samuel 24:6 חָלִ֧ילָה far be it

    So he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed. May I never lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed.”

    Here: An exclamation of recoil, probably linked to the root for 'profane'. David treats the act as a defilement he refuses to touch, which is much stronger than 'I'd rather not'.

  8. 1 Samuel 26:11 חָלִ֤ילָה far be it

    But the LORD forbid that I should extend my hand against the LORD’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and water jug by his head, and let us go.”

2 Samuel · 3

  1. 2 Samuel 20:20 חָלִ֤ילָה חָלִ֙ילָה֙ far be it

    “Far be it!” Joab declared. “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!

  2. 2 Samuel 23:17 חָלִילָה֩ far be it

    saying, “Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this! Is this not the blood of the men who risked their lives?” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 21:3 חָלִ֤ילָה far be it

    But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

    Here: An exclamation built on the root for 'profane, desecrate'. It means 'That would be a sacrilege!' and is the strongest way Hebrew has of refusing something as unthinkable.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 11:19 חָלִילָה֩ far be it

    saying, “Far be it from me, my God, to do this! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” Because they had brought it at the risk of their lives, David refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

Job · 2

  1. Job 27:5 חָלִ֣ילָה far be it

    I will never say that you are right; I will maintain my integrity until I die.

    Here: An exclamation of horror built on the root for 'profane, make common'. It opens a sworn refusal: what follows would be a sacrilege for Job to do.

  2. Job 34:10 חָלִ֖לָה far be it

    Therefore listen to me, O men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wrong, and from the Almighty to act unjustly.

    Here: An exclamation of horror related to the verb 'to profane, defile'. It means roughly 'a profanation!' or 'unthinkable!', the cry of someone rejecting an idea as sacrilege. It is much stronger than the polite English 'far be it'.

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