Adar I 1 – Heldai the Netophathite…

February 9, 2024

Adar I 1, 5784; from sunset February 9, 2024, to sunset February 10, 2024

This is the name “Cheldai” as it was written in the Aleppo Codex, or “Crown of Aleppo” – one of the oldest, most complete copies of the Hebrew Scriptures, written over one thousand years ago.

Heldai (Cheldai) Takes Command

It’s a new month and that means a new military commander. King David set up a military guard that rotated every month. Each month had a leader and 24,000 men.

And the children of Israel, according to their number, the heads of fathers’ houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds and their officers, served the king in every matter of the military divisions. These divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division having twenty-four thousand. – 1 Chronicles 27:1 (NKJ)

The twelfth for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite of Othniel; and in his division were 24,000. – 1 Chronicles 27:15

Heldai (or “Cheldai”) may be the same person as the mighty-man Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite (1 Chronicles 11:30), who is most probably the same as mighty-man Heleb, son of Baanah the Netophathite (2 Samuel 23:29). It’s not clear, but most of the military commanders that David chose to rule over each month were found in the list of his “mighty men;” so it’s likely that Heldai was one as well.

Heldai is actually transliterated as “Cheldai” with the “ch” making a sound similar to the “ch” in the name “Bach.” It comes from the root word “chalad” which carries the meaning of “earthy, earth-like, earthling.” Most lexicons list two separate meanings for this root – the other being “duration of life, the world.” I can see a connection between these two meanings – “our life on earth” seems to be at play here. One noun that comes from this root is “mole” or “weasel,” as included in the list of unclean foods in Leviticus 11. Some suggestions for the meaning of Heldai are “Worldly” or “Mole-Like.” Can you imagine the teasing he must’ve received among the other mighty men?

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