Lexical Definition

‎חֹמֶר‎ chômer (kho'mer) clay ^H:N-M
from ‎חָמַר‎

clay, heap, homer, mire, motion.

• properly, a bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave
• of earth, mire or clay (cement)
• also a heap
• hence, a chomer or dry measure

1) cement, mortar, clay
1a) mortar, cement
1b) clay
1c) mire
2) heap
2a) swelling, surging (of water)
3) homer-a unit of dry measure about 65 imperial gallons (300 l)

See Greek: ἄχυρον · κονιορτός · κόρος · πηλός

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. ‎חֹ֫מֶר‎ noun masculine cement, mortar, clay; — ‎׳‎‎ח‎ absolute Gen 11:3 + 13 t.; construct Isa 10:6 + 2 t.; —

1. mortar, cement for holding building-stones (brick) together Gen 11:3 (J), Exod 1:14 (P; both || ‎לְבֵנִים‎); Nah 3:14 (|| ‎טיט‎).

2. clay:
a. as material of vessels Jer 18:4; Jer 18:6, ‎היצר‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ Isa 29:16, in simile of God's fashioning man Isa 45:9; Isa 64:7*; Job 10:9 as material of human bodies ‎׳‎‎בָּתֵּי ח‎ Job 4:19 compare Job 33:6 as material of bulwarks (disparagingly) Job 13:12 ‎חותם‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ = seal-clay i.e. clay upon which seal is pressed.
b. = mire ‎חוצות‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ Isa 10:6 ‎׳‎‎הֹרָנִי לַח‎ Job 30:19 he hath cast me into the mire, i.e. deeply humiliated me (‎עָפָר‎ and ‎אֵפֶר‎ in || clause); as simile of commonness, abundance Job 27:16 (|| ‎עָפָר‎).

II. ‎חֹ֫מֶר‎ noun [masculine] heap (compare 1. ‎חֲמוֺר‎) — ‎׳‎‎ח‎ construct ‎מַיִם רַבִּים‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ Hab 3:15 a heap of great waters (|| ‎יָם‎) — but text dubious, see I. ‎חמר‎; plural ‎הֳמָרִים חֳמָרִים‎ Exod 8:10* (J), of dead frogs gathered in heaps.

III. ‎חֹ֫מֶר‎ noun masculine homer, a dry measure (perhaps from above √, but dubious; compare Assyrian amâru, surround, contain, II. R Exod 36:19 a. b Strm⁴⁷⁶⁰, Imêru, a measure Zim^{BP 6 n}) — ‎׳‎‎ח‎ absolute Isa 5:10 + 5 t. Ezekiel; construct Hos 3:2 + 3 t.; plural ‎חֳמָרִים‎Num 11:32 — ‎׳‎‎ח‎ of barley Hos 3:2; Ezek 45:13, compare ‎שְׂעֹרִים‎ ‎׳‎‎זֶרַע ח‎ Lev 27:16 i.e. land on which a ‎׳‎‎ח‎ of barley seed was sown (taxed at 50 shekels); ‎׳‎‎ח‎ of wheat Ezek 45:13 in general ‎׳‎‎זֶרַע ח‎ Isa 5:10 = 10 ephahs (or baths, see ‎בַּת‎ below ‎בתת‎) Ezek 45:11 (3 t. in verse); Ezek 45:14 (twice in verse) (in vEzek 45:14 strike out Co); on actual size of ‎׳‎‎ח‎, = 393.9 litres, see Hultsch^{Metrol. 2nd ed. 448, 452f}. See further II. ‎בַּת‎ and references, Benz^{Arch 183 f} Now^{Arch. i, 203 f}.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References