how to say “jail” in Hebrew

 

בֵּית סֹהַר, כֶּלֶא
 

 

 
The most common Hebrew word for jail or prison is בֵּית סֹהַר   , as parents sometimes threaten their children:
 
אִם לֹא תִּתְנַהֵג יָפֶה, יָשִׂימוּ אֹתְךָ בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר.
If you don’t behave nicely, they’ll put you in (the) jail. (to a son)
 
 
The origin of the word סוהר    itself, appearing only once in Biblical Hebrew, is unclear, though it may have to do with the fact that prisoners used to be kept in solitary confinement in a rounded pit, of the shape of a סַהַר    – some kind of round vessel.
 
A common synonym of בית סוהר is כֶּלֶא   , where the root כ.ל.א (k.l.a) means confinement.
 
Another lesson common synonym is בֵּית אֲסוּרִים    house of (the) bound.

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