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כָּלַם

𐤊𐤋𐤌

kâlam

H3637 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To bring disgrace, shame, or humiliation upon, especially through verbal insult, scorn, or reproach; in many contexts, to be made ashamed or dishonored, sometimes accompanied by feelings of embarrassment or confusion. The term is frequently used when an individual or group suffers public dishonor or is subjected to contemptuous treatment.

Semantic Range

to publicly shame, to humiliate, to bring disgrace, to taunt, to insult, to put to confusion, to cause to blush, to reproach, to make confounded, to bring dishonor

Root / Etymology

Derived from the Hebrew root כָּלַם, whose core meaning is 'to shame' or 'disgrace'. While some have suggested an original sense of 'to wound' (metaphorically, to inflict psychic pain), the consistent usage is for emotional and social shaming rather than physical harm. The root is attested as a denominative verb and is not a noun-forming root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The verb כָּלַם is widely used throughout the Hebrew Bible for the act of shaming or humiliating an individual or group, especially in a social or public context. In patriarchal and monarchic periods, shaming signified a serious loss of honor within the kinship group or broader society. The term can refer to humiliation caused by actions, words, or misfortune. During the post-exilic period, the word continued to carry the sense of communal disgrace (e.g., Nehemiah, Ezra). English translations often render כָּלַם as 'to shame', 'to disgrace', or 'to put to confusion', but the biblical term encompasses a wider context of cultural concepts of honor and public standing than the English words may imply. Unlike בושׁ (bôsh), which more often stresses the internal feeling of shame or disappointment, כָּלַם emphasizes the external act or experience of being shamed by others. In later Hebrew the root continued to refer to disgracing or shaming someone, with similar legal and social implications.

Translation Consistency

primary "shame" 28 occurrences

“Shame” best captures the typical force of כָּלַם — to bring disgrace or cause someone to feel ashamed — while remaining natural and widely usable in both active and passive contexts (e.g., he shamed them; they were shamed). It covers the common senses (humiliate, put to shame, disgrace) better than rarer senses like “confound.”

Alternatives (10 occurrences):
"disgraced" (3x) "ashamed" (2x) "ashamed ones" (1x) "humiliated" (1x) "disappointed" (1x) "confounded" (1x) "disgrace" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to wound; but only figuratively, to taunt or insult; be (make) ashamed, blush, be confounded, be put to confusion, hurt, reproach, (do, put to) shame.

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

כלם (kâlam) — to shame, disgrace, humiliate

Root כלם to shame, disgrace, humiliate
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3639 כְּלִמָּה disgrace
H3640 כְּלִמּוּת and disgrace of

Word Forms

27 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3637-25 וְ/יִכָּלְמ֖וּ veyikalemu HC/VNj3mp and be confounded and they will be shamed and they will be shamed 5
H3637-13 נִכְלְמוּ֙ nikhelemu HVNp3cp confounded they were shamed they were shamed 3
H3637-23 וְ/נִכְלַ֕מְתְּ venikhelamete HC/VNq2fs and be ashamed and you will be shamed and you will be shamed 3
H3637-09 מַכְלִֽם makhelim HVhrmsa humiliating shaming one shaming 2
H3637-11 נִכְלָ֑מְתִּי nikhelameti HVNp1cs I-have-been-disgraced I was shamed I was shamed 2
H3637-12 נִכְלָמִ֣ים nikhelamim HVNrmpa humiliated being shamed ones being shamed ones 2
H3637-01 בְּ/הַכְלִ֖ים behakhelim HR/Vhc when he shames in causing shame in causing shame 1
H3637-02 הָכְלַ֨מְנוּ֙ hakhelamenu HVHp1cp we were shamed we were put to shame we were put to shame 1
H3637-03 הַכְלִים֙ hakhelim HVhc to blush to put to shame to put to shame 1
H3637-04 הַ/נִּכְלָמִ֔ים hanikhelamim HR/VNsmpa the ashamed the shamed ones the ashamed ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

38 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3637-16 Numbers 12:14 תִכָּלֵ֖ם tikalem HVNi3fs be ashamed she will be shamed be ashamed
H3637-09 Judges 18:7 מַכְלִ֨ים makhelim HVhrmsa humiliating shaming one shaming
H3637-08 1 Samuel 20:34 הִכְלִמ֖/וֹ hikhelimo HVhp3ms/Sp3ms had disgraced him he shamed him he shamed him
H3637-06 1 Samuel 25:7 הֶכְלַמְנ֗וּ/ם hekhelamenum HVhp1cp/Sp3mp we shamed them we put them to shame we shamed them
H3637-02 1 Samuel 25:15 הָכְלַ֨מְנוּ֙ hakhelamenu HVHp1cp we were shamed we were put to shame we were put to shame
H3637-12 2 Samuel 10:5 נִכְלָמִ֣ים nikhelamim HVNrmpa humiliated being shamed ones being shamed ones
H3637-04 2 Samuel 19:4 הַ/נִּכְלָמִ֔ים hanikhelamim HR/VNsmpa the ashamed the shamed ones the ashamed ones
H3637-25 Isaiah 41:11 וְ/יִכָּ֣לְמ֔וּ veyikalemu HC/VNi3mp and confounded and they will be shamed and they will be shamed
H3637-13 Isaiah 45:16 נִכְלְמ֖וּ nikhelemu HVNp3cp confounded they were shamed they were shamed
H3637-18 Isaiah 45:17 תִכָּלְמ֖וּ tikalemu HVNi2mp humiliated you will be shamed you will be shamed
H3637-11 Isaiah 50:7 נִכְלָ֑מְתִּי nikhelameti HVNp1cs I-have-been-disgraced I was shamed I was shamed
H3637-17 Isaiah 54:4 תִּכָּלְמִ֖י tikalemi HVNj2fs be humiliated may you be shamed be humiliated
H3637-07 Jeremiah 3:3 הִכָּלֵֽם hikalem HVNc to be ashamed to be shamed to be shamed
H3637-03 Jeremiah 6:15 הַכְלִים֙ hakhelim HVhc to blush to put to shame to put to shame
H3637-21 Jeremiah 8:12 וְ/הִכָּלֵם֙ vehikalem HC/VNc nor were they able to blush and to be shamed and they were disgraced
H3637-20 Jeremiah 14:3 וְ/הָכְלְמ֖וּ vehakhelemu HC/VHp3cp and were disappointed and were brought to shame and were disappointed
H3637-23 Jeremiah 22:22 וְ/נִכְלַ֔מְתְּ venikhelamete HC/VNq2fs and humiliated and you will be shamed and you will be shamed
H3637-11 Jeremiah 31:19 נִכְלַ֔מְתִּי nikhelameti HVNp1cs I was confounded I was shamed I was shamed
H3637-05 Ezekiel 16:27 הַ/נִּכְלָמ֖וֹת hanikhelamot HTd/VNsfpa the-ashamed the shamed ones the shamed ones
H3637-23 Ezekiel 16:54 וְ/נִכְלַ֕מְתְּ venikhelamete HC/VNq2fs and be ashamed and you will be shamed and you will be shamed
H3637-23 Ezekiel 16:61 וְ/נִכְלַמְתְּ֒ venikhelamete HC/VNq2fs and be ashamed and you will be shamed and you will be shamed
H3637-22 Ezekiel 36:32 וְ/הִכָּלְמ֛וּ vehikalemu HC/VNv2mp and confounded be shamed and be confounded
H3637-25 Ezekiel 43:10 וְ/יִכָּלְמ֖וּ veyikalemu HC/VNj3mp that they may be ashamed and they will be shamed and they will be shamed
H3637-13 Ezekiel 43:11 נִכְלְמ֞וּ nikhelemu HVNp3cp they-are-ashamed they were shamed they were shamed
H3637-25 Psalms 35:4 וְ/יִכָּלְמוּ֮ veyikalemu HC/VNi3mp and be confounded and they will be shamed and they will be shamed
H3637-25 Psalms 40:15 וְ/יִכָּלְמ֑וּ veyikalemu HC/VNi3mp and brought to dishonor and they will be shamed and they will be shamed
H3637-19 Psalms 44:10 וַ/תַּכְלִימֵ֑/נוּ vatakhelimenu HC/Vhw2ms/Sp1cp and disgraced us and you shamed us and you disgraced us
H3637-27 Psalms 69:7 יִכָּ֣לְמוּ yikalemu HVNj3mp they be disgraced may they be shamed they be disgraced
H3637-25 Psalms 70:3 וְ/יִכָּלְמ֑וּ veyikalemu HC/VNi3mp and let them be confounded and they will be shamed and let them be put to shame
H3637-10 Psalms 74:21 נִכְלָ֑ם nikhelam HVNrmsa disgraced the one being shamed ashamed
H3637-01 Proverbs 25:8 בְּ/הַכְלִ֖ים behakhelim HR/Vhc when he shames in causing shame in causing shame
H3637-26 Proverbs 28:7 יַכְלִ֥ים yakhelim HVhi3ms shames he will put to shame he will put to shame
H3637-09 Job 11:3 מַכְלִֽם makhelim HVhrmsa to shame shaming one shaming
H3637-15 Job 19:3 תַּכְלִימ֑וּ/נִי takhelimuni HVhi2mp/Sp1cs you have reproached me you cause me shame you shame me
H3637-14 Ruth 2:15 תַכְלִימֽוּ/הָ takhelimuha HVhi2mp/Sp3fs reproach her you will disgrace her you will disgrace her
H3637-24 Ezra 9:6 וְ/נִכְלַ֔מְתִּי venikhelameti HC/VNp1cs and-embarrassed and I was shamed and I was shamed
H3637-12 1 Chronicles 19:5 נִכְלָמִ֣ים nikhelamim HVNrmpa humiliated being shamed ones being shamed ones
H3637-13 2 Chronicles 30:15 נִכְלְמוּ֙ nikhelemu HVNp3cp were ashamed they were shamed they were shamed
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