---
title: לָחַם — use as food · The Tanakh dictionary
description: לָחַם (lemma:לָחַם), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 6 times: use as food. BDB 1906: vb. use as food, eat. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# לָחַם

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«לָחַם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **use as food** — 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:** 6 times · **Key:** lemma:לָחַם · **BDB:** לָחַם²

### Glosses

eat (3); I.will.eat (1); eaten (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

use as food [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1500/lemma_3a_5dc_5b8_5d7_5b7_5dd/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. use as food, eat [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1500/lemma_3a_5dc_5b8_5d7_5b7_5dd/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. use as food, eat, poet. (so Thes Buhl, cf. Frä30 GuidiDella Sede 33; this would explain diff. between לֶחֶם and لَحْمٌ; yet verb rare and chiefly late);— Pf. 3 pl. לָֽחֲמוּ Pr 4:17; Impf. 2 ms. תִּלְחַם Pr 23:6, 1 s. אֶלְחַם ψ 141:4; Imv. mpl. לַחֲמוּ Pr 9:5; Inf. cstr. לְחוֹם Pr 23:1; Pt. pass. pl. cstr. לְחֻמֵי Dt 32:24; eat (mostly Pr), abs. Pr 23:1; sq. acc. cogn. לֶחֶם 4:17; 23:6; sq. בְּלַחְמִי 9:5; sq. בְּמַנְעַמֵּיהֶם ψ 141:4 eat of their dainties; לְחֻמֵי רֶשֶׁף Dt 32:24 (poem) eaten up with the Fire-bolt, fig. of pestilence (Dr).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 6 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 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/lemma_3a_5dc_5b8_5d7_5b7_5dd/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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

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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.

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[Proverbs 9:5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.9.5/)

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לְ֭כוּ לַחֲמ֣וּ בְֽלַחֲמִ֑י וּ֝שְׁת֗וּ בְּיַ֣יִן מָסָֽכְתִּי׃

*Word for word:* come eat in food my and drink in.\[the\] wine \[which\].I.have.mixed

*JPS 1917:* 'Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

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