---
title: חָמָס — violence · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חָמָס (2555), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 60 times: violence. BDB 1906: n.m. violence, wrong. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2555.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[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/1495-4.md)‎ / חָמָס‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# חָמָס

<!-- .meta -->
«חָמָס» in the Tanakh dictionary: **violence** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 60 times · **Key:** 2555 · **BDB:** חָמָס

### Glosses

violence (32); of.violence (12); the.violence (6)

### Meaning (OSHB)

violence [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2555/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. violence, wrong [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2555/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. ψ 7:17 violence, wrong—abs. ח׳ Gn 6:11 + 44 times; cstr. חֲמַס Ju 9:24 + 7 times; sf. חֲמָסִי Gn 16:5; Je 51:35 (in both = wrong done to me); חֲמָסוֹ ψ 7:17; pl. חֲמָסִים 2 S 22:49 + 3 times;—violence specif. of physical violence Ju 9:24; 2 S 22:3 (not ‖ ψ 18:3), Ob10, Hb 1:9; Je 51:35 (of Chaldeans), Hb 2:8, 17(×2) Jo 4:19 ψ 72:14; but also wrong, incl. injurious language, harsh treatment, etc. Gn 16:5 (J, of wrong done to Sarah by Hagar), Jb 19:7 Mal 2:16; in gen. of rude wickedness of men, their noisy, wild, ruthlessness Mi 6:12 Hb 1:2; Zp 1:9 Pr 10:6, 11; 13:2; 26:6 + Ez 7:11 (si vera l., v. Co), ‖ שֹׁד Am 3:10; Hb 1:3; Je 6:7; 20:8; Ez 45:9; Is 60:18, ‖ רִיב ψ 55:10, ‖ עָמָל 7:17, ‖ גַּאֲוָה 73:6, אֹהֵב ח׳ 11:5 (‖ רָשָׁע), denied, of servant of י׳ Is 53:9, ח׳ בארץ Je 51:46, cf. Gn 6:11, 13 (P), Ez 8:17; 12:19; מָֽלְאוּ מַחֲשַׁכֵּי־אֶרֶץ נְאוֹת ח׳ ψ 74:20, הָעִיר מָֽלְאָה ח׳ Ez 7:23; 28:16, שֶׁבֶת ח׳ Am 6:3 is (prob.) enthronement of violence; כְּלֵי ח׳ Gn 49:5 (poem) instruments, weapons, of violence;—other phrases are: ח׳ בְּיָדַיִם Jon 3:8; 1 Ch 12:17, cf. Jb 16:17, ח׳ יְדֵיכֶם ψ 58:3 and פֹּעַל ח׳ בְּכַפֵּיהֶם Is 59:6; עֵד ח׳ i.e. a witness that promotes violence and wrong Ex 23:1 (JE), Dt 19:16, עֵדֵי ח׳ ψ 35:11; עֵדֵי שֶׁקֶר וִיפֵחַ חָמָס ψ 27:12; שׂנאת ח׳ ψ 25:19 = hatred characterized by violence; אִישׁ חָמָס = violent man ψ 18:49 (2 S 22:49 has the later א׳ חמסים, cf. infr.) 140:12 Pr 3:31; 16:29; אישׁ חמסים (later) ψ 140:2, 5; 2 S 22:49; יֵין חֲמָסִים Pr 4:17 i.e. wine gained by violence (‖ לֶחֶם רֶשַׁע).

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 57 of its verses cited, 1 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 «חָמָס» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2555/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Genesis 49:5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.49.5/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
שִׁמְע֥וֹן וְלֵוִ֖י אַחִ֑ים כְּלֵ֥י חָמָ֖ס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* Simeon and Levi \[are\].brothers \[are\].weapons of.violence swords their

*JPS 1917:* Simeon and Levi are brethren; weapons of violence their kinship.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Proverbs 4:17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.4.17/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
כִּ֣י לָ֭חֲמוּ לֶ֣חֶם רֶ֑שַׁע וְיֵ֖ין חֲמָסִ֣ים יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃

*Word for word:* (dm) they.eat \[the\].bread of.wickedness and.\[the\] wine of.violence(s) they.drink

*JPS 1917:* For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [חָמַס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2554.md)
- next →: [חָמֵץ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2556.md)
- ↑ back to [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-4.md)

