What does חֶמֶד (ḥemed) mean in the Bible?
חֶמֶד (ḥemed): Intense desire for something attractive; often applied to coveted possessions or forbidden objects in narrative transgression
Hebrew · H2531
חֶמֶד
Delight
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חֶמֶדH2531
Pronunciationḥemed
What does חֶמֶד (ḥemed) mean in the Bible?
חֶמֶד (ḥemed): Intense desire for something attractive; often applied to coveted possessions or forbidden objects in narrative transgression
Full entry for חֶמֶד (H2531) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2531?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include desirable (2), about a fruitful (1), all desirable (1), from the lush (1), the pleasant (1).
Where does חֶמֶד (ḥemed) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Isaiah 27:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (3), Isaiah (2), Amos (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itdesirable2×Ezekiel 23:6, Ezekiel 23:12
about a fruitful1×Isaiah 27:2
all desirable1×Ezekiel 23:23
from the lush1×Amos 5:11
the pleasant1×Isaiah 32:12
Show sample aligned rows
Isaiah 27:2חֶ֖מֶדtoabout a fruitfulNoun - masculine singularIsaiah 32:12חֶ֕מֶדtothe pleasantNoun - masculine singularEzekiel 23:6חֶ֖מֶדtodesirableNoun - masculine singularEzekiel 23:12חֶ֖מֶדtodesirableNoun - masculine singularEzekiel 23:23חֶ֜מֶדtoall desirableNoun - masculine singularAmos 5:11חֶ֣מֶדtofrom the lushNoun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowIsaiah 27:2
Aligned rows6
Books represented3
Isaiah2Ezekiel3Amos1
Source forms
חֶ֖מֶד2xḥe·meḏEzekiel 23:6, Ezekiel 23:12
חֶ֖מֶד1xḥɛ·mɛḏIsaiah 27:2
חֶ֕מֶד1xḥe·meḏIsaiah 32:12
חֶ֜מֶד1xḥe·meḏEzekiel 23:23
חֶ֣מֶד1xḥe·meḏAmos 5:11
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular6xIsaiah 27:2, Isaiah 32:12, Ezekiel 23:6, Ezekiel 23:12
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Intense desire for something attractive; often applied to coveted possessions or forbidden objects in narrative transgression
Source Gloss
delight
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Intense desire for something attractive; often applied to coveted possessions or forbidden objects in narrative transgression
delight BDB: desire Usage: desirable, pleasant.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
חֶמֶד is built from this root: