H2554 H2554
To treat violently, do wrong; to strip or tear down; to shed (of a vine); passive: to be violated
The Hebrew root חמס carries the raw energy of wrongful force — violence that transgresses moral boundaries. Its most common use is the active doing of violence against the vulnerable: widows and orphans (Jer 22:3), or priests profaning God's law (Ezek 22:26, Zeph 3:4). Spanish violentaron and Arabic ظَلَمُوا (to wrong, oppress) consistently capture this ethical violation. But the root stretches into surprising territory: a vine 'shedding' its unripe grapes (Job 15:33), and God himself forcibly tearing down his own tabernacle (Lam 2:6). The Nifal passive completes the picture — those who suffer violence have violence done to them (Jer 13:22).
Senses
1. do violence / treat violently — The core Qal active sense: to commit violence, to wrong or oppress unjustly. This is the ethical heart of the root, covering physical and institutional violence alike. Priests who 'do violence' to the Torah (Ezek 22:26; Zeph 3:4) violate sacred trust, while oppressors who 'rob' and 'scheme' against the vulnerable (Jer 22:3; Job 21:27) violate persons. Arabic ظَلَمُوا ('they wronged') and Spanish violentaron underscore the moral transgression inherent in every use. 5×
AR["تَسْلِبُوا","تَظْلِمُونَ","ظَلَمُوا","يَظْلِمُ"]·ben["ক্ষতি-করে","তোমরা-সহিংসতা-কর","তোমরা-হিংসা-কর","লঙ্ঘন-করেছে","লঙ্ঘন-করেছে-তারা"]·DE["[חמס]","[חמסו]","[תחמסו]"]·EN["do-violence-to","does-violence-to","they-have-done-violence-to","wrong","you-do-violence"]·FR["[תחמסו]","violer","חמס","תחמסו"]·heb["חומס","חמסו","תחמוסו","תחמסו"]·HI["तुम-हिंसा-करते-हो","शोषण-करो","हिंसा-करता-है","हिंसा-की-उन्होंने","हिंसा-की-है-उन्होंने"]·ID["kamu-lakukan-dengan-kekerasan","kamu-peras","melanggar","memperkosa","menyakiti"]·IT["[חמסו]","[תחמסו]","does-violence-a","voi-fare-violence"]·jav["ngrampas","ngrusak","panjenengan-nganiaya","sami-nglanggar","sami-nyiksa"]·KO["불법을-행했다","포악하게-하지","폭력을-하나니","폭행했다","해친다"]·PT["tramais-violentamente","violaram","violenta","violentaram","violenteis"]·RU["её","злоумышляете","насиловали","насилует","насилуйте"]·ES["roben","tramáis.","violenta","violentaron"]·SW["anadhuru","mnapanga","wamedhulumu","wamevunja","wanyang’anye"]·TR["ihlal-ettiler","zarar-veriyor","zorbalık-et","çiğnediler","şiddete-uğrarsınız"]·urd["تم سوچتے ہو","ظلم-کرتے-ہیں","ظلم-کیا","لوٹو","نقصان-پہنچاتا-ہے"]
2. shake off / shed (of a vine) — A specialized botanical metaphor: a vine 'shaking off' or shedding its unripe fruit (Job 15:33). The glosses diverge sharply from the violence sense — Spanish dejará caer ('will drop') and Arabic يَنْتُرُ ('to shake off') both convey natural expulsion rather than interpersonal wrong. Eliphaz uses this image to describe the wicked whose projects abort prematurely, like a vine that cannot bring its fruit to ripeness. 1×
AR["يَنْتُرُ"]·ben["সে-ঝরাবে"]·DE["[יחמס]"]·EN["he-sheds"]·FR["יחמס"]·heb["יחמוס"]·HI["वह-झाड़ेगा"]·ID["ia-menanggalkan"]·IT["he-sheds"]·jav["ngrampas"]·KO["떨어뜨리리라"]·PT["Sacudirá"]·RU["сбросит"]·ES["Dejará-caer"]·SW["atadondosha"]·TR["çıkarır"]·urd["ٹوڑے-گا"]
3. strip / tear down — To strip, tear down, or forcibly dismantle. In Lam 2:6 God tears apart his own dwelling 'as a garden' — Arabic وَاقْتَلَعَ ('and uprooted') and Spanish ha arrancado ('has torn out') convey the violent dismantling. The image is striking: God treating his sanctuary with the same destructive force elsewhere reserved for enemies, intensifying the anguish of the Babylonian destruction. 1×
AR["وَاقْتَلَعَ"]·ben["এবং-সরিয়ে-দিয়েছেন"]·DE["[ויחמס]"]·EN["And-He-stripped"]·FR["[ויחמס]"]·heb["ו-יחמוס"]·HI["और-उजाड़-दिया"]·ID["Dan-Ia-merobohkan"]·IT["[ויחמס]"]·jav["Lan-Panjenengan-ngrebahaken-kanthi-paksa"]·KO["그리고-그-가-헐었네"]·PT["E-arrancou"]·RU["И-сорвал"]·ES["Y-ha-arrancado"]·SW["Na-amebomoa"]·TR["Ve-şiddetle-yıktı"]·urd["اور-تباہ-کیا"]
4. be violated (Nifal passive) — The Nifal passive: to be violated, to suffer violence. In Jer 13:22 Jerusalem's 'skirts are uncovered' and her 'heels are violated' — the passive voice transfers the weight of חמס onto the victim. Arabic اغْتُصِبَتْ ('were violated') and Spanish fueron violados ('they were violated') both register the passive suffering that mirrors the active wrongdoing of sense 1. 1×
AR["اغْتُصِبَتْ"]·ben["লাঞ্ছিত-হয়েছে"]·DE["[נחמסו]"]·EN["are-violated"]·FR["[נחמסו]"]·heb["נחמסו"]·HI["लूटे-गए"]·ID["diperkosa"]·IT["[נחמסו]"]·jav["dipun-rudapeksa"]·KO["폭행당했다"]·PT["foram-violentados"]·RU["обнажены"]·ES["fueron-violados"]·SW["zimetukanwa"]·TR["zorlandı"]·urd["بے-حرمتی-ہوئیں"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [חָמַס] vb. treat violenty, wrong (NH id., act violently, treat violently; Aramaic חֲמַס (rare) violently seize; Arabic حَمِسَ is be hard, strict, rigorous)— Qal Pf. 3 pl. חָֽמְסוּ Ez 22:26; Zp 3:4; Impf. יַחְמֹס Jb 15:33, וַיַּחְמֹם La 2:6; תַּחְמֹ֑סוּ Jb 21:27; Je 22:3; Pt. חֹמֵס Pr 8:36;—treat violently, wrong;— 1. of physical wrong: תַּחְ׳ Je 22:3 (‖ תֹּנוּ) of wrong to widows and orphans;…