הִלָּחֵ֣ם
𐤄𐤋𐤇𐤌
lâcham
fight
To engage in battle or wage war; to fight in armed conflict, either as an individual or a group. In rarer contexts, the verb can connote struggle, contend, or engage in conflict of a non-military nature. The sense of 'feed on' or 'devour' is not attested in Biblical Hebrew for this root, and likely arises from confusion with similar roots.
Exodus 17:9 · Word #9
Lexicon H3898
| Lemma | לָחַם |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤋𐤇𐤌 |
| Transliteration | lâcham |
| Strong's | H3898 |
| Definition | To engage in battle or wage war; to fight in armed conflict, either as an individual or a group. In rarer contexts, the verb can connote struggle, contend, or engage in conflict of a non-military nature. The sense of 'feed on' or 'devour' is not attested in Biblical Hebrew for this root, and likely arises from confusion with similar roots. |
Morphology HVNv2ms
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | N — Niphal — Simple passive or reflexive |
| Conjugation | v — Imperative — A command |
| Person | 2 — 2nd person — Second person ("you") |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
Common Translation
| Phrase | fight |
SIBI-P1 Translation H3898-06
Engage in battle!
| Morphological Notes | Verb, Niphal stem (reflexive/passive), imperative, 2nd person masculine singular. |
| Rendering Rationale | The root לחם denotes waging war or fighting in armed conflict. The Niphal imperative 2ms carries a reflexive/middle force, calling the masculine singular addressee to enter into or engage himself in battle. |
View full lexicon entry for H3898 →
SILEX v2