חֶמְאָה (chem.ah)
chem.ah
curd; heat
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 9 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun chemah primarily denotes curd or butter, a rich dairy product that appears in biblical texts describing abundant food and prosperity. This concrete meaning anchors its usage in passages such as Judges 5:25, where the poetic imagery of milk and curds highlights hospitality and wealth.
However, the word also carries a metaphorical sense derived from heat. It can refer to physical fever or venom, but most significantly it describes intense anger or rage. This figurative usage applies to human wrath, as seen in Proverbs 29:22, and even to divine judgment, where God’s chemah is depicted as a consuming fire that burns against sin.
The connection between the physical heat of churning butter and emotional fury creates a vivid link between the material and the spiritual. Translators often render this word as "anger" or "wrath" when context demands it, capturing the destructive power of uncontrolled emotion. This dual meaning reflects how ancient Hebrew thought connected bodily sensations with moral states.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word chemah appears in Scripture with two distinct faces: the rich curds of a host’s table and the burning heat of fury. In Genesis, it signals abundance and welcome, a tangible sign that God provides for those who travel. When Abraham’s guests arrive, the offering of butter and milk is not merely about food; it is an act of deep hospitality that honors the stranger.
Yet the same root can describe the churning of anger. Proverbs warns that just as force creates curds, forcing wrath creates strife. This duality reminds us that our emotions, like dairy, require careful handling. Unchecked heat leads to destruction, while tempered care yields sustenance. We are invited to reflect on whether we are offering comfort or fueling conflict in our daily interactions.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 9 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- curd<s>5×
- and/ curd<s>2×
- in/ curd<s>1×
- curd<s> of1×
- butter1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חֶמְאָֽה\׃1×
- חֶמְאָ֥ה1×
- חֶמְאָ֤ה1×
- חֶמְאָ֜ה1×
- חֶמְאָ֗ה1×
- חֶמְאָ֑ה1×
- חֶמְאַ֨ת1×
- וְ/חֶמְאָֽה\׃1×
- וְ/חֶמְאָ֗ה1×
- בְּ/חֵמָ֑ה1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 18:8
He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.
This verse uses chemah to depict the lavish hospitality extended to divine visitors, highlighting abundance and welcome.
-
Judges 5:25
He asked for water. She gave him milk. She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
The imagery of butter in a lordly dish underscores the wealth and generosity of the hostess toward the weary warrior.
-
Proverbs 30:33
For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”
Here chemah shifts to mean wrath, using the physical process of churning as a metaphor for how forced anger leads to strife.