Word Study for H2557 (חָמֵץ) | Strong's Concordance

châmêts /khaw-mates'/ Ask about this word

Meaningxlit châmêtz corrected to châmêts; ferment, (figuratively) extortion

KJV usageleaven, leavened (bread).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of châmêts — 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 châmêts, represented by H2557, refers to that which is fermented, specifically leaven or leavened bread. It appears 11 times across 11 unique verses. The term's meaning is derived from the concept of ferment and is central to understanding key biblical regulations, particularly concerning festivals and sacrifices.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, H2557 is primarily used within legal and ritual commands. Its most frequent context is the prohibition against its consumption during the seven days of the Passover feast, a command tied to remembering the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 13:3, Deuteronomy 16:3). The penalty for eating leavened bread during this time was severe: to be "cut off from Israel" Exodus 12:15. Similarly, it was forbidden in sacrifices involving blood (Exodus 23:18, Exodus 34:25) and most meat offerings made by fire (Leviticus 2:11, Leviticus 6:17). However, its use was explicitly commanded in specific offerings, such as the two wave loaves of the firstfruits Leviticus 23:17 and with the sacrifice of thanksgiving Leviticus 7:13.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the regulations surrounding fermented foods:

H4682 matstsâh (unleaved bread, cake): This word is the direct counterpart to châmêts, referring to bread made without a leavening agent. It is often commanded to be eaten when leavened bread is forbidden, such as during the seven days of the Passover feast Deuteronomy 16:3.
H7603 sᵉʼôr (leaven): This term refers to the leavening agent itself, the "barm or yeast-cake" that causes bread to become leavened. The Bible often prohibits both leavened bread H2557 and the leavening agent sᵉʼôr H7603 from being seen or found in Israelite homes during the Passover week Exodus 13:7.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H2557 is seen in its prescribed use in Israel's worship and remembrance.

Prohibition in Offerings: The general exclusion of leaven from offerings made by fire unto the LORD indicates a standard for what is brought before Him Leviticus 2:11. An offering baken without leaven is described as "most holy" Leviticus 6:17.
Remembrance of Redemption: The strict prohibition of leavened bread during Passover served as a physical reminder of the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt Deuteronomy 16:3. Abstaining from it was an act of remembering their deliverance from the house of bondage Exodus 13:3.
Prescribed Sacrificial Use: In contrast to the general prohibition, leavened bread was required for the wave loaves of the firstfruits Leviticus 23:17 and for offerings of thanksgiving Leviticus 7:13. The prophet Amos also mentions offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven Amos 4:5.

Summary

In summary, H2557 is more than just a type of bread; it is a key element in biblical ritual law. Its meaning is highly contextual, most often representing what is forbidden during the sacred time of Passover and in most sacrifices presented to God. Yet, its required inclusion in certain offerings, like those for firstfruits and thanksgiving, demonstrates that its significance is defined by divine command. This term illustrates the detailed nature of the laws governing Israel's worship and remembrance.

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 an adjective and a verb across 13 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.

חָמֵץ
מַחְמֶצֶת

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 11 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Exodus (5 verses); never once in the other 35.

Exodus

Leviticus

Deuteronomy

Amos

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, 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.