H2449 H2449
To be wise, become wise, act wisely; in causative stems, to make wise or teach wisdom; reflexively, to show oneself wise.
Chakam is the verbal engine behind the entire biblical wisdom tradition. Where the noun chokmah names the quality and the adjective chakam describes the person, this verb captures wisdom as process — the becoming, acquiring, imparting, and sometimes feigning of it. Its range moves from the simple imperative 'Be wise, my son!' (Prov 23:19) through the Piel-Hifil causative 'the testimony of the LORD makes wise the simple' (Ps 19:7), all the way to the unsettling Hitpael of Exodus 1:10 where Pharaoh proposes to 'deal shrewdly' against Israel. The multilingual evidence is revealing: where the Qal attracts vocabulary of personal character (Spanish sabio, German weise), the causative stems draw pedagogical language (Spanish ensenar sabiduria, Hindi sikhana), confirming that Hebrew speakers perceived 'being wise' and 'making wise' as genuinely different semantic acts.
4. make oneself wise — The Hitpael reflexive: to make oneself wise, to show oneself wise — a single cautionary occurrence in Ecclesiastes 7:16, 'Do not make yourself overly wise.' The reflexive stem adds a performative, self-directed quality: this is wisdom pursued for display or self-advancement rather than wisdom received from God or gained through experience. Spanish hacerse sabio captures the reflexive dimension, and the warning tone distinguishes it from the positive valence of senses 1-2. 1×
AR["تَكُنْ"]·ben["জ্ঞানী-হও"]·DE["wurde-weise"]·EN["be-wise"]·FR["être-sage"]·heb["תתחכם"]·HI["बुद्धिमान-बन"]·ID["menjadi-terlalu-bijak"]·IT["essere-saggio"]·jav["dados-langkung-wicaksana"]·KO["지혜롭게-되라"]·PT["te-faças-sábio"]·RU["умничай"]·ES["te-hagas-sabio"]·SW["mwenye-hekima-kupita-kiasi"]·TR["bilge-ol"]·urd["دانا-بن"]
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. be or become wise — The core Qal sense: to be or become wise, to act wisely — covering imperative exhortations, narrative statements, and proverbial observations about gaining wisdom. Solomon 'became wiser than all men' (1 Kgs 4:31); the ant teaches the sluggard to 'be wise' (Prov 6:6); the companion of the wise 'will become wise' (Prov 13:20). Spanish ser sabio, German weise sein, and Korean 지혜롭다 all select stative or inchoative wisdom vocabulary. Twenty occurrences make this the overwhelmingly dominant sense, concentrated in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. 20×
AR["(يَحْكُمُ)","[يحكم]","أَنَا","احْكُمْ","الَّذِي-","تَحْكُمَ","حَكَمْتَ","حَكُمَ","حَكِيمَةٌ","سَأَتَحَكَّمُ","كَانُوا-حُكَمَاءَ","وَ-احْكُمْ","وَ-كُنْ-حَكِيمًا","وَ-كُونُوا-حُكَمَاءَ","وَ-يَزْدَادُ-","وَكَانَ-أَحْكَمَ","يَحكُمونَ","يَحْكُمُ","يَحْكُمُ-"]·ben["এবং-জ্ঞানী-হও","এবং-যাতে-জ্ঞানী-হয়েছিলাম","এবং-সে-আরও-জ্ঞানী-হবে-","ও-ছিল-জ্ঞানী","ও-জ্ঞানী-হও","জ্ঞানী","জ্ঞানী-হও","জ্ঞানী-হত","জ্ঞানী-হব","জ্ঞানী-হবে","জ্ঞানী-হলাম","তুমি-জ্ঞানী-হয়েছ"]·DE["Weisheit","sie-waren-weise","und-er-war-wiser","und-wurde-weise","wurde-weise"]·EN["I-will-be-wise","[ketiv]","and-be-wise","and-he-was-wiser","and-he-will-be-wiser","and-that-I-was-wise","are-wise","be-wise","becomes-wise","they-were-wise","was-wise","wise","you-are-wise","you-may-be-wise"]·FR["et-il-fut-wiser","et-être-sage","ils-étaient-sage","être-sage"]·heb["(יחכם)","[וחכם]","אחכמה","ו-חכם","ו-חכמו","ו-יחכם","ו-יחכם־","ו-שׁ-חכמתי","חכם","חכמה","חכמו","חכמת","חכמתי","יחכם","יחכם-","יחכמו","תחכם"]·HI["और-जो-मैं-बुद्धिमान-हुआ","और-बुद्धिमान-था","और-बुद्धिमान-बनो","और-बुद्धिमान-हो","और-बुद्धिमान-होगा-","बुद्धिमान","बुद्धिमान-बन","बुद्धिमान-बनेगा","बुद्धिमान-हुआ","बुद्धिमान-हो","बुद्धिमान-होगा","बुद्धिमान-होता-है-","बुद्धिमान-होते","बुद्धिमान-होते-हैं","मैं-बुद्धिमान-होऊँगा"]·ID["Jadilah-bijak","[ketiv]","akan-menjadi-bijak","aku-akan-menjadi-bijak","aku-menjadi-bijak","bijak","bijaksana","dan-ia-lebih-bijak","dan-jadilah-bijak","dan-menjadi-bijaklah","dan-yang-aku-peroleh-dengan-hikmat","engkau-bijak","engkau-menjadi-bijak","maka-dia-akan-menjadi-bijak-","menjadi-bijak"]·IT["[חכמה]","e-egli-era-più-saggio","e-essere-saggio","essere-saggio","essi-furono-saggio"]·jav["badhé-wicaksana","dados-wicaksana","kula-badhé-wicaksana","kula-wicaksana","lan-bakal-wicaksana","lan-dados-wicaksana","lan-ingkang-kula-wicaksana","lan-langkung-wicaksana","lan-wicaksanaa","wicaksana"]·KO["[크타브]","그리고-그-가-지혜로워질-것이다","그리고-그-지혜롭게-했다","그리고-지혜로워져라","그리고-지혜로워지라","그리고-지혜로웠다","지혜로d다","지혜로우면","지혜로워지리라-","지혜로워진다","지혜로웠더라면","지혜롭게-되겠다","지혜롭게-되라-네가","지혜롭게-되었는가","지혜롭다","지혜롭다면","지혜롭지","지혜롭지만"]·PT["(será-sábio)","E-foi-mais-sábio","Sê-sábio","[e-será-sábio]","e-que-tornei-sábio","e-sede-sábios","e-será-mais-sábio","e-sê-sábio","fossem-sábios","me-tornei-sábio","se-torna-sábio-","sejas-sábio","serei-sábio","será-sábio","sábia","sábio","são-sábios","te-tornares-sábio","te-tornaste-sábio"]·RU["[ктив:и-умудрится]","будет-мудрым","буду-мудрым,","будь-мудр","были-мудры","и-будь-мудр","и-будь-мудрым.","и-будьте-мудры,","и-был-мудрее","и-которым-мудрел-я","и-станет-мудрее-","мудрел-я,","мудростью","мудры","умудрился-ты","умудрится","умудряется-"]·ES["(será-sabio)","Sé-sabio","[y-será-sabio]","el-simple-se-hace-sabio-","es-sabio","fueran-sabios","fuiste-sabio","me-hice-sabio","sabia","seas-sabio","seré-sabio","son-sabios","y-fue-más-sabio","y-que-me-hice-sabio","y-sed-sabios","y-será-más-sabio","y-sé-sabio"]·SW["Na-alikuwa-na-hekima","atakuwa-mwenye-hekima","hekima","hupata-hekima","kuwa-na-hekima","mwenye-hekima","na-ambayo-nilikuwa-na-hekima","na-atakuwa-mwenye-hekima","na-muwe-wenye-hekima","na-uwe-mwenye-hekima","na-uwe-na-hekima","nilikuwa-na-hekima","nitakuwa-na-hekima","umekuwa-mwenye-hekima","una-hekima","uwe-mwenye-hekima","wana-hekima","wangehekimika"]·TR["[bilge-olacak]","bilge","bilge-değildir","bilge-ol","bilge-olacagim","bilge-olacak","bilge-olasın","bilge-oldum","bilge-oldun","bilge-olduysan","bilge-olsalardı","bilge-olurlar","bilge-olursa","bilgelenir-","ve-bilge-ol","ve-bilge-oldu","ve-bilge-olun","ve-daha-bilge-olacak-","ve-ki-bilge-oldum"]·urd["اور-حکمت-کی-میں-نے","اور-دانا-ہو","اور-دانا-ہو-جاؤ","اور-دانا-ہو-جائے-گا","اور-زیادہ-حکیم-تھا","اور-عقلمند-ہو","حکمتمند-ہے","حکیم ہوتے ہیں","حکیم-بنا-میں","دانا-ہو","دانا-ہو-جائے-گا","دانا-ہوا","دانا-ہوتا-ہے-","دانا-ہوتے","دانا-ہوگا","میں-دانا-بنوں-گا"]
Deut 32:29, 1 Kgs 4:31, Job 32:9, Prov 6:6, Prov 8:33, Prov 9:9, Prov 9:12, Prov 9:12, Prov 13:20, Prov 13:20, Prov 19:20, Prov 20:1 (+8 more)
2. make wise or teach wisdom — The causative Piel and Hifil: to make someone wise, to impart or teach wisdom. God's testimonies 'make wise the simple' (Ps 19:7); Job protests that God 'makes us wiser than the beasts' (Job 35:11); Joseph is sent ahead to 'teach wisdom' to Egypt's elders (Ps 105:22). The shift to pedagogical language is cross-linguistically consistent — Spanish ensenar sabiduria ('teach wisdom'), Korean 지혜롭게 하다 ('cause to be wise'), and Hindi sikhana ('to teach') all confirm a causative-instructional sense distinct from personal wisdom-acquisition. Four occurrences. 4×
AR["تُحَكِّمُنِي","مُحَكِّمَةُ","يُحَكِّمُنا","يُعَلِّم"]·ben["তিনি-আমাদের-জ্ঞান-দেন","তিনি-জ্ঞান-শেখালেন","তুমি-বুদ্ধিমান-করেছ","যা-জ্ঞানী-করে"]·DE["du-machen-mich-wiser","making-wise","wurde-weise","zu-machen-wise"]·EN["He-makes-us-wise","You-make-me-wiser","making-wise","to-make-wise"]·FR["de-être-sage","être-sage","être-sage-nous"]·heb["יחכם","יחכמנו","מחכימת","תחכמני"]·HI["बुद्धि-सिखाए","बुद्धिमान-करता-है-हमें","बुद्धिमान-बनानेवाली"]·ID["Engkau-membuat-aku-berhikmat","ia-mengajar-hikmat","membuat kita bijak","membuat-bijak"]·IT["essere-saggio-nostro","fu-saggio"]·jav["Paduka-pinter-kula","dipunwulangaken-kawicaksanan","ndamel-kita-wicaksana","ndamel-wicaksana"]·KO["우리를-지혜롭게-하신다","지혜롭게-하는","지혜롭게-하셨도다","지혜롭게-하시나이다-나-를"]·PT["dando-sabedoria","ensinasse-sabedoria","faz-nos-sábios","me-fizeste-sábio"]·RU["умудряешь-Ты-меня","умудряющее","умудряющий-нас","учить-мудрости"]·ES["enseñara-sabiduría","me-haces-sabio","nos-hace-sabios","que-hace-sabio"]·SW["anatufanya-wenye-hekima","kuwafundisha-hekima","unaofanya-wenye-hekima","zinanifanya-mwenye-hekima"]·TR["akıllandıran","bilge-kılar-beni","bilgelendiren-bizi","öğretsin"]·urd["حکمت دیتا ہے ہمیں","حکمت-سکھائے","دانا-بناتے-ہیں-مجھے","دانا-بنانے-والی"]
3. made wise or skilled — The Pual passive: to be made wise or skillful — describing someone who has been endowed with wisdom or expertise by an external agent. The 'small creatures' of Proverbs 30:24 are 'made wise' (mechukamim) by instinct; the 'cunning enchanter' of Psalm 58:5 is described as one who has been expertly trained. Spanish experto and the passive morphology confirm this as the genuine passive counterpart of sense 2. Two occurrences, but the distinction between receiving wisdom and possessing it is real. 2×
AR["بِ-مَهارَةٍ","مُتَحَكِّمونَ"]·ben["অত্যন্ত-জ্ঞানী","দক্ষ"]·DE["skillful","von-Weise"]·EN["made-wise","skillful"]·FR["de-être-sage","être-sage"]·heb["מחוכם","מחוכמים"]·HI["निपुण","बुद्धि-से-भरे।"]·ID["sangat-bijak"]·IT["essere-saggio","fu-saggio"]·jav["budheg","sanget-wicaksana"]·KO["숙련한","지혜롭게-만들어진"]·PT["feitos-sábios","hábil"]·RU["искусными","мудрецов"]·ES["experto","hechos-sabios"]·SW["mwenye-ujuzi","wenye-hekima-zaidi"]·TR["bilgeler-gibi","usta"]·urd["ماہِر","ہیں-بہت-دانا"]
5. deal shrewdly or cunningly — The Hitpael cohortative with a cunning or scheming nuance: to deal shrewdly, to act with strategic cunning. In Exodus 1:10, Pharaoh says 'Come, let us deal wisely with them' — where 'wisely' carries the sinister overtone of calculated oppression. The Hitpael here is not reflexive self-improvement but collaborative scheming. Spanish actuemos sabiamente preserves the surface 'wisdom' vocabulary while the narrative context inverts its moral valence entirely. A single occurrence, but one that exposes the morally ambiguous edge of the wisdom concept: the same cognitive skill that builds the temple can also engineer genocide. 1×
AR["نَحْتَالُ"]·ben["আমরা-চতুরতা-করি"]·DE["lass-uns-verfahren-wisely"]·EN["let-us-deal-wisely"]·FR["que-nous-deal-wisely"]·heb["נתחכמה"]·HI["चलाकी-करें"]·ID["kita-bertindak-dengan-bijak"]·IT["let-noi-trattare-wisely"]·jav["kita-tumindak-wicaksana"]·KO["우리가-지혜롭게-하자"]·PT["ajamos-sabiamente"]·RU["перехитрим"]·ES["actuemos-sabiamente"]·SW["tuwe-wajanja"]·TR["akıllıca-davranalım"]·urd["چالاکی-کریں"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חָכַם vb. be wise (NH id.; Aramaic ܚܟܰܡ, חֲכַם id.; Zinj. חכמה wisdom, DHMSendsch. 57; Assyrian ḫakâmu, know (with exceptional חֿ v. DlPr 178 f.); Arabic حَكَمَ restrain from acting in an evil manner, judge, govern; iv. make firm, sound, free from defect by the exercise of skill)— Qal Pf. ח׳ Pr 23:15; 3 fs. חָֽכְמָה Zc 9:2; הָכַמְתָּ Pr 9:12(×2), etc. + 3 times Pf.; Impf. יֶחְכַּם Pr 9:9;…