Part of Speech: Verb
Strong's Number: H1980
Original Word: halak
Usage Notes: "to go, walk, behave." This verb appears in most Semitic languages (although it has a different meaning in Arabic). It is attested in all periods of Hebrew. Old Testament Hebrew attests it about 1,550 times, while the Aramaic uses it a few times.
Essentially, this root refers to movement without any suggestion of direction in the sense of going, whether of man (Gen 9:23), beasts (Gen 3:14), or inanimate objects (Gen 2:14, the first occurrence of the word). In cases other than men (where it means "to walk") halak may be translated "to go." It is used sometimes with a special emphasis on the end or goal of the action in mind; men are but flesh, "a wind that passeth [goes] away, and cometh not again" (Psa 78:39). Applied to human existence the word suggests "going to one's death," as in Gen 15:2, when Abraham says: "O Lord God, what wilt thou give me, since I am [going to my death] childless…?" (nasb). This verb can also be used of one's behavior, or the way one "walks in life." So he who "walks" uprightly shall be blessed of God (Isa 33:15). This does not refer to walking upright on one's feet but to living a righteous life.
This root is used in various other special ways. It may be used to emphasize that a certain thing occurred; Jacob went and got the kid his mother requested, in other words, he actually did the action (Gen 27:14). In Gen 8:3 the waters of the flood steadily receded from the surface of the earth. Sometimes this verb implies movement away from, as in Gen 18:33, when the Lord "departed" from Abraham. God is said to "walk" or "go" in three senses. First, there are certain cases where He assumed some kind of physical form. For example, Adam and Eve heard the sound of God "walking" to and fro in the garden of Eden (Gen 3:8). He "walks" on the clouds (Psa 104:3) or in the heavens (Job 22:14); these are probably anthropomorphisms (God is spoken of as if He had bodily parts). Even more often God is said to accompany His people (Exod 33:14), to go to redeem (deliver) them from Egypt (2Sam 7:23), and to come to save them (Psa 80:2). The idea of God's "going" ("walking") before His people in the pillars of fire and cloud (Exod 13:21) leads to the idea that His people must "walk" behind Him (Deut 13:5). Quite often the people are said to have "walked" or to be warned against "walking behind" foreign gods (Deut 4:3).
Thus, the rather concrete idea of following God through the wilderness moves to "walking behind" Him spiritually. Some scholars suggest that "walking behind" pagan gods (or even the true God) arose from the pagan worship where the god was carried before the people as they entered the sanctuary. Men may also "walk… after the imagination of their evil heart," or act stubbornly (Jer 3:17). The pious followed or practiced God's commands; they "walked" in righteousness (Isa 33:15), in humility (Mic 6:8), and in integrity (Psa 15:2). They also "walk with God" (Gen 5:22), and they live in His presence, and "walk before" Him (Gen 17:1), in the sense of living responsibly before Him.
Usage Number: 2
Part of Speech: Noun
Strong's Number: H1979
Original Word: halîkâ
Usage Notes: "course; doings; traveling company; caravan; procession." This noun occurs 6 times in the Old Testament.
This word conveys several nuances. In Nah 2:5 halîkâ refers to a "course": "He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk…." The word means "doings" in Prov 31:27. It may also mean "traveling-company" or "caravan" as in Job 6:19 or a "procession" as in Psa 68:24.
Several other related nouns occur infrequently. Mahalak, which appears 5 times, means "passage" (Ezek 42:4) and "journey" (Neh 2:6). Helek occurs twice and means a "visitor" (2Sam 12:4). Halîk appears once with the meaning "steps" (Job 29:6). Tahalukot occurs once to mean "procession," specifically a thanksgiving procession (Neh 12:31).
