Hebrew word · H2529

חֶמְאָה

chem'ah

curd

A thickened milk product from cows, goats or sheep. It covers soured or curdled milk, yogurt-like curds, and the soft butter that comes from shaking milk in a skin bag. It was a staple of herders and also something to offer guests.

Appears 10 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

curd, butter

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 7:15

Range of meaning

A thickened milk product from cows, goats or sheep. It covers soured or curdled milk, yogurt-like curds, and the soft butter that comes from shaking milk in a skin bag. It was a staple of herders and also something to offer guests.

Against the English

KJV and WEB say 'butter', which makes a modern reader picture a solid stick of churned dairy for spreading on bread. BSB, ESV, NIV and NASB say 'curds' and NLT says 'yogurt', which are closer to the soft, sour product of a herding household. 'Butter' is not entirely wrong: Proverbs 30:33 says squeezing or churning milk produces chem'ah.

How it drifted

'Butter' was a reasonable rendering in 1611, when English dairy words were looser and the Latin had butyrum. Modern butter-making has narrowed the English word since then.

Used elsewhere in the period

Abraham serves chem'ah and milk to his guests (Gen 18:8). Jael gives Sisera chem'ah 'in a lordly bowl' (Judg 5:25). It appears in lists of plenty in Deut 32:14 and Job 20:17 ('streams of honey and curds') and in 2 Sam 17:29 among supplies brought to David. In Isa 7:22 the few survivors eat it 'because of the abundance of milk'. Akkadian ḫimētu ('ghee, butter') is a recognised relative of the word in a neighbouring language.

From the study of Proverbs 30:33

Range of meaning

Thickened milk products: curds, soured cream, butter, and probably the clarified butter (ghee) made from it. In a hot climate fresh butter keeps poorly, so milk was usually soured and churned, and the fat often melted down.

Against the English

"Butter" (KJV, BSB, WEB, YLT) makes a modern reader think of a chilled yellow block. "Curds" (ESV) is nearer to what ancient churning usually produced.

How it drifted

Modern dairy has narrowed "butter" to one product. The Hebrew word covered the whole family of thick, rich milk foods.

Used elsewhere in the period

Abraham serves ḥemʾah and milk to his guests (Genesis 18:8). Jael brings Sisera ḥemʾah "in a lordly bowl" after he asks for water (Judges 5:25; compare 4:19, a skin of milk). It is a food of plenty in Deuteronomy 32:14, Isaiah 7:15 and Job 29:6. This verse is the only one that describes how it was made.

From the study of Deuteronomy 32:14

Range of meaning

Curdled or soured milk: thick, cultured milk made by churning or shaking milk in a skin bag. Depending on how it was processed, it ranged from something like yogurt or Bedouin laban to a soft butter-fat, and possibly to clarified butter like ghee.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT say 'butter'. BSB, NIV and ESV say 'curds'. NLT gives a modern equivalent.

How it drifted

In 1611 English 'butter' was a reasonable guess, and Proverbs 30:33 does describe churning. But a modern reader pictures a refrigerated yellow block. In a hot climate without cooling, ḥemʾâ was mostly a soft, sour, cultured milk eaten fresh or poured.

Used elsewhere in the period

Abraham serves ḥemʾâ and milk to his guests (Gen 18:8). Jael gives Sisera ḥemʾâ 'in a bowl fit for nobles' when he asks for water (Judg 5:25), so it could be drunk or eaten from a bowl. 'Curds and honey' is the food of the land in Isa 7:15, 22. Prov 30:33 says 'pressing milk brings out ḥemʾâ'. HALOT and BDB both give 'curd(s), curdled milk' as the main sense.

Similar words

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 18:8 חֶמְאָ֜ה curd<s>

    Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 32:14 חֶמְאַ֨ת curd<s> of

    with curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of the finest grapes you drank the wine.

    Here: Thick soured or churned milk, something like modern laban or thick yogurt, a staple and a food for hospitality (Gen 18:8; Judg 5:25). It heads the list as the first rich food of a pastoral people.

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 5:25 חֶמְאָֽה׃ curd<s>

    He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 17:29 וְחֶמְאָ֗ה and curd<s>

    honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”

Job · 2

  1. Job 20:17 וְחֶמְאָֽה׃ and curd<s>

    He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

    Here: 'And curds.' Soured, thickened or churned milk, something like yogurt, soft cheese or ghee. It was a rich food served to honored guests. Paired with honey it makes the picture of a land overflowing.

  2. Job 29:6 בְּחֵמָ֑ה in curd<s>

    when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 30:33 חֶמְאָ֗ה butter

    For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

    Here: The thickened product of churned milk: curds, soured cream, butter or the clarified butter made from it. It is a good and expected result, and the only good one in the verse.

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 7:15 חֶמְאָ֥ה curd<s>

    By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.

    Here: Soured, thickened milk: something between yogurt, soft cheese and soft butter, the everyday food of herders. It comes first in the Hebrew sentence for emphasis: what the child eats is the point.

  2. Isaiah 7:22 חֶמְאָ֑ה חֶמְאָ֤ה curd<s>

    and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.

    Here: A thickened, cultured milk product, something like yogurt or labneh, possibly including clarified butter. This is herders' food made from milk too plentiful to drink fresh.

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