← H2525 H2527 →

חָם

𐤇𐤌

Cham

H2526 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חם to be hot, to be warm

Definition

Proper name: Ham—the second son of Noah—frequently used in reference both to the individual and, metonymically, to his descendants or to peoples or regions traditionally identified as descending from him. The underlying adjective means 'warm, hot,' but as a personal name it functions only as a name without a clear descriptive function in the context of Noah's sons.

Semantic Range

Ham (son of Noah), descendants of Ham, peoples and regions associated with Ham, the land of Ham (Egypt or Africa), hot, warm (adjective in non-name uses)

Root / Etymology

From the root ח-ם-ם (חם), meaning 'to be warm, to be hot.' As a noun and proper name, חָם (Châm) is derived from this root, but its use as a personal and ethnological name is fixed and does not necessarily carry overt semantic links to the adjective 'hot' in its narrative contexts.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָם is used in the Hebrew Bible primarily as a proper personal name for the son of Noah (Gen 5:32; Gen 6:10), and by extension, as a collective for groups said to be descended from him (e.g., Mizraim, Cush, Put, Canaan). References to 'the land of Ham' (Psa 78:51; 105:23, 27) appear to point to Egypt or Africa more broadly, reflecting later traditional associations. English translations have rendered the name as 'Ham,' occasionally interpreting his descendants collectively as 'Hamites.' The name also has an adjectival meaning, 'hot,' used in other contexts (e.g., Job 30:30), but in the genealogical passages, this connection is not explicit and seems etymological rather than functional. In biblical tradition, peoples attributed to Ham are often located in northern Africa and parts of the eastern Mediterranean, but these designations are schematic and do not always correspond to later ethnic or territorial realities. The English term 'Hamite' or the more general use of 'Ham' in racial theories of the 19th–20th centuries should not be read back into the biblical text.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as חָם; hot (from the tropical habitat); Cham, a son of Noah; also (as a patronymic) his descendants or their country; Ham.

Bantu Hebrew

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

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

חם (ḥ-m-m) — to be hot, to be warm

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2525 חָם Ham
H2529 חֶמְאָה in burning heat
H2534 חֵמָה in heat-of
H2535 חַמָּה radiant heat
H2545 חֲמוֹת her mother-in-law

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2526-01 חָ֥ם cham HNp Ham Ham 13
H2526-02 וְ/חָ֥ם vecham HC/Np and Ham and Ham 3

Occurrences in Scripture

16 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2526-01 Genesis 5:32 חָ֥ם cham HNp Ham Ham
H2526-01 Genesis 6:10 חָ֥ם cham HNp Ham Ham
H2526-02 Genesis 7:13 וְ/חָ֥ם vecham HC/Np and Ham and Ham
H2526-02 Genesis 9:18 וְ/חָ֣ם vecham HC/Np and Ham and Ham
H2526-02 Genesis 9:18 וְ/חָ֕ם vecham-2 HC/Np and Ham and Ham
H2526-01 Genesis 9:22 חָ֚ם cham HNp Ham Ham
H2526-01 Genesis 10:1 חָ֣ם cham HNp Ham Ham
H2526-01 Genesis 10:6 חָ֑ם cham HNp of Ham Ham
H2526-01 Genesis 10:20 חָ֔ם cham HNp Ham Ham
H2526-01 Psalms 78:51 חָֽם cham HNp Ham Ham
← H2525 Hebrew Lexicon H2527 →