Boy Old Testament Rare
Chelal
as night
כְּלָ֑ל ke.lal
Chelal (Hebrew: כְּלָ֑ל, ke.lal) means “as night”, by traditional interpretation. It appears once, at Ezra 10:30. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Adna in Ezra 10.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Chelal
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 1 across 1 book
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Return
- Hapax
- Yes occurs exactly once
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Ezra 10:30 |
| Cross-references | 4 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Bezalel co-occurrence Appears with Bezalel in Ezra 10.
- Maaseiah co-occurrence Appears with Maaseiah in Ezra 10.
- Binnui co-occurrence Appears with Binnui in Ezra 10.
- Adna co-occurrence Appears with Adna in Ezra 10.
- Manasseh co-occurrence Appears with Manasseh in Ezra 10.
- Mattaniah co-occurrence Appears with Mattaniah in Ezra 10.
- Benaiah co-occurrence Appears with Benaiah in Ezra 10.
- Pahath-moab co-occurrence Appears with Pahath-moab in Ezra 10.
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.30
§ Chelal = "completed"
an Israelite who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
Chelal was one of the Israelites who had married a foreign woman during the time of Ezra.
The biblical story
Chelal is mentioned in Ezr.10.30 as one of the Israelites who had married foreign women during the time of Ezra. After the return from Babylonian exile, Ezra discovered that many of the Israelites, including priests and Levites, had intermarried with the neighboring peoples, contrary to God's commands (Ezr.9.1-2). This intermarriage was seen as a violation of the covenant and a threat to the spiritual purity of the nation. Ezra called for a national assembly, where the people confessed their sin and agreed to separate from their foreign wives (Ezr.10.10-12). Chelal was among those who had taken foreign wives and pledged to put them away, demonstrating repentance and a commitment to obey God's laws. The inclusion of Chelal's name in this account highlights the importance of maintaining spiritual purity and the need for individuals to take responsibility for their actions in light of God's covenant with His people.
Key verses
Chelal appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:
-
And of the sons of Pahath–moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
Ezra 10:30
Show all 1 reference
Ezra (1)
- Ezra 10:30