חֲלוֹם
𐤇𐤋𐤅𐤌
chălôwm
H2472 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Mental images, visions, or experiences occurring during sleep; in biblical contexts, often regarded as means of communication, frequently from the divine or from one’s own subconscious. The term can refer both to ordinary dreams as part of sleep as well as to revelatory or prophetic experiences experienced in dreams.
Semantic Range
dream (as experience during sleep), dream as vehicle for divine message or prophecy, dream as an unreliable or fleeting image, dreamer (in a derivative or participial sense)
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root חָלַם (ḥālam), meaning 'to dream.' The noun חֲלוֹם (chălôm) denotes the thing dreamed or the dream experience itself. The connection from root to noun is straightforward, with no significant divergence in semantic fields between root and noun.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Across the Hebrew Bible, חֲלוֹם is used for both mundane and significant (often revelatory) dreams. In patriarchal narratives (e.g., Genesis), dreams serve as major conduits for divine messages (Joseph, Jacob). In later periods (e.g., Daniel), the term continues to designate revelatory experiences, but can also refer to dreams of foreign leaders interpreted by Israelites. In poetic and wisdom literature, dreams are sometimes placed in parallel with fleeting or unreliable phenomena, indicating a nuanced understanding of their significance. The word differs from terms describing waking visions (e.g., מַרְאָה, חָזוֹן), but it sometimes overlaps functionally when describing means of divine revelation. English translations generally render this as 'dream', though they may miss distinctions between ordinary dreams and ones regarded as supernatural messages. In later Second Temple and Rabbinic literature, the interpretation of dreams becomes a more specialized field, but this lexeme continues to mean 'dream' without inheriting these later interpretive connotations.
Translation Consistency
חֲלוֹם primarily denotes the experience of dreaming — ordinary sleep‐dreams and revelatory or prophetic visions. 'Dream' is the natural, common English noun that covers the full semantic range (ordinary dream, prophetic dream, fleeting image) and matches the overwhelming majority of existing renderings (39x 'dream', 16x 'dreams'). It also serves naturally as the base for related forms (dreams, dreamer) while remaining simple and idiomatic.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or (shortened) חֲלֹם; from חָלַם; a dream; dream(-er).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
חלם (Chelem) — to dream, have (or experience) a dream
Word Forms
15 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2472-05 |
חֲל֑וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream | 18 |
H2472-01 |
בַּ/חֲל֣וֹם | bachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
in a dream | in the dream | in the dream | 8 |
H2472-11 |
הַ/חֲלֽוֹם | hachalom | HTd/Ncmsa |
the dream | the dream | the dream | 7 |
H2472-06 |
חֲלֹמ/וֹ֙ | chalomo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his dream | his dream | his dream | 5 |
H2472-02 |
בַּ/חֲלוֹמִ֕/י | bachalomi | HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
in my dream | in my dream | in my dream | 4 |
H2472-07 |
חֲלֹמ֑וֹת | chalomot | HNcmpa |
dreams | dreams of | dreams | 4 |
H2472-08 |
חֲלֹמֹתָ֑י/ו | chalomotayv | HNcmpc/Sp3ms |
his dreams | his dreams | his dreams | 3 |
H2472-13 |
כַּֽ/חֲלוֹם֙ | kachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
like a dream | like a dream | like a dream | 3 |
H2472-15 |
וַ/חֲלֹמֽוֹת | vachalomot | HC/Ncmpa |
and-dreams | dreams of | and dreams of | 3 |
H2472-03 |
בַּ/חֲלֹמ֛וֹת | bachalomot | HRd/Ncmpa |
by dreams | in the dreams | in the dreams | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
64 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2472-01 |
Genesis 20:3 | בַּ/חֲל֣וֹם | bachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
in a dream | in the dream | in the dream |
H2472-01 |
Genesis 20:6 | בַּ/חֲלֹ֗ם | bachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
in a dream | in the dream | in the dream |
H2472-01 |
Genesis 31:10 | בַּ/חֲל֑וֹם | bachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
in a dream | in the dream | in the dream |
H2472-01 |
Genesis 31:11 | בַּ/חֲל֖וֹם | bachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
in the dream | in the dream | in the dream |
H2472-01 |
Genesis 31:24 | בַּ/חֲלֹ֣ם | bachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
in a dream | in the dream | in the dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 37:5 | חֲל֔וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-08 |
Genesis 37:8 | חֲלֹמֹתָ֖י/ו | chalomotayv | HNcmpc/Sp3ms |
his dreams | his dreams | his dreams |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 37:9 | חֲל֣וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 37:9 | חֲלוֹם֙ | chalom-2 | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-11 |
Genesis 37:10 | הַ/חֲל֥וֹם | hachalom | HTd/Ncmsa |
the dream | the dream | the dream |
H2472-12 |
Genesis 37:19 | הַ/חֲלֹמ֥וֹת | hachalomot | HTd/Ncmpa |
of dreams | the dreams | the dreams |
H2472-08 |
Genesis 37:20 | חֲלֹמֹתָֽי/ו | chalomotayv | HNcmpc/Sp3ms |
of his dreams | his dreams | his dreams |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 40:5 | חֲל֨וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-06 |
Genesis 40:5 | חֲלֹמ/וֹ֙ | chalomo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his dream | his dream | his dream |
H2472-06 |
Genesis 40:5 | חֲלֹמ֑/וֹ | chalomo-2 | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
of his dream | his dream | his dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 40:8 | חֲל֣וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-06 |
Genesis 40:9 | חֲלֹמ֖/וֹ | chalomo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his dream | his dream | his dream |
H2472-02 |
Genesis 40:9 | בַּ/חֲלוֹמִ֕/י | bachalomi | HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
In my dream | in my dream | in my dream |
H2472-02 |
Genesis 40:16 | בַּ/חֲלוֹמִ֔/י | bachalomi | HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
in my dream | in my dream | in my dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 41:7 | חֲלֽוֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-06 |
Genesis 41:8 | חֲלֹמ֔/וֹ | chalomo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his dream | his dream | his dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 41:11 | חֲל֛וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-06 |
Genesis 41:11 | חֲלֹמ֖/וֹ | chalomo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
of his dream | his dream | his dream |
H2472-10 |
Genesis 41:12 | חֲלֹמֹתֵ֑י/נוּ | chalomoteynu | HNcmpc/Sp1cp |
our dreams | our dreams | our dreams |
H2472-14 |
Genesis 41:12 | כַּ/חֲלֹמ֖/וֹ | kachalomo | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
according to his dream | his dream | according to his dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 41:15 | חֲל֣וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
A dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 41:15 | חֲל֖וֹם | chalom-2 | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-02 |
Genesis 41:17 | בַּ/חֲלֹמִ֕/י | bachalomi | HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
In my dream | in my dream | in my dream |
H2472-02 |
Genesis 41:22 | בַּ/חֲלֹמִ֑/י | bachalomi | HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
in my dream | in my dream | in my dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 41:25 | חֲל֥וֹם | chalom | HNcmsc |
dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-05 |
Genesis 41:26 | חֲל֖וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-11 |
Genesis 41:32 | הַ/חֲל֛וֹם | hachalom | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the dream | the dream | the dream |
H2472-12 |
Genesis 42:9 | הַ/חֲלֹמ֔וֹת | hachalomot | HTd/Ncmpa |
dreams | the dreams | the dreams |
H2472-01 |
Numbers 12:6 | בַּ/חֲל֖וֹם | bachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
in a dream | in the dream | in the dream |
H2472-05 |
Deuteronomy 13:2 | חֲל֑וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
of dreams | dream | of dreams |
H2472-11 |
Deuteronomy 13:4 | הַ/חֲל֖וֹם | hachalom | HTd/Ncmsa |
the dream | the dream | of the dream |
H2472-11 |
Deuteronomy 13:6 | הַ/חֲל֨וֹם | hachalom | HTd/Ncmsa |
of-the-dream | the dream | of the dream |
H2472-05 |
Judges 7:13 | חֲל֑וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-05 |
Judges 7:13 | חֲל֣וֹם | chalom-2 | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-11 |
Judges 7:15 | הַ/חֲל֛וֹם | hachalom | HTd/Ncmsa |
of the dream | the dream | the dream |
H2472-03 |
1 Samuel 28:6 | בַּ/חֲלֹמ֛וֹת | bachalomot | HRd/Ncmpa |
by dreams | in the dreams | in the dreams |
H2472-03 |
1 Samuel 28:15 | בַּ֣/חֲלֹמ֔וֹת | bachalomot | HRd/Ncmpa |
by dreams | in the dreams | in the dreams |
H2472-01 |
1 Kings 3:5 | בַּ/חֲל֣וֹם | bachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
in a dream | in the dream | in the dream |
H2472-05 |
1 Kings 3:15 | חֲל֑וֹם | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-13 |
Isaiah 29:7 | כַּֽ/חֲלוֹם֙ | kachalom | HR/Ncmsa |
like a dream | like a dream | like a dream |
H2472-04 |
Jeremiah 23:27 | בַּ/חֲל֣וֹמֹתָ֔/ם | bachalomotam | HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp |
by their dreams | in their dreams | in their dreams |
H2472-05 |
Jeremiah 23:28 | חֲלוֹם֙ | chalom | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-05 |
Jeremiah 23:28 | חֲל֔וֹם | chalom-2 | HNcmsa |
a dream | dream | a dream |
H2472-07 |
Jeremiah 23:32 | חֲלֹמ֥וֹת | chalomot | HNcmpc |
dreams | dreams of | dreams of |
H2472-09 |
Jeremiah 27:9 | חֲלֹמֹ֣תֵי/כֶ֔ם | chalomoteykhem | HNcmpc/Sp2mp |
your dreamers | your dreams | your dreamers |