H3898b H3898b
To eat, consume food; a rare poetic synonym of אָכַל used almost exclusively in Wisdom literature and poetry.
A rare poetic verb meaning 'to eat' or 'to consume as food,' functioning as an elevated synonym of the far more common אָכַל. Nearly all occurrences appear in Proverbs, where Wisdom invites guests to 'eat of my bread' (Prov 9:5) and the wicked 'eat the bread of wickedness' (Prov 4:17). The Psalmist refuses to 'eat of their dainties' (Ps 141:4). In Deuteronomy 32:24, the passive participle describes those 'devoured by pestilence,' a striking figurative extension. Spanish and English translations consistently render it with eating vocabulary (comer, eat), while French occasionally defaults to combattre, reflecting confusion with the homonym לחם I 'to fight.'
Senses
1. eat, consume food — To use as food, to eat or consume -- a poetic and largely Wisdom-tradition alternative to the everyday verb אָכַל. The verb takes a direct cognate accusative (לֶחֶם, Prov 4:17; 23:6), a partitive בְּ (Prov 9:5; Ps 141:4), or stands absolutely (Prov 23:1). The passive participle in Deut 32:24 ('devoured by fire-bolt') extends the sense metaphorically to destructive consumption. The Spanish glosses (comer, coma, comas) and English (eat, let-me-eat) consistently confirm the alimentary meaning, while the French confusion with combattre ('to fight') reveals how easily this rare homonym is conflated with the far more frequent לחם I 'to wage war.' 6×
AR["آكُلْ", "تَأْكُلْ", "كُلُوا", "لِتَأْكُلَ", "وَلَهِيبُ", "يَأْكُلُونَ"]·ben["এবং-গ্রাসকারীদের", "খাই", "খাও", "খেও", "খেতে", "খেয়েছে"]·DE["[לחמו]", "[ללחום]", "[תלחם]", "lass-mich-essen", "und-verschlang-durch"]·EN["and-devoured-by", "eat", "let-me-eat", "they-eat", "to-eat"]·FR["combattre", "et-dévora-par", "pain", "à-combattre"]·heb["אלחם", "ו-לחומי", "ל-לחום", "לחמו", "תלחם"]·HI["और-खाए-हुए", "खा", "खाओ", "खाते-हैं", "खाने-के-लिए", "मैं-खाऊँ"]·ID["aku-makan", "dan-dimakan", "makan", "makanlah", "mereka-makan", "untuk-makan"]·IT["combatte'", "combattere", "e-divoro-da", "per-combattere"]·jav["dahar", "kanggé-nedha", "kula-nedha", "lan-dipun-mangsa-saking", "nedha"]·KO["그-들-이-먹는다", "그리고-먹힌-자들(접)", "내-가-먹으리라", "먹으라", "먹으려고", "먹지"]·PT["coma", "comas", "comei", "comem", "e-consumidos-de", "para-comer"]·RU["буду-пировать-я", "едят", "есть", "ешь", "ешьте", "и-поражённые"]·ES["a-comer", "coma", "comas", "comed", "comen", "y-devorados-de"]·SW["kula", "kuleni", "na-kuliwa-na", "usile", "wa-na-kula"]·TR["ve-yenenler", "ye", "yemek-yemeye", "yerler", "yiyeyim", "yiyin"]·urd["اور-کھائے-ہوئے", "میں-کھاؤں", "کھا", "کھاؤ", "کھاتے-ہیں", "کھانے-کو"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. [לָחַם] vb. use as food, eat, poet. (so Thes Buhl, cf. Frä30 GuidiDella Sede 33; this would explain diff. between לֶחֶם and لَحْمٌ; yet verb rare and chiefly late);— Qal Pf. 3 pl. לָֽחֲמוּ Pr 4:17; Impf. 2 ms. תִּלְחַם Pr 23:6, 1 s. אֶלְחַם ψ 141:4; Imv. mpl. לַחֲמוּ Pr 9:5; Inf. cstr. לְחוֹם Pr 23:1; Pt. pass. pl. cstr. לְחֻמֵי Dt 32:24; eat (mostly Pr), abs. Pr 23:1; sq. acc. cogn. לֶחֶם…