Lexical Summary chom: Heat, Warmth Original Word: חֹם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance heat, to be hot warm From chamam; heat -- heat, to be hot (warm). see HEBREW chamam NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chamam Definition heat NASB Translation heat (8), hot (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs חֹם noun masculineJeremiah 17:8 heat; — חֹם absolute Genesis 8:22 3t. + 1 Samuel 21:7 (see below); construct Genesis 18:1+ 3t.; of heat of (mid-) day חֹם היום Genesis 18:1 (J), 1 Samuel 11:11; 2 Samuel 4:5; in promise of regular seasons Genesis 8:22 (opposed to קֹר); compare Isaiah 18:4 (twice in verse) (קָצִיר ׳ח); but as dangerous to plant-life Jeremiah 17:8; it melts snow Job 24:19; לֶחֶם חֹם 1 Samuel 21:7 bread of heat = hot bread, read perhaps חָם ׳ל (as Joshua 9:12). Topical Lexicon Overview The term translated “heat” or “warmth” occurs fourteen times in the Old Testament, serving as a vivid physical reality and a flexible metaphor. It ranges from the literal blaze of the sun at noon to the moral “heat” of divine judgment. Together these uses underscore the constancy of God’s created order, the rhythms of daily life, and the spiritual lessons drawn from extreme conditions. The Created Order and Covenant Assurance Genesis 8:22 sets “heat” side by side with “cold,” “summer,” and “winter” as enduring fixtures until the end of the age: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat… shall never cease.” Heat is therefore a covenant marker—a perpetual reminder that the Creator rules the seasons with unwavering faithfulness (cf. Jeremiah 5:24). Midday Heat in Patriarchal and Military Scenes 1. Daily life. Genesis 18:1 pictures Abraham “sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day” when the LORD appears. The harsh noon climate provides both the backdrop for divine visitation and the occasion for Abraham’s swift hospitality. Agricultural and Climatic Imagery Isaiah 18:4 twice employs the word: “I will quietly look on from My dwelling— like shimmering heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” Here the intense glare just before reaping symbolizes God’s watchful, patient sovereignty over the nations. Nehemiah’s wall-builders do not open Jerusalem’s gates “until the sun is hot” (Nehemiah 7:3), tying agricultural labor to civic vigilance. Heat as a Test of Endurance Job 6:17 notes that torrents “vanish when it is hot,” and Job 24:19 compares unrepentant sinners to snow consumed by “heat and drought.” Jeremiah 17:8 contrasts the godly man—“He will not fear when heat comes”—with barren shrubs. Heat exposes what is shallow and confirms what is rooted, making it a fitting symbol for trial. Heat as Divine Judgment Jeremiah 51:39 promises Babylon that when they are “inflamed” in revelry, the Lord will bring their feast to an end, a figurative “heat” that leads to death. Haggai 1:6 laments post-exilic indifference: “You put on clothes, but you are not warm,” a reversal in which physical heat is withheld to awaken spiritual zeal. Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Faithfulness. Just as earth’s cycles persist, so the believer trusts God’s unwavering promises (Genesis 8:22; Hebrews 13:8). Summary The recurring motif of “heat” binds together creation, covenant, daily labor, warfare, agriculture, testing, and judgment. Each occurrence invites readers to recognize both the physical intensity of life under the sun and the spiritual realities it reflects—ultimately pointing to the God who shields, refines, and sustains His people in every season. Forms and Transliterations בְּ֝חֻמּ֗וֹ בְּחֹ֥ם בְּחֻמָּ֞ם בחם בחמו בחמם וָחֹ֜ם וחם חֹ֔ם חֹ֗ם חֹ֣ם חם כְּחֹ֣ם כְּחֹ֥ם כְּחֹ֣ם כחם לְחֹ֣ם לחם bə·ḥōm bə·ḥum·mām bə·ḥum·mōw beChom bechumMam bechumMo bəḥōm bəḥummām bəḥummōw chom ḥōm kə·ḥōm keChom kəḥōm lə·ḥōm leChom ləḥōm vaChom wā·ḥōm wāḥōmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 8:22 HEB: וְ֠קָצִיר וְקֹ֨ר וָחֹ֜ם וְקַ֧יִץ וָחֹ֛רֶף NAS: And cold and heat, And summer KJV: and cold and heat, and summer INT: and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter Genesis 18:1 1 Samuel 11:9 1 Samuel 11:11 1 Samuel 21:7 2 Samuel 4:5 Nehemiah 7:3 Job 6:17 Job 24:19 Isaiah 18:4 Isaiah 18:4 Jeremiah 17:8 Jeremiah 51:39 Haggai 1:6 14 Occurrences |
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