לְ/הִלָּחֵ֖ם
𐤋/𐤄𐤋𐤇𐤌
lâcham
to 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.
Daniel 10:20 · Word #8
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 HR/VNc
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | N — Niphal — Simple passive or reflexive |
| Conjugation | c — Infinitive Construct — The verbal noun ("to ...") |
Common Translation
| Phrase | to fight |
SIBI-P1 Translation H3898-09
to engage in battle
| Morphological Notes | Verb, Niphal stem, infinitive construct with prefixed ל; reflexive/reciprocal sense. |
| Rendering Rationale | The Niphal stem conveys a reflexive or reciprocal sense of entering into combat, and the infinitive construct with ל expresses purpose or action "to" do so. "To engage in battle" reflects both the root’s martial sense and the Niphal nuance. |
View full lexicon entry for H3898 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
to fight
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | While 'to engage in battle' is accurate, 'to fight' is a more direct rendering in this military context and matches common usage, as supported by the common translation and the definition. |