Strong's Hebrew: 3608. כֶּ֫לֶא (kele) -- Prison, confinement, enclosure
Strong's Lexicon
kele: Prison, confinement, enclosure
Original Word: כֶּלֶא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kele'
Pronunciation: keh'-leh
Phonetic Spelling: (keh'-leh)
Definition: Prison, confinement, enclosure
Meaning: a prison
Word Origin: From the root כָּלָא (kala), meaning "to restrain" or "to shut up."
Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - G5438 (phylake): Often translated as "prison" or "guard," this Greek term is used in the New Testament to describe places of confinement or the act of keeping watch.
Usage: The Hebrew word "kele" primarily refers to a place of confinement or imprisonment. It is used in the Old Testament to describe physical spaces where individuals are detained or restrained, often as a result of legal or punitive actions. The term can also metaphorically imply a state of being held back or restricted.
Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Israel, prisons were not as institutionalized as in modern times. Confinement often took place in makeshift spaces, such as pits or rooms within a house. The concept of imprisonment was more about restraint and less about long-term incarceration. The use of "kele" reflects the societal and legal practices of ancient Near Eastern cultures, where justice was often swift and punishment could include various forms of physical restraint.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from kala
Definition
confinement, restraint, imprisonment
NASB Translation
prison (2), prison* (7), prisons (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
כֶּ֫לֶא noun [masculine] confinement, restraint, imprisonment; — absolute ׳כ 1 Kings 22:27 6t.; suffix כִּלְאוֺ 2 Kings 25:29; Jeremiah 52:33; plural כְּלָאִים Isaiah 42:22; — confinement, in combination ׳בֵּית (ה)כ (compare Assyrian bit kili, prison, DlHWB 328) 1 Kings 22:27 2Chronicles 18:26; 2 Kings 17:4; Jeremiah 37:15,18; Isaiah 42:7; בָּֽתֵּי כְלָאִים Isaiah 42:22 (compare בַּיִת
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
prison
From kala'; a prison -- prison. Compare kil'ayim, kliy'.
see HEBREW kala'
see HEBREW kil'ayim
see HEBREW kliy'
Forms and Transliterations
הַכֶּ֑לֶא הַכֶּֽלֶא׃ הכלא הכלא׃ כְלָאִ֖ים כִלְא֑וֹ כֶּ֖לֶא כֶּֽלֶא׃ כלא כלא׃ כלאו כלאים chelaIm chilO hak·ke·le hakkele ḵə·lā·’îm ke·le ḵəlā’îm kele ḵil’ōw ḵil·’ōw
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Englishman's Concordance
1 Kings 22:27
HEB: זֶ֖ה בֵּ֣ית הַכֶּ֑לֶא וְהַאֲכִילֻ֨הוּ לֶ֤חֶם
INT: this court prison and feed bread
2 Kings 17:4
HEB: וַיַּאַסְרֵ֖הוּ בֵּ֥ית כֶּֽלֶא׃
INT: and bound court prison
2 Kings 25:27
HEB: יְהוּדָ֖ה מִבֵּ֥ית כֶּֽלֶא׃
INT: of Judah court prison
2 Kings 25:29
HEB: אֵ֖ת בִּגְדֵ֣י כִלְא֑וֹ וְאָכַ֨ל לֶ֧חֶם
NAS: Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes
KJV: And changed his prison garments:
INT: changed clothes his prison and had his meals
2 Chronicles 18:26
HEB: זֶ֖ה בֵּ֣ית הַכֶּ֑לֶא וְהַאֲכִלֻ֜הוּ לֶ֤חֶם
INT: this court prison and feed bread
Isaiah 42:7
HEB: אַסִּ֔יר מִבֵּ֥ית כֶּ֖לֶא יֹ֥שְׁבֵי חֹֽשֶׁךְ׃
KJV: in darkness out of the prison house.
INT: prisoners house of the prison dwell darkness
Isaiah 42:22
HEB: כֻּלָּ֔ם וּבְבָתֵּ֥י כְלָאִ֖ים הָחְבָּ֑אוּ הָי֤וּ
NAS: Or are hidden away in prisons; They have become
KJV: and they are hid in prison houses:
INT: All houses prisons are hidden have become
Jeremiah 37:15
HEB: עָשׂ֖וּ לְבֵ֥ית הַכֶּֽלֶא׃
KJV: for they had made that the prison.
INT: had made the house the prison
Jeremiah 37:18
HEB: אֶל־ בֵּ֥ית הַכֶּֽלֶא׃
INT: about court prison
Jeremiah 52:33
HEB: אֵ֖ת בִּגְדֵ֣י כִלְא֑וֹ וְאָכַ֨ל לֶ֧חֶם
NAS: So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes,
KJV: And changed his prison garments:
INT: and changed clothes his prison and had his meals