נִלָּחֵ֤ם
𐤍𐤋𐤇𐤌
lâcham
let us fight
To engage in battle or wage war; to fight in armed conflict, either as an individual or a group. In rarer contexts, the verb can connote struggle, contend, or engage in conflict of a non-military nature. The sense of 'feed on' or 'devour' is not attested in Biblical Hebrew for this root, and likely arises from confusion with similar roots.
1 Kings 20:23 · Word #14
Lexicon H3898
| Lemma | לָחַם |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤋𐤇𐤌 |
| Transliteration | lâcham |
| Strong's | H3898 |
| Definition | To engage in battle or wage war; to fight in armed conflict, either as an individual or a group. In rarer contexts, the verb can connote struggle, contend, or engage in conflict of a non-military nature. The sense of 'feed on' or 'devour' is not attested in Biblical Hebrew for this root, and likely arises from confusion with similar roots. |
Morphology HVNi1cp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | N — Niphal — Simple passive or reflexive |
| Conjugation | i — Imperfect — Incomplete or ongoing action |
| Person | 1 — 1st person — First person ("I" / "we") |
| Gender | c — Common — Common (both genders) |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
Common Translation
| Phrase | let us fight |
SIBI-P1 Translation H3898-14
we will fight
| Morphological Notes | Verb, Niphal stem, imperfect conjugation, 1st person common plural. |
| Rendering Rationale | The Niphal imperfect first common plural form expresses "we" engaging in battle. Though Niphal is often passive or reflexive, this verb functions deponently in Biblical Hebrew, carrying an active sense of fighting or waging war. |
View full lexicon entry for H3898 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
let us fight
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | P1 'we will fight' is a simple future, but the cohortative/narrative force here expresses a proposal ('let us fight'), which is more accurate for the form and context. |