Lexical Definition

‎רַחַם‎ racham (rakh'-am) womb ^H:N-M
from ‎רָחַם‎

bowels, compassion, damsel, tender love, (great, tender) mercy, pity, womb.

• compassion (in the plural)
• by extension, the womb (as cherishing the fetus)
• by implication, a maiden

n m
1) womb
n m abs pl intens
2) compassion

See Greek: ἔλεος · ἵλεως · μήτρα · οἰκτιρμός · παιδίον · σπλάγχνον · χάρις

Extended Information

• compassion
• Aramaic equivalent: re.chem (‎ר‎ַ‎ח‎ֲ‎מ‎ִ‎ין‎ "compassion" רְחֵם)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎רֶ֫חֶם‎, ‎רַ֫הַם‎ noun masculine^{Hos 9:14} womb (feminine Jer 20:17, unless ‎הֲרַת‎ a noun, compare Albr^{ZAW xvi.81} SS); — absolute ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Gen 20:18 +, ‎רַ֫חַם‎ Judg 5:30, ‎רָ֑חֶם‎ Jer 20:17 +, ‎רָ֑חַם‎ Gen 49:25 +; construct ‎רֶ֫חֶם‎ Num 12:12; Job 3:11 suffix ‎רַחְמָהּ‎ Gen 29:31 +, ‎רַחְמָהֿ‎ Jer 20:17 (Ges^{«GKC:91e»§ 91e}; >f. absolute Kö^{ii. 1. 159}); dual ‎רַחֲמָתַיִם‎ Judg 5:30 —

1. womb, Gen 49:25 (J) Jer 20:17; Job 24:20 ‎מֵרחם‎ i.e. from birth Jer 20:17; Ps 22:11*; Ps 58:4*; Job 3:11 (‎מִנִּי‎), Isa 46:3, figurative Ps 110:3 ‎בָּרֶחֶם‎ Job 31:15 ‎׳‎‎יצא מֵר‎ go forth from womb in birth Jer 1:5; Jer 20:18; Job 38:8, compare Job 10:18 ‎אֵם‎ ‎׳‎‎מֵר‎ Num 12:12 (E); ‎׳‎‎פתח ר‎ open the womb, in order to childbirth Gen 29:31; Gen 30:22 (JE); ‎כָּלפֶּֿטֶר רחם‎ all that first opens womb (of men and animals) Exod 13:12; Exod 13:15; Exod 34:19 (J) Num 18:15 (P) Ezek 20:26 ‎׳‎‎פטר ר‎ Num 3:12 (P), ‎׳‎‎פִּטְרַת כל ר‎ Num 8:16 ‎׳‎‎פטר כל ר‎ Exod 13:2 (P); on the other hand, ‎מַשִׁכִּיל‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Hos 9:14 miscarrying womb; ‎׳‎‎עֹצֶר ר‎ Prov 30:16 restraint (i.e. barrenness) of womb (so Ps 107:36 Perles^{Anal. 85}); ‎׳‎‎עָצַר בְּעַד ר‎ (of God) Gen 20:18 (E); ‎סָגַר‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ (‎בְּעַד‎) 1Sam 1:5; 1Sam 1:6, preventing childbirth.

2. womb-man, woman-slave: ‎רַחַם רַחֲמָתַיִם‎ Judg 5:30 a woman, two women.

‎רַחֲמִים‎ noun masculine^{2Sam 24:14} absolute plural intensive compassion (according to many denominative from ‎רֶחֶם‎, originally brotherhood, brotherly feeling, of those born from same womb, see Nö^{ZMG xl (1886), 151} (yet see 152) We^{GGN 1893, 475} Gerber¹²⁶, or motherly feeling Kö^{ii. 1, 34}); — absolute ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Gen 43:14 +; construct ‎רַחֲמֵי‎ Prov 12:10 suffix ‎רַחֲמָיו‎ Lam 3:22 (Baer Gi; van d. H. Qr, Kt ‎רחמו‎), 2Sam 24:14 Qr (> Kt ‎רחמו‎), etc.; —

1. compassion: usually of God Isa 63:7; Isa 63:15; Ps 77:10*; Ps 79:8; Ps 119:77; Zech 1:16; Dan 9:9; Neh 9:28 with ‎רבים‎ 2Sam 24:14 = 1Chr 21:13; Neh 9:19; Neh 9:27; Neh 9:31; Ps 119:156; Dan 9:18 ‎גדולים‎ Isa 54:7 || ‎חסד‎ Ps 40:12*; Ps 103:4; Hos 2:21*; Jer 16:5 ‎חסדים‎ Ps 25:6 ‎כרֹב רחמיךָ‎ Ps 51:3*; Ps 69:17* with ‎על‎ of thing Ps 145:9 ‎ל‎ ‎׳‎‎נתן ר‎ Deut 13:18*; Jer 42:12 ‎׳‎‎לא כלו ר‎ Lam 3:22.

2. of man, Amos 1:11; Prov 12:10 ‎׳‎‎עשׂה ר‎ Zech 7:9 ‎לִפְנֵי‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ ‎׳‎‎נָתַן לפ‎ Gen 43:14 (R); ‎נתן‎ ‎לִפְנֵי‎ ‎׳‎‎לר‎ ‎׳‎‎פ‎ 1Kgs 8:50; Neh 1:11; Dan 1:9; Ps 106:46, compare 2Chr 30:9 ‎ל‎ ‎׳‎‎שׂם ר‎ Isa 47:6 ‎אל‎ ‎׳‎‎נִכְמְרוּ ר‎ Gen 43:30 (J), with ‎על‎ 2Kgs 3:26.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References