חֹ֫מֶץ (cho.mets)
cho.mets
vinegar
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun cho-mets refers simply to vinegar, a sour liquid produced through fermentation. In the ancient world, it was an affordable and common condiment, often associated with the diets of laborers or those in difficult circumstances rather than the tables of the wealthy.
Its biblical usage carries a distinct tone of bitterness or distress. The word appears in Ruth 2:14 when Boaz invites Ruth to dip her bread in vinegar, offering her a moment of comfort and inclusion among the harvest workers. It also surfaces in Proverbs 10:26 and 25:20, where vinegar is used as a metaphor for irritation or distress caused by a lazy person’s actions.
While the word itself has no complex etymology or theological weight beyond its physical reality, its literary function is precise. It grounds abstract concepts like bitterness in tangible, everyday experience, reminding readers that sourness can be both a simple taste and a symbol of relational friction.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Vinegar in the ancient world was not a luxury but a staple for those doing hard labor. When Boaz offered Ruth this simple meal, he did more than provide calories; he signaled her inclusion and dignity among the workers. This gesture shows that God often meets our deepest needs through ordinary, accessible acts of kindness rather than grand displays.
Yet the same word describes irritation when used lazily or insensitively. Proverbs warns that bringing vinegar to a sore spot causes pain, just as singing cheerful songs to a grieving heart misses the mark entirely. The Bible uses this sour taste to teach us about the weight of our words and actions on others.
We are invited to consider how we treat those in distress. Are we offering the comfort of shared bread, or are we adding bitterness to their burden? This word reminds us that true care requires both presence and sensitivity to the specific needs of the person before us.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- vinegar of1×
- vinegar1×
- like <the>/ vinegar1×
- in the/ vinegar1×
- and/ vinegar of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- כַּ/חֹ֤מֶץ\׀1×
- חֹ֥מֶץ1×
- חֹ֣מֶץ1×
- וְ/חֹ֥מֶץ1×
- בַּ/חֹ֑מֶץ1×
Key Verses
-
Ruth 2:14
At meal time Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” She sat beside the reapers, and they passed her parched grain. She ate, was satisfied, and left some of it.
This verse highlights vinegar as a symbol of humble hospitality and social inclusion for a vulnerable outsider.
-
Proverbs 10:26
As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
The metaphor compares the sluggard's delay to the physical pain of vinegar on teeth, emphasizing the frustration caused by unreliability.
-
Proverbs 25:20
As one who takes away a garment in cold weather, or vinegar on soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
Here vinegar represents a harsh mismatch, illustrating how inappropriate comfort can aggravate rather than heal a troubled heart.