חמס

Hebrew

Root
ח־מ־ס (kh-m-s)
1 term

Etymology

Cognate with Aramaic [script needed] (ḥ-m-s, “criminality, violence”), Akkadian [script needed] (ḫummusu, “to oppress”), [script needed] (ḫamsu, “maltreated”), [script needed] (ḫimsātu, “wrongful possessions”), and Arabic [script needed] (ḫamisa, “to be(come) hard, firm, strict, severe, afflictive”).

Semantically similar yet unrelated to Biblical Hebrew חמץ (“to oppress, to be ruthless”), Akkadian [script needed] (ḫamāṣu, “to tear off, to strip, to flay; to plunder, to ransack”), Classical Syriac [script needed] (ḥammeṣ, “to shame”), Sabaean [script needed] (ḫmṣ, “to deface (an inscription)”), and Ge'ez [script needed] (ʕammaḍa, “to do wrong, do violence, injure, harm”).

Unlikely related to Arabic حَمَاس (ḥamās, “zeal”), as Akkadian cognates suggest Proto-Semitic initial *ḫ-, whence Hebrew ḫ- > ḥ- and Arabic ḫ-, not ḥ-.

Verb

חָמַס • (khamás) (pa'al construction)

1. to rob
   1. (Jewish law) to rob with violence
2. to oppress

Conjugation

Conjugation of חָמַס (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לחמוס / לַחֲמֹס
		action noun		—
		passive participle		חָמוּס
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	חָמַסְתִּי		חָמַסְנוּ
	second	חָמַסְתָּ	חָמַסְתְּ	חֲמַסְתֶּם1	חֲמַסְתֶּן1
	third	חָמַס	חָמְסָה	חָמְסוּ
present		חוֹמֵס	חוֹמֶסֶת	חוֹמְסִים	חוֹמְסוֹת
future	first	אחמוס / אֶחֱמֹס		נחמוס / נַחֲמֹס
	second	תחמוס / תַּחֲמֹס	תַּחַמְסִי	תַּחַמְסוּ	תחמוסנה / תַּחֲמֹסְנָה2
	third	יחמוס / יַחֲמֹס	תחמוס / תַּחֲמֹס	יַחַמְסוּ	תחמוסנה / תַּחֲמֹסְנָה2
imperative		חמוס / חֲמֹס	חִמְסִי	חִמְסוּ	חמוסנה / חֲמֹסְנָה2

¹ Pronounced חָמַסְתֶּם and חָמַסְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

or

Conjugation of חָמַס (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לחמוס / לַחְמֹס
		action noun		—
		passive participle		חָמוּס
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	חָמַסְתִּי		חָמַסְנוּ
	second	חָמַסְתָּ	חָמַסְתְּ	חֲמַסְתֶּם1	חֲמַסְתֶּן1
	third	חָמַס	חָמְסָה	חָמְסוּ
present		חוֹמֵס	חוֹמֶסֶת	חוֹמְסִים	חוֹמְסוֹת
future	first	אחמוס / אֶחְמֹס		נחמוס / נַחְמֹס
	second	תחמוס / תַּחְמֹס	תַּחְמְסִי	תַּחְמְסוּ	תחמוסנה / תַּחְמֹסְנָה2
	third	יחמוס / יַחְמֹס	תחמוס / תַּחְמֹס	יַחְמְסוּ	תחמוסנה / תַּחְמֹסְנָה2
imperative		חמוס / חֲמֹס	חִמְסִי	חִמְסוּ	חמוסנה / חֲמֹסְנָה2

¹ Pronounced חָמַסְתֶּם and חָמַסְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Noun

חָמָס • (khamás) m (plural indefinite חֲמָסִים, singular construct חֲמַס־, plural construct חִמְסֵי־)

1. robbery, theft
2. violence, evildoing, injustice
   • Tanach, Genesis 6:11, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס׃

     wattiššāḥêṯ hā’āreṣ lip̄nê hā’ĕlōhîm; wattimmālê hā’āreṣ ḥāmās.

     And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

References

• H2554 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• H2555 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible