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”).[1]

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”).[1]

Unlikely related to Arabic حَمَاس (ḥamās, “zeal”), as Akkadian cognates suggest Proto-Semitic initial *ḫ-, whence Hebrew ḫ- > ḥ- and Arabic ḫ-,[2][3] 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:
      וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי הָֽאֱלֹהִים וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ חָמָס׃
      vatishakhét ha'árets lifné ha'elohím; vatimalé ha'árets khamás.
      And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huehnergard, John, quotee (14 January 2023) “Sanskrit hiṃsā // Hebrew khamás // Arabic ḥamās”, in Language Log‎[1]
  2. ^ Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Phonetics and Phonology”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 55
  3. ^ Lipinśki, Edward (1997) Semitic Languages: Outline of a Comparative Grammar. Leuven: Peeters, p. 150
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