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חָלַם

𐤇𐤋𐤌

châlam

H2492 verb

SILEX Entry

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 recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

חלם (Chelem) — to dream, have (or experience) a dream

Root חלם to be healthy, to be strong, to dream
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2472 חֲלוֹם in the dream
H2494 חֵלֶם to Helem

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2492-04 חָלָ֑מְתִּי chalameti HVqp1cs I have dreamed I dreamed I dreamed 7
H2492-05 חֹלֵ֣ם cholem HVqrmsc dreamer dreaming-one a dreamer 4
H2492-11 וַֽ/יַּחֲלֹ֗ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and he dreamed and he dreamed and he dreamed 4
H2492-01 חָלַ֥ם chalam HVqp3ms had dreamed he dreamed he dreamed 2
H2492-02 חָלַ֔מְנוּ chalamenu HVqp1cp we dreamed we dreamed we dreamed 2
H2492-13 יַחֲלֹ֨ם yachalom HVqi3ms he dreams he dreams he dreams 2
H2492-03 חָלָ֑מְתָּ chalameta HVqp2ms you have dreamed you dreamed you dreamed 1
H2492-06 הַ/חֲל֥וֹם hachalom HTd/Ncmsa this dream the dream the dream 1
H2492-07 כְּ/חֹלְמִֽים kecholemim HR/Vqrmpa like dreamers like dreaming ones like dreamers 1
H2492-08 מַחְלְמִֽים machelemim HVhrmpa dream dream-causers are dreaming 1

Occurrences in Scripture

30 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2492-11 Genesis 28:12 וַֽ/יַּחֲלֹ֗ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and he dreamed and he dreamed and he dreamed
H2492-11 Genesis 37:5 וַ/יַּחֲלֹ֤ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and he dreamed and he dreamed and he dreamed
H2492-06 Genesis 37:6 הַ/חֲל֥וֹם hachalom HTd/Ncmsa this dream the dream the dream
H2492-04 Genesis 37:6 חָלָֽמְתִּי chalameti HVqp1cs I have dreamed I dreamed I dreamed
H2492-11 Genesis 37:9 וַ/יַּחֲלֹ֥ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and he dreamed and he dreamed and he dreamed
H2492-04 Genesis 37:9 חָלַ֤מְתִּֽי chalameti HVqp1cs I have dreamed I dreamed I dreamed
H2492-03 Genesis 37:10 חָלָ֑מְתָּ chalameta HVqp2ms you have dreamed you dreamed you dreamed
H2492-10 Genesis 40:5 וַ/יַּֽחַלְמוּ֩ vayachalemu HC/Vqw3mp and they dreamed and they dreamed and they dreamed
H2492-02 Genesis 40:8 חָלַ֔מְנוּ chalamenu HVqp1cp we have dreamed we dreamed we have dreamed
H2492-05 Genesis 41:1 חֹלֵ֔ם cholem HVqrmsa dreamed dreaming-one dreaming
H2492-11 Genesis 41:5 וַֽ/יַּחֲלֹ֖ם vayachalom HC/Vqw3ms and dreamed and he dreamed and he dreamed
H2492-09 Genesis 41:11 וַ/נַּֽחַלְמָ֥/ה vanachalemah HC/Vqw1cp/Sh and we dreamed and we dreamed and we dreamed
H2492-02 Genesis 41:11 חָלָֽמְנוּ chalamenu HVqp1cp we dreamed we dreamed we dreamed
H2492-04 Genesis 41:15 חָלַ֔מְתִּי chalameti HVqp1cs I have dreamed I dreamed I dreamed
H2492-01 Genesis 42:9 חָלַ֖ם chalam HVqp3ms he had dreamed he dreamed he dreamed
H2492-05 Deuteronomy 13:2 חֹלֵ֣ם cholem HVqrmsc dreamer dreaming-one a dreamer
H2492-05 Deuteronomy 13:4 חוֹלֵ֥ם cholem HVqrmsc dreamer of dream dreaming-one dreamer
H2492-05 Deuteronomy 13:6 חֹלֵם֩ cholem HVqrmsc dreamer dreaming-one dreaming-one
H2492-04 Judges 7:13 חָלַ֗מְתִּי chalameti HVqp1cs I dreamed I dreamed I dreamed
H2492-13 Isaiah 29:8 יַחֲלֹ֨ם yachalom HVqi3ms he dreams he dreams he dreams
H2492-13 Isaiah 29:8 יַחֲלֹ֤ם yachalom-2 HVqi3ms he dreams he dreams he dreams
H2492-12 Isaiah 38:16 וְ/תַחֲלִימֵ֖/נִי vetachalimeni HC/Vhi2ms/Sp1cs and restore me and you will cause me to dream and restore me
H2492-04 Jeremiah 23:25 חָלַ֖מְתִּי chalameti HVqp1cs I dreamed I dreamed I dreamed
H2492-04 Jeremiah 23:25 חָלָֽמְתִּי chalameti-2 HVqp1cs I dreamed I dreamed I dreamed
H2492-08 Jeremiah 29:8 מַחְלְמִֽים machelemim HVhrmpa dream dream-causers are dreaming
H2492-14 Joel 3:1 יַחֲלֹמ֔וּ/ן yachalomun HVqi3mp/Sn shall dream they will dream they will dream
H2492-07 Psalms 126:1 כְּ/חֹלְמִֽים kecholemim HR/Vqrmpa like dreamers like dreaming ones like dreamers
H2492-15 Job 39:4 יַחְלְמ֣וּ yachelemu HVqi3mp their young ones become strong they dream their young ones become strong
H2492-01 Daniel 2:1 חָלַ֥ם chalam HVqp3ms had dreamed he dreamed he dreamed
H2492-04 Daniel 2:3 חָלָ֑מְתִּי chalameti HVqp1cs I have dreamed I dreamed I dreamed
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