חָמָס

Genesis 6:11 חָמָֽס׃ violence

Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence.

Here: The last word and the punchline: what the earth is full of. Ḥamas is the ruthless wronging of others, from bloodshed to robbery, oppression and false testimony. It names the content of the 'ruin' in the first half of the verse.

Genesis 6:13 חָמָ֖ס violence

Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.

Here: Violent wrongdoing in the broad sense: bloodshed, brutality, oppression, plunder, injustice done to others. This is the only specific sin the narrator names as the cause of the Flood (also 6:11).

Genesis 16:5 חֲמָסִ֣י injustice my

Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

Genesis 49:5 חָמָ֖ס violence

Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.

Exodus 23:1 חָמָֽס׃ ס injustice

“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.

Here: "Violence, violent injustice." This is the word for the violence that filled the earth before the flood (Gen 6:11). "A witness of violence" is someone whose testimony is itself an act of violence, because it can strip a person of property, honour or life.

Deuteronomy 19:16 חָמָ֖ס injustice

If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,

Judges 9:24 חֲמַ֖ס [the] violence of

in order that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.

2 Samuel 22:3 מֵחָמָ֖ס from violence

My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation. My stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.

Here: 'From violence': violent, lawless wrongdoing, the brutality of people who trample what is right. It covers bloodshed together with injustice and oppression.

2 Samuel 22:49 חֲמָסִ֖ים violence<s>

who frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.

1 Chronicles 12:17 חָמָס֙ violence

And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

Here: Wrongful harm of any kind: lawless violence, injustice, treachery. David says he has done nothing to deserve betrayal.

Job 16:17 חָמָ֣ס violence

yet my hands are free of violence and my prayer is pure.

Here: Violent or ruthless wrongdoing against other people: bloodshed, but also exploitation, robbery, and false testimony that destroys someone. Job denies that he has ever done this kind of wrong. Elsewhere he is the one who cries "ḥāmās!" against what is being done to him (19:7).

Job 19:7 חָ֭מָס violence

Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.

Psalm 7:16 חֲמָס֥וֹ violence his

His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.

Here: "His violence": the brutal wrongdoing he aimed at others. That includes injustice done through lies and false accusation, which is the danger the psalmist faces.

Psalm 11:5 חָמָ֑ס violence

The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked; His soul hates the lover of violence.

Here: Ruthless injustice: bloodshed, but also oppression, robbery, and lying testimony that destroys the innocent. It is the word for the corruption that filled the earth before the Flood (Gen 6:11).

Psalm 18:48 חָ֝מָ֗ס violence

who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.

Here: "Violence," in the Hebrew sense of lawless, ruthless wrongdoing that tears down what is right. It covers brutality, oppression, and false accusation. "A man of ḥāmās" is someone whose way of life is violent injustice.

Psalm 25:19 חָמָ֣ס violence

Consider my enemies, for they are many, and they hate me with vicious hatred.

Psalm 27:12 חָמָֽס׃ violence

Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.

Here: 'Violence.' The word covers violent wrongdoing of every kind, including the 'legal violence' of an accusation meant to destroy someone. The Torah calls such a person an 'ed chamas, a 'malicious witness' (Exod 23:1; Deut 19:16).

Psalm 35:11 חָמָ֑ס violence

Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.

Here: It describes what kind of witnesses they are. Their testimony is itself an act of violent wrong, a lie meant to destroy the accused's life, livelihood or name. It is the exact phrase the Law uses for a malicious witness (Exodus 23:1; Deuteronomy 19:16).

Psalm 55:9 חָמָ֖ס violence

O Lord, confuse and confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.

Here: Violent injustice that breaks the moral and social order. It includes bloodshed, but also oppression, robbery and lying testimony. It is the word for the corruption that filled the earth before the Flood (Genesis 6:11).

Psalm 58:2 חֲמַ֥ס [the] violence of

No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.

Here: "The violence of": violent wrong done to others, often by the powerful and often through the legal system itself. It covers bloodshed, plunder and the false witness who gets an innocent person condemned.

Psalm 72:14 וּ֭מֵחָמָס and from violence

He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their blood is precious in his sight.

Here: 'And from violence': brutal wrongdoing that tramples another person's rights, whether by fist or by a rigged court. It pairs with tok to describe the whole range of abuse done to people who have no one to protect them.

Psalm 73:6 חָמָ֥ס violence

Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence covers them.

Here: Ruthless wrong done to others: physical violence, and also exploitation, perverted justice, false testimony and land-grabbing. In this psalm it is how the rich and powerful treat the weak (see verse 8, "they speak of oppression").

Psalm 74:20 חָמָֽס׃ violence

Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

Here: Brutal wrongdoing that tramples others' rights: bloodshed, plunder, oppression by the strong. It ends the verse with the word that defines what the land has become.

Psalm 140:1 חֲמָסִ֣ים violence<s>

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence,

Here: Plural: "violences, wrongs." A "man of ḥămāsîm" is someone whose way of life is violent injustice. That means wrongs of every kind, and in this psalm mostly scheming and poisonous speech (vv.2–3, 11). The plural stresses how many and how habitual his wrongs are.

Psalm 140:4 חֲמָסִ֣ים violence<s>

Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make me stumble.

Here: Plural, 'violences': repeated acts of violent wrong. Together with the previous word, 'a man of violences' is someone whose way of life is injuring others, whether by force, fraud or lying testimony.

Psalm 140:11 חָמָ֥ס violence

May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.

Here: This picks up the psalm's opening cry: 'preserve me from the man of violence' (vv. 1, 4). Ḥāmās covers brutal wrongdoing of every kind, including lying testimony that destroys someone. So it naturally sits next to 'man of tongue'.

Proverbs 3:31 חָמָ֑ס violence

Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;

Here: Violent wrongdoing against other people. That covers physical brutality, but also robbery, fraud, false testimony and crushing the weak. The 'man of violence' is someone who gets ahead by trampling others.

Proverbs 4:17 חֲמָסִ֣ים violence<s>

For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

Proverbs 10:6 חָמָֽס׃ violence

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Here: Ruthless wrong done to others: physical violence, but also exploitation, injustice and lying testimony that destroys someone. Either the wicked hide violent intent behind their words, or that violence ends up wrapping their own mouths.

Proverbs 10:11 חָמָֽס׃ violence

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Here: Ruthless wrong done to others. It covers physical brutality but also injustice, extortion and destructive lies (a "witness of ḥamas" is a malicious false witness). It is what the wicked person's speech hides or leads to.

Proverbs 13:2 חָמָֽס׃ [is] violence

From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the desire of the faithless is violence.

Here: "Violence": the line's last word, with no verb before it. It means ruthless wrong done to others, whether by force, fraud or false testimony. It is what the treacherous hunger for, and in the logic of Proverbs it is also what ends up on their own plate.

Proverbs 16:29 חָ֭מָס violence

A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good.

Proverbs 26:6 חָמָ֣ס violence

Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

Here: The wrongful damage and harm that will come of it. The word is placed before its verb for emphasis: violence is what he is drinking.

Isaiah 53:9 חָמָ֣ס violence

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Here: Violent wrongdoing in a broad sense: physical brutality, but also crushing injustice and malicious false testimony. He is buried as a criminal, but he had committed no crime.

Isaiah 59:6 חָמָ֖ס violence

Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.

Here: 'Violence': open, ruthless wrong against others. This covers bloodshed, but also robbery, extortion and the twisting of justice through false testimony.

Isaiah 60:18 חָמָס֙ violence

No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.

Here: Violence in the wide Hebrew sense: brutal force, but also oppression, injustice and the wrecking of what is right between people. Just before this, in 59:6, the same word described Israel's own deeds.

Jeremiah 6:7 חָמָ֣ס violence

As a well gushes its water, so she pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me.

Jeremiah 20:8 חָמָ֥ס violence

For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long.

Here: Violent wrongdoing, including injustice and abuse of the weak, and not only physical force. Shouting 'ḥāmās!' was the recognised cry of someone suffering a wrong (Job 19:7; Hab 1:2).

Jeremiah 51:35 חֲמָסִ֤י violence my

May the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” says the dweller of Zion. “May my blood be on the dwellers of Chaldea,” says Jerusalem.

Here: "My ḥāmās": the wrong done to me, the lawless ruin I suffered. It is the word a victim shouts when appealing for justice, and here it opens a formal charge.

Jeremiah 51:46 וְחָמָ֣ס and violence

Do not let your heart grow faint, and do not be afraid when the rumor is heard in the land; for a rumor will come one year—and then another the next year—of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.

Ezekiel 7:11 הֶחָמָ֥ס׀ <the> violence

Their violence has grown into a rod to punish their wickedness. None of them will remain: none of their multitude, none of their wealth, and nothing of value.

Ezekiel 7:23 חָמָֽס׃ violence

Forge the chain, for the land is full of crimes of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence.

Here: The ruthless violation of other people's lives and rights. That includes physical brutality, and also oppression, robbery, and corrupt testimony in court. It is the same word as in the Flood story (Gen 6:11, 13).

Ezekiel 8:17 חָמָ֗ס violence

“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit the abominations they are practicing here, that they must also fill the land with violence and continually provoke Me to anger? Look, they are even putting the branch to their nose!

Here: Violent wrongdoing: bloodshed, robbery, oppression, the breakdown of justice. It is social and physical, not ritual. Ezekiel 7:23 has already said 'the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city full of violence'.

Ezekiel 12:19 מֵחֲמַ֖ס from [the] violence of

Then tell the people of the land that this is what the Lord GOD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: ‘They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who dwell in it.

Ezekiel 28:16 חָמָ֖ס violence

By the vastness of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and I banished you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.

Here: The thing that filled him. Here it means harm done by abuse of power, including exploitation and fraud in trade, and not only bloodshed (compare Micah 6:12, "her rich men are full of violence").

Ezekiel 45:9 חָמָ֤ס injustice

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Cease your violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing My people, declares the Lord GOD.’

Here: Wrongdoing that tramples others' rights — physical brutality, but also exploitation and abuse of legal process.

Joel 3:19 מֵֽחֲמַס֙ from [the] violence of

Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.

Here: 'From' here means 'because of.' The cause is chamas: brutal, lawless wrongdoing that destroys life and justice. The phrase that follows means wrong done to Judah's people, not wrong done by them. Obadiah 10 uses the same wording about Edom.

Amos 3:10 חָמָ֥ס violence

“For they know not how to do right,” declares the LORD. “They store up violence and destruction in their citadels.”

Amos 6:3 חָמָֽס׃ violence

You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence.

Here: Ruthless wrong done to others: robbery, exploitation, bloodshed, perverted justice. In Amos it names the plunder stored in Samaria's mansions (3:10). What they enthrone is injustice as a system, and that system will bring on them the violence of a conqueror.

Obadiah 1:10 מֵחֲמַ֛ס from [the] violence of

Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever.

Here: The prefix mē- ("from") gives the cause: "because of." Ḥāmās is lawless, ruthless wrongdoing against someone with a claim to protection. It comes first in the sentence, so the crime is named before the sentence is passed.

Jonah 3:8 הֶחָמָ֖ס the violence

Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands.

Micah 6:12 חָמָ֔ס violence

For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.

Here: Not only physical brutality: ḥāmās is ruthless wrongdoing against others, including robbery by fraud, rigged trade and perjury in court. Coming right after the false scales of v. 11, it names the violence of crooked business.

Habakkuk 1:2 חָמָ֖ס violence

How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save?

Here: Most likely the actual word he shouts, like a victim crying "Violence!" or "Foul play!" It covers bloodshed, but also the crushing of people's rights through force, fraud and corrupt courts, as verses 3–4 go on to show.

Habakkuk 1:3 וְחָמָ֖ס and violence

Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.

Habakkuk 1:9 לְחָמָ֣ס for violence

All of them come bent on violence; their hordes advance like the east wind; they gather prisoners like sand.

Habakkuk 2:8 וַחֲמַס־ and [the] violence of

Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.

Here: 'And the violence of…'. This is wrong done by brute force: assault, robbery, the trampling of right. It echoes Habakkuk's own cry 'Violence!' in 1:2–3 and the Chaldeans who 'all come for violence' in 1:9.

Habakkuk 2:17 חֲמַ֤ס וַחֲמַס־ [the] violence of, and [the] violence of

For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of animals will terrify you, because of your bloodshed against men and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.

Here: Violent wrongdoing that tramples what others are owed. It is bound grammatically to Lebanon, and here it means the wrong done to Lebanon, not violence that Lebanon committed.

Zephaniah 1:9 חָמָ֥ס violence

On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with violence and deceit.

Malachi 2:16 חָמָס֙ violence

“For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.

Here: A strong word for violating another person's rights, by force or by legal and economic abuse. Throwing out a faithful wife is put in the same category as the 'violence' that filled the earth before the flood (Gen 6:11).