חמס

Hebrew

Root
ח־מ־ס (kh-m-s)

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)

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

Conjugation

Conjugation of חָמַס (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

finite forms		singular		plural
non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לחמוס / לַחֲמֹס action noun: — passive participle: חָמוּס
finite forms		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
notes		Pronounced חָמַסְתֶּם and חָמַסְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

or

Conjugation of חָמַס (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

finite forms		singular		plural
non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לחמוס / לַחְמֹס action noun: — passive participle: חָמוּס
finite forms		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
notes		Pronounced חָמַסְתֶּם and חָמַסְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Noun

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

robbery, theft
violence, evildoing, injustice

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

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Huehnergard, John, quoted in Mair, Victor (2023 January 14) “Sanskrit hiṃsā // Hebrew khamás // Arabic ḥamās”, in Language Log‎^[1]
^ 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
^ Lipinśki, Edward (1997) Semitic Languages: Outline of a Comparative Grammar. Leuven: Peeters, p. 150

[Huehnergard-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Huehnergard, John, quoted in Mair, Victor (2023 January 14) “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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