What does חֹמֶר (ḥōmer) mean in the Bible?
חֹמֶר (ḥōmer): Material substance shaped by force—clay, mire—carrying sense of formlessness awaiting divine molding or judgment.
Hebrew · H2563
חֹמֶר
Properly, a bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave ; of earth, mire or clay (cement); also a heap ; hence, a chomer or dry measure
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חֹמֶר H2563
Pronunciation ḥōmer
What does חֹמֶר (ḥōmer) mean in the Bible?
חֹמֶר (ḥōmer): Material substance shaped by force—clay, mire—carrying sense of formlessness awaiting divine molding or judgment.
Full entry for חֹמֶר (H2563) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2563?
The BSB source-word alignment has 31 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include like clay (5), and a homer (2), from each homer (2), of a homer (2), of clay (2).
Where does חֹמֶר (ḥōmer) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 11:3. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (7), Job (7), Isaiah (6), Exodus (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It like clay 5× Job 10:9, Job 27:16, Job 38:14, Isaiah 10:6
and a homer 2× Isaiah 5:10, Hosea 3:2
from each homer 2× Ezekiel 45:13
of a homer 2× Ezekiel 45:11
of clay 2× Job 4:19, Job 13:12
. . . 1× Exodus 8:14
[are equivalent to] a homer 1× Ezekiel 45:14
[or] one homer 1× Ezekiel 45:14
and mortar 1× Exodus 1:14
are the clay 1× Isaiah 64:8
as clay 1× Isaiah 29:16
churning 1× Habakkuk 3:15
Does the clay 1× Isaiah 45:9
for every homer 1× Leviticus 27:16
from clay 1× Job 33:6
from the clay 1× Jeremiah 18:4
homers 1× Numbers 11:32
instead of mortar 1× Genesis 11:3
into countless heaps 1× Exodus 8:14
into the mud 1× Job 30:19
the homer 1× Ezekiel 45:11
the mortar 1× Nahum 3:14
they were mortar 1× Isaiah 41:25
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 11:3 לַחֹֽמֶר׃ to instead of mortar Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 1:14 בְּחֹ֙מֶר֙ to and mortar Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 8:14 חֳמָרִ֣ם to into countless heaps Noun - masculine plural Exodus 8:14 חֳמָרִ֑ם to . . . Noun - masculine plural Leviticus 27:16 חֹ֣מֶר to for every homer Noun - masculine singular construct Numbers 11:32 חֳמָרִ֑ים to homers Noun - masculine plural Job 4:19 חֹ֗מֶר to of clay Noun - masculine singular Job 10:9 כַחֹ֣מֶר to like clay Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular Job 13:12 חֹ֝֗מֶר to of clay Noun - masculine singular Job 27:16 וְ֝כַחֹ֗מֶר to like clay Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 11:3
Aligned rows 31
Books represented 11
Genesis 1 Exodus 3 Leviticus 1 Numbers 1 Job 7 Isaiah 6 Jeremiah 2 Ezekiel 7 Hosea 1 Nahum 1 Habakkuk 1
Source forms
הַחֹ֙מֶר֙ 2x ha·ḥō·mer Isaiah 64:8, Ezekiel 45:11
הַחֹ֖מֶר 2x ha·ḥō·mer Ezekiel 45:11
חֹ֖מֶר 2x ḥō·mer Isaiah 5:10, Habakkuk 3:15
כְּחֹ֥מֶר 2x kə·ḥō·mer Isaiah 10:6, Isaiah 29:16
בְּחֹ֙מֶר֙ 1x bə·ḥō·mer Exodus 1:14
בַחֹ֖מֶר 1x ḇa·ḥō·mer Nahum 3:14
בַּחֹ֖מֶר 1x ba·ḥō·mer Jeremiah 18:4
וְחֹ֥מֶר 1x wə·ḥō·mer Hosea 3:2
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular 7x Job 4:19, Job 13:12, Isaiah 5:10, Isaiah 41:25
Article | Noun - masculine singular 4x Isaiah 64:8, Ezekiel 45:11
Noun - masculine plural 3x Exodus 8:14, Numbers 11:32
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct 3x Job 38:14, Isaiah 10:6, Isaiah 29:16
Noun - masculine singular construct 2x Leviticus 27:16, Habakkuk 3:15
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular 2x Jeremiah 18:4, Nahum 3:14
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular 2x Job 10:9, Jeremiah 18:6
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular 2x Genesis 11:3, Job 30:19
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Material substance shaped by force—clay, mire—carrying sense of formlessness awaiting divine molding or judgment.
Source Gloss
properly, a bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave ; of earth, mire or clay (cement); also a heap ; hence, a chomer or dry measure
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Material substance shaped by force—clay, mire—carrying sense of formlessness awaiting divine molding or judgment.
properly, a bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave; of earth, mire or clay (cement); also a heap; hence, a chomer or dry measure BDB: heap Usage: clay, heap, homer, mire, motion.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Mire or muddy clay as a result of plague, earth turned to mud
Human nature as clay, metaphor for God's creative power over mankind
Potter's clay shaped by the craftsman, metaphor for divine sovereignty over nations
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 31 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
חֹמֶר is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain