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Bible Lexicons
Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary Hebrew Lexicon
Strong's #3898 - לָחַם
- Brown-Driver-Briggs
- Strong
- to fight, do battle, make war
- (Qal) to fight, do battle
- (Niphal) to engage in battle, wage war
- (Qal) to eat, use as food
- Book
- Word
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2305) mhl (לההמ LHhM) AC: Fight CO: Bread AB: ?: Flour an water are mixed together and kneaded. Also war in the sense of fighting with the bread when kneading. [from: mh- food]
V) mhl (לההמ LHhM) - I. Eat: II. Fight:KJV (177): (vf: Paal, Niphal) fight, war, eat, overcome, devour, prevail - Strongs: H3898 (לָחַם)
Nm) mhl (לההמ LHhM) - I. Bread:[Hebrew and Aramaic] II. |kjv: bread, food, meat, loaves, shewbread, victuals, feast, fruit, provision - Strongs: H3899 (לֶחֶם), H3900 (לְחֵם), H3901 (לָחֶם)
dm ) mfhl (לההומ LHhWM) - Meat: KJV (2): eating, flesh - Strongs: H3894 (לָחֻם)
hf1) emhlm (מלההמה MLHhMH) - |kjv: battle, war, fight - Strongs: H4421 (מִלְחָמָה)
Jeff Benner, Ancient Hebrew Research Center Used by permission of the author.
Qal (poetry) only Imperative masculine singular and Participle active — fight, do battle with, rare, only Psalm , apparently later usage: — לְחַם אֶתלֹֿחֲמָ֑י Psalm 35:1 do battle with those battling with me (dubious whether את is accusative sign compare preposition with, compare Ol; "" רִיבָה אֶתיְֿרִיבַי); לֹחֲמִים לִי Psalm 56:3 doing battle against me; לֹחֵם Psalm 56:2 as substantive fighter.
Niph`al167 Perfect נִלְחַם Judges 9:17 +, וְנִלְחַמְתָּ֫ Judges 11:8; 1 Samuel 15:18, וְנִלְחַמְנוּ Deuteronomy 1:41 consecutive, etc.; Imperfect יִלָּהֵם Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:30; יִלָּ֫חֶם לָ֑נוּ Nehemiah 4:14, וַיִּלָּ֫חֶם Exodus 17:8 19t.; 3 feminine singular תִּלָּחֵם Zechariah 14:14; 3 masculine plural תִּיִּלָּֽחֲמוּ Judges 1:5 13t.; suffix וַיִּלָּֽחֲמוּנִי Psalm 109:3; 2 masculine plural תִּלָּֽחֲמוּ 1 Kings 22:31 4t.; תִּלָּֽחֲמוּן 1 Kings 12:24.; etc.; Imperative הִלָּחֵם Exodus 17:9; 1 Samuel 18:17; הִלָּ֫חֶם בּוֺ Judges 9:38; plural הִלָּֽחֲמוּ 2 Kings 10:3; Nehemiah 4:8; Infinitive absolute נִלְחֹם Judges 11:25; construct הִלָּחֵם Judges 1:9 35t.; הִלָּ֫חֶם בּוֺ etc., Numbers 22:11 6t.; suffix הִלָּחֲמוֺ 2 Kings 8:29 3t.; Participle נִלְחָם Exodus 14:24 10t.; plural נִלְחָמִים Joshua 10:25 10t. (but 1 Samuel 31:1 read rather נִלְחֲמוּ, so "" 1 Chronicles 10:1 We Klo Bu, compare Dr); — engage in battle (reciprocal), sometimes wage war ( Joshua 10:5; Judges 11:5; 1 Kings 14:19; 1 Kings 22:46; 2 Kings 6:8; 2 Kings 14:28 etc.), often with בְּ of enemy (60t.) Exodus 1:10; Exodus 17:9,10; Numbers 21:23,26; Numbers 22:11 (all E), Judges 11:8,25; 1 Samuel 15:18; 2 Samuel 8:10 + (49t.); less often with בְּ of city attacked or besieged Judges 9:45; 1 Samuel 23:1; 2 Samuel 12:26,27,29; Isaiah 20:1; Joshua 10:31 (D), 1 Kings 20:1; Nehemiah 4:2; of tower Judges 1:52; followed by בְּאַרְצִי Judges 11:12; also with עִם of enemy (26t.): Judges 5:20; Judges 11:4,5,20; Joshua 11:5 (JE), 1 Samuel 13:5; 1 Samuel 17:19, also 1 Samuel 17:32,33 (of single combat), Deuteronomy 20:4; Joshua 9:2 (both D), 2 Kings 13:12; 2 Kings 14:15; 2 Chronicles 11:1; 17:10; 27:5; Daniel 10:20; Daniel 11:11 +; with עִם of city Joshua 10:29 (D), Joshua 19:47 (JE); c אֶתֿ = with, of enemy, Joshua 24:8 (E), 1 Samuel 17:9 (single combat), Jeremiah 21:5; 1 Kings 20:23; 2 Kings 19:9 = Isaiah 37:9; Jeremiah 37:10; also Judges 12:4; 2 Samuel 11:17; 2 Samuel 21:15; 1 Kings 22:31; 2 Kings 8:2; 2 Kings 9:15; Jeremiah 21:4; Jeremiah 32:5; Jeremiah 33:5; 2 Chronicles 18:30; 22:6, and with אוֺתָם (= אִתָּם) Joshua 10:25 (D), 1 Kings 20:25 (Kö Lgb. ii, 296); with עִל, against, of enemy only Jeremiah 21:2; elsewhere (16t.) of city: Joshua 10:5 (JE), Isaiah 7:1; 2 Kings 12:18; 2 Kings 19:8 = Isaiah 37:8; especially D and Je: Deuteronomy 20:10,19; Joshua 10:34,36,38 (all D), Jeremiah 32:24,29; Jeremiah 34:1,7,8,22; with אֶלֿ of enemy Jeremiah 1:19; Jeremiah 15:20; with suffix וַיִּלָּֽחֲמוּנִי Psalm 109:3 and they have fought against me; with יָ֑חַד i.e. fight together = with (against) one another 1 Samuel 17:10; absolute with accusative of congnate meaning with verb מִלְחָמוֺת fight battles 1 Samuel 8:20; 1 Samuel 18:17; 1 Samuel 25:28; 2 Chronicles 32:8; absolute elsewhere Judges 5:19 (twice in verse); Judges 5:20; Deuteronomy 1:41; Zechariah 10:5 26t. + וַיָּסֻרוּ עָלָיו לְהִלָּחֵ֑ם 1 Kings 22:32; with עַל for, in behalf of, Judges 9:17; 2 Kings 10:3; Nehemiah 4:8; with לְ = id., Exodus 14:14 (J), Exodus 14:25 (J; + בְּ of enemy), Deuteronomy 1:30; Deuteronomy 3:22; Deuteronomy 20:4 (+ עִם of enemy, see above), Joshua 10:14,42; Joshua 23:3,10 (all D), Nehemiah 4:14 ׳יָכֹל לְהִלּ be able to fight, with את of enemy 1 Samuel 17:9, with בְּ of enemy Numbers 22:11, = be successful in fighting, prevail against; so with עַל of city Isaiah 7:1, and absolute 2 Kings 16:5 (after וַיָּצֻרוּ עָל besiege).
II. [לָחַם] verb use as food, eat, poetic (so Thes Buhl, compare Frä30 Guidi Della Sede 33; this would explain different between לֶחֶם and ; yet verb rare and chiefly late); —
Qal Perfect 3 plural לָֽחֲמוּ Proverbs 4:17; Imperfect 2 masculine singular תִּלְחַם Proverbs 23:6,1singular אֶלְחַם Psalm 141:4; Imperative masculine plural לַחֲמוּ Proverbs 9:5; Infinitive construct לְחוֺם Proverbs 23:1; Passive participle plural construct לְחֻמֵי Deuteronomy 32:24; eat (mostly Proverbs), absolute Proverbs 23:1; followed by accusative of congnate meaning with verb לֶחֶם Proverbs 4:17; Proverbs 23:6; followed by בְּלַחְמִי Proverbs 9:5; followed by בְּמַנְעַמֵּיהֶם Psalm 141:4 eat of their dainties; לְחֻמֵי רֶשֶׁף Deuteronomy 32:24 (poem) eaten up with the Fire-bolt, figurative of pestilence (Dr).
לָחַם fut. יִלְחַם
(1) to eat (kindred to לָהַם, see under the root לוּעַ ), i.q. אָכַל, but only used poetically, Proverbs 23:1 followed by an acc. of the food, Proverbs 4:17, 23:6 followed by בְּ to eat of anything (an, von etwas effen), Proverbs 9:5; Psalms 141:4. Metaph. Deuteronomy 32:24, לְחוּמֵי רֶשֶׁף “consumed with pestilence.”
(2) to fight, to war, followed by אֶת Psalms 35:1 and לְ of pers. 56:2, Psalms 35:3 more used in Niph. Fierce soldiers are hyperbolically said to devour their enemies, as Joshua says of the Canaanites. Numbers 14:9, לַחמֵנוּ הֵם “they shall be our bread;” Luth. denn wir wollen fie wie Brot freffen; compare Arab. مضغ to eat; Conj. II. to fight; Pers. مردن خور anthropophagus, spoken of a fierce soldier; compare also Hom. πτολέμοιο μέγα στόμα, Il. 10:8.
Niphal, נִלְחַם inf. absol. נִלְחֹם i.q. Kal No. 2, to fight, to wage war (with a recipr. signif. like the Gr. μάχεσθαι). 1 Samuel 17:10, נִלָּֽחֲמָה יַחַד “let us fight together;” followed by an acc. of one’s opponent, Joshua 10:25; Psalms 109:3; 1 Kings 20:25 followed by בְּ Exodus 1:10 עִם 2 Kings 13:12, 14:15 אֶל Jeremiah 1:19, 15:20 עַל Nehemiah 4:8 also followed by לְ Exodus 14:14, 25 Exodus 14:25; Deuteronomy 1:30 and by עַל of that for which one fights, Judges 9:17; 2 Kings 10:3 נִלְחַם בָּעִיר Judges 9:45 and עַל עִיר to fight against a city, to besiege it, Isaiah 7:1; 2 Kings 16:5; Jeremiah 34:22, 37:8.
Derivatives לֶחֶם, לָחֵם, לְחוּם, מִלְחָמָה.