1 Samuel 14:24:121 Sam.14.24.W12TAB
לֶ֜חֶם
lekhem
“bread or food”
- Transliteration
- LE-khem
- Extended
- LEH-khehm
- IPA
- /ˈlɛħɛm/
Meaning by language
- English
- bread or food
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
LE-khem
- phraseyour reading level
a-sher-yo-KHAL LE-khem
- clause
va-yo-EL sha-UL et-ha-AM le-MOR a-RUR ha-ISH a-sher-yo-KHAL LE-khem ad-ha-E-rev ve-nik-kam-TI me-o-VAI ve-LO TA-am kol-ha-AM LA-khem
- sentence
ve-ISH-yis-ra-EL ni-GAS ba-YOM ha-HU va-yo-EL sha-UL et-ha-AM le-MOR a-RUR ha-ISH a-sher-yo-KHAL LE-khem ad-ha-E-rev ve-nik-kam-TI me-o-VAI ve-LO TA-am kol-ha-AM LA-khem
Exegesis
The imprecation formula ʾārūr ha-ʾîš ʾăšer-yōḵāl leḥem {אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יֹאכַל לֶחֶם | ʾārūr ha-ʾîš ʾăšer-yōḵāl leḥem} sets a covenantal boundary with “cursed is the man who eats food.”
The construction wə-lōʾ ṭāʿam kol-ha-ʿāmm laḥem {וְלֹא טָעַם כָּל־הָעָם לָחֶם | wə-lōʾ ṭāʿam kol-ha-ʿāmm laḥem} uses a double negative to emphasize universal obedience and deprivation. The English rendering preserves narrative sequence and the legal force of the oath formula.
Root and etymology
Rootlamed–chet–mem
“food; bread; sustenance”
In context — 1 Samuel 14:24
But the men of Israel were pressed that day, for Saul had bound the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats food until evening when I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.
About this coordinate
1 Samuel 14:24:12 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 12 of 1 Samuel 14:24, so the Hebrew word לֶ֜חֶם (lekhem) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written 1 Sam.14.24.W12, which extends further down to each syllable (1 Sam.14.24.W12.S1) and character.