What does מִלְחָמָה (milĕḥāmāh) mean in the Bible?
H4421 is the Hebrew noun commonly used for battle, war, or armed conflict. Exodus 15:3 calls the LORD a warrior within Israel's song after deliverance from Pharaoh's army.
Hebrew · H4421
מִלְחָמָה
A battle (i.e. the engagement ); generally, war (i.e. war-fare )
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מִלְחָמָהH4421
Pronunciationmilĕḥāmāh
What does מִלְחָמָה (milĕḥāmāh) mean in the Bible?
H4421 is the Hebrew noun commonly used for battle, war, or armed conflict. Exodus 15:3 calls the LORD a warrior within Israel's song after deliverance from Pharaoh's army.
Reader summary
Full entry for מִלְחָמָה (H4421) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4421?
The BSB source-word alignment has 319 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include for battle (32), of war (29), in battle (26), war (23), . . . (20).
Where does מִלְחָמָה (milĕḥāmāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 14:2. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Chronicles (32), 2 Chronicles (32), 1 Samuel (31), 2 Samuel (29).
What This Word Actually Means
H4421 is the Hebrew noun commonly used for battle, war, or armed conflict. Exodus 15:3 calls the Lord a warrior within Israel's song after deliverance from Pharaoh's army. Deuteronomy 20:1 addresses Israel when going out to battle and places military fear under covenant instruction. First Samuel 17:47 insists that the battle belongs to the Lord as David confronts Goliath, while Ecclesiastes 3:8 names a time for war and a time for peace within life's grievous seasons.
The noun can describe a conflict, a military engagement, the conduct of warfare, or readiness for battle. It does not make every war just, every combatant righteous, or violence sacred. H4421 requires sober teaching that honors victims, veterans, peacemakers, and moral complexity while distinguishing God's unique judgments in Scripture from human claims that He endorses their campaigns.
Passage contextgrammaticalPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
H4421 ranges across invasion, defense, conquest, civil conflict, siege, royal ambition, divine deliverance, lament, and the hope that war will cease. Scripture records battles truthfully while repeatedly judging pride, bloodshed, injustice, and misplaced military trust.
- Exod.15.3
The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is His name.
Israel's victory song names the Lord as warrior after deliverance at the sea, locating battle language within God's judgment of an enslaving imperial force.
- Deut.20.1
When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
Israel is instructed not to fear superior military power because the Lord who brought them from Egypt is with them, within a law section that also constrains warfare.
- 1Sam.17.47
And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
David declares that the battle belongs to the Lord, denying that sword and spear determine the outcome while still acting in a particular covenant conflict.
- Eccl.3.8
A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes names a time for war and a time for peace within a poem about appointed seasons, observing human life rather than commanding every conflict.
Book contextPassage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itfor battle32×Genesis 14:8, Numbers 32:20, Numbers 32:29, Deuteronomy 2:32
of war29×Exodus 32:17, Deuteronomy 1:41, Joshua 5:4, Joshua 5:6
in battle26×Numbers 21:33, Deuteronomy 2:24, Deuteronomy 3:1, Deuteronomy 20:5
war23×Genesis 14:2, Exodus 13:17, Deuteronomy 20:12, Deuteronomy 20:20
. . .20×Exodus 15:3, Numbers 31:27, Joshua 8:11, Judges 20:17
the battle17×Numbers 31:14, Judges 8:13, 1 Samuel 14:20, 1 Samuel 17:28
into battle13×Numbers 10:9, Numbers 31:21, Deuteronomy 20:3, 1 Samuel 17:13
to war13×Numbers 32:6, Deuteronomy 2:9, Deuteronomy 20:1, Deuteronomy 21:10
for war11×Joshua 14:11, 1 Samuel 17:1, 1 Kings 20:18, 2 Kings 18:20
of battle10×1 Samuel 13:22, 2 Samuel 1:25, Job 39:25, Proverbs 21:31
to fight10×Judges 20:18, Judges 20:20, 1 Samuel 7:10, 2 Samuel 10:13
a battle5×2 Samuel 19:3, 2 Samuel 21:19, 2 Samuel 21:20, 1 Chronicles 20:5
to battle5×Judges 20:28, 1 Samuel 30:24, 2 Samuel 21:17, 1 Chronicles 14:15
army4×Joshua 8:1, Joshua 8:3, Joshua 10:7, Joshua 11:7
battle4×Deuteronomy 20:2, Judges 20:39, 2 Samuel 11:15, 2 Samuel 21:18
and the battle3×Judges 20:34, 1 Samuel 14:23, 2 Samuel 18:6
in formation3×2 Chronicles 13:3, Jeremiah 6:23, Jeremiah 50:42
in the battle3×Judges 20:39, 2 Samuel 3:30, Ezekiel 13:5
of the battle3×2 Samuel 11:18, 2 Samuel 11:19, 1 Kings 20:39
warriors3×1 Kings 12:21, 2 Chronicles 11:1, 2 Chronicles 17:13
a war2×Exodus 1:10, Psalms 27:3
and battle2×Job 38:23, Hosea 2:18
at war2×2 Samuel 8:10, 1 Chronicles 18:10
battles2×1 Samuel 18:17, 1 Samuel 25:28
from battle2×2 Chronicles 25:13, Micah 2:8
from war2×Joshua 11:23, Joshua 14:15
in the war2×Judges 21:22, 2 Chronicles 18:3
of the Wars2×Numbers 21:14, Judges 3:1
our battles2×1 Samuel 8:20, 2 Chronicles 32:8
the battle lines2×2 Samuel 10:9, 1 Chronicles 19:10
to make war2×2 Chronicles 20:1, 2 Chronicles 32:2
When the battle2×1 Samuel 31:3, 1 Chronicles 10:3
-1×Judges 18:17
[want] war1×Psalms 120:7
and as the battle1×1 Samuel 4:2
and fight1×Judges 20:14
and how the war1×2 Samuel 11:7
and in battle1×Job 5:20
And the war1×1 Samuel 14:52
and took up their battle1×Judges 20:20
and war1×Deuteronomy 4:34
and weapons of war1×Psalms 76:3
as warriors1×Ezekiel 27:10
as well as the battle1×Zechariah 10:4
but the battle1×Judges 20:42
during the war1×1 Samuel 29:4
fit for battle1×1 Chronicles 7:40
He makes wars1×Psalms 46:9
his wars1×2 Chronicles 27:7
I am fighting1×2 Chronicles 35:21
I would march1×Isaiah 27:4
in battle formation1×2 Chronicles 14:10
in warfare1×Song Of Solomon 3:8
in wartime1×Ecclesiastes 8:8
joined the battle1×1 Samuel 14:22
made war1×2 Chronicles 14:6
military1×2 Chronicles 32:6
nor the battle1×Ecclesiastes 9:11
Now the war1×2 Samuel 3:1
of fighting1×Deuteronomy 2:14
or in battle1×Daniel 11:20
or war1×Hosea 1:7
ready for battle1×Jeremiah 48:14
Saul1×1 Chronicles 12:19
soldiers1×Jeremiah 41:3
that the battle1×2 Chronicles 13:14
the army1×Joshua 10:24
the battle [is]1×1 Samuel 17:47
the battle cry1×1 Samuel 17:20
the fighting1×Deuteronomy 2:16
the onslaught1×Isaiah 28:6
the soldiers1×Numbers 31:49
the war1×2 Samuel 3:6
the wars waged1×1 Kings 5:3
their battles1×1 Chronicles 26:27
There was war1×2 Chronicles 12:15
there will be war1×Daniel 9:26
Those who wage war1×Isaiah 41:12
to [wage] war1×Isaiah 7:1
to the battle1×Numbers 32:27
to the soldiers1×Numbers 31:28
to wage war1×2 Kings 16:5
took their battle1×Judges 20:22
waged war1×2 Samuel 21:15
warfare1×Judges 3:2
wars1×1 Chronicles 22:8
When war1×1 Samuel 19:8
will war1×Exodus 17:16
with weapons1×Isaiah 30:32
your attack1×2 Samuel 11:25
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 14:2מִלְחָמָ֗הtowarNoun - feminine singularGenesis 14:8מִלְחָמָ֔הtofor battleNoun - feminine singularExodus 1:10מִלְחָמָה֙toa warNoun - feminine singularExodus 13:17מִלְחָמָ֖הtowarNoun - feminine singularExodus 15:3מִלְחָמָ֑הto. . .Noun - feminine singularExodus 17:16מִלְחָמָ֥הtowill warNoun - feminine singularExodus 32:17מִלְחָמָ֖הtoof warNoun - feminine singularNumbers 10:9מִלְחָמָ֜הtointo battleNoun - feminine singularNumbers 21:14מִלְחֲמֹ֣תtoof the WarsNoun - feminine plural constructNumbers 21:33לַמִּלְחָמָ֖הtoin battlePreposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowGenesis 14:2
Aligned rows319
Books represented27
Genesis2Exodus5Numbers12Deuteronomy18Joshua18Judges201 Samuel312 Samuel291 Kings232 Kings101 Chronicles322 Chronicles32Job4Psalms10Proverbs3Ecclesiastes3Song Of Solomon1Isaiah14Jeremiah24Ezekiel7Daniel3Hosea4Joel4Amos1Obadiah1Micah3Zechariah5
Source forms
לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה21xlam·mil·ḥā·māhNumbers 21:33, Deuteronomy 2:32, Deuteronomy 3:1, Deuteronomy 20:3
מִלְחָמָ֖ה21xmil·ḥā·māhExodus 13:17, Exodus 32:17, Deuteronomy 20:20, Judges 20:20
מִלְחָמָ֑ה21xmil·ḥā·māhExodus 15:3, Deuteronomy 2:9, Deuteronomy 20:12, Judges 3:2
מִלְחָמָ֔ה17xmil·ḥā·māhGenesis 14:8, Joshua 17:1, Judges 20:22, 2 Samuel 17:8
לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה15xlam·mil·ḥā·māhNumbers 31:21, Numbers 32:27, 1 Samuel 17:13, 1 Samuel 23:8
הַמִּלְחָמָה֙13xham·mil·ḥā·māhNumbers 31:28, Deuteronomy 2:14, Joshua 5:6, Joshua 10:7
לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה13xlam·mil·ḥā·māhNumbers 32:6, Joshua 4:13, Judges 3:10, Judges 20:23
מִלְחָמָֽה׃13xmil·ḥā·māhDeuteronomy 2:24, Joshua 11:18, Judges 18:11, Judges 20:17
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular93xGenesis 14:2, Genesis 14:8, Exodus 1:10, Exodus 13:17
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular69xNumbers 21:33, Numbers 31:21, Numbers 32:6, Numbers 32:20
Article | Noun - feminine singular68xNumbers 31:14, Numbers 31:27, Numbers 31:28, Numbers 31:49
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular37xDeuteronomy 20:5, Deuteronomy 20:6, Deuteronomy 20:7, Joshua 11:19
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular10x1 Kings 14:30, 1 Kings 15:6, 1 Kings 15:7, 1 Kings 15:16
Noun - feminine plural6x1 Chronicles 28:3, 2 Chronicles 16:9, 2 Chronicles 32:6, Psalms 46:9
Noun - feminine plural construct6xNumbers 21:14, Judges 3:1, 1 Samuel 18:17, 1 Samuel 25:28
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular3xJudges 20:34, Judges 20:42, 1 Samuel 14:23
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Evaluate present conflicts with moral seriousness, verified facts, lawful authority, protection of noncombatants, restraint, and accountability.
- Make room for lament, repentance, conscientious disagreement, trauma care, and active peacemaking within the church.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that military victory proves God's favor or that defeat proves the victims lacked faith.
- Do not claim that a biblical battle text gives contemporary believers unrestricted authority to harm perceived enemies.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. War as theological contest: Yahweh fights Israel's battles; victory belongs to the Lord, not human strength.
Source Gloss
a battle (i.e. the engagement ); generally, war (i.e. war-fare )
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
War as theological contest: Yahweh fights Israel's battles; victory belongs to the Lord, not human strength.
a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. war-fare) BDB: battle Usage: battle, fight(-ing), war(-rior).
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
War is established through counsel, strategy before engagement
Battle is prepared and equipped, yet victory depends on divine providence
Battle and warfare broken, shields shattered in divine deliverance
War and military conflict as judgment against nations and cities
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 319 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
מִלְחָמָה 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.
For the Preacher and Teacher
H4421 makes it impossible to pretend that Scripture speaks about peace from a world untouched by war. Israel remembers deliverance from Pharaoh's military power, receives laws for approaching battle, fights external and internal conflicts, suffers invasion and siege, and learns that kings can multiply violence through fear and ambition. The battle that belongs to the Lord is not a slogan giving any army divine ownership.
In 1 Samuel 17 it humbles trust in weaponry and locates deliverance within a particular confrontation in Israel's story. Deuteronomy's warfare material must be read within its covenant setting and with its stated exemptions and restraints, not extracted as a timeless field manual. The prophets expose nations that boast in force and envision God ending wars; wisdom acknowledges both war and peace as painful features of life under the sun.
Christian teaching should neither conceal these texts nor recruit them casually for modern national causes. It should distinguish description from command, unique judgment from ordinary policy, protection from vengeance, and courage from appetite for domination. H4421 also calls for pastoral attentiveness to those carrying grief, trauma, moral injury, displacement, or responsibility after violence.
The canonical hope does not culminate in endless battle but in God's just reign, reconciled peoples, and the defeat of death and evil.
Anchor passage
1Sam.17.47
Doctrinal connections
- Exodus 15:3 praises the Lord after liberation from Pharaoh's enslaving military power and sea-bound pursuit.
- Deuteronomy 20 places Israelite battle under covenant instruction, fear restraint, exemptions, and limits rather than unchecked force.
- First Samuel 17:47 denies that weapons alone save and locates the battle's outcome under God's authority.
- Ecclesiastes 3:8 observes war and peace among life's seasons without turning war into a permanent good.
- The prophets judge violent empires and envision weapons transformed as nations learn war no more.
- The New Testament calls disciples toward enemy love, peacemaking, truthful public duty, and hope in God's final judgment.
H4421 is a feminine Hebrew noun for battle or war and can denote a particular engagement, warfare as activity, or a conflict setting. Verbs of going out, fighting, waging, learning, or ceasing clarify the action and participants.
From Old to New Testament
New Testament writers inherit Israel's war texts while centering Jesus' enemy love, cross, resurrection, peacemaking community, spiritual resistance, and promised final judgment. Apocalyptic battle imagery announces God's victory over evil; it does not grant the church permission to wage sacred violence.
Canonical parallelPastoral application