Word Study for H2525 (חָם) | Strong's Concordance

Meaninghot

KJV usagehot, warm.

In depth

Word Study

A plain-language study of châm — 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 châm, represented by H2525, is a term for hot or warm. It appears just 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. Its meaning is directly related to the physical sensation of heat.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, châm is applied in distinct physical contexts. In Job, it is used to question how one's garments H899 become warm when God quieteth H8252 the earth H776 with the south H1864 wind Job 37:17. It is also used in the narrative of the Gibeonites, who deceive the Israelites by presenting their now mouldy H5350 bread H3899, claiming they took it hot for their provision H6679 on the day H3117 they began their journey Joshua 9:12.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the concept of being hot or warm:

H3001 yâbêsh (to dry up): This word is used in direct contrast to châm. The Gibeonites' bread was taken hot from their houses, but upon their arrival, it is described as dry and mouldy Joshua 9:12.
H1864 dârôwm (the south): This term identifies the source of the warmth in Job. The south wind is associated with the conditions that make garments feel warm Job 37:17.
H3899 lechem (food, especially bread): This is the object described as hot in the Joshua narrative. The state of the bread is central to the Gibeonites' deception Joshua 9:12.
H899 beged (a covering, i.e. clothing): This is the item that becomes warm in Job's observation about God's power over the elements Job 37:17.

Theological Significance

While not a major theological term, châm contributes to the narratives in which it appears:

Divine Control Over Nature: In the book of Job, the warmth of one's garments is presented as a direct result of God's command over the elements, specifically His power to "quieteth the earth by the south wind" Job 37:17. This illustrates God's sovereignty in a tangible, everyday experience.
Marker of Time and Deception: The word is used by the Gibeonites to establish a false timeline. By claiming their bread was hot when they left their homes, they created a powerful, albeit deceptive, sign of their long journey, leading Israel into a binding covenant Joshua 9:12.

Summary

In summary, châm H2525 is a specific and infrequently used term for hot or warm. Its two appearances are nonetheless significant. It is used to illustrate both God's magnificent control over the natural world and as a key detail in a human narrative of cunning and deception. Though simple, châm demonstrates how even basic descriptive words are employed in scripture to build arguments, establish context, and convey deeper narrative truths.

Translation

How the KJV Renders It

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.

Morphology

Grammatical Forms

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as an adjective across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it. These are this word’s own inflections, not words built from it — for those, see Related Words.

חַמִּים
חָם

Related Words

1 entry in Strong’s name this word as its origin. These are its derivatives — a different relationship from the inflected forms above, which are this same word bent by grammar.

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Context

Theographic 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.

Distribution

Biblical Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Joshua and Job (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

Joshua

Job

Concordance

Every Occurrence

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, 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.