חׇכְמָה
chokmâh · H2451 · Hebrew · 149 occurrences
Meanings
-
wisdom, intelligence, skill
State in which humans, deities or animals have a certain level of wisdom, intelligence, or proficiency
ExamplesExodus 28:3 “You shall speak to all the skillful people whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may serve as priest to Me.
Exodus 31:3 “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
Exodus 31:6 “And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, so that they may make everything that I have commanded you:
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
41 occurrences in 19 groups
- ךָyour 10
- הוּhis 8
- שְׁלֹמֹהSolomon 4
- יmy 3
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (16) 16
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
4 occurrences in 3 groups
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 2
- רָבָהto increase 1
- שָׁפַטto judge, to govern 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אֲנִיI 1
What it doesIt is the subject
18 occurrences in 16 groups
- Other words · 16 groups that occur once or twice (18) 18
What is done to itIt is the object
47 occurrences in 18 groups
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 10
- רָאָהto see 6
- שָׁמַעto hear, to listen, to obey 6
- יָדַעto know 5
- קָנָהto buy, to acquire 4
- Other words · 13 groups that occur once or twice (16) 16
Second object ofSecond object
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- יָדַעto know 1
- אָלַףto teach, to learn 1
- נָשָׁהto forget 1
What it is said to bePredicate
17 occurrences in 12 groups
- טוֹבgood 4
- אַיִןthere is no, not 3
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
3 occurrences in 2 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 2
- עָמָלtoil, trouble 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
39 occurrences in 5 groups
- בin/on/with 39
- לto/for 14
- מִןfrom 4
- כlike/as 3
- עַלon, upon, over, against 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
16 occurrences in 13 groups
- רוּחַspirit, wind 3
- Other words · 12 groups that occur once or twice (13) 13
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 4 words
- תָּבוּן tâbûwn · H8394 · understanding, discernment, insight
- Both words are abstract nouns of wisdom with substantial overlap in sense (wisdom, skilfulness); they are distinct Hebrew roots that overlap in meaning.
- טַעַם ṭaʻam · H2940 · taste, good sense, discernment
- חׇכְמָה (chokmâh, H2451) is core wisdom vocabulary, while טַעַם (ṭaʻam, H2940)'s senses include understanding, discretion, and reason; these are plausible near-synonyms in contexts where judgment or practical wisdom is in view.
- מַדָּע maddâʻ · H4093 · knowledge, learning, thought
- Both lexemes denote cognitive/intellectual capacities ("wisdom" vs. "knowledge/science/thought") and share the "Wise" semantic field.
- שֶׂכֶל sekel · H7922 · good sense, understanding, insight
- Both lexemes genuinely belong to the "Wise" semantic field and share substantial gloss overlap (wisdom, wise, understanding).
In the other Testament 2 words
- σοφία sophía · G4678 · to be prudent, wisdom, insight
- Greek σοφία is the standard Septuagint rendering of Hebrew חׇכְמָה across its full semantic range (practical skill, intellectual wisdom, spiritual discernment).
- τέχνη téchnē · G5078 · craft, occupation
- τέχνη (téchnē, G5078) τέχνη denotes technical craft/artisan skill specifically, while חׇכְמָה (chokmâh, H2451) חׇכְמָה spans broader wisdom including moral, intellectual, and practical domains; the overlap is the specialized sense of practical/technical expertise.
Semantic domains 1 entry
- Wise002001002029
- חָכְמָה denotes wisdom or skill, both the practical craftsmanship given to the tabernacle's artisans (Exodus 28:3, 31:3, 31:6, 35:26, 35:31) and, more broadly elsewhere in the Old Testament, moral and intellectual wisdom — a genuine sense of being wise or skilled.
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H2451. chokmah חָכְמה noun feminine wisdom, ׳ח Exo 28:3 106t.; construct חָכְמַת Exo…
חָכְמה noun feminine wisdom, ׳ח Exo 28:3 106t.; construct חָכְמַת Exo 35:35 Exo 35:15t.; suffix חָכְמָתִי Ecc 2:9, etc. + 25 t. suffix; plural abstract emphatic חָכְמוֺת Psa 49:4; Pro 1:20; Pro 9:1; Pro 24:7; חַכְמוֺת Pro 14:1 (in correctly pointed as adjective construct f.; read חָכְמוֺת De); —
1 skill in war Isa 10:13; in technical work Exo 28:3; Exo 31:3, Exo 31:6; Exo 35:26, Exo 35:31, Exo 35:35; Exo 36:1-2,(P), compare 1Ki 7:14; 1Ch 28:21; of sailors Psa 107:27.
2 wisdom, in administration Deu 34:9; Isa 29:14; Jer 49:7 (twice in verse); 2Sa 14:20; of prince of Tyre Eze 28:4-5, Eze 28:7, Eze 28:12; Eze 29:12, Eze 29:17; Solomon's wisdom included this with other forms of cleverness and shrewdness 1Ki 2:6; 1Ki 3:28; 1Ki 5:9; 1Ki 5:10; 1Ki 5:14 (twice in verse); 1 Kings 5:26; 1Ki 10:4, 1Ki 10:6, 1Ki 10:7, 1Ki 10:8, 1Ki 10:23, 1Ki 10:24 2Ch 9:3; 2Ch 9:5; 2Ch 9:6; 2Ch 9:7; 2Ch 9:22; 2Ch 9:23, 1Ki 11:41; 2Ch 1:10; 2Ch 1:11; 2Ch 1:12; the Messiah is to have וּבִינָה חָכְמָה רוּחַ Isa 11:2.
3 shrewdness, wisdom, 2Sa 20:22; 1Ki 5:10 (twice in verse); Jer 9:22; withheld by God from the ostrich Job 39:17; of magicians and prophets Isa 47:10; Dan 1:4, Dan 1:17, Dan 1:20.
4 wisdom, prudence in religious affairs Deu 4:6; Psa 37:30; Psa 51:8; Psa 90:12; Pro 10:31; Isa 33:6; Jer 8:9
5 wisdom, ethical and religious:
a. of God, as a divine attribute or energy; his wisdom is in the skies Job 38:36; by it he numbers the clouds Job 38:37; founded the earth Pro 3:19; and made all things Jer 10:12 = Jer 51:15, Psa 104:24; it is with him Job 12:13; not to be found by the most persevering human search Job 28:12, Job 28:20; he alone knows it Job 28:23; gives it Pro 2:6; and shows its secrets Job 11:6.
b. the divine wisdom is personified: she was begotten before all things to be the architect and counsellor of God in the creation (Pro 8:22-31); she builds a palace and spreads a feast for those who will receive her instruction Pro 9:1 (compare Pro 9:2-5); she teaches in public Pro 1:20; Pro 8:1, Pro 8:5, Pro 8:11, Pro 8:12 (see context); gives her pupils the divine spirit Pro 1:23; by her discipline simple become wise, rulers rule wisely, and those seeking her are richly rewarded Pro 8:14 (compare Pro 8:1-21).
c. of man: to get wisdom is principal thing Pro 4:7 (twice in verse); its fundamental principle is to fear God Psa 111:10; Pro 15:33; Job 28:18 (|| בִּינָה מֵרַע סוּר); and know ׳י, the All Holy Pro 9:10; Pro 30:3; it is of inestimable worth Job 28:18; Pro 8:11; Pro 16:16; Pro 17:16; Pro 23:23; Pro 24:7; beyond the reach of scorners Pro 14:6; God giveth it to the good Ecc 2:26; men are to incline the ear Pro 2:2; attend unto wisdom Pro 5:1; seek Ecc 7:25; know Pro 24:14; Ecc 1:17; Ecc 8:16; behold Ecc 2:12; Ecc 9:13; get her Pro 4:5, Pro 4:7; treat her as sister Pro 7:4; happy the man who finds her Pro 3:13; he who has wisdom is תְּבוּנָה אִישׁ Pro 10:23; נָבוֺן Pro 10:13; Pro 14:33; מֵבִין Pro 17:24; compare also Psa 49:4; Job 4:21; Job 12:2, Job 12:12; Job 13:5; Job 15:8; Job 26:3; Job 32:7, Job 32:13; Job 33:33; Pro 1:2, Pro 1:7; Pro 2:10; Pro 4:11; Pro 11:2; Pro 13:10; Pro 14:1, Pro 14:8; Pro 18:4; Pro 21:30; Pro 24:3; Pro 28:26; Pro 29:3, Pro 29:15; Pro 31:26; Ecc 1:13, Ecc 1:16 (twice in verse); Ecc 1:18; Ecc 2:3, Ecc 2:9, Ecc 2:13, Ecc 2:21; Ecc 7:10-11, Ecc 7:12, Ecc 7:19, Ecc 7:23; Ecc 8:1; Ecc 9:10, Ecc 9:15, Ecc 9:16 (twice in verse); Ecc 9:18; Ecc 10:1, Ecc 10:10 — on solomon's wisdom see above
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 1 entry
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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