חֹם (chom)
chom
heat
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 8 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Definition
Definition
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word chom simply means heat. It describes the physical warmth of the sun, often intense enough to dry up water or test endurance. In the ancient Near East, this was not just weather; it was a daily reality that shaped life, agriculture, and survival. When Scripture mentions the heat of the day, it grounds us in the tangible world God created.
For your faith, this word reminds us that God is present in both comfort and trial. He appeared to Abraham in the heat (Genesis 18:1), showing that divine encounters happen in ordinary, even difficult, moments. The image of a tree planted by water that does not fear the heat (Jeremiah 17:8) offers a stable picture of trust. When life feels scorching or draining, this word points to a source of strength that remains steady.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 8 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- when/ [the] heat of2×
- heat2×
- like/ heat1×
- like/ [the] heat of1×
- in/ [the] heat of1×
- and/ heat1×
- [the] heat of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- כְּ/חֹ֥ם2×
- כְּ/חֹ֣ם2×
- חֹ֣ם1×
- חֹ֗ם1×
- חֹ֔ם1×
- וָ/חֹ֜ם1×
- בְּ/חֹ֥ם1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 18:1
Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
This occurrence marks the setting for God’s personal visit to Abraham, showing that divine presence enters human experience even in the peak of daily heat.
-
Jeremiah 17:8
For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t cease from yielding fruit.
Here the word illustrates spiritual resilience, contrasting those who trust in God with those who wither under pressure, using the heat as a test of rooted faith.
-
Job 24:19
Drought and heat consume the snow waters, so does Sheol those who have sinned.
This verse uses heat to describe a consuming force that destroys resources, paralleling how sin or judgment can erase what was once present.