Lexical Summary
hamam: To confuse, to disturb, to trouble, to panic
Original Word:הָמַם
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:hamam
Pronunciation:hah-MAHM
Phonetic Spelling:(haw-mam')
KJV: break, consume, crush, destroy, discomfit, trouble, vex
NASB:routed, brought, confounded, confuse, confused, confusion, crushed
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to put in commotion
2. (by implication) to disturb, drive, destroy
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
break, consume, crush, destroy, discomfit, trouble, vex
A primitive root (comparehuwm,hamah); properly, to put in commotion; by implication, to disturb, drive, destroy -- break, consume, crush, destroy, discomfit, trouble, vex.
see HEBREWhuwm
see HEBREWhamah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto make a noise, move noisily, confuse, discomfit
NASB Translationbrought (1), confounded (1), confuse (1), confused (1), confusion (1), crushed (1), damage (1), destroy (1), disturb (1), routed (3), throw into confusion (1), troubled (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(compare []) —
Perfect consecutiveIsaiah 28:28; suffixJeremiah 51:34 Qr (Kt ), 2Chronicles 15:6; 1 singularExodus 23:27;ImperfectExodus 14:24;Judges 4:15; suffixJoshua 10:10;1 Samuel 7:10;Psalm 18:15 +2 Samuel 22:15 Kt (doubtless right; Qr ); 2 masculine singular suffixPsalm 144:6;Infinitive suffixDeuteronomy 2:15;Esther 9:24; —
move noisily, transitive, drive a wagon in threshingIsaiah 28:28 ("" ).
confuse, discomfit, with accusativeExodus 14:24;Exodus 23:27;Joshua 10:10;Judges 4:15;1 Samuel 7:10;Psalm 18:15 =2 Samuel 22:15 ("" ),Psalm 144:6 (""id.);discomfit, vex, 2 Chronicles 15:6 with accusative & of instrumental; with accusative alsoDeuteronomy 2:15 (followed by ),Esther 9:24 (followed by ); probably alsoJeremiah 51:34 ("" ), compareDeuteronomy 7:23.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe Hebrew verb הָמַם (Strong’s 2000) portrays the Lord’s act of throwing an opposing force into panic, tumult, or thunderous upheaval. All fourteen occurrences describe God’s decisive intervention in human history, whether on the battlefield, within national affairs, or in the inner life of those who trust Him. The word consistently highlights divine supremacy, covenant faithfulness, and the futility of resistance to His purposes.
Narrative Contexts in the Torah
Exodus records two foundational uses that set the tone for every later occurrence.
•Exodus 14:24 – “At morning watch, the LORD looked down on the camp of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw them into confusion”. The verb underscores the Red Sea deliverance as a paradigmatic act of salvation by judgment: God saves Israel by dismantling Egypt’s military capacity through supernatural disarray.
•Exodus 23:27 – “I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter.” Here the verb is anchored in a covenant promise: the same power that broke Egypt will precede Israel into Canaan. Israel’s future victories rest on this pledged divine activity, not on numerical or technological superiority.
Conquest Narratives and the Book of Joshua
Joshua 10:10 recounts one of the great coalition battles: “The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, defeated them with a great slaughter at Gibeon …” This decisive rout validates Joshua’s obedience to the covenant decree to protect the Gibeonites and shows that divine intervention, not Israel’s valor, shifts the tide of war. The term often appears alongside hailstorms or extended daylight, reinforcing the motif that creation itself becomes God’s ally when He “hāmams” Israel’s foes.
Role in the Period of the Judges and United Monarchy
•Judges 4:15 depicts Sisera’s iron-chariot army collapsing under panic triggered by the LORD.
•1 Samuel 7:10 links the verb with thunder: “That day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such panic that they were routed before Israel.” The episode illustrates the power of intercessory leadership—Samuel prays, God answers with a “hāmam” response, and Israel’s repentance is sealed with victory.
•2 Samuel 22:15 (cf. its poetic parallelPsalm 18:14) situates the verb in David’s climactic praise: God’s arrows scatter and “confound” his enemies, magnifying covenant kingship.
Poetic Usage in the Psalms
Psalm 18:14 andPsalm 144:6 weave the verb into royal thanksgiving and warfare liturgy. The psalmists perceive every past “hāmam” as a pledge of future help, allowing worship to function as both memory and prophetic hope. The imagery of divine arrows and lightning grounds the believer’s security in God’s unchanging character.
Prophetic Nuances
Isaiah 28:28 employs the verb metaphorically within an agricultural parable: grain is struck but not destroyed, signaling judgment that disciplines rather than annihilates.Jeremiah 51:34 uses it ironically; Babylon’s king has “devoured” Zion, but previous “hāmam” scenes assure readers that the oppressor will soon experience the same kind of panic he inflicted.
Post-Exilic Reflection in Esther
Esther 9:24 recalls how Haman sought to “destroy” the Jews, echoing earlier enemy agendas. Though the verb appears in a narrative digression, the festival of Purim becomes another memorial to the God who turns threats into confusion and plots into folly.
Theological Significance
1. Divine Warrior Motif: Every appearance reinforces the image of the LORD as the One who personally fights for His people, wielding creation and circumstance as instruments of victory.
2. Covenant Assurance: The initial Exodus promise (Exodus 23:27) frames each subsequent act; history confirms the reliability of God’s word.
3. Judgment and Salvation Intertwined: “Hāmam” actions simultaneously deliver the faithful and dismantle the rebellious, prefiguring the ultimate triumph of Christ over sin and Satan.
4. Sovereign Initiative: Human agency never originates the panic; it is always God’s sovereign prerogative, guarding against any theology that places ultimate trust in human strength.
Christological and Gospel Connections
The cross and resurrection represent the climactic “hāmam” event of redemptive history—“Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). Just as Egypt, Canaanite coalitions, and Philistines were confounded, so the spiritual forces of evil are thrown into irrevocable confusion at Calvary.
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
• Spiritual Warfare: Believers engage opposition confident that God still unsettles hostile powers. Prayer, like Samuel’s intercession, invites divine disruption of evil designs.
• Encouragement in Crisis: Historical patterns assure the church that apparent strength of adversaries is no obstacle to God.
• Humility in Victory: Since triumph is God-wrought, success calls for worship rather than self-congratulation.
• Discipline and Restoration: Isaiah’s nuanced usage warns that God may “hāmam” His own people’s complacency to bring repentance, yet always with redemptive intent.
Summary
Strong’s 2000 הָמַם consistently portrays God overturning opposition through panic and thunderous confusion. From the Exodus to the Psalms, from prophetic oracle to post-exilic celebration, the verb showcases the Lord’s unmatched sovereignty, His covenant fidelity, and His gracious deliverance—assuring every generation that no foe can stand when the Almighty rises to intervene.
Forms and Transliterations
הֲמָמַ֗נִי הֲמָמָ֖ם הממם הממני וְ֠הָמַם וְהַמֹּתִי֙ וְהָמָם֙ וַיְהֻמֵּ֔ם וַיְהֻמֵּ֤ם וַיְהֻמֵּֽם׃ וַיָּ֕הָם וַיָּ֣הָם וַיָּהֹֽם׃ וּתְהֻמֵּֽם׃ והמם והמתי ויהם ויהם׃ ויהמם ויהמם׃ ותהמם׃ לְהֻמָּ֖ם להמם hă·mā·ma·nî hă·mā·mām hamaMam hămāmām hamaMani hămāmanî lə·hum·mām lehumMam ləhummām ū·ṯə·hum·mêm utehumMem ūṯəhummêm vaiYahom vayhumMem vehaMam vehammoTi way·hum·mêm way·yā·hām way·yā·hōm wayhummêm wayyāhām wayyāhōm wə·hā·mam wə·hā·mām wə·ham·mō·ṯî wəhāmam wəhāmām wəhammōṯî
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
