---
title: חֵמָר — bitumen · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חֵמָר (2564), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 3 times: bitumen. BDB 1906: bitumen, asphalt. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# חֵמָר

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«חֵמָר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **bitumen** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 3 times · **Key:** 2564 · **BDB:** חֵמָר

### Glosses

bitumen (2); of.bitumen (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

bitumen [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2564/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

bitumen, asphalt [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2564/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.\[m.\] bitumen, asphalt (from I. חמר according to OBlauZMG 1869, 279, bitumen as seething, swelling up; Thes MV, from IV. חמר, with ref. to reddish-brown colour)—חֵמָר Gn 11:3 + 2 times; used for cement in building Babel Gn 11:3 (J); abounding in vale of Siddim בֶּאֱרֹת בֶּאֱרֹת ח׳ Gn 14:10; used in coating Moses’ ‘ark’ of bulrushes Ex 2:3 (E; ‖ זָ֑פֶת).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (14 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (12 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חֵמָר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2564/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Genesis 14:10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.14.10/)

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וְעֵ֣מֶק הַשִׂדִּ֗יםבֶּֽאֱרֹ֤ת בֶּאֱרֹת֙ חֵמָ֔ר וַיָּנֻ֛סוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹ֥ם וַעֲמֹרָ֖ה וַיִּפְּלוּ־שָׁ֑מָּה וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֖ים הֶ֥רָה נָּֽסוּ׃

*Word for word:* and the.valley of.(the) Siddim \[was\].pits pits of.bitumen and they.fled the.king of.Sodom and Gomorrah and they.fell to (to) and \[those who\].survived the.hill.country to they.fled

*JPS 1917:* Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain.

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[Genesis 11:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.11.3/)

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וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֗הוּ הָ֚בָה נִלְבְּנָ֣ה לְבֵנִ֔ים וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה לִשְׂרֵפָ֑ה וַתְּהִ֨י לָהֶ֤ם הַלְּבֵנָה֙ לְאָ֔בֶן וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ר הָיָ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לַחֹֽמֶר׃

*Word for word:* and they.said each to neighbor his give let.us.make.bricks bricks and let.us.burn.\[them\] to burning and it.became for them (the) brick to stone and (the) bitumen it.became for them to (the) mortar

*JPS 1917:* And they said one to another: 'Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.

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- ← previous: [חֹמֶר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2563.md)
- next →: [חָמַר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5d7_5b8_5de_5b7_5e8.md)
- ↑ back to [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-4.md)