Lexical Summary chamar: To boil up, ferment, foam Original Word: חָמַר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance daub, befoul, be red, trouble A primitive root; properly, to boil up; hence, to ferment (with scum); to glow (with redness); as denominative (from chemar) to smear with pitch -- daub, befoul, be red, trouble. see HEBREW chemar Brown-Driver-Briggs I. חָמַר verb ferment, boil or foam up (Arabic  ferment, leaven,  ,  noun leaven; see LagBN 207); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳וְיַיִן ח Psalm 75:9 and wine which foams, (others from IV. חמר be red); 3 plural חָֽמְרוּ is suggested by We as possible Habakkuk 3:15 (for ᵑ0 חֹמֶר q. v.) the great waters foamed; Imperfect3masculine plural יֶחֱמוּ יֶחְמְרוּ מֵימָיו Psalm 46:4 let its water roar and foam. Pe`al`al Perfect passive3plural מֵעַי חֳמַרְמָ֑רוּ Lamentations 1:20 my bowels are in a ferment ("" נֶהְמַּךְ לִבִּי), of distressat calamities of Jerusalem; so חֳמַרְמְרוּ מֵעַי Lamentations 2:11. — Job 16:16 see IV. חמר. II. [חָמַר] verb denominative cover or smear with asphalt, only Qal Imperfect3feminine singular suffix וַתַּחְמְרָה Exodus 2:3 (E); on form of suffix see Ges§ 58, 3, R, 1. III. חמר (√ of following; Late Hebrew חָמַר, heap up; Aramaic חַמֵּר make a ruin-heap; Arabic IV. [חמר] verb be red (Arabic Pe`al`al Perfect passive מָּנַי חֳמַרְמְרֻ֯ה Job 16:16 my face is reddened from weeping. — Lamentations 1:20; Lamentations 2:11 see I. חמר. Topical Lexicon Root Sense and Semantic Range χָמַר (chamar) evokes the image of liquid in agitation—whether wine foaming in fermentation, waters roiling in a storm, or human emotions boiling within. The Hebrew verb therefore serves both literal and figurative purposes, describing physical turbulence (Exodus 2:3; Psalm 46:3; Psalm 75:8) and inward upheaval of the soul (Job 16:16; Lamentations 1:20; Lamentations 2:11). Occurrences and Literary Usage 1. Exodus 2:3 links חָמַר with the preservation of Moses. Jochebed “coated it with tar and pitch” so the basket would withstand Nile currents. Scripture’s first use of the verb thus marries agitation and deliverance: the churning waters cannot drown the child whom God intends to save. Historical and Cultural Background In the ancient Near East, wine-making was familiar, and the sight of must bubbling in vats communicated power and inevitability. Likewise, bitumen sealing techniques were common along the Nile and Mesopotamia. The inspired authors drew upon these everyday images to convey spiritual truths: fermenting wine for judgment, pitching a basket for salvation, foaming waters for world-shaking events. Theological Themes 1. Divine Sovereignty over Turbulence: Whether natural (Psalm 46:3) or emotional (Lamentations 2:11), turmoil never escapes God’s rule. The same verb describing the raging sea is employed of God-ward lament, underscoring that every form of unrest is subject to Him. Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Comfort in Chaos: Congregations facing societal upheaval can be reminded that the same God who quieted foaming waters still reigns (Psalm 46). Canonical Unity Although spanning Torah, Wisdom, Psalms, and Prophets, חָמַר maintains a coherent witness: disorder—whether aquatic, vinous, or emotional—drives the reader toward the God who rescues, judges, and restores. The word’s vivid imagery enriches our understanding of both the depths of human need and the sufficiency of divine grace. Forms and Transliterations וַתַּחְמְרָ֥ה ותחמרה חֳ֭מַרְמְרוּ חֳמַרְמְר֣וּ חֳמַרְמָ֔רוּ חָמַ֨ר ׀ חמר חמרמרו יֶחְמְר֣וּ יחמרו chaMar chomarMaru Chomarmeru ḥā·mar ḥāmar ḥo·mar·mā·rū ḥo·mar·mə·rū ḥomarmārū ḥomarmərū vattachmeRah wat·taḥ·mə·rāh wattaḥmərāh yechmeRu yeḥ·mə·rū yeḥmərūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 2:3 HEB: תֵּ֣בַת גֹּ֔מֶא וַתַּחְמְרָ֥ה בַחֵמָ֖ר וּבַזָּ֑פֶת NAS: basket and covered it over with tar KJV: of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime INT: basket A wicker and covered tar and pitch Job 16:16 Psalm 46:3 Psalm 75:8 Lamentations 1:20 Lamentations 2:11 6 Occurrences |
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great mass of stone, heap of stones). 
II. dye red, 
redness, reddish brown (apparently skin-colour) so Thes MV BaNB 192 and others) — only