חָמָס (H2555) — Hebrew Lexicon

חָמָס

𐤇𐤌𐤎

châmâç

H2555 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חמס to act violently, do wrong, treat unjustly

Definition

Physical violence, forceful wrongdoing, or ethical violence directed against persons, property, or society at large. The word also encompasses a wider range of unjust actions, including oppression, cruelty, social injustice, and wrongful gain. In some contexts, it refers to the harm caused through such acts, whether through force, deceit, or injustice.

Semantic Range

violence (physical or moral), wrongdoing, oppression, injustice, cruelty, injurious behavior, unlawful gain, damage, harm, social corruption

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root חמס (ח־מ־ס) meaning 'to act violently, do wrong, treat unjustly.' The noun form חָמָס expresses either the act of violence or the state/property of acting violently or unjustly. Core meaning of the root stresses physical or social wrong committed intentionally and with aggression or force.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָמָס appears throughout the Hebrew Bible to denote violence in both a physical and ethical sense. In narrative texts, it often refers to lawless or violent acts perpetrated by individuals or societies (e.g., Genesis 6:11, the 'violence' that filled the earth before the Flood). In prophetic literature, חָמָס frequently signals systemic injustice—oppression of the vulnerable, exploitation by the powerful, or general social disorder (e.g., Amos 3:10, Micah 6:12). Unlike more specific words for theft or murder, חָמָס is a broad term denoting acts that breach ethical or communal bonds, covering both overt acts of violence and more subtle forms of injustice or dishonest gain. In some periods, particularly in exilic and post-exilic literature, it is contrasted with צֶדֶק (righteousness/justice) or מִשְׁפָּט (judgment/justice), highlighting Israelite values around fairness and communal integrity. Standard English renderings as 'violence' or 'wrong' may under-represent the word's range, which includes cruelty, oppression, and social corruption, not just overt brutality.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָמַס; violence; by implication, wrong; by meton. unjust gain; cruel(-ty), damage, false, injustice, [idiom] oppressor, unrighteous, violence (against, done), violent (dealing), wrong.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חמס (ḥ-m-s) — violence, wrongful force, injustice, oppressive wrongdoing

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H2554	חָמַס	they acted violently
H8464	תַּחְמָס	the violent night-bird

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H2555-01`	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing	41
`H2555-07`	מֵ/חָמָ֖ס	mechamas	`HR/Ncmsa`	because of the violence	from violent injustice	4
`H2555-03`	חֲמָסִ֖ים	chamasim	`HNcmpa`	violent	violent wrongs	4
`H2555-09`	וַ/חֲמַס	vachamas	`HC/Ncmsc`	and violence	and violent wrongdoing	2
`H2555-02`	חֲמָסִ֣/י	chamasi	`HNcmsc/Sp1cs`	my violence	my violence	2
`H2555-10`	וְ/חָמָ֣ס	vechamas	`HC/Ncmsa`	and violence	violent wrongdoing	2
`H2555-05`	הֶ/חָמָ֥ס	hechamas	`HTd/Ncmsa`	the violence	the violent wrongdoing	2
`H2555-08`	וּ֭/מֵ/חָמָס	umechamas	`HC/R/Ncmsa`	and from oppression	and from violent wrongdoing	1
`H2555-06`	לְ/חָמָ֣ס	lechamas	`HR/Ncmsa`	for violence	for violent injustice	1
`H2555-04`	חֲמָס֥/וֹ	chamaso	`HNcmsc/Sp3ms`	his violence	his violent wrongdoing	1

Occurrences in Scripture

60 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H2555-01`	Genesis 6:11	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Genesis 6:13	חָמָ֖ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-02`	Genesis 16:5	חֲמָסִ֣/י	chamasi	`HNcmsc/Sp1cs`	wrong of mine	my violence
`H2555-01`	Genesis 49:5	חָמָ֖ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	of violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Exodus 23:1	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	malicious	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Deuteronomy 19:16	חָמָ֖ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	malicious	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Judges 9:24	חֲמַ֖ס	chamas	`HNcmsc`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-07`	2 Samuel 22:3	מֵ/חָמָ֖ס	mechamas	`HR/Ncmsa`	from violence	from violent injustice
`H2555-03`	2 Samuel 22:49	חֲמָסִ֖ים	chamasim	`HNcmpa`	of-violence	violent wrongs
`H2555-01`	Isaiah 53:9	חָמָ֣ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Isaiah 59:6	חָמָ֖ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	of violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Isaiah 60:18	חָמָס֙	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Jeremiah 6:7	חָמָ֣ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Jeremiah 20:8	חָמָ֥ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-02`	Jeremiah 51:35	חֲמָסִ֤/י	chamasi	`HNcmsc/Sp1cs`	my violence	my violence
`H2555-10`	Jeremiah 51:46	וְ/חָמָ֣ס	vechamas	`HC/Ncmsa`	and-violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-05`	Ezekiel 7:11	הֶ/חָמָ֥ס	hechamas	`HTd/Ncmsa`	Violence	the violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Ezekiel 7:23	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Ezekiel 8:17	חָמָ֗ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-07`	Ezekiel 12:19	מֵ/חֲמַ֖ס	mechamas	`HR/Ncmsc`	because-of-violence	from violent injustice
`H2555-01`	Ezekiel 28:16	חָמָ֖ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	with violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Ezekiel 45:9	חָמָ֤ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-07`	Joel 4:19	מֵֽ/חֲמַס֙	mechamas	`HR/Ncmsc`	because of the violence	from violent injustice
`H2555-01`	Amos 3:10	חָמָ֥ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Amos 6:3	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	of violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-07`	Obadiah 1:10	מֵ/חֲמַ֛ס	mechamas	`HR/Ncmsc`	because of violence	from violent injustice
`H2555-05`	Jonah 3:8	הֶ/חָמָ֖ס	hechamas	`HTd/Ncmsa`	the violence	the violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Micah 6:12	חָמָ֔ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	of violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Habakkuk 1:2	חָמָ֖ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	Violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-10`	Habakkuk 1:3	וְ/חָמָ֖ס	vechamas	`HC/Ncmsa`	and violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-06`	Habakkuk 1:9	לְ/חָמָ֣ס	lechamas	`HR/Ncmsa`	for violence	for violent injustice
`H2555-09`	Habakkuk 2:8	וַ/חֲמַס	vachamas	`HC/Ncmsc`	and violence	and violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Habakkuk 2:17	חֲמַ֤ס	chamas	`HNcmsc`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-09`	Habakkuk 2:17	וַ/חֲמַס	vachamas	`HC/Ncmsc`	and violence	and violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Zephaniah 1:9	חָמָ֥ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Malachi 2:16	חָמָס֙	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-04`	Psalms 7:17	חֲמָס֥/וֹ	chamaso	`HNcmsc/Sp3ms`	his violence	his violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 11:5	חָמָ֑ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 18:49	חָ֝מָ֗ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 25:19	חָמָ֣ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 27:12	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 35:11	חָמָ֑ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 55:10	חָמָ֖ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 58:3	חֲמַ֥ס	chamas	`HNcmsc`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-08`	Psalms 72:14	וּ֭/מֵ/חָמָס	umechamas	`HC/R/Ncmsa`	and from oppression	and from violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 73:6	חָמָ֥ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Psalms 74:20	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	of violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-03`	Psalms 140:2	חֲמָסִ֣ים	chamasim	`HNcmpa`	violent	violent wrongs
`H2555-03`	Psalms 140:5	חֲמָסִ֣ים	chamasim	`HNcmpa`	violent	violent wrongs
`H2555-01`	Psalms 140:12	חָמָ֥ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	of violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Proverbs 3:31	חָמָ֑ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	of violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-03`	Proverbs 4:17	חֲמָסִ֣ים	chamasim	`HNcmpa`	of violence	violent wrongs
`H2555-01`	Proverbs 10:6	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Proverbs 10:11	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Proverbs 13:2	חָמָֽס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Proverbs 16:29	חָ֭מָס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Proverbs 26:6	חָמָ֣ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Job 16:17	חָמָ֣ס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	Job 19:7	חָ֭מָס	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing
`H2555-01`	1 Chronicles 12:18	חָמָס֙	chamas	`HNcmsa`	violence	violent wrongdoing

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