--- title: חָכָם — wise · The Tanakh dictionary description: חָכָם (2450), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 138 times: wise. BDB 1906: adj. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2450.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-3.md)‎ / חָכָם‎ # חָכָם «חָכָם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **wise** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 138 times · **Key:** 2450 · **BDB:** חָכָם ### Glosses wise (34); of.wise.\[people\] (12); wise.\[people\] (12) ### Meaning (OSHB) wise [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2450/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) adj. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2450/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** adj. wise, ח׳ Dt 4:6 + 67 times; cstr. חֲכַם Is 3:3 + 9 times; pl. חֲכָמִים Dt 1:13 + 39 times; cstr. חַכְמֵי Ex 28:3 + 4 times; sf. חֲכָמֶיךָ Is 19:12 etc. + 8 times; f. חֲכָמָה 2 S 14:2; 20:16; cstr. חַכְמַת Ex 35:25; pl. חֲכָמוֹת Je 9:16; cstr. חַכְמוֹת Ju 5:29 Pr 14:1 (but read חָכְמוֹת De);— skilful in technical work; artificers Is 3:3; sailors Ez 27:8, so (prob.) v 9; mourning women Je 9:16; artisans of tabern. and temple and their furniture Ex 28:3; 31:6; 35:10; 36:1, 2, 4, 8 (P), 1 Ch 22:15 2 Ch 2:6, 12, 13(×2); women in spinning Ex 35:25 (P); goldsmiths and other artisans Je 10:9; makers of idol-images Is 40:20. wise in the administration of affairs: Joseph in Egypt Gn 41:33, 39 (E); heads of tribes Dt 1:13, 15, judges 16:19; of David 2 S 14:20, of Solomon 1 K 2:9; 3:12; 5:21 = 2 Ch 2:11; the prince of Tyre, in satire Ez 28:3; of kings in general Pr 20:26; class of political advisers of Judah Is 29:14 Je 18:18, appar. also Is 5:21; of Egypt Is 19:11(×2), 12, Edom Ob 8, the nations Je 10:7; so of God Is 31:2. shrewd, crafty, cunning: Jonadab 2 S 13:3; the princesses Ju 5:29; אשׁה חכמה wise woman 2 S 14:2; 20:16; gen., Je 9:22; intelligent animals Pr 30:24; לכד ח׳ בערמם taking the cunning in their craft Jb 5:13; חכם בעיני wise in one’s own eyes Pr 3:7; 26:5, 12, 16; 28:11; חכמי לב wise of mind (in their own mind) Jb 37:24. pl. class of learned and shrewd men, incl. astrologers, magicians and the like, of Egypt Gn 41:8 (E), Ex 7:11 (P; cf. Is 19:11(×2), 12); Babylon Is 44:25 Je 50:35; 51:57; Persia Est 1:13; 6:13. prudent, towards king Pr 16:14; in controversies Pr 11:29; 29:8, 9, 11; religious affairs Ho 13:13; 14:10 Je 4:22; 8:8, 9 Dt 4:6; 32:6 ψ 107:43; אישׁ ח׳ Je 9:11. wise, ethically and religiously, in WisdLt: as adj., חֲכַם לֵב wise of mind Pr 10:8; 16:21; לֵב חָכָם Ec 8:5; of the son Pr 10:1 = 15:20, 13:1; 23:24; Ec 2:19; ילד ח׳ Ec 4:13 wise boy; גבר ח׳ Jb 34:34 wise man; מוכיח ח׳ wise reprover Pr 25:12. = subst.: (1) as a wise learner in school of wisdom, he fears God and departs from evil Pr 14:16; is silent Pr 17:28; hearkens to counsel Pr 12:15; hears and increases in learning Pr 1:5; his ear seeketh knowledge Pr 18:15; he receives it Pr 21:11; and stores it up Pr 10:14; his ears hearken to the reproof which giveth life Pr 15:31; and he becomes wiser through it Pr 9:8, 9. (2) as a wise teacher, a sage, he does not answer with windy knowledge Jb 15:2; he tells the experience of the past Jb 15:18; has knowledge Jb 34:2; teaches it Ec 12:9; disperses it Pr 15:7; his tongue is health Pr 12:18; it utters knowledge aright Pr 15:2; his mind instructs his mouth and adds learning to his lips Pr 16:23; his words are gracious Ec 10:12; it is good to hear his rebuke Ec 7:5; his instruction is a fountain of life Pr 13:14; one walking with him becomes wiser Pr 13:20. The חכמים recall the Gk. σόφοι, having their schools, pupils (בֵן), discipline (מוּסָר), principles and collections of wisdom, דברי חכמים Pr 1:6; 22:17 (cf. 24:23), Ec 9:17; 12:11; God himself is חכם לבב Jb 9:4. (3) the wise are prosperous: true, in sceptical view of Ec., they have no advantage over the fool Ec 6:8; but die as the fool Ec 2:16(×2) ψ 49:11; they will not be able to find the works of God Ec 8:17; like others are in the hands of God Ec 9:1; they do not secure bread Ec 9:11; but elsewhere reverse is true: precious treasure is in his dwelling Pr 21:20; his lips preserve him Pr 14:3; they inherit glory Pr 3:35; wealth is their crown Pr 14:24; the wise man is strong Pr 24:5 Ec 7:19; his eyes are in his head Ec 2:14; his mind is at his right hand Ec 10:2; he interprets things Ec 8:1. (4) the wise man is a blessing to others: he wins men Pr 11:30; scales the city of the mighty Pr 21:22; though poor he delivers the city Ec 9:15; is a reproof to scorners Pr 15:12; his mind is in the house of mourning Ec 7:4; injustice makes him foolish Ec 7:7; Job finds no wise men among his cruel friends Jb 17:10. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 134 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «חָכָם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2450/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Proverbs 3:35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.3.35/) כָּ֭בוֹד חֲכָמִ֣ים יִנְחָ֑לוּ וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים מֵרִ֥ים קָלֽוֹן׃פ *Word for word:* honor wise.\[people\] they.will.inherit and fools \[is\].lifting.up shame *JPS 1917:* The wise shall inherit honour; but as for the fools, they carry away shame. [Proverbs 14:24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.14.24/) עֲטֶ֣רֶת חֲכָמִ֣ים עָשְׁרָ֑ם אִוֶּ֖לֶת כְּסִילִ֣ים אִוֶּֽלֶת׃ *Word for word:* \[the\].crown of.wise.\[people\] wealth \[is\].their \[the\].folly of.fools \[is\].folly *JPS 1917:* The crown of the wise is their riches; but the folly of fools remaineth folly. - ← previous: [חָכַם](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2449.md) - next →: [חׇכְמָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2451.md) - ↑ back to [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-3.md)