חָמַם
𐤇𐤌𐤌
châmam
H2552 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To become warm or hot; to experience or be affected by increased heat, both in a literal, physical sense (temperature, bodily warmth) and in a figurative sense (emotional intensity such as passion, zeal, or ardor). The term is used for physical heating, such as an object or person becoming warm, and for metaphorically describing emotional or spiritual fervor.
Semantic Range
to become hot, to become warm, to grow warm (of a person or object), to be heated (literal); to be inflamed with emotion, to feel passion, zeal, or ardor (figurative)
Root / Etymology
Root: ח-מ-ם. The root conveys the sense of heat or warmth. The verb חָמַם directly derives from this root and primarily denotes the act of becoming hot or warm. The same root generates related nouns, such as חֵמָה (heat, rage) and adjectives (חַם – hot).
Historical & Contextual Notes
חָמַם appears infrequently in the Hebrew Bible and typically describes a physical increase in temperature (such as someone's body becoming warm, 1 Kings 1:1–2), but in other cases, it is employed figuratively for emotional states or fervent feelings (Is 24:15). Over time, the semantic range of the root developed to encompass both tangible warmth and more abstract, internal experiences like enthusiasm or anger. This duality is preserved in later Hebrew and related Semitic languages. The concept of heat as both a physical and an emotional/spiritual quality is widespread in biblical idiom; compare also with related roots (e.g., חרה for burning anger, לבב for internal emotion/warmth). Standard English translations usually render the physical sense as 'warm' or 'hot,' but often fail to render the figurative/emotional senses fully.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to be hot (literally or figuratively); enflame self, get (have) heat, be (wax) hot, (be, wax) warm (self, at).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
חמם (ḥ-m-m) — heat, warmth, becoming hot, fervor
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2525 | חָם | hot ones |
| H2527 | חֹם | in heat |
| H2536 | חַמּוּאֵל | Chammuel |
| H2540 | חַמּוֹן | Warm-Spring Place |
Word Forms
10 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2552-07 |
וְ/חַ֥ם | vecham | HC/Vqp3ms |
and grew hot | and Hot-One | and the sun grew hot | 3 |
H2552-06 |
וַ/יָּ֖חָם | vayacham | HC/Vqw3ms |
and grew warm | and he became hot | and he became hot | 2 |
H2552-03 |
הַ/נֵּֽחָמִים֙ | hanechamim | HTd/VNrmpa |
who inflame yourselves | the ones becoming heated | the ones becoming heated | 1 |
H2552-04 |
לַ/חְמָ֔ם | lachemam | HR/Vqc |
for warming them | to become hot | to become hot | 1 |
H2552-10 |
יִתְחַמָּֽם | yitechamam | HVti3ms |
he was warmed | he will warm himself | it was warmed | 1 |
H2552-02 |
חַמּוֹתִ֖י | chamoti | HVqp1cs |
I am warm | I became hot | I became hot | 1 |
H2552-01 |
חַם | cham | HVqp3ms |
was hot | Ham | became hot | 1 |
H2552-09 |
יֵחַ֨מּוּ֙ | yechamu | HVqi3mp |
are hot | they will grow hot | they burn | 1 |
H2552-08 |
יָחֹם֙ | yachom | HVqi3ms |
he warms | he becomes hot | he becomes hot | 1 |
H2552-05 |
תְּחַמֵּֽם | techamem | HVpi3fs |
she warms | she heats up | she warms | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
13 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2552-07 |
Exodus 16:21 | וְ/חַ֥ם | vecham | HC/Vqp3ms |
and grew hot | and Hot-One | and the sun grew hot |
H2552-07 |
1 Kings 1:2 | וְ/חַ֖ם | vecham | HC/Vqq3ms |
and warm | and Hot-One | and warm |
H2552-06 |
2 Kings 4:34 | וַ/יָּ֖חָם | vayacham | HC/Vqw3ms |
and grew warm | and he became hot | and he became hot |
H2552-06 |
Isaiah 44:15 | וַ/יָּ֔חָם | vayacham | HC/Vqw3ms |
and-he-warms-himself | and he became hot | and he warmed himself |
H2552-08 |
Isaiah 44:16 | יָחֹם֙ | yachom | HVqi3ms |
he warms | he becomes hot | he becomes hot |
H2552-02 |
Isaiah 44:16 | חַמּוֹתִ֖י | chamoti | HVqp1cs |
I am warm | I became hot | I became hot |
H2552-04 |
Isaiah 47:14 | לַ/חְמָ֔ם | lachemam | HR/Vqc |
for warming them | to become hot | to become hot |
H2552-03 |
Isaiah 57:5 | הַ/נֵּֽחָמִים֙ | hanechamim | HTd/VNrmpa |
who inflame yourselves | the ones becoming heated | the ones becoming heated |
H2552-09 |
Hosea 7:7 | יֵחַ֨מּוּ֙ | yechamu | HVqi3mp |
are hot | they will grow hot | they burn |
H2552-01 |
Psalms 39:4 | חַם | cham | HVqp3ms |
was hot | Ham | became hot |