חֵמֶת
𐤇𐤌𐤕
chêmeth
H2573 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A container or vessel made from animal skin, typically used for storing and transporting liquids such as water, wine, or oil. The term encompasses the specific sense of a 'skin-bottle'—a flexible, tied-up sack fashioned from the hide of an animal, often a goat, and sewn or bound to contain and preserve its contents. In some contexts, it refers more generally to any bottle or vessel made from skin, distinct from fired clay or metal vessels.
Semantic Range
skin-bottle, animal skin container, vessel for liquids, water container, wine flask, bottle (general term in older translations)
Root / Etymology
From the root חום (chwm), meaning 'to be hot' or 'to become warm,' with the immediate word likely related to חוֹמָה (ḥômāh, 'wall'), due to similarity in root letters, though the semantic pathway is uncertain. The noun חֵמֶת seems to arise as a specialized term distinct from the broader semantic field of 'wall' by association with enclosing or containing, but the precise etymological development is unclear.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חֵמֶת refers specifically to a container or bottle made from animal hide—a common technology in ancient Israelite practice, providing lightweight, transportable vessels for liquid. Such containers were used for travel and daily life, particularly in nomadic and agrarian settings where pottery was not always practical. The term is distinct from נֵבֶל (nēvel), which can refer to a 'skin bottle' but also more generally to jars or vessels of various materials. חֵמֶת typically appears in contexts of provision and journey (e.g., Genesis 21:14-15, where Hagar carries a חֵמֶת of water). The English translation 'bottle' does not convey the specific cultural technology of a skin vessel, and modern readers may mistake it for glass or ceramic, which would have been less portable and not typical in early Israelite contexts. Over time, as ceramic vessels became more common, references to skin bottles become less frequent, reflecting shifts in material culture. Later translations, including some versions of the Septuagint and Vulgate, interpret it as a general bottle, but this loses the distinction from clay or metal containers. In rabbinic literature and post-biblical Hebrew, the term's specificity sometimes blurs in favor of generalized terms for vessels.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as חוֹמָה; a skin bottle (as tied up); bottle.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
חום (ḥ-w-m) — heat, warmth, enclosing
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2345 | חוּם | sun-darkened |
| H2346 | חוֹמָה | in the enclosing wall |
| H2524 | חָם | her father-in-law |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2573-02 |
הַ/חֵ֑מֶת | hachemet | HTd/Ncfsa |
the skin | the skin-bottle | 2 |
H2573-01 |
חֲמָתְ/ךָ֖ | chamatekha | HNcfsc/Sp2ms |
your wrath | your skin-bottle | 1 |
H2573-03 |
וְ/חֵ֨מַת | vechemat | HC/Ncfsc |
and a skin of | skin-bottle of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2573-03 |
Genesis 21:14 | וְ/חֵ֨מַת | vechemat | HC/Ncfsc |
and a skin of | skin-bottle of |
H2573-02 |
Genesis 21:15 | הַ/חֵ֑מֶת | hachemet | HTd/Ncfsa |
the skin | the skin-bottle |
H2573-02 |
Genesis 21:19 | הַ/חֵ֨מֶת֙ | hachemet | HTd/Ncfsa |
the skin | the skin-bottle |
H2573-01 |
Habakkuk 2:15 | חֲמָתְ/ךָ֖ | chamatekha | HNcfsc/Sp2ms |
your wrath | your skin-bottle |