STRONGS NUMBER H2421


Word Summary
chayah: to live
Original Word: חָיָה
Transliteration: chayah
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-yaw')
Part of Speech: Verb
Short Definition: to live
Meaning: to live, to revive
Strong's Concordance
keep live, make alive, certainly, give promise life, let, suffer to live, nourish up

A primitive root (compare chavah, chayah); to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive -- keep (live, make) alive, X certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (X God) save (alive, life, lives), X surely, be whole.

see HEBREW chavah

see HEBREW chayah

Brown-Driver-Briggs

H2421. chayah

I. חוה‎ (Phoenician חואlive = Hebrew חָיָה‎ q. v.)

חָיָה283 verb live (Late Hebrew Phoenician id.; Arabic , ; Sabean חיו‎ MordtZMG 1876, 28; Ethiopic Aramaic , חֲיָא‎; Palmyrene חייlife, life-time, Vog32, 74) —

Qal203 Perfect חָיָהEcclesiastes 6:6 4t.; יְ֯חָיָהJeremiah 21:9; 38:2; חַיGenesis 5:5 23t. (this and the following form are treated as עע֞‎, the original weakness of the stem final י‎ admitting of either לה֞‎ or עע֞‎, Ges§ 76 (2) g); וְחֵיLeviticus 25:36 (Bö§ 1181); 3 feminine singular חָֽיְתָהGenesis 12:13; Jeremiah 38:17; וָחָ֑יָהExodus 1:16 (for חַיָּה‎ Bö§ 1123 (3), Samaritan חיתה‎); 2 masculine singular חָיִיתָDeuteronomy 30:16, חָיִתָהJeremiah 38:17; 3masculine plural חָיוּNumbers 14:38, וְחָיוּ‎ consecutive 4:19 + Zechariah 10:9 (where read Pi`el וְחִיּוּ‎ StaZAW i. 1881, 22 so ᵐ5‎); וִחְיִיתֶםEzekiel 37:5 2t.; Imperfect יִחְיֶהGenesis 17:18 27t.; יְחִיDeuteronomy 33:6 10t.; וִיחִיPsalm 49:10 2t.; וְיֶחִ֑יIsaiah 38:21, וַיְחִיGenesis 5:3 37t.; וַיֶּחִ֑יDeuteronomy 4:33 4t.; 3 feminine singular תִּחְיֶהJoshua 6:17, תְּחִיGenesis 19:20 5t.; 2 masculine singular תִּחְיֶה27:40 7t.; 2 feminine singular תִּחְיִי2 Kings 4:7; 1singular אֶחְיֶה1:2 8t.; 3 masculine plural יִחְיוּJoshua 9:21 8t.; 3 feminine plural תִּחְיֶינָהEzekiel 13:19; 37:3; 2masculine plural תִּחְיוּDeuteronomy 4:1-2t.; תִּחְיוּן5:30; 8:1; 1plural נִחְיֶה2 Kings 7:4 7t.; Imperative וֶחְיֵהGenesis 20:7; Proverbs 4:4, וֶחְיֶ֯ה7:2; feminine singular חֲיִיEzekiel 16:6 (twice in verse); masculine plural וִחְיוּGenesis 42:18 7t.; Infinitive absolute חָיֹה2 Kings 8:10 6t.; חָיוֺEzekiel 3:21 3t.; construct לִחְיוֺת33:12, suffix חֲיוֺתָםJoshua 5:8; —

1 live:

a. have life, Genesis 31:32 (E), Exodus 33:20 (J), Numbers 4:19 (P), Deuteronomy 30:16 +; also in phrase וַיְחִיand he lived (so many years) with accusative of time, Genesis 5:3-30 (16 t.) 9:28; 11:11-26 (14 t.) 47:28 (all P), 50:22 (E), 2 Kings 14:17 2 Chronicles 25:25; Job 42:16.

b. continue in life, remain alive Genesis 20:7 (E), Leviticus 25:36; 2 Samuel 12:22 +; also ׳ח נפשׁlive, of the soul or the self Genesis 12:13; 19:20 (J), 1 Kings 20:32; Psalm 119:175; Jeremiah 38:2, 17, 20; Isaiah 55:3; הַיָּ֑לֶד וְחַיand the boy may live 2 Samuel 12:22; ׳ח לִפְנֵיlive in the presence of Genesis 17:18 (P) Hosea 6:2; ׳ח ׳בlive among Lamentations 4:20.

c. sustain life, live on or upon (על‎), of the animal life, by the sword Genesis 27:40 (J), by bread Deuteronomy 8:3; elsewhere in pregnant sense of fulness of life in divine favour, sustained by (על‎) everything that issueth out of the mouth of ׳י8:3; his promises (?) Isaiah 38:16; of wicked man, by repentance Ezekiel 33:19; with בְּ‎ by the statutes and judgments of ׳י‎ if a man do them, Leviticus 18:5 (H) Ezekiel 20:11, 13, 21, 25; Nehemiah 9:29; יִחְיֶה בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֺ צַדִּיקa righteous man by his faithfulness shall live Habakkuk 2:4.

d. live (prosperously) הַמֶּלֶך יְחִיmay the king live 1 Samuel 10:24; 2 Samuel 16:16 (twice in verse); 1 Kings 1:25, 31, 34, 39; 2 Kings 11:12; 2 Chronicles 23:11; לְבַבְכֶם יְחִיPsalm 22:27; 69:33; יחיה לעולם המלךNehemiah 2:3.

2 be quickened, revive:

a. from sickness Numbers 21:8-9, Joshua 5:8 (E) 2 Kings 1:2; 8:8-9, 10, 14; 20:1, 7 = Isaiah 38:1; 38:9; 38:21.

b. from discouragement of the spirit Genesis 45:27 (E).

c. from faintness Judges 15:19.

d. from death 2 Kings 13:21; Job 14:14; Isaiah 26:14, 19; by return of נפשׁ1 Kings 17:22, of רוּהַEzekiel 37:3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14 (and so Judges 15:19 c).

Pi`el Perfect3masculine singular חִיָּהPsalm 22:30; 3feminine singular suffix חִיָּ֑תְנִי119:50; 2masculine singular suffix חִיִּיתַנִי30:4; חִיִּיתָ֑נִי‎ Paslm 119:93; 3plural חִיּוּJudges 21:14, הַחִיִּיתֶםNumbers 31:15; Imperfect יְחַיֶּה1 Samuel 27:9 +, etc.; Imperative suffix חַיֵּנִיPsalm 119:25 8t., חַיֵּיהוּHabakkuk 3:2; Infinitive construct חַיּוֺתGenesis 7:3; Ezekiel 13:19; suffix חַיֹּתֵנוּDeuteronomy 6:24 +, etc.; Participle מְחַיֶּהNehemiah 9:6; 1 Samuel 2:6; —

1 preserve alive, let live Exodus 1:17-18, 22; 22:17; Joshua 9:15 (JE), Genesis 12:12 (J), Numbers 31:15 (P), Deuteronomy 6:24; 20:16; Judges 21:14; 1 Samuel 27:9, 11; 1 Kings 18:5; 2 Kings 7:4; Jeremiah 49:11; Ezekiel 3:18; Habakkuk 3:2; Job 36:6; Psalm 30:4; 33:19; 41:3; 138:7; ׳ח נפשׁpreserve oneself alive 22:30; Ezekiel 18:27, or preserve persons alive 13:18-19, or preserve life 1 Kings 20:31; ׳ח זרעpreserve seed alive Genesis 7:3; 19:32, 34 (J); keep in existence heaven and earth Nehemiah 9:6; nourish, young cow Isaiah 7:21, lamb 2 Samuel 12:3.

2 give life, to man when created Job 33:4.

3 quicken, revive, refresh:

a. restore to life, the dead 1 Samuel 2:6; Deuteronomy 32:39; Hosea 6:2; the dying Psalm 71:20.

b. cause to grow, grain Hosea 14:8.

c. restore, a ruined city 1 Chronicles 11:8, stones destroyed by fire Nehemiah 3:34.

d. revive, the people of ׳י‎ by ׳י‎ himself with fulness of life in his favour Psalm 80:19; 85:7; 119:25, 37, 40, 50, 88, 93, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159; 143:11; Ecclesiastes 7:12.

Hiph`il Perfect הֶחֱיָהJoshua 6:25 5t.; 2 masculine singular suffix הֶחֱיִתָנוּGenesis 47:25; 1singular הֶחֱיֵיתִיNumbers 22:33, הַחֲיִתֶםJoshua 2:13; Judges 8:19; Imperative suffix הַחֲיֵינִיIsaiah 38:16; הַחֲיוּNumbers 31:18; Infinitive absolute הַחֲיֵהJoshua 9:20; construct הַחֲיוֺתGenesis 6:20 6t.; הַחֲיֹת6:19; 50:20; suffix הַחֲיֹתוֺEzekiel 13:22; —

1 preserve alive, let live Genesis 45:7; 50:20 (E), 47:25; Numbers 22:33; Joshua 2:13; 6:25 (all J), 14:10 (D); Genesis 6:19-20, Numbers 31:18; Joshua 9:20 (P), Judges 8:19; 2 Samuel 8:2; Ezekiel 13:22; with נפשׁGenesis 19:19 (J).

2 quicken, revive:

a. restore to health, a leper 2 Kings 5:7, Hezekiah Isaiah 38:16.

b. revive the לֵב‎ and רוּחַIsaiah 57:15 (twice in verse).

c. restore to life, the dead 2 Kings 8:1, 5 (3 t. in verse).