Lexical Summary
chalam: To dream
Original Word:חָלַם
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:chalam
Pronunciation:khaw-LAM
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-lam')
KJV: dreamed
Word Origin:[A primitive root]
1. To be healthy, strong
2. To dream
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cause to dreamer, be in good liking, recover
A primitive root; properly, to bind firmly, i.e. (by implication) to be (causatively to make) plump; also (through the figurative sense of dumbness) to dream -- (cause to) dream(-er), be in good liking, recover.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] (Late Hebrew
id.; Aramaic
Ethpe`el
be made healthy, strong, Aph`el causative, also derivatives;
press firmly together) —
ImperfectJob 39:4their young are healthy.
Imperfect2masculine singularIsaiah 38:16and restore me to health ("" ).
II. (Late Hebrewid.; Aramaic
, ; Ethiopic
Arabic
,dream, experience an emission of the seminal fluid, attain to puberty) —
PerfectGenesis 42:9;Daniel 2:1,Genesis 37:9 3t.,Genesis 37:6 2t., etc., + 3 t. Perfect;ImperfectIsaiah 29:8 5t.,Job 39:4,Genesis 40:5,Joel 3:1,Genesis 41:11;ParticipleDeuteronomy 13:4,Genesis 41:1;Deuteronomy 13:2;Deuteronomy 13:6,Psalm 126:1; —dream:
Isaiah 29:8 (twice in verse);Psalm 126:1.
: of JacobGenesis 28:12, JosephGenesis 37:5,6,9 (twice in verse);Genesis 37:10;Genesis 42:9, of Pharaoh and his servantsGenesis 40:5,8;Genesis 41:1,5,11 (twice in verse);Genesis 41:15 (all E, not elsewhere in Hexateuch); of MidianiteJudges 7:13, Nebuchad.Daniel 2:1,3, old men in latter daysJoel 3:1.
Deuteronomy 13:2;Deuteronomy 13:4;Deuteronomy 13:6;Jeremiah 23:25 (twice in verse).
Participle,dream (of false prophets, with accusative of congnate meaning with verb)Jeremiah 29:8 (but read [ by dittograph from ], Hi Gf Gie Gr).
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Field and Core Ideaחָלַם centers on the experience of “dreaming,” whether as a verb of action (“he dreamed”) or a participial description (“dreamer”). The word depicts both ordinary nocturnal dreams and divinely given revelations. From the opening pages of Genesis to the later prophets, חָלַם bears the dual possibility of genuine disclosure from God or deceptive imagination, a tension that Scripture repeatedly resolves by its tests of authenticity.
Distribution across the Canon
About thirty appearances of חָלַם are spread over five major groupings:
1. Patriarchal history (Genesis 20–41).
2. Torah legislation and covenant warnings (Numbers 12;Deuteronomy 13).
3. Early monarchy narratives (Judges 7;1 Samuel 28;1 Kings 3).
4. Wisdom and poetic books (Job 7, 20, 33; Psalms 126;Ecclesiastes 5;Isaiah 29).
5. Exilic and post-exilic prophecy (Jeremiah 23;Jeremiah 27–29;Zechariah 10).
The pattern underscores that dreams span all periods of Israel’s life and are never confined to a single spiritual era.
Dreams as Divine Communication
1. Covenant advance in Genesis
•Genesis 28:12: “And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth….” Jacob’s dream at Bethel confirms the Abrahamic promise to the next generation.
•Genesis 37:5, 9: Joseph’s two dreams forecast national deliverance. Their later fulfillment inGenesis 42–50 vindicates God’s providence and Joseph’s integrity.
2. Royal guidance
•1 Kings 3:5: “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night….” The wisdom request that shapes Solomon’s reign comes through חָלַם.
• Daniel’s Babylonian setting (though Aramaic supplies the vocabulary) echoes the Joseph cycle, showing God still ruling foreign courts through revelatory dreams.
3. Prophetic accreditation
•Numbers 12:6: “I will speak with him in a dream.” Divine initiative validates Moses’ leadership and the wider prophetic office.
•Jeremiah 23:28 recognizes true dreams alongside deceptive ones but insists: “Let him who has My word speak it faithfully.”
False Dreams and the Test of Fidelity
Deuteronomy 13:3 warns Israel: “You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you….” The criterion is doctrinal loyalty, not dramatic experience.Jeremiah 27–29 intensifies the warning; Hananiah’s optimistic “dream” collapses before Jeremiah’s yoke of Babylonian discipline.
Thus חָלַם is never self-validating. Dreams must harmonize with previous revelation. The principle safeguards the unity of Scripture and protects God’s people from experientialism divorced from truth.
Dreams and Ordinary Life
Job wrestles with enigmatic dreams: “You frighten me with dreams” (Job 7:14). Later Elihu observes God “speaks…in a dream, in a vision in the night” (Job 33:15). The two passages illustrate both the discomfort and redemptive correction dreams can bring, paralleling Joseph’s corrective message to his brothers and Gideon’s assurance at the Midianite camp (Judges 7:13–15).
Ecclesiastes 5:3 connects frequent dreams to “much busyness,” counseling restraint.Isaiah 29:8 uses dream imagery for frustrated enemies: their expectations will prove as unsubstantial as a night-vision that vanishes at dawn.
Corporate Memory and Worship
Psalm 126:1 compares Israel’s restoration to “those who dream,” framing חָלַם as a metaphor for unimaginable mercy fulfilled. The language teaches worshipers to remember past deliverances and anticipate future grace.
Christological and Eschatological Echoes
Though the Hebrew verb stops appearing after Zechariah, its theological trajectory continues. Joseph the husband of Mary receives angelic guidance “in a dream” (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19, 22), a narrative that consciously recalls Genesis Joseph and confirms that God still shepherds redemptive history through nocturnal revelation when it suits His purpose.
Acts 2:17 quotes Joel to predict an age of increased visions and dreams. The citation assumes the Old Testament criteria: dreams serve the Word; they never supplant it.
Pastoral and Devotional Implications
• Expectation with discernment: Scripture encourages believers to regard dreams as possible avenues of God’s leading while submitting them to biblical testing.
• Assurance of sovereignty: From pagan kings to humble shepherds, God reaches any setting. חָלַם reminds the Church that no environment is closed to divine intervention.
• Spiritual humility: Dreams often reveal human dependency. Solomon’s petition, Gideon’s encouragement, and Jacob’s astonishment foster reverence rather than self-promotion.
Key Passages for Study and Teaching
Genesis 28:10-22;Genesis 37:1-11;Genesis 41:1-46;Numbers 12:1-8;Deuteronomy 13:1-5;Judges 7:9-15;1 Kings 3:4-15;Job 33:14-18;Jeremiah 23:25-32;Zechariah 10:2.
Conclusion
Across the Old Testament, חָלַם is a testimony to a God who speaks, guides, warns, and comforts according to His covenant purposes. Whether confirming promises, exposing falsehood, or inspiring worship, the dreams of Scripture underscore that “the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
Forms and Transliterations
הַחֲל֥וֹם החלום וְתַחֲלִימֵ֖נִי וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֖ם וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וַיַּֽחַלְמוּ֩ וַיַּחֲלֹ֤ם וַיַּחֲלֹ֥ם וַנַּֽחַלְמָ֥ה ויחלם ויחלמו ונחלמה ותחלימני חֲלֹמ֣וֹת חָלַ֔מְנוּ חָלַ֔מְתִּי חָלַ֖ם חָלַ֖מְתִּי חָלַ֗מְתִּי חָלַ֤מְתִּֽי חָלַ֥ם חָלָ֑מְתִּי חָלָ֑מְתָּ חָלָֽמְנוּ׃ חָלָֽמְתִּי׃ חֹלֵ֔ם חֹלֵ֣ם חֹלֵם֩ חוֹלֵ֥ם חולם חלם חלמות חלמנו חלמנו׃ חלמת חלמתי חלמתי׃ יַחְלְמ֣וּ יַחֲלֹ֤ם יַחֲלֹ֨ם יחלם יחלמו כְּחֹלְמִֽים׃ כחלמים׃ מַחְלְמִֽים׃ מחלמים׃ chaLam chaLamenu chaLameta chaLameti chaLamnu chaLamti chaloMot choLem ha·ḥă·lō·wm ḥā·lā·mə·nū ḥā·lā·mə·tā ḥā·lā·mə·tî ḥā·lam ḥā·lam·nū ḥā·lam·tî ḥă·lō·mō·wṯ hachaLom haḥălōwm ḥālam ḥālāmənū ḥālāmətā ḥālāmətî ḥālamnū ḥālamtî ḥălōmōwṯ ḥō·lêm ḥō·w·lêm ḥōlêm ḥōwlêm kə·ḥō·lə·mîm kecholeMim kəḥōləmîm machleMim maḥ·lə·mîm maḥləmîm vaiyachalMu vaiyachaLom vannachalMah vetachaliMeni wan·na·ḥal·māh wannaḥalmāh way·ya·ḥă·lōm way·ya·ḥal·mū wayyaḥalmū wayyaḥălōm wə·ṯa·ḥă·lî·mê·nî wəṯaḥălîmênî ya·ḥă·lōm yachaLom yachleMu yaḥ·lə·mū yaḥălōm yaḥləmū
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