לָחוּם
𐤋𐤇𐤅𐤌
lâchûwm
H3894 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
That which has been eaten or is fit to be eaten; food, a portion designated as edible. In some contexts, it may also refer specifically to flesh as food, or the body of a living being considered as edible substance. The passive participle form emphasizes the state of being consumed or suitable for eating, not necessarily raw meat but food in general.
Semantic Range
eaten, edible, food, flesh (as food), body (as something consumed)
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root לחם (l-ḥ-m), core meaning 'to eat, consume, engage in battle' (distinct uses in different contexts). 'לָחוּם' is the passive participle, meaning 'that which is eaten' or 'edible'. While לחם as a noun usually means 'bread' or 'food', this participial form is rare and carries a more general sense of food or edible matter, sometimes with nuance towards flesh or body.
Historical & Contextual Notes
'לָחוּם' is a rare participial form, found in a very limited number of biblical passages (e.g., Numbers 13:32) and should not be conflated with the noun לֶחֶם ('bread', 'food'). In biblical usage, it often appears in metaphorical descriptions ('the land eats its inhabitants'—meaning a land dangerous to live in, devouring its residents). In later biblical Hebrew, the noun לָחוּם does not become standard for flesh or food; rather, בָּשָׂר is the usual term for 'flesh' or 'body', and לֶחֶם for 'bread/food'. English translations may render לָחוּם as 'devoured', 'consumed', or 'eaten', often missing the state-oriented nuance of the participle. The lexical nuance emphasizes the outcome or result—something having become food, not merely the process or act of eating. Over time, the passive participle form did not develop into a common noun for food or flesh in post-biblical Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or לָחֻם; passive participle of לָחַם; properly, eaten, i.e. food; also flesh, i.e. body; while...is eating, flesh.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
לחם (l-ḥ-m) — to eat, to consume, to engage in battle
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1035 | בֵּית לֶחֶם | bread |
| H3433 | יָשֻׁבִי לֶחֶם | bread |
| H3898 | לָחַם | in his waging-war |
| H3899 | לֶחֶם | in the bread |
| H3900 | לְחֶם | bread |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3894-02 |
וּ/לְחֻמָ֖/ם | ulechumam | HC/Ncmsc/Sp3mp |
and-their-flesh | and their edible-portion | 1 |
H3894-01 |
בִּ/לְחוּמֽ/וֹ | bilechumo | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
on his flesh | his edible portion | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3894-02 |
Zephaniah 1:17 | וּ/לְחֻמָ֖/ם | ulechumam | HC/Ncmsc/Sp3mp |
and-their-flesh | and their edible-portion |
H3894-01 |
Job 20:23 | בִּ/לְחוּמֽ/וֹ | bilechumo | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
on his flesh | his edible portion |