--- title: לָחַם — fight · The Tanakh dictionary description: לָחַם (3898), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 171 times: fight. BDB 1906: vb. 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/3898.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/) / [ל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1500.md)‎ / לָחַם‎ # לָחַם «לָחַם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **fight** — 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:** 171 times · **Key:** 3898 · **BDB:** לָחַם ### Glosses fight (27); he.fought (15); they.fought (15) ### Meaning (OSHB) fight [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1500/3898/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1500/3898/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. fight, do battle (NH Hithp.; ואלתחם MI11.15.19; perhaps = order the battle, cf. NöZMG xl. 1886, 721; Arabic لَحَمَ fit close together, so NH לחם Pi., Syriac ܠܚܡ Pa. unite, ܠܳܚܶܡ fit; also threaten; GerberVerb. Denom. 59 thinks vb. in Heb. denom. from מִלְחָמָה battle-line, but dub.);— (poet.) only Imv. ms. and Pt. act.—fight, do battle with, rare, only ψψ, appar. later usage:—לְחַם אֶת־לֹחֲמָ֑י ψ 35:1 do battle with those battling with me (dub. whether את is acc. sign or prep. with, cf. Ol; ‖ רִיבָה אֶת־יְרִיבַי); לֹחֲמִים לִי 56:3 doing battle against me; לֹחֵם v 2 as subst. fighter. Pf. נִלְחַם Ju 9:17 +, וְנִלְחַמְתָּ֫ 11:8 1 S 15:18, וְנִלְחַמְנוּ Dt 1:41 consec., etc.; Impf. יִלָּהֵם Ex 14:14 Dt 1:30; יִ֫לָּחֶם לָ֑נוּ Ne 4:14, וַיִּ֫לָּחֶם Ex 17:8 + 19 times; 3 fs. תִּלָּחֵם Zc 14:14; 3 mpl. וַיִּלָּֽחֲמוּ Ju 1:5 + 13 times; sf. וַיִּלָּֽחֲמוּנִי ψ 109:3; 2 mpl. תִּלָּֽחֲמוּ 1 K 22:31 + 4 times; תִּלָּֽחֲמוּן 1 K 12:24, etc.; Imv. הִלָּחֵם Ex 17:9 1 S 18:17; הִלָּ֫חֶם בּוֹ Ju 9:38; pl. הִלָּֽחֲמוּ 2 K 10:3 Ne 4:8; Inf. abs. נִלְחֹם Ju 11:26; cstr. הִלָּחֵם 1:9 + 35 times; הִלָּ֫חֶם בּוֹ etc., Nu 22:11 + 6 times; sf. הִלָּחֲמוֹ 2 K 8:29 + 3 times; Pt. נִלְחָם Ex 14:25 + 10 times; pl. נִלְחָמִים Jos 10:25 + 10 times (but 1 S 31:1 read rather נִלְחֲמוּ, so ‖ 1 Ch 10:1 We Klo Bu, cf. Dr);—engage in battle (recipr.), sometimes wage war (Jos 10:5; Ju 11:5; 1 K 14:19; 22:46; 2 K 6:8; 14:28 etc.), often c. בְּ of enemy (60 times) Ex 1:10; 17:9, 10; Nu 21:23, 26; 22:11 (all E), Ju 11:8, 25; 1 S 15:18; 2 S 8:10 + (49 times); less often c. בְּ of city attacked, besieged †Ju 9:45; 1 S 23:1; 2 S 12:26, 27, 29 Is 20:1; Jos 10:31 (D), 1 K 20:1 2 Ch 35:20 Ne 4:2; of tower Ju 9:52; sq. בְּאַרְצִי 11:12†; c. עִם of enemy (26 times): Ju 5:20; 11:4, 5, 20 Jos 11:5 (JE), 1 S 13:5; 17:19, also 1 S 17:32, 33 (of single combat), Dt 20:4; Jos 9:2 (both D), 2 K 13:12; 14:15; 2 Ch 11:1; 17:10; 27:5; Dn 10:20; 11:11 +; c. עִם of city †Jos 10:29 (D), 19:47 (JE)†; c. אֶת־ = with, of enemy, †Jos 24:8 (E), 1 S 17:9 (single combat), Je 21:5; 1 K 20:23; 2 K 19:9 = Is 37:9, Je 37:10; also Ju 12:4; 2 S 11:17; 21:15; 1 K 22:31;2 K 8:2; 9:15; Je 21:4; 32:5; 33:5; 2 Ch 18:30; 22:6, and c. אוֹתָם (= אִתָּם) Jos 10:25 (D), 1 K 20:25 (KöLgb. ii. 296)†; c. עַל, against, of enemy only Je 21:2; elsewhere (16 times) of city: †Jos 10:5 (JE), Is 7:1; 2 K 12:18; 19:8 = Is 37:8; especially D and Je: Dt 20:10, 19 Jos 10:34, 36, 38 (all D), Je 32:24, 29; 34:1, 7, 8, 22†; c. אֶל־ of enemy †Je 1:19; 15:20†; c. sf. וַיִּלָּֽחֲמוּנִי †ψ 109:3 and they have fought against me†; c. יָ֑חַד i.e. fight together = with (against) one another †1 S 17:10; abs. c. acc. cogn. מִלְחָמוֹת fight battles †1 S 8:20; 18:17; 25:28; 2 Ch 32:8†; abs. elsewhere Ju 5:19(×2), 20 Dt 1:41; Zc 10:5 + 26 times + וַוָּסֻרוּ עָלָיו לְהִלָּחֵ֑ם 1 K 22:32; †c. עַל for, in behalf of, Ju 9:17; 2 K 10:3; Ne 4:8; c. לְ = id., Ex 14:14 (J), v 25 (J; + בְּ of enemy), Dt 1:30; 3:22; 20:4 (+ עִם of enemy, vid. supra), Jos 10:14, 42; 23:3, 10 (all D), Ne 4:14†; יָכֹל לְהִלּ׳ be able to fight, c. את of enemy 1 S 17:9, c. בְּ of enemy Nu 22:11, = be successful in fighting, prevail against; so c. עַל of city Is 7:1, and abs. 2 K 16:5 (after וַיָּצֻרוּ עָל besiege). Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 117 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (5 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «לָחַם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1500/3898/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Exodus 14:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.14.14/) יְהוָ֖ה יִלָּחֵ֣ם לָכֶ֑ם וְאַתֶּ֖ם תַּחֲרִישֽׁוּן׃פ *Word for word:* Yahweh he.will.fight for you and you you will.keep.quiet *JPS 1917:* The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.' [Exodus 17:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.17.8/) וַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בִּרְפִידִֽם׃ *Word for word:* and it.came Amalek and it.joined.battle with Israel at Rephidim *JPS 1917:* Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. - ← previous: [לָחַךְ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3897.md) - next →: [לֶחֶם](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3899.md) - ↑ back to [ל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1500.md)