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חָמַד

𐤇𐤌𐤃

châmad

H2530 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חמד to desire, to take pleasure, to covet

Definition

To desire, take pleasure in, or find something attractive or appealing, often with an emotional component of wanting to possess, enjoy, or experience the object. In various contexts, חָמַד refers to both positive and negative desires; it is used for legitimate longing, as well as for coveting or inappropriate craving. The term encompasses both the attraction to the inherent qualities of the object (beauty, value, pleasantness) and the corresponding response of longing or wishing to possess.

Semantic Range

to desire, to take pleasure in, to find attractive or beautiful, to covet, to wish for, to delight in, to find something precious or pleasant, to long for, to experience lust, to seek eagerly

Root / Etymology

Root: חמד – meaning to desire, to take pleasure in, or to covet. The verb חָמַד directly derives from this root and retains its core semantic value across derived forms. The root meaning is 'to desire' or 'to take pleasure in,' but the specific lexical nuance in context can vary between positive appreciation and a more negative sense of illicit coveting.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָמַד appears throughout the Hebrew Bible with both neutral or positive connotations (expressing admiration, delight, or legitimate desire) and negative connotations (coveting, often in the context of the tenth commandment prohibiting illicit desire for another's possessions or spouse). The word is often used in poetic and wisdom literature for objects that are pleasing or attractive, whether physically beautiful, of high status, or of moral value. In legal and prophetic contexts (e.g., Exodus 20:17, Micah 2:2), it tends to signal socially and ethically inappropriate desire. The term is distinct from related roots such as אָוָה (to wish/long for) or שָׁאַף (to lust/long for intensely), which can carry more intense or physical connotations. English translations often choose between 'covet,' 'desire,' 'delight,' or 'precious,' but none fully account for the breadth of חָמַד’s range. The range of meaning is broader than the negative charge of 'covet,' and narrower than wholly neutral 'desire.' The nuance is shaped heavily by context, grammatical construction, and syntactic focus. Over time, the word’s association with the negative sense, particularly through its use in forbidding covetousness in legal texts, became prominent in later Jewish tradition and translation history, including in the Septuagint and subsequent translations. However, in Israelite literature more broadly, the term remains contextually flexible and not inherently negative.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to delight in; beauty, greatly beloved, covet, delectable thing, ([idiom] great) delight, desire, goodly, lust, (be) pleasant (thing), precious (thing).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חמד (ḥ-m-d) — to desire, to take pleasure in, to covet

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2531 חֶמֶד precious thing
H2532 חֶמְדָּה desirable things
H2533 חֶמְדָּן Desirable one
H4261 מַחְמָד desired treasures of
H4262 מַחְמֻד her desired things

Word Forms

17 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2530-06 חֲמוּד֖וֹת chamudot HNcfpa desirable things desirable things 6
H2530-10 תַחְמֹ֖ד tachemod HVqi2ms you shall covet you will desire 5
H2530-09 נֶחְמָ֥ד nechemad HVNrmsa pleasing desired one 2
H2530-02 חָמַ֣ד chamad HVqp3ms desired he desired 2
H2530-04 חָמְד֣וּ chamedu HVqp3cp delight they desired 1
H2530-12 וַ/חֲמוּדֵי/הֶ֖ם vachamudeyhem HC/Vqsmpc/Sp3mp and their delights and their desired-ones 1
H2530-17 יַחְמֹ֥ד yachemod HVqi3ms will covet he will desire 1
H2530-14 וְ/חָמְד֤וּ vechamedu HC/Vqq3cp and they covet and they desired 1
H2530-03 חֲמַדְתֶּ֑ם chamadetem HVqp2mp you-desired you desired 1
H2530-15 וְ/נֶחְמָ֤ד venechemad HC/VNrmsa and desirable being desired 1

Occurrences in Scripture

28 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2530-09 Genesis 2:9 נֶחְמָ֥ד nechemad HVNrmsa pleasing desired one
H2530-15 Genesis 3:6 וְ/נֶחְמָ֤ד venechemad HC/VNrmsa and desirable being desired
H2530-10 Exodus 20:17 תַחְמֹ֖ד tachemod HVqi2ms you shall covet you will desire
H2530-10 Exodus 20:17 תַחְמֹ֞ד tachemod-2 HVqi2ms you shall covet you will desire
H2530-17 Exodus 34:24 יַחְמֹ֥ד yachemod HVqi3ms will covet he will desire
H2530-10 Deuteronomy 5:21 תַחְמֹ֖ד tachemod HVqi2ms you shall covet you will desire
H2530-10 Deuteronomy 7:25 תַחְמֹד֩ tachemod HVqi2ms you shall covet you will desire
H2530-13 Joshua 7:21 וָֽ/אֶחְמְדֵ֖/ם vaechemedem HC/Vqw1cs/Sp3mp and I coveted them and I desired them
H2530-03 Isaiah 1:29 חֲמַדְתֶּ֑ם chamadetem HVqp2mp you-desired you desired
H2530-12 Isaiah 44:9 וַ/חֲמוּדֵי/הֶ֖ם vachamudeyhem HC/Vqsmpc/Sp3mp and their delights and their desired-ones
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