Hebrew word · H1986

הָלַם

vehalmah

to smite

Hālam means to strike, hammer, or beat down (Judges 5:22, 26, Jael hammering Sisera; Psalm 74:6). The passive participle means 'those struck, beaten'.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Qal) to smite, strike, hammer, strike down

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 28:1

Range of meaning

Hālam means to strike, hammer, or beat down (Judges 5:22, 26, Jael hammering Sisera; Psalm 74:6). The passive participle means 'those struck, beaten'.

Against the English

'Overcome by wine' (KJV, BSB, WEB) is mild. YLT's 'broken down of wine' and NIV's 'laid low by wine' are closer. The Hebrew picture is violent, almost 'hammered' or 'knocked flat by wine'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Judges 5:26 uses hālam of the blow that killed Sisera. Isaiah 16:8 uses it of Moab's vines 'striking down' the lords of the nations.

From the study of Psalm 141:5

Range of meaning

To strike repeatedly or forcefully, hammer, pound, beat down. The related noun halmut is a hammer, and halom (a related form) means 'hither'.

Against the English

'Strike' and 'smite' are accurate. Gentler renderings such as the Greek 'discipline' or English 'correct' lose the force of the blow. The psalmist does not ask for a tap.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jael 'hammered' Sisera (Judg 5:26). Horses' hooves 'beat' the ground (Judg 5:22). The one 'who strikes the anvil' (Isa 41:7). Ephraim's drunkards are 'struck down by wine' (Isa 28:1). The drunkard in Proverbs boasts, 'they beat me, but I did not feel it' (Prov 23:35). The Septuagint softens it here to paideusei, 'will discipline/train'.

Where it appears

Judges · 2

  1. Judges 5:22 הָלְמ֖וּ they struck

    Then the hooves of horses thundered—the mad galloping of his stallions.

  2. Judges 5:26 וְהָלְמָ֤ה and she struck

    She reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera and crushed his skull; she shattered and pierced his temple.

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 74:6 יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃ they struck !

    and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

  2. Psalm 141:5 יֶֽהֶלְמֵֽנִי־ let him strike me

    Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.

    Here: 'Let him strike me', a wish-form verb for a hard, pounding blow, the word used for a hammer and for horses' hooves. The psalmist asks for something that hurts.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 23:35 הֲלָמ֗וּנִי they beat me

    “They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink?”

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 16:8 הָלְמ֣וּ they have struck down

    For the fields of Heshbon have withered, along with the grapevines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations have trampled its choicest vines, which had reached as far as Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots had spread out and passed over the sea.

  2. Isaiah 28:1 הֲל֥וּמֵי [those] struck down of

    Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.

    Here: A passive participle of a verb meaning to strike or hammer. The drinkers are 'beaten' or 'knocked flat' by wine. That is far stronger than 'overcome', and it prepares for verse 2, where the Lord hurls the crown to the ground.

  3. Isaiah 41:7 ה֣וֹלֶם a striker of

    The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who wields the hammer cheers him who strikes the anvil, saying of the welding, “It is good.” He nails it down so it will not be toppled.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.