What does לָחַם (lāḥam) mean in the Bible?
לָחַם (lāḥam): To consume or devour, either literally as food or figuratively as destructive conflict and warfare.
Hebrew · H3898
לָחַם
To feed on ; figuratively, to consume ; by implication, to battle (as destruction)
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לָחַם H3898
Pronunciation lāḥam
What does לָחַם (lāḥam) mean in the Bible?
לָחַם (lāḥam): To consume or devour, either literally as food or figuratively as destructive conflict and warfare.
Full entry for לָחַם (H3898) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3898?
The BSB source-word alignment has 177 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include to fight (34), and fought (17), fought (15), and fight (12), fight (10).
Where does לָחַם (lāḥam) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 1:10. Its strongest book concentrations include Judges (31), 1 Samuel (21), Joshua (17), Jeremiah (16).
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 to fight 34× Exodus 17:9, Numbers 22:11, Deuteronomy 20:4, Deuteronomy 20:10
and fought 17× Exodus 17:10, Joshua 10:29, Joshua 10:31, Joshua 10:34
fought 15× Joshua 10:14, Joshua 10:42, Joshua 24:11, Judges 1:8
and fight 12× Deuteronomy 1:41, Deuteronomy 1:42, Judges 1:1, Judges 9:38
fight 10× Exodus 1:10, Joshua 10:25, Judges 11:8, Judges 11:25
will fight 6× Exodus 14:14, Deuteronomy 1:30, Deuteronomy 3:22, Nehemiah 4:20
fighting 5× 1 Samuel 17:19, 2 Samuel 8:10, 1 Chronicles 18:10, Isaiah 37:8
he waged war 4× 1 Kings 14:19, 1 Kings 22:45, 2 Kings 14:15, 2 Kings 14:28
They will fight 4× Jeremiah 1:19, Jeremiah 15:20, Jeremiah 34:22, Zechariah 10:5
are fighting 3× 1 Samuel 23:1, 1 Samuel 28:15, Jeremiah 21:4
They fought 3× Joshua 24:8, Judges 5:20, 1 Chronicles 19:17
. . . 2× Judges 11:25, 1 Samuel 28:1
and attacked 2× Exodus 17:8, Isaiah 20:1
and to fight 2× 1 Samuel 8:20, 2 Chronicles 32:8
eat 2× Proverbs 9:5, Proverbs 23:6
fights 2× Joshua 23:10, 1 Samuel 25:28
had fought 2× Numbers 21:26, 2 Chronicles 20:29
he fought 2× Numbers 21:23, 1 Samuel 14:47
to wage war 2× Joshua 9:2, 2 Chronicles 26:6
when he fought 2× 2 Kings 8:29, 2 Chronicles 22:6
who are fighting 2× Jeremiah 32:24, Jeremiah 32:29
who fought 2× Joshua 23:3, 1 Samuel 12:9
[the king] fighting 1× 2 Kings 19:8
and attack me 1× Psalms 109:3
and fight him 1× 1 Samuel 17:32
and he fought 1× 2 Samuel 12:29
and let us fight 1× Judges 1:3
and made war 1× Joshua 10:5
and ravaged 1× Deuteronomy 32:24
and waged war 1× 1 Kings 20:1
as He battles 1× Isaiah 30:32
as He fights 1× Zechariah 14:3
assail 1× Psalms 56:2
at war 1× 2 Kings 6:8
attack 1× Judges 9:52
by waging war 1× Judges 11:27
feast 1× Psalms 141:4
fight against those 1× Psalms 35:1
he attacked 1× Numbers 21:1
I have fought 1× 2 Samuel 12:27
in order to engage him in battle 1× 2 Chronicles 35:22
in the battle 1× 2 Kings 9:15
including his war 1× 2 Kings 13:12
is fighting 1× Exodus 14:25
is waging war 1× Jeremiah 21:2
made war 1× Judges 11:5
make war 1× 2 Chronicles 17:10
overcome [him] 1× 2 Kings 16:5
overpower 1× Isaiah 7:1
so that we can fight 1× Judges 11:6
so we can fight 1× 1 Kings 20:25
that is fighting 1× Jeremiah 37:10
the attack 1× Judges 10:18
their attack 1× Psalms 56:1
they eat 1× Proverbs 4:17
to dine 1× Proverbs 23:1
to fight him 1× 2 Chronicles 35:22
waged war 1× 2 Chronicles 27:5
was fighting 1× Jeremiah 34:7
we should fight 1× 1 Kings 20:23
were fighting 1× Jeremiah 34:1
while fighting 1× Deuteronomy 20:19
who fight against me 1× Psalms 35:1
you fight 1× Jeremiah 32:5
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 1:10 וְנִלְחַם־ to fight Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 14:14 יִלָּחֵ֣ם to will fight Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 14:25 נִלְחָ֥ם to is fighting Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular Exodus 17:8 וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם to and attacked Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 17:9 הִלָּחֵ֣ם to to fight Verb - Nifal - Imperative - masculine singular Exodus 17:10 לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם to and fought Preposition-l | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct Numbers 21:1 וַיִּלָּ֙חֶם֙ to he attacked Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Numbers 21:23 וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם to he fought Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Numbers 21:26 נִלְחַ֗ם to had fought Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Numbers 22:11 לְהִלָּ֥חֶם to to fight Preposition-l | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 1:10
Aligned rows 177
Books represented 18
Exodus 6 Numbers 4 Deuteronomy 8 Joshua 17 Judges 31 1 Samuel 21 2 Samuel 9 1 Kings 9 2 Kings 12 1 Chronicles 3 2 Chronicles 15 Nehemiah 3 Psalms 6 Proverbs 4 Isaiah 7 Jeremiah 16 Daniel 2 Zechariah 4
Source forms
וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם 10x way·yil·lā·ḥem Numbers 21:23, Joshua 10:29, Joshua 10:31, Joshua 10:38
לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם 10x lə·hil·lā·ḥêm Exodus 17:10, Deuteronomy 20:10, Joshua 11:5, Judges 1:9
וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֖וּ 7x way·yil·lā·ḥă·mū Joshua 10:5, Joshua 10:34, Joshua 10:36, Joshua 24:8
לְהִלָּחֵ֣ם 7x lə·hil·lā·ḥêm Judges 8:1, Judges 12:1, 1 Samuel 13:5, 2 Kings 19:9
וַיִּלָּ֣חֶם 5x way·yil·lā·ḥem 1 Samuel 14:47, 1 Samuel 19:8, 1 Samuel 23:5, 2 Samuel 12:26
לְהִלָּחֵ֥ם 5x lə·hil·lā·ḥêm Deuteronomy 20:4, Joshua 9:2, Judges 11:12, 2 Chronicles 35:20
נִלְחָ֖ם 5x nil·ḥām Joshua 10:14, Joshua 10:42, 2 Kings 6:8, 2 Kings 19:8
וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם 4x way·yil·lā·ḥem Exodus 17:8, 2 Samuel 12:29, 2 Kings 12:17, Isaiah 20:1
Parsing patterns
Preposition-l | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct 42x Exodus 17:10, Numbers 22:11, Deuteronomy 20:4, Deuteronomy 20:10
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 20x Exodus 17:8, Numbers 21:1, Numbers 21:23, Joshua 10:29
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 15x Joshua 10:5, Joshua 10:34, Joshua 10:36, Joshua 19:47
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 14x Numbers 21:26, Judges 9:17, Judges 11:25, 2 Samuel 8:10
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular 9x Exodus 14:25, Joshua 10:14, Joshua 10:42, Judges 9:45
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural 8x Joshua 10:25, 1 Samuel 17:19, 1 Samuel 23:1, 1 Samuel 28:15
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural 7x Judges 5:19, Judges 5:20, Judges 11:5, 1 Chronicles 10:1
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural 6x Isaiah 19:2, Jeremiah 1:19, Jeremiah 15:20, Jeremiah 34:22
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. To consume or devour, either literally as food or figuratively as destructive conflict and warfare.
Strong's H3898
Lexical occurrences 177 verses Word forms 2 forms 59 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Jeremiah 21:1-7 Source Gloss
to feed on ; figuratively, to consume ; by implication, to battle (as destruction)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
To consume or devour, either literally as food or figuratively as destructive conflict and warfare.
to feed on; figuratively, to consume; by implication, to battle (as destruction) BDB: use as food Usage: devour, eat, × ever, fight(-ing), overcome, prevail, (make) war(-ring).
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 59
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 52×
Perfect 1Chr 18:10 · 1Kgs 14:19 · 1Kgs 22:46 · 2Chr 20:29 · 2Chr 27:5 · 2Kgs 13:12 · 2Kgs 14:15 · 2Kgs 14:28 · 2Sam 8:10 · Isa 30:32 · Isa 63:10 · Josh 10:14 · Josh 10:42 · Judg 9:17 · Judg 11:25 · Num 21:26 24×
Participle active 1Sam 17:19 · 1Sam 23:1 · 1Sam 25:28 · 1Sam 28:15 · 1Sam 31:1 · 2Kgs 6:8 · 2Kgs 19:8 · Exod 14:25 · Isa 37:8 · Jer 21:2 · Jer 21:4 · Jer 34:1 · Jer 34:7 · Josh 10:25 · Judg 9:45 15×
Imperfect 1Kgs 22:31 · 2Chr 11:4 · 2Chr 18:30 · Deut 1:42 · Jer 32:5 · Deut 1:30 · Exod 14:14 · Neh 4:14 · 1Kgs 20:23 · Zech 14:14 10×
Jussive 2Chr 13:12 1×
Sequential imperfect Exod 17:9 1×
Infinitive absolute Judg 11:25 1×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 7×
Participle active Ps 56:2 · Ps 56:3 2×
Sequential imperfect Prov 9:5 · Ps 35:1 2×
Perfect Prov 4:17 1×
Jussive Prov 23:6 1×
Imperfect Ps 141:4 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
military engagement and warfare, battle against enemies in destruction
literal consumption of food, eating in a dining context
eating food with deceptive intent, consuming while harboring hidden thoughts
providing food and sustenance to another person, literal nourishment
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 177 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
לָחַם is a primitive root - no further derivation.
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