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יָחַם

𐤉𐤇𐤌

yâcham

H3179 verb

SILEX Entry

Root יחם to be hot, to be warm, to experience heat (especially sexual heat)

Definition

To be hot, to become warm; in human and animal contexts, to become sexually aroused or to enter into heat (rut or estrus); by extension, to conceive (usually of an animal, sometimes figuratively of a human mother). The term denotes the physical sensation of warmth but frequently carries specifically sexual connotations, especially in reference to procreation.

Semantic Range

to be hot, to be warm, to be in heat (animal estrus), to be sexually aroused, to conceive (especially of animals), to become pregnant (rarely of humans)

Root / Etymology

From the root יחם, which conveys an idea of 'to be hot' or 'to become warm.' The verb יָחַם reflects both the physical property of heat or warmth and, in its derived usages, a figurative extension to sexual heat (ardor) and procreative capacity. As a denominative verb from the basic root meaning 'hot,' the semantic extension to conception comes from observed animal behavior, where warmth is associated with mating and fertility.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, יָחַם is most often used in the context of animal reproduction (e.g., Genesis 30:38-39, where it describes flocks 'in heat' or 'conceiving'), though occasionally appears in reference to humans (e.g., Job 21:10). Its primary sphere of use is zoological, relating to animal fertility cycles. Rarely, the concept broadens to cover the idea of conception in general, but it retains an earthy, physical resonance rather than becoming a technical term for gestation or birth. Notably, English translations often render the word as 'to conceive,' potentially masking the sexual and thermal imagery inherent in the Hebrew. Unlike more clinical Hebrew terms for conception or pregnancy, יָחַם is earthy and rooted in the physicality of the animal world. It does not bear the moralized or euphemistic tone sometimes found in later interpretive traditions and remains closely connected to its root sense of 'heat.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; probably to be hot; figuratively, to conceive; get heat, be hot, conceive, be warm.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

יחם (y-ḥ-m) — to be hot, to be warm, to experience heat (especially sexual heat)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3181 יַחְמַי and He-Makes-Hot

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3179-06 יֵחַם֮ yecham HVqi3ms is hot he will become hot 2
H3179-05 יַחֵם֮ yachem HVpc of mating to bring into heat 2
H3179-08 יִחַ֖ם yicham HVqi3ms he got warm he will become hot 1
H3179-03 וַ/יֵּחַ֖מְנָה vayechamenah HC/Vqw3fp and they conceived and they became hot 1
H3179-02 תֵּחַ֜ם techam HVqi3fs it-may-become-hot she will become hot 1
H3179-04 וַ/יֶּחֱמ֥וּ vayechemu HC/Vqw3mp conceived and they went into heat 1
H3179-07 יֶֽחֱמַ֥תְ/נִי yechemateni HVpp3fs/Sp1cs did conceive me she heated me 1
H3179-01 לְ/יַחְמֵ֖/נָּה leyachemenah HR/Vpc/Sp3fs that they might breed to bring her into heat 1

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3179-03 Genesis 30:38 וַ/יֵּחַ֖מְנָה vayechamenah HC/Vqw3fp and they conceived and they became hot
H3179-04 Genesis 30:39 וַ/יֶּחֱמ֥וּ vayechemu HC/Vqw3mp conceived and they went into heat
H3179-05 Genesis 30:41 יַחֵם֮ yachem HVpc the flock were breeding to bring into heat
H3179-01 Genesis 30:41 לְ/יַחְמֵ֖/נָּה leyachemenah HR/Vpc/Sp3fs that they might breed to bring her into heat
H3179-05 Genesis 31:10 יַחֵ֣ם yachem HVpc of mating to bring into heat
H3179-06 Deuteronomy 19:6 יֵחַם֮ yecham HVqi3ms is hot he will become hot
H3179-08 1 Kings 1:1 יִחַ֖ם yicham HVqi3ms he got warm he will become hot
H3179-02 Ezekiel 24:11 תֵּחַ֜ם techam HVqi3fs it-may-become-hot she will become hot
H3179-07 Psalms 51:7 יֶֽחֱמַ֥תְ/נִי yechemateni HVpp3fs/Sp1cs did conceive me she heated me
H3179-06 Ecclesiastes 4:11 יֵחָֽם yecham HVqi3ms he will become hot
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