What does מִלְחָמָה (milĕḥāmāh) mean in the Bible?
מִלְחָמָה (milĕḥāmāh): War as theological contest: Yahweh fights Israel's battles; victory belongs to the Lord, not human strength.
Hebrew · H4421
מִלְחָמָה
A battle (i.e. the engagement ); generally, war (i.e. war-fare )
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מִלְחָמָה H4421
Pronunciation milĕḥāmāh
What does מִלְחָמָה (milĕḥāmāh) mean in the Bible?
מִלְחָמָה (milĕḥāmāh): War as theological contest: Yahweh fights Israel's battles; victory belongs to the Lord, not human strength.
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).
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 for battle 32× Genesis 14:8, Numbers 32:20, Numbers 32:29, Deuteronomy 2:32
of war 29× Exodus 32:17, Deuteronomy 1:41, Joshua 5:4, Joshua 5:6
in battle 26× Numbers 21:33, Deuteronomy 2:24, Deuteronomy 3:1, Deuteronomy 20:5
war 23× 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 battle 17× Numbers 31:14, Judges 8:13, 1 Samuel 14:20, 1 Samuel 17:28
into battle 13× Numbers 10:9, Numbers 31:21, Deuteronomy 20:3, 1 Samuel 17:13
to war 13× Numbers 32:6, Deuteronomy 2:9, Deuteronomy 20:1, Deuteronomy 21:10
for war 11× Joshua 14:11, 1 Samuel 17:1, 1 Kings 20:18, 2 Kings 18:20
of battle 10× 1 Samuel 13:22, 2 Samuel 1:25, Job 39:25, Proverbs 21:31
to fight 10× Judges 20:18, Judges 20:20, 1 Samuel 7:10, 2 Samuel 10:13
a battle 5× 2 Samuel 19:3, 2 Samuel 21:19, 2 Samuel 21:20, 1 Chronicles 20:5
to battle 5× Judges 20:28, 1 Samuel 30:24, 2 Samuel 21:17, 1 Chronicles 14:15
army 4× Joshua 8:1, Joshua 8:3, Joshua 10:7, Joshua 11:7
battle 4× Deuteronomy 20:2, Judges 20:39, 2 Samuel 11:15, 2 Samuel 21:18
and the battle 3× Judges 20:34, 1 Samuel 14:23, 2 Samuel 18:6
in formation 3× 2 Chronicles 13:3, Jeremiah 6:23, Jeremiah 50:42
in the battle 3× Judges 20:39, 2 Samuel 3:30, Ezekiel 13:5
of the battle 3× 2 Samuel 11:18, 2 Samuel 11:19, 1 Kings 20:39
warriors 3× 1 Kings 12:21, 2 Chronicles 11:1, 2 Chronicles 17:13
a war 2× Exodus 1:10, Psalms 27:3
and battle 2× Job 38:23, Hosea 2:18
at war 2× 2 Samuel 8:10, 1 Chronicles 18:10
battles 2× 1 Samuel 18:17, 1 Samuel 25:28
from battle 2× 2 Chronicles 25:13, Micah 2:8
from war 2× Joshua 11:23, Joshua 14:15
in the war 2× Judges 21:22, 2 Chronicles 18:3
of the Wars 2× Numbers 21:14, Judges 3:1
our battles 2× 1 Samuel 8:20, 2 Chronicles 32:8
the battle lines 2× 2 Samuel 10:9, 1 Chronicles 19:10
to make war 2× 2 Chronicles 20:1, 2 Chronicles 32:2
When the battle 2× 1 Samuel 31:3, 1 Chronicles 10:3
- 1× Judges 18:17
[want] war 1× Psalms 120:7
and as the battle 1× 1 Samuel 4:2
and fight 1× Judges 20:14
and how the war 1× 2 Samuel 11:7
and in battle 1× Job 5:20
And the war 1× 1 Samuel 14:52
and took up their battle 1× Judges 20:20
and war 1× Deuteronomy 4:34
and weapons of war 1× Psalms 76:3
as warriors 1× Ezekiel 27:10
as well as the battle 1× Zechariah 10:4
but the battle 1× Judges 20:42
during the war 1× 1 Samuel 29:4
fit for battle 1× 1 Chronicles 7:40
He makes wars 1× Psalms 46:9
his wars 1× 2 Chronicles 27:7
I am fighting 1× 2 Chronicles 35:21
I would march 1× Isaiah 27:4
in battle formation 1× 2 Chronicles 14:10
in warfare 1× Song Of Solomon 3:8
in wartime 1× Ecclesiastes 8:8
joined the battle 1× 1 Samuel 14:22
made war 1× 2 Chronicles 14:6
military 1× 2 Chronicles 32:6
nor the battle 1× Ecclesiastes 9:11
Now the war 1× 2 Samuel 3:1
of fighting 1× Deuteronomy 2:14
or in battle 1× Daniel 11:20
or war 1× Hosea 1:7
ready for battle 1× Jeremiah 48:14
Saul 1× 1 Chronicles 12:19
soldiers 1× Jeremiah 41:3
that the battle 1× 2 Chronicles 13:14
the army 1× Joshua 10:24
the battle [is] 1× 1 Samuel 17:47
the battle cry 1× 1 Samuel 17:20
the fighting 1× Deuteronomy 2:16
the onslaught 1× Isaiah 28:6
the soldiers 1× Numbers 31:49
the war 1× 2 Samuel 3:6
the wars waged 1× 1 Kings 5:3
their battles 1× 1 Chronicles 26:27
There was war 1× 2 Chronicles 12:15
there will be war 1× Daniel 9:26
Those who wage war 1× Isaiah 41:12
to [wage] war 1× Isaiah 7:1
to the battle 1× Numbers 32:27
to the soldiers 1× Numbers 31:28
to wage war 1× 2 Kings 16:5
took their battle 1× Judges 20:22
waged war 1× 2 Samuel 21:15
warfare 1× Judges 3:2
wars 1× 1 Chronicles 22:8
When war 1× 1 Samuel 19:8
will war 1× Exodus 17:16
with weapons 1× Isaiah 30:32
your attack 1× 2 Samuel 11:25
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 14:2 מִלְחָמָ֗ה to war Noun - feminine singular Genesis 14:8 מִלְחָמָ֔ה to for battle Noun - feminine singular Exodus 1:10 מִלְחָמָה֙ to a war Noun - feminine singular Exodus 13:17 מִלְחָמָ֖ה to war Noun - feminine singular Exodus 15:3 מִלְחָמָ֑ה to . . . Noun - feminine singular Exodus 17:16 מִלְחָמָ֥ה to will war Noun - feminine singular Exodus 32:17 מִלְחָמָ֖ה to of war Noun - feminine singular Numbers 10:9 מִלְחָמָ֜ה to into battle Noun - feminine singular Numbers 21:14 מִלְחֲמֹ֣ת to of the Wars Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 21:33 לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה to in battle Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 14:2
Aligned rows 319
Books represented 27
Genesis 2 Exodus 5 Numbers 12 Deuteronomy 18 Joshua 18 Judges 20 1 Samuel 31 2 Samuel 29 1 Kings 23 2 Kings 10 1 Chronicles 32 2 Chronicles 32 Job 4 Psalms 10 Proverbs 3 Ecclesiastes 3 Song Of Solomon 1 Isaiah 14 Jeremiah 24 Ezekiel 7 Daniel 3 Hosea 4 Joel 4 Amos 1 Obadiah 1 Micah 3 Zechariah 5
Source forms
לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה 21x lam·mil·ḥā·māh Numbers 21:33, Deuteronomy 2:32, Deuteronomy 3:1, Deuteronomy 20:3
מִלְחָמָ֖ה 21x mil·ḥā·māh Exodus 13:17, Exodus 32:17, Deuteronomy 20:20, Judges 20:20
מִלְחָמָ֑ה 21x mil·ḥā·māh Exodus 15:3, Deuteronomy 2:9, Deuteronomy 20:12, Judges 3:2
מִלְחָמָ֔ה 17x mil·ḥā·māh Genesis 14:8, Joshua 17:1, Judges 20:22, 2 Samuel 17:8
לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה 15x lam·mil·ḥā·māh Numbers 31:21, Numbers 32:27, 1 Samuel 17:13, 1 Samuel 23:8
הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ 13x ham·mil·ḥā·māh Numbers 31:28, Deuteronomy 2:14, Joshua 5:6, Joshua 10:7
לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה 13x lam·mil·ḥā·māh Numbers 32:6, Joshua 4:13, Judges 3:10, Judges 20:23
מִלְחָמָֽה׃ 13x mil·ḥā·māh Deuteronomy 2:24, Joshua 11:18, Judges 18:11, Judges 20:17
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular 93x Genesis 14:2, Genesis 14:8, Exodus 1:10, Exodus 13:17
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular 69x Numbers 21:33, Numbers 31:21, Numbers 32:6, Numbers 32:20
Article | Noun - feminine singular 68x Numbers 31:14, Numbers 31:27, Numbers 31:28, Numbers 31:49
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular 37x Deuteronomy 20:5, Deuteronomy 20:6, Deuteronomy 20:7, Joshua 11:19
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular 10x 1 Kings 14:30, 1 Kings 15:6, 1 Kings 15:7, 1 Kings 15:16
Noun - feminine plural 6x 1 Chronicles 28:3, 2 Chronicles 16:9, 2 Chronicles 32:6, Psalms 46:9
Noun - feminine plural construct 6x Numbers 21:14, Judges 3:1, 1 Samuel 18:17, 1 Samuel 25:28
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular 3x Judges 20:34, Judges 20:42, 1 Samuel 14:23
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 definition Source: 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.
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