---
title: חִנָּם — out of favour · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חִנָּם (2600), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 32 times: out of favour. BDB 1906: subst. adv. out of favour. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# חִנָּם

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«חִנָּם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **out of favour** — 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:** 32 times · **Key:** 2600 · **BDB:** חִנָּם²

### Glosses

without.cause (18); without.paying (5); for.nothing (4)

### Meaning (OSHB)

out of favour [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2600/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

subst. adv. out of favour [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2600/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** subst., used chiefly in the accus. as adv. (cf. Assyrian annáma, in vain, DlK 7, Pr 44; from חֵן, with aff. ָם, which is sometimes found in substantives proper, as סֻלָּם, and pr. names, but is more partic. used with substs. applied adverbially, as יוֹמָם, אָמְנָם, דּוּמָם, רֵיקָם: Sta§ 293 BaNB § 216)—lit. out of favour; i.e. gratis, gratuitously, for nothing, עָבַד חִנָּם to serve for nought Gn 29:15; Jb 1:9, Is 52:3 to be sold (fig.) for nought v 5; Ex 21:2, 11 יָצָא חִנָּם to go out (from slavery) freely, for nothing, Nu 11:5 which we used to eat in Egyptian for nought, Je 22:13; 1 Ch 21:24; in the genitive 2 S 24:24 עלוֹת חִנָּם i.e. burntofferings which cost nothing (in the ‖ 1 Ch 21:24 the constr. is changed). for no purpose, in vain Pr 1:17; Mal 1:10: once אֶל חִנָּם (cf. אֶל 7) Ez 6:10. gratuitously, without cause, undeservedly, especially of groundless hostility or attack 1 S 19:5 לְהָמִית חִנָּם to slay David without cause, 25:31 ψ 35:7(×2); 109:3; 119:161 רְדָפוּנִי חִנָּם, Pr 1:11; 3:30; 23:29; Jb 2:3 לְבַלְּעוֹ ח׳, 9:17; 22:6; Ez 14:23, ψ 35:19 and 69:5 שׂנְאַי חִנָּם my haters without cause, La 3:52 אֹיְבַי חִנָּם; in the genitive 1 K 2:31 דְּמֵי חִנָּם blood shed without cause (cf. 1 S 25:31), Pr 24:28 אַל־תְּהִי עֵד ח׳ בְּרֵעֶ֑ךָ, 26:2 קִלְלַת ח׳ the causeless curse.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 31 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חִנָּם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2600/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 22:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.22.6/)

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כִּֽי־תַחְבֹּ֣ל אַחֶ֣יךָ חִנָּ֑ם וּבִגְדֵ֖י עֲרוּמִּ֣ים תַּפְשִֽׁיט׃

*Word for word:* (dm) you.have.held.in.pledge brothers your without.cause and the.garments of.naked.\[people\] you.have.stripped.off

*JPS 1917:* For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

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[Psalms 109:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.109.3/)

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וְדִבְרֵ֣י שִׂנְאָ֣ה סְבָב֑וּנִי וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֥וּנִי חִנָּֽם׃

*Word for word:* and words of.hatred they have.surrounded.me and they have.fought.against.me without.cause

*JPS 1917:* They compassed me about also with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.

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