torrent: river
na.chal denotes a natural watercourse, often a named streambed used for drinking, crossing, boundaries, or flowing water.
The term most often identifies a natural watercourse or named streambed, appearing as a place to drink, cross, reach, or use as a boundary. Some contexts present such a feature as a valley or channel, while poetic clauses use its forceful flow in comparisons.
Senses in use
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Natural watercourse or named streambed · dominant
In 1 Kings 17:3 the singular construct form identifies Cherith beside which Elijah is to hide, and 1 Kings 17:4 presents it as the place from which he drinks. The same kind of place marks crossings and boundaries in 1 Samuel 30:10 and Deuteronomy 3:16; in 2 Kings 3:17 the singular absolute form is said to be filled with water for people and animals to drink.
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Valley or channel-like terrain · occasional
In 1 Samuel 15:5, the singular absolute form is the place where Saul lies in wait near Amalek. In 2 Chronicles 20:16 the approaching force is found at the end of it before the wilderness, while 2 Chronicles 33:14 locates Gihon in it as part of the city's setting; the APB renders these clauses with “valley.”
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Forceful flow in poetic comparison · rare
The plural construct form in 2 Samuel 22:5 occurs in the clause where “the torrents of Belial” overwhelm the speaker. In Amos 5:24 the singular absolute form stands in the comparison that righteousness should be like “a strong torrent,” using the watercourse's movement and force in poetic speech.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the term as “wadi,” “torrent,” “brook,” “river,” and “valley” across these verses. Because its English is a whole-verse translation, these variations describe the clauses' settings rather than fixed English equivalents for each occurrence.