הַלְמוּת (hal.mut)
hal.mut
hammer
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun halmut refers to a heavy hammer or mallet, specifically one used by a craftsman for striking. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Judges 5:26, where it describes the weapon used by Jael against Sisera. The term emphasizes the tool’s weight and purpose as an instrument of forceful impact rather than precision cutting.
Its singular occurrence gives the word a unique historical resonance. In the Song of Deborah, the text highlights that Jael drove a tent peg into Sisera’s temple with this heavy hammer. This specific detail underscores the brutal, physical nature of the act, contrasting the domestic setting of a tent with the sudden violence of war.
Translators typically render halmut as "hammer" to distinguish it from lighter tools like chisels or smaller mallets. The word’s rarity means it carries no broader theological metaphor in Scripture; instead, it serves as a precise historical marker for the method of Sisera’s defeat, grounding the poetic victory song in a concrete, visceral image.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word halmut appears only once in Scripture, describing a heavy workman's hammer used by Jael against Sisera. This rare noun highlights the physical reality of God’s deliverance through human hands. It reminds us that divine justice often operates through tangible, everyday tools rather than abstract concepts.
For your faith life, this image grounds spiritual victory in concrete action. You are not called to wait for vague signs but to engage with the specific needs around you. Whether offering practical help or standing against injustice, your ordinary efforts matter deeply to God.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to/ a hammer of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לְ/הַלְמ֣וּת1×
Key Verses
-
Judges 5:26
She put her hand to the tent peg, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer. With the hammer she struck Sisera. She struck through his head. Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples.
This verse uses halmut to specify the exact tool Jael wielded, emphasizing the decisive force behind Sisera’s defeat.