Word Study for H2000 (הָמַם) | Strong's Concordance

hâmam /haw-mam'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root (compare הוּם, הָמָה)

Meaningproperly, to put in commotion; by implication, to disturb, drive, destroy

KJV usagebreak, consume, crush, destroy, discomfit, trouble, vex.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of hâmam — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word hâmam, represented by H2000, describes a state of violent commotion or confusion. It appears 13 times in 13 unique verses. Its meaning ranges from putting an enemy into a panic to actively crushing, consuming, or destroying them.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H2000 is frequently used to describe God's direct intervention in battle. At the Red Sea, the LORD troubled the Egyptian army Exodus 14:24. In the fight against the Philistines, the LORD thundered from heaven and discomfited them 1 Samuel 7:10. Similarly, in the battle at Gibeon, "the LORD discomfited them before Israel" Joshua 10:10. The word is not exclusively divine; it is used for human actions, as when Jeremiah accuses Nebuchadrezzar of having crushed him Jeremiah 51:34. It also appears in a non-military, agricultural context, regarding the process of not perpetually needing to break bread corn with a cart wheel Isaiah 28:28.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words expand upon the concepts of confusion and destruction:

H6327 pûwts (to dash in pieces, disperse, scatter): This action is often paired with H2000. The Psalms repeatedly call for God to send lightning and arrows to scatter and discomfit His enemies (Psalms 18:14, 2 Samuel 22:15).
H5221 nâkâh (to strike, smite, slay): This word describes the physical assault that often follows the confusion caused by H2000. After the LORD discomfited the enemy armies, Israel then smote them Joshua 10:10.
H7291 râdaph (to run after, chase, pursue): This term for pursuit is a direct consequence of an enemy being thrown into disarray. When the LORD discomfited the Amorites, Israel chased them along the way Joshua 10:10.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H2000 is significant, highlighting God's power over armies and events.

Divine Warfare: The primary use of H2000 is to describe God's method of warfare. He achieves victory not just through might but by causing panic and confusion among His enemies, as seen in His promise to destroy all the people before Israel Exodus 23:27 and His actions against Sisera's army Judges 4:15.
Instrument of Judgment: The commotion is a form of divine judgment. God can vex nations with adversity 2 Chronicles 15:6 or use the hand of the LORD to destroy a rebellious generation from the camp Deuteronomy 2:15.
Total Destruction: The ultimate purpose of this commotion is often complete destruction. Haman's plot was to consume and destroy the Jews Esther 9:24, and the psalmist prays for God to shoot out arrows and destroy his foes Psalms 144:6.

Summary

In summary, H2000 is a potent term for the chaos that precedes destruction. It is a cornerstone of the biblical depiction of divine warfare, where God's power is shown by His ability to unravel armies from within by creating panic and confusion. From the thundering voice that routed the Philistines to the plot to consume the Jewish people, H2000 illustrates that utter ruin often begins with being put into a state of helpless commotion.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 12 occurrences, inflected in 6 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Qal Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 5×
Qal Consecutive Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 2×
Qal Infinitive Construct 2×
Qal Conjunction+Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Qal Consecutive Perfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
Qal Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×

Singular: One.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Qal: The simple, basic stem — plain action in the active voice.
Consecutive Imperfect: Imperfect with vav — carries narrative forward ("and he…").
Consecutive Perfect: Perfect with vav — continues a sequence into the future.
Conjunction+Imperfect: Imperfect joined by a simple "and".
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 13 verses across 11 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Exodus and Psalms (2 verses each); never once in the other 28.

Exodus

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

2 Chronicles

Esther

Psalms

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.