Language Studies

Hebrew Thoughts

lâham / lâhêm - לָהַם/לָהֵם (Strong's #3859)
To swallow greedily?

The word לָהַם lâham / לָהֵם lâhêm (Strong's #3859, x2) only occurs in one context, the book of Proverbs, but is repeated in Proverbs 18:8 and 26:22:

"The words of a talebearer are as wounds, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." (Proverbs 18:8, KJV)
"The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body." (Proverbs 18:8, NKJV)

The different renderings of this Hebrew word even between two editions of the same basic version, the King James, shows that understanding fo the word is both limited and has evolved. Other versions have, "dainty morsels" (JPS, NLT), "choice morsels" (NIV), "delicious morsels" (NRSV), "harmless" (Douay), "smooth" (Stendal, Jubilee Bible 2000), "wounds" (Webster, Young's). Earlier Jewish commentators such as Aquila and the 11th century Spanish Jew Ibn Ezra thought the word meant "secrets" or "soft whisperings" from affinity to נָאַם nâ'am (Strong's #5001) "prophesy", נָאַם nâham (Strong's #5098) "to groan" and נָעֵם nâhêm (Strong's #5276) "to be beautiful [of words]". Kimchi preferred "smooth" or "flattering".

Rashi, the 11th century French Jewish commentator, tried transposing the consonants of the Hebrew word and suggested "to push or press" from הָלַם hâlam (Strong's #1986) "to press, smite, strike". The ancient Jewish Midrash on Numbers (XVI: 20), commenting on the murmuring of Israel in Numbers 14:1, suggests something similar and uses "mighty blows".

Light from the Arabic laham may suggest that the words are "greedily swallowed down" as Schultens noted and many lexicons concur. The Arabic can also mean "to inspire" or "advise" something the talebearer hardly does.

More variant readings of this one word include "burning" (Ewald, from לָהַב lâhabh, an unused root behind לַהַב lahabh, "flame", Strong's #3851).

The actual form of the Hebrew word in question is מִתְלַהַמִים mith'lahamîym, a hapax legomena - word occurring only once (well twice including the complete repeating of the verse in 26:22). It is the Hithpael or reflexive form of the verb.

Interpreters have validated the "tasty trifles" rendering by suggesting that the hearing of gossip is "like eating a delicacy..., like food being digested, gossiped news is assimilated in one's inmost parts". The older translation of "wounds" does seem strange but interestingly many Hebrew roots beginning לה l-h have a common meaning embracing "burn, desire, greed, thirst" (See Strong's #3851,3852,3856,3857). So the meaning seems to be "to take in greedily".

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