← H2491 H2493 →

חָלַם

𐤇𐤋𐤌

châlam

H2492 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חלם to be healthy, to be strong, to dream

Definition

To dream, to experience dreams during sleep; also used in certain contexts to denote the act of dreaming (literal or metaphorical). In figurative usage, can imply envisioning, imagining, or planning (rare).

Semantic Range

to dream, to experience a dream, to cause to dream, to imagine (rare), to receive a revelation in a dream

Root / Etymology

From the root ח-ל-ם (חָלַם), meaning originally 'to be strong, healthy, robust.' The verb חָלַם developed semantically to mean 'to dream,' possibly from an association between health/vitality and the vividness or frequency of dreams. The causative form (hiphil) means 'to cause to dream.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, חָלַם almost always refers to the act or experience of dreaming, especially receiving revelatory or significant dreams (e.g., narratives in Genesis involving ancestors and in Daniel involving court officials). In earlier biblical texts, dreaming was understood as a potential means of divine communication, and such dreams held interpretive significance for individuals or communities. While the root carries physical connotations of health or vigor in some Semitic cognates (Akkadian and Aramaic), in Biblical Hebrew the usage is nearly always limited to dreams. English translations sometimes render contexts involving strong health or restoration as 'fat' or 'robust,' but this nuance is rare or speculative in Hebrew, more common in cognate languages. Later periods (Second Temple, Rabbinic) further emphasize the metaphorical sense of 'to dream' as contemplating or aspiring. The King James and other versions sometimes import the sense of 'be in good liking' or 'recover,' but this reflects either later Hebrew usage or interpretive gloss rather than established biblical usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to bind firmly, i.e. (by implication) to be (causatively to make) plump; also (through the figurative sense of dumbness) to dream; (cause to) dream(-er), be in good liking, recover.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

חלם (ḥ-l-m) — to be strong, to be healthy, to dream

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2472 חֲלוֹם in the dream
H2493 חֵלֶם dream-vision
H2494 חֵלֶם to Helem
H2495 חַלָּמוּת bland herb
H5161 נֶחֱלָמִי the Nechelamite

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2492-04 חָלָֽמְתִּי chalameti HVqp1cs I have dreamed I dreamed 7
H2492-11 וַֽ/יַּחֲלֹ֗ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and he dreamed and he dreamed 4
H2492-05 חֹלֵ֔ם cholem HVqrmsa dreamer dreaming-one 4
H2492-02 חָלַ֔מְנוּ chalamenu HVqp1cp we dreamed we dreamed 2
H2492-01 חָלַ֖ם chalam HVqp3ms had dreamed he dreamed 2
H2492-13 יַחֲלֹ֨ם yachalom HVqi3ms he dreams he dreams 2
H2492-03 חָלָ֑מְתָּ chalameta HVqp2ms you have dreamed you dreamed 1
H2492-12 וְ/תַחֲלִימֵ֖/נִי vetachalimeni HC/Vhi2ms/Sp1cs and restore me and you will cause me to dream 1
H2492-15 יַחְלְמ֣וּ yachelemu HVqi3mp their young ones become strong they dream 1
H2492-09 וַ/נַּֽחַלְמָ֥/ה vanachalemah HC/Vqw1cp/Sh and we dreamed and we dreamed 1

Occurrences in Scripture

30 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2492-11 Genesis 28:12 וַֽ/יַּחֲלֹ֗ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and he dreamed and he dreamed
H2492-11 Genesis 37:5 וַ/יַּחֲלֹ֤ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and he dreamed and he dreamed
H2492-06 Genesis 37:6 הַ/חֲל֥וֹם hachalom HTd/Ncmsa this dream the dream
H2492-04 Genesis 37:6 חָלָֽמְתִּי chalameti HVqp1cs I have dreamed I dreamed
H2492-11 Genesis 37:9 וַ/יַּחֲלֹ֥ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and he dreamed and he dreamed
H2492-04 Genesis 37:9 חָלַ֤מְתִּֽי chalameti HVqp1cs I have dreamed I dreamed
H2492-03 Genesis 37:10 חָלָ֑מְתָּ chalameta HVqp2ms you have dreamed you dreamed
H2492-10 Genesis 40:5 וַ/יַּֽחַלְמוּ֩ vayachalemu HC/Vqw3mp and they dreamed and they dreamed
H2492-02 Genesis 40:8 חָלַ֔מְנוּ chalamenu HVqp1cp we have dreamed we dreamed
H2492-05 Genesis 41:1 חֹלֵ֔ם cholem HVqrmsa dreamed dreaming-one
← H2491 Hebrew Lexicon H2493 →