FW-H3898 (fight)

לָחַם (lāḥam)

A three-consonant Hebrew root, lāḥam (H4421) has a complex set of meanings that can infer both combat and consumption. As a noun it becomes milḥāmâ (H4421), that which devours. (see FW-H4421) Although most often rendered “fight/ing,” it retains its alternate meaning, as in Deuteronomy 32:24; “they shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured (lāḥam) by plague.” A derived adjective, ḥāmaš (H2571), armed, is closely related to ḥōmeš (H2570), obese. The Hebrew word for fighter, lokhém ( לוחם), never appears in the Hebrew Scriptures and has no Strong’s Concordance number.

Occurrences

There are only 18 references to fighting in Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The first is placed on the lips of the Egyptians, who are afraid that, if milḥāmâ breaks out, then Joseph’s descendants may “join our enemies and lāḥam against us.” (Exodus 1:10) In Joshua, care is given to point out that YHWH is solely responsible for lāḥam, with chapter 10 being of particular interest for its repeated usage and ambiguous attribution; although framed by YHWH’s agency in vv.14, 25, and 42, several verses in between imply Israel fights. Other exemplary uses include;

• Exodus 14:4 “YHWH will lāḥam for you, and you have only to be silent.”

• Deuteronomy 20:10 “When you draw near to a city to lāḥam against it, offer terms of peace to it.”

• Joshua 24:8 "the Amorites... lāḥam with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you."

Conclusion

It is noteworthy that fighting, lāḥam, has no scriptural form to imply the Israelite tradition tolerates its members being ‘fighters.’ Rather it is YHWH alone to whom this attribute is assigned, and members of Israel’s armies are never called lokhém. While this privileges a pacifist reading of armed service, it does not fully endorse one. Clearly the Israelites did engage in battle, even if the ordained nature of that activity is such that humanity is prohibited from employing on its own behalf.

More H4421

Exodus

14:25 "the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD lāḥam for them against [us]"

17:8-10 "Amalek came and lāḥam with Israel... 9 So Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose for us ĕnôš (H582), and go out and fight with Amalek...' 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and lāḥam with Amalek"

* Numbers has 4 occurrences but none attach to Israel or YHWH.

Deuteronomy

1:30 “The LORD… will himself lāḥam for you"

1:41-42 “We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and lāḥam, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. 42 And the LORD said to [Moses], ‘Say to them, Do not go up or lāḥam, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’

3:22 “it is the LORD your God who lāḥam for you.’

20:4 “the LORD your God is he who goes with you to lāḥam for you"

20:19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, lāḥam against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees... Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you?"

Joshua

10:14 "the LORD lāḥam for Israel"

10:25 "Joshua said to them, 'Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you lāḥam.'”

10:42 "Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time because the LORD God of Israel lāḥam for Israel."

19:47 "the people of Dan went up and lāḥam against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it"

23:3, 10 "it is the LORD your God who has lāḥam for you."

24:11 "the leaders of Jericho lāḥam against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites,