H3607 — כָּלָא (kala)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H3607
Original: כָּלָא
Transliteration: kala
Pronunciation: kaw-law
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Occurrences: 17 unique verses (23 tokens) across 11 books
First Occurrence: Gen 8:2 — "The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to restrict, by act (hold back or in) or word (prohibit): — finish, forbid, keep (back), refrain, restrain, retain, shut up, be stayed, withhold.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	14	restrain, withhold, refrain, shut up, keep back, retain
Niphal	3	be restrained, be stopped (passive)

Qal dominates (82%), covering active restraint of persons, actions, natural forces, and self-restraint. Niphal is exclusively passive — forces or people being stopped (Gen 8:2 floodwaters, Exo 36:6 the people, Eze 31:15 underground waters).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
shut up	3	17.6%
restrained / was restrained	2	11.8%
refrained	2	11.8%
stayed / were stayed	2	11.8%
withhold / shall withhold	2	11.8%
kept (me)	1	5.9%
forbid (them)	1	5.9%
keep (not back)	1	5.9%
to finish	1	5.9%
to retain	1	5.9%

No single dominant English translation; the word spans "restrain/withhold/shut up/refrain/stay/forbid" — all expressing restriction or holding back.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Haggai	1	2.6
Ecclesiastes	1	0.5
Daniel	1	0.3
Psalms	4	0.2
1 Samuel	2	0.2
Genesis	2	0.1
Jeremiah	2	0.1
Ezekiel	1	0.1
Exodus	1	0.1
Numbers	1	0.1
Isaiah	1	0.1

Spread thinly across the OT with no strong genre concentration. Psalms has the highest raw count (4v) but low density. The word appears in narrative (Gen, Exo, Num, 1Sa), prophetic (Isa, Jer, Eze, Hag, Dan), wisdom (Ecc), and worship (Psa) literature.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Physical Confinement / Imprisonment¶

Jer 32:2 — "Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison"
Jer 32:3 — "Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy..."
1 Sam 6:10 — "shut up their calves at home"
Psalm 88:8 — "I am shut up, and I cannot come forth"

2. Restraining Natural Forces¶

Gen 8:2 — "the rain from heaven was restrained" (Niphal — floodwaters stopped)
Eze 31:15 — "I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed"
Hag 1:10 — "the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit"

3. Withholding / Keeping Back (from persons)¶

Gen 23:6 — "none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre"
Isa 43:6 — "Keep not back: bring my sons from far"
Psalm 40:11 — "Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD"

4. Self-Restraint / Refraining from Action¶

Psalm 40:9 — "I have not refrained my lips, O LORD"
Psalm 119:101 — "I have refrained my feet from every evil way"
1 Sam 25:33 — "blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood"

5. Forbidding / Prohibiting Others¶

Num 11:28 — "My lord Moses, forbid them" (Joshua asking Moses to restrain Eldad and Medad)
Exo 36:6 — "the people were restrained from bringing" (Niphal — prohibited from further offerings)

6. Restraining Intangible Forces¶

Ecc 8:8 — "no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit"
Dan 9:24 — "to finish the transgression" (restraining/sealing up transgression)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
אָמַר (ʼamar)	H559	5x (29%)	Speech context introducing or explaining the restraint
לֹא (loʼ)	H3808	5x (29%)	Negated restraint — "have not refrained," "shall not withhold"
בּוֹא (bowʼ)	H935	4x (24%)	Restraining someone from coming/going
מִן (min)	H4480	4x (24%)	"Restrain from" — the preposition marking what is withheld
יוֹם (yowm)	H3117	3x (18%)	Temporal setting — "in the day when..."
בֵּן (ben)	H1121	3x (18%)	Restraining or affecting sons/offspring

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
עָצָר (ʻatsar)	H6113	"shut up" (7v vs. 3v)	ʻatsar = enclose, confine more broadly (also "reign/rule"); kala = restrict by act or word
סָגַר (sagar)	H5462	"shut up" (1v overlap)	sagar = close/shut a physical opening (door, gate, womb); kala = restrain a person or force
מָנַע (manaʻ)	H4513	"withhold" (overlap)	manaʻ = deny/refuse to give; kala = actively hold back what might otherwise flow
חָשַׂךְ (chasak)	H2820	"refrain/withhold" (overlap)	chasak = spare, hold back from harm; kala = restrain/confine more forcefully

Semantic Domain¶

[002003002007] Control — with אסר (H631, bind), אפק (H662, restrain oneself), and other restriction verbs
[002003003012] Non-Engage — cessation and withdrawal words

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
κωλύω (kolyo) G2967	8	9.68	Primary — to hinder, prevent, forbid
λέγω (lego) G3004	3	1.16	Context word (speech introducing restraint)
βασιλεύς (basileus) G935	3	1.02	Context word (royal authority restraining)

G2967 kolyo is the dominant LXX equivalent, carrying the "hinder/forbid/prevent" sense into Greek. The semantic bridge is strong (PMI 9.68) but the co-occurrence count (8) is below the threshold for an auto-generated cross-testament trace.