הָלַם
ha.lam
to smite
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word הָלַם (halam) is a verb that conveys the idea of "to smite". Its primary semantic domain relates to warfare and conflict, indicating that its usage is often associated with physical or violent action. With 8 occurrences in the Bible, הָלַם is not a frequently used term, but its significance lies in its specificity and directness. The verb's meaning is unambiguous, suggesting a sudden and forceful impact, likely resulting in harm or injury. This understanding is consistent across its appearances in the scripture, suggesting a range of usage that encompasses both physical and possibly metaphysical contexts. While the exact extent of its usage may be limited, הָלַם's meaning remains clear and concrete. In the context of warfare and conflict, הָלַם would likely refer to the physical act of striking or attacking, underscoring the destructive and often violent nature of combat. Beyond its immediate semantic domain, this word's specificity and directness may indicate a particular emphasis or focus in the narrative where it appears, serving as a vivid illustration of the intensity or severity of a situation.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences across the text
Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers.
Psalms 141:5Let the righteous strike me, it is kindness; let him reprove me, it is like oil on the head; don’t let my head refuse it; Yet my prayer is always against evil deeds.
Proverbs 23:35“They hit me, and I was not hurt! They beat me, and I don’t feel it! When will I wake up? I can do it again. I can find another.”
Isaiah 16:8For the fields of Heshbon languish with the vine of Sibmah. The lords of the nations have broken down its choice branches, which reached even to Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness. Its shoots were spread abroad. They passed over the sea.
Isaiah 28:1Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!
Isaiah 41:7So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith. He who smoothes with the hammer encourages him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good;” and he fastens it with nails, that it might not totter.
Judges 5:22Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancing, the prancing of their strong ones.
Judges 5:26She put her hand to the tent peg, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer. With the hammer she struck Sisera. She struck through his head. Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples.