חַס וְשָׁלוֹם
khas v'shalom
The Hebrew phrase for 'God forbid' is חַס וְשָׁלוֹם (khas v'shalom). Wiktionary also lists חָלִילָה (ḥalíla).
Meaning: don't let it be (intj)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| חַס וְשָׁלוֹם | khas v'shalom | |
| חָלִילָה | ḥalíla | feminine |
חַס וְשָׁלוֹם is used as an interjection to ward off a negative possibility or to express shock at a hypothetical bad event.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase חַס וְשָׁלוֹם literally means 'may [the evil] be absent and [there be] peace'.
Which one should you use?
While both mean 'God forbid', חָלִילָה is often used more colloquially to mean 'far from it' when correcting a misconception or a negative assumption.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form חָלִילָה is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
khas v'shalom
Did you know?
- Despite translating to 'god forbid', neither חַס וְשָׁלוֹם nor חָלִילָה actually contains the Hebrew word for 'god' אֱלֹהִים.
- The root of חָלִילָה is shared with the word for 'flute' or 'pipe', חָלִיל, suggesting an original meaning related to being hollow or empty of evil.
- While חַס וְשָׁלוֹם mentions 'peace', it is frequently used specifically to avoid 'the evil eye' or bad luck during a conversation.
Example sentences for Hebrew are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Daniel and Maya are talking about a potential problem at work.
- דניאל Danielמה יקרה אם נסגור את הפרויקט?ma yikre im nisgor et ha-proyekt?What will happen if we close the project?
- מאיה Mayaחַס וְשָׁלוֹם, דניאל, אנחנו לא נסגור אותו.chas ve-shalom, Daniel, anachnu lo nisgor oto.God forbid, Daniel, we are not closing it.
- דניאל Danielאבל זה אפשרי, נכון?aval ze efshari, nachon?But it's possible, right?
- מאיה Mayaאני מקווה שזה לא יקרה.ani mekava she-ze lo yikre.I hope that won't happen.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “God forbid” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
