to lighten
qa.lal chiefly marks cursing, while also describing what is slight, reduced, or swift.
The attested uses most often concern uttering or receiving a curse. Elsewhere the term describes people or matters regarded as slight or contemptible, the reduction of a burden or force, and rapid movement.
Senses in use
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to curse or place under a curse · dominant
Piel forms occur in direct hostile speech and pronouncements: in 1 Samuel 17:43 the Philistine addresses David and the APB renders that he “cursed David,” while in 2 Samuel 16:5 Shimei comes out cursing David. The same use appears in legal and communal settings, including cursing parents in Leviticus 20:9 and the curse turned into blessing in Deuteronomy 23:5; the Pual form in Isaiah 65:20 is presented as being “accursed.”
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to be slight, small, or contemptible · common
In Genesis 16:4, Hagar's conception changes how her mistress stands “in her eyes,” and the APB renders the result as her mistress being “light.” Niphal and Qal forms likewise characterize David as “lightly esteemed” in 1 Samuel 18:23, a proposed shadow movement as “a small matter” in 2 Kings 20:10, and Job as “of small account” in Job 40:4.
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to reduce a burden or diminish · common
Hiphil imperatives in 1 Kings 12:4 and 1 Kings 12:9 are requests concerning the harsh service and heavy yoke imposed on the people; the APB renders the request “lighten.” In 1 Samuel 6:5, the Hiphil imperfect concerns the possibility that God will reduce the pressure of his hand, while the Qal perfect in Genesis 8:11 is used when the waters have subsided.
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to be swift · occasional
Qal plural forms describe comparative speed: Saul and Jonathan are said to be swifter than eagles in 2 Samuel 1:23, and the horses in Habakkuk 1:8 are likewise rendered “swifter.” In Isaiah 30:16, a Niphal imperfect describes pursuers as swift in response to the people's intended flight on horses.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB uses such expressions as “cursed,” “lightly esteemed,” “lighten,” “small matter,” and “swifter.” These renderings confirm the clauses' overall contexts rather than assigning every English expression directly to the lemma.