חֶמְאָה

# חֶמְאָה (Chem'ah): Curd in Biblical Context The Hebrew word חֶמְאָה (chem'ah) refers to curd, a dairy product created through the natural curdling of milk. Based on its nine occurrences in the biblical text, this was a recognizable and established food item in ancient Israelite society. The word's specific designation for curd—rather than milk or cheese generally—indicates that biblical writers distinguished between different stages and forms of dairy processing. The relative rarity of the term (appearing only nine times) suggests that while curd was a known commodity, it held a limited but meaningful place in biblical narratives and descriptions. Its inclusion in the biblical record indicates that curd was significant enough to warrant specific mention, whether in accounts of food provision, hospitality, or dietary practices. The consistency of the lexical definition across occurrences shows that the term maintained a stable, concrete reference to this particular dairy product throughout the biblical texts in which it appears. Without access to the specific biblical passages where חֶמְאָה appears, the analysis remains limited to confirming that this word functioned as a precise designation for curd—a practical, everyday food item that ancient Near Eastern peoples understood and valued sufficiently to name distinctly within their language and religious texts.