Hebrew word · H3177

יַחְלְאֵל

leyachle'el

Jahleel

A personal name made of a verb plus El ('God'). It is usually taken from yāḥal, 'to wait, to hope,' which gives 'God waits' or 'wait for God' (as a prayer). Some scholars instead compare a word in other Semitic languages meaning 'to be sweet' or 'to be kind,' which gives 'may God be gracious.'

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man of the tribe of Zebulun living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Gen.46.14;

son of: Zebulun (H2074);

brother of: Sered (H5624) and Elon (H0356H)

Also named: yach.le.e.li (יַחְלְאֵלִי "Jahleelite" H3178)

§ Jahleel = "God waits"

the 3rd of the 3 sons of Zebulun; founder of the family of the Jahleelites

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 46:14

Range of meaning

A personal name made of a verb plus El ('God'). It is usually taken from yāḥal, 'to wait, to hope,' which gives 'God waits' or 'wait for God' (as a prayer). Some scholars instead compare a word in other Semitic languages meaning 'to be sweet' or 'to be kind,' which gives 'may God be gracious.'

Against the English

The KJV/BSB/WEB form 'Jahleel' hides the 'El' ending that any Hebrew speaker would have heard as 'God.'

Used elsewhere in the period

Only here and in Numbers 26:26 (the Jahleelite clan). Names built the same way, a verb followed by El, are very common in Israel and its neighbours: Ishmael ('God hears'), Israel, Jezreel ('God sows').

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 46:14 וְיַחְלְאֵֽל׃ and Jahleel

    The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

    Here: Zebulun's third son, ancestor of the Jahleelites (Numbers 26:26). The name ends in El, 'God,' so it is a short statement or prayer about God. Its exact meaning is debated: perhaps 'God waits,' 'wait for God' or 'may God be gracious.'

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 26:26 לְיַ֨חְלְאֵ֔ל of Jahleel

    These were the descendants of Zebulun by their clans: The Seredite clan from Sered, the Elonite clan from Elon, and the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel.

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