Hebrew word · H7049

קָלַע

kolea'

to sling

Qālaʿ II means to carve. Miqlaʿat is the carved figure, and pittûaḥ is engraved work (from pātaḥ II, 'to engrave', used of engraving gems, Exod 28:9–11). All three are craft words for cutting designs into a surface.

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

What it means

1) to sling, hurl forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to sling

1a2) slinger (participle)

1b) (Piel) to sling

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 1 Kings 6:29

Range of meaning

Qālaʿ II means to carve. Miqlaʿat is the carved figure, and pittûaḥ is engraved work (from pātaḥ II, 'to engrave', used of engraving gems, Exod 28:9–11). All three are craft words for cutting designs into a surface.

Against the English

English renders the pile-up as 'carved… with carved figures' (KJV) or 'carved engravings' (BSB). YLT's 'openings of carvings' takes pittûaḥ from the more common pātaḥ 'to open', which is a misunderstanding.

Used elsewhere in the period

Pittûaḥ is used of the engraved gold plate (Exod 28:36) and of the engraved stones of the ephod. Miqlaʿat appears only in 1 Kgs 6–7 for the temple's carved cedar and bronze work.

From the study of 1 Samuel 25:29

Range of meaning

The verb means to sling, to hurl with a sling. The noun is the sling itself: two cords with a cup or pocket (kaf) between them. Also used of a curtain or hanging (H7050B, a separate word).

Against the English

Most versions keep 'sling'. BSB turns the image into a comparison ('like stones from a sling'), which is clear but loses the stark picture of God himself putting the enemies' life into the sling's cup and whirling it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Slings were real weapons of war. Benjaminite slingers 'could sling a stone at a hair and not miss' (Judg 20:16), Uzziah equipped his army with sling stones (2 Chr 26:14), and Assyrian reliefs of the siege of Lachish show Judean-era slingers. David killed Goliath with a sling (1 Sam 17:40, 49–50). Jeremiah uses the same image: 'I will sling out the inhabitants of the land' (Jer 10:18).

Where it appears

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 20:16 קֹלֵ֧עַ [was] slinging

    Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.

1 Samuel · 2

  1. 1 Samuel 17:49 וַיְקַלַּ֔ע and he slung [it]

    Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

  2. 1 Samuel 25:29 יְקַלְּעֶ֔נָּה he will sling out it

    And should someone pursue you and seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by the LORD your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling.

    Here: 'He will sling it out.' YHWH is the slinger. The verb is built from the same root as 'sling' at the end of the verse. It also recalls David's own sling, which brought down Goliath (17:40, 49–50).

1 Kings · 3

  1. 1 Kings 6:29 קָלַ֗ע he carved

    Then he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.

    Here: 'He carved.' The subject is Solomon, who is credited with what his craftsmen did, as kings normally were. The word sounds the same as the verb 'to sling' (as in David's sling) but is a separate word meaning to cut figures into a surface.

  2. 1 Kings 6:32 וְקָלַ֣ע and he carved

    The double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

  3. 1 Kings 6:35 וְקָלַ֤ע and he carved

    He carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 10:18 קוֹלֵ֛עַ [am] about to hurl forth

    For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, at this time I will sling out the inhabitants of the land and bring distress upon them so that they may be captured.”

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