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כָּלַם kâlam — properly, to wound

pronounced kaw-lawm' · Strong's H3637 · 38 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible · 3 stems: Niph'al, Hiph'il, Hoph'al

Translated in the KJV as be ashamed, blush, be confounded, be put to confusion, hurt, reproach, (do, put to) shame.

a primitive root; properly, to wound; but only figuratively, to taunt or insult.

kâlam in each stem

Niph'al 26×

Simple · passive — the plain action; the subject has it done to them

Imperfect (yiqtol) 6Perfect (qatal) 6Participle (active) 3Jussive 3Sequential perfect (weqatal) 3Participle (passive) 2Infinitive construct 2Imperative 1

תִכָּלֵ֖ם Num 12:14 Imperfect (yiqtol), 3rd person feminine singular

And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. (KJV)

נִכְלָמִ֣ים 2Sam 10:5 Participle (active), masculine plural

When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return. (KJV)

הַנִּכְלָמִ֔ים 2Sam 19:4 Participle (passive), masculine plural

But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! (KJV)

Hiph'il 10×

Causative · active — causing someone or something to do the action; the subject does it

Imperfect (yiqtol) 3Participle (active) 2Perfect (qatal) 2Infinitive construct 2Wayyiqtol 1

מַכְלִ֨ים Judg 18:7 Participle (active), masculine singular

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man. (KJV)

תַכְלִימֽוּהָ Ruth 2:15 Imperfect (yiqtol), 2nd person masculine plural

And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: (KJV)

הִכְלִמ֖וֹ 1Sam 20:34 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person masculine singular

So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. (KJV)

Hoph'al

Causative · passive — causing someone or something to do the action; the subject has it done to them

Perfect (qatal) 2

הָכְלַ֨מְנוּ֙ 1Sam 25:15 Perfect (qatal), 1st person common plural

But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields: (KJV)

וְהָכְלְמ֖וּ Jer 14:3 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person common plural

And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads. (KJV)

What the stems mean

A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›

Open in Hebrew Explorer with Verb Anatomy on →

In the app, tap any Hebrew verb while reading: its root, stem and form are named, the letters of the word itself are coloured to show which is which, and the stem's meaning is put in plain English. kâlam in the lexicon ›

Morphology from OpenScriptures MorphHB (CC BY 4.0); definitions from Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (public domain); text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex.

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