---
title: חֹמֶר — cement · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חֹמֶר (lemma:חֹמֶר), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 20 times: cement. BDB 1906: n.m. cement, mortar, clay. 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/lemma_3a_5d7_5b9_5de_5b6_5e8.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)‎ / חֹמֶר‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# חֹמֶר

<!-- .meta -->
«חֹמֶר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **cement** — 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:** 20 times · **Key:** lemma:חֹמֶר · **BDB:** חֹ֫מֶר

### Glosses

clay (9); mortar (3); mud (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

cement [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/lemma_3a_5d7_5b9_5de_5b6_5e8/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. cement, mortar, clay [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/lemma_3a_5d7_5b9_5de_5b6_5e8/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. cement, mortar, clay;—ח׳ abs. Gn 11:3 + 13 times; cstr. Is 10:6 + 2 times;— mortar, cement for holding building-stones (brick) together Gn 11:3 (J), Ex 1:14 (P; both ‖ לְבֵנִים); Na 3:14 (‖ טיט). clay: as material of vessels Je 18:4, 6, ח׳ היצר Is 29:16, in sim. of God’s fashioning man Is 45:9; 64:7; Jb 10:9; as material of human bodies בָּתֵּי ח׳ Jb 4:19 cf. 33:6; as material of bulwarks (disparagingly) Jb 13:12; ח׳ חותם = seal-clay i.e. clay upon which seal is pressed. = mire ח׳ חוצות Is 10:6; הֹרַנִי לַח׳ Jb 30:19 he hath cast me into the mire, i.e. deeply humiliated me (עָפָר and אֵפֶר in ‖ cl.); as sim. of commonness, abundance Jb 27:16 (‖ עָפָר); Is. 41:25.

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 16 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses (14 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (12 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חֹמֶר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/lemma_3a_5d7_5b9_5de_5b6_5e8/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Job 38:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.38.14/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
תִּ֭תְהַפֵּךְ כְּחֹ֣מֶר חוֹתָ֑ם וְ֝יִֽתְיַצְּב֗וּ כְּמ֣וֹ לְבֽוּשׁ׃

*Word for word:* it.is.changed like.\[the\] clay of.a.seal and they.stand.forth like clothing

*JPS 1917:* It is changed as clay under the seal; and they stand as a garment.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Job 13:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.13.12/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
זִֽ֭כְרֹנֵיכֶם מִשְׁלֵי־אֵ֑פֶר לְגַבֵּי־חֹ֝֗מֶר גַּבֵּיכֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* memorials your \[are\].proverbs of.ash\[es\] \[are\].(to) defenses of.clay defenses your

*JPS 1917:* Your memorials shall be like unto ashes, your eminences to eminences of clay.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [חָמַר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5d7_5b8_5de_5b7_5e8.md)
- next →: [חַמְרָן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/2566.md)
- ↑ back to [ח](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1495-4.md)