חֲלִיפָה (cha.li.phah)
cha.li.phah
change
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 9 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun ḥălîpâh denotes a change or replacement, often with a tangible sense of swapping one thing for another. In the Hebrew Bible, it most frequently appears in contexts involving clothing, describing a change of garments or the exchange of raiment. This concrete usage highlights a physical transition, such as when characters in Judges or Kings swap attire to signify a shift in status or role.
Beyond material items, the word extends to more abstract shifts, including the relief from death or the changing course of life. In Job, it captures the variability and unpredictability of human existence, where circumstances are replaced by their opposites. The term essentially marks a moment of substitution, whether that is a new set of clothes, a change in leadership relays, or a deliverance from a dire situation.
Its root suggests an alternating or exchanging motion, reinforcing the idea that nothing remains static. Translators often render it as "change," "exchange," or "relief" depending on the context. The word reminds readers that life involves constant shifts, where one state is succeeded by another, whether in daily attire or in the broader arc of destiny.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Life rarely stays in one place. We move from season to season, often swapping our old circumstances for new ones without warning. The Hebrew word ḥălîpâh captures this reality of change or replacement. It appears most often in the Bible when people exchange clothes, like Joseph giving his brothers new garments or Naaman sending gifts to a prophet. These physical swaps remind us that identity and status can shift, yet God remains the steady hand behind every transition.
When we feel unsettled by the unpredictability of our days, this word offers comfort. It acknowledges that 'changes and warfare' are part of the human experience, as Job noted. But it also points to hope. Just as garments are changed for something new, God can bring relief and restoration when we wait on Him. We do not need to fear the shifting ground beneath our feet, because He holds the future.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 9 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- changes of7×
- the/ changes1×
- relief/ my1×
- changes1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חֲלִפֹ֥ת2×
- חֲלִפ֣וֹת2×
- חֲלִפ֥וֹת1×
- חֲלִיפָתִֽ/י\׃1×
- חֲלִיפ֥וֹת1×
- חֲלִיפ֣וֹת1×
- חֲלִיפ֖וֹת1×
- הַ/חֲלִיפ֔וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 45:22
He gave each one of them changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.
This verse shows ḥălîpâh as a tangible gift of reconciliation, where Joseph uses clothing changes to restore his brothers' dignity and status.
-
II Kings 5:23
Naaman said, “Be pleased to take two talents.” He urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants; and they carried them before him.
Here the word describes physical gifts exchanged in a diplomatic context, highlighting how material items facilitate social or spiritual transactions.
-
Job 10:17
You renew your witnesses against me, and increase your indignation on me. Changes and warfare are with me.
Job uses this term to describe the relentless and shifting nature of his suffering, where circumstances constantly change against him.