Lexical Summary
chamal: To spare, to have compassion, to pity
Original Word:חָמַל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:chamal
Pronunciation:khaw-mal'
Phonetic Spelling:(khaw-mal')
KJV: have compassion, (have) pity, spare
NASB:spare, spared, sparing, have pity, had compassion, had compassion, spares
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to commiserate
2. (by implication) to spare
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
have compassion, have pity, spare
A primitive root; to commiserate; by implication, to spare -- have compassion, (have) pity, spare.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto spare
NASB Translationconcern (1), desires (1), had compassion (2), had pity (1), had...compassion (2), have compassion (1), have pity (4), have...pity (1), mercy (1), ruthlessly* (1), show pity (1), spare (11), spared (5), spares (2), sparing (5), unsparing* (1), unwilling (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Arabic
; is
bear, become responsible; Aramaic
comportavit, congessit); —
Perfect1 Samuel 15:15 3t.;2 Samuel 12:6;Lamentations 2:17;Lamentations 2:21;Lamentations 3:43;Malachi 3:17;ImperfectJob 16:13 6t.;Job 6:10 3t.;1 Samuel 15:9 3t.; 3 feminine singularExodus 2:6; 2masculine singularDeuteronomy 13:9;1 Samuel 15:3;Ezekiel 8:18;Ezekiel 9:10;Jeremiah 13:14 4t.;Ezekiel 36:21;Isaiah 9:18;Jeremiah 50:14;Jeremiah 51:3;Ezekiel 9:5;Infinitive constructEzekiel 16:5 (Ges§ 45, 1. b); —spare, have compassion, withExodus 2:6 (E),1 Samuel 15:3,9,15;1 Samuel 23:21;2 Samuel 21:7; 2Chronicles 36:15,17;Jeremiah 15:5;Ezekiel 16:5;Ezekiel 36:21;Job 20:13;Zechariah 11:5,6;Malachi 3:17 (twice in verse);Joel 2:18;Deuteronomy 13:9 ("" followed by ),Jeremiah 21:7 ("" followed by + ),Ezekiel 9:10 ("" followed by according to Co); followed byJeremiah 51:3;Isaiah 9:18; note poetic =spare no arrowJeremiah 50:14; followed byInfinitive2 Samuel 12:4; absolute2 Samuel 12:6;Isaiah 30:14;Lamentations 2:17,21, alsoLamentations 2:2 where apparently followed by accusative,Lamentations 3:43;Job 6:10;Job 16:13;Job 27:22;Proverbs 6:34;Habakkuk 1:17; ""Ezekiel 5:11;Ezekiel 7:4 (strike out Co as doubl. ofEzekiel 7:9),Ezekiel 7:9;Ezekiel 8:18;Ezekiel 9:5;Jeremiah 13:14 ("" and ).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewחָמַל (chamal) is a verb of personal response, usually rendered “to spare,” “to pity,” “to show compassion,” or negatively, “to refuse pity.” It occurs about forty-one times in the Hebrew canon and twice in Biblical Aramaic (Daniel 3:28;Daniel 6:10 [Eng. 6:13]). The contexts move from tender mercy toward an infant (Exodus 2:6) to implacable judgment upon hardened rebellion (Ezekiel 7:4); from a king’s disobedient leniency (1 Samuel 15:9) to the Lord’s patient heart for His covenant people (2 Chronicles 36:15).
Range of Meaning and Translation Equivalents
• To spare from harm, death, or destruction (1 Samuel 15:9;Jeremiah 50:14).
• To feel or act with compassion, mercy, or tender regard (Exodus 2:6;2 Chronicles 36:15).
• To “have regard for,” “value,” or “esteem” (Genesis 45:20;Daniel 3:28).
• Negatively, to “show no pity,” “withhold compassion,” or “not spare” (Deuteronomy 19:13;Ezekiel 9:10).
Distribution
Pentateuch (8×), Former Prophets (8×), Writings (6×, including Job and Daniel), Major Prophets (6×), and Ezekiel alone (10×). The concentration in Ezekiel underscores the prophet’s emphasis on the certainty of divine judgment that no human appeal can avert.
Representative Texts
1. Compassion expressed:
•Exodus 2:6 – “When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. And she had compassion on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrew children.’”
•2 Chronicles 36:15 – “Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.”
2. Compassion denied:
•Deuteronomy 19:13 – “You must not harbor pity for him. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.”
•Ezekiel 9:10 – “But as for Me, I will not show pity or spare them; I will bring their deeds down upon their own heads.”
3. Misguided pity:
•1 Samuel 15:9 – “Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep and cattle… They were unwilling to destroy them completely.”
4. Valuing beyond life:
•Daniel 3:28 – “They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”
Contrasts with Other Hebrew Terms
חָמַל overlaps with רָחַם (racham, deep compassion) and חוּס (chus, to feel sorry for), yet maintains a distinct nuance of withholding harm or preserving something of worth. Racham describes visceral mercy; chus often highlights a felt sympathy; chamal stresses the decision to spare or not spare, whether grounded in mercy, selfishness, or disobedience.
Theological Themes
1. Divine Sovereignty in Mercy and Judgment
Chamal underscores that compassion and severity both reside in God’s righteous character. He is free to spare (2 Chronicles 36:15) or to withhold pity (Ezekiel 7:4) according to covenant faithfulness and human response.
2. Covenant Responsibility
Israel is commanded to withhold pity from persistent evil (Deuteronomy 19:13) lest mercy become complicity. Misapplied compassion—such as Saul’s sparing of Agag—incurs severe rebuke because it contradicts God’s explicit word (1 Samuel 15:22-23).
3. Redemptive Foreshadowing
Pharaoh’s daughter “had compassion” on Moses, an act God used to preserve Israel’s deliverer. Human compassion thus becomes a conduit of God’s redemptive plan.
4. Prophetic Warning
Ezekiel’s repeated negation (“I will not spare, nor will I have pity,”Ezekiel 7:4; 8:18) anticipates Babylon’s siege and reveals the inevitability of judgment once divine patience is exhausted.
5. Exemplary Sacrifice
Daniel’s friends “did not spare” their own bodies (Daniel 3:28), foreshadowing the New Testament call to present our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) and echoing the Father who “did not spare His own Son” (Romans 8:32).
Historical Background
In Near Eastern warfare, kings often spared valuable plunder or royal hostages for prestige or profit. Saul’s partial obedience fits this pattern but is condemned because it contradicts holy war principles aimed at eradicating Amalekite aggression (1 Samuel 15). Conversely, Assyrian and Babylonian conquerors boasted of “showing no mercy,” which the prophets mirror in portraying God’s instrument of judgment.
Pastoral and Devotional Application
• Discernment in Mercy – Believers are to show compassion yet never compromise clear biblical standards of justice and holiness.
• Obedience over Sentiment – Genuine compassion submits to God’s directives (1 Kings 20:35-42 gives a parallel lesson with a different verb).
• Confidence in Divine Compassion – Even in judgment passages, the presence of chamal assures that God’s default posture toward His people is mercy, patiently extended until defiantly refused (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).
• Self-sacrificial Mission – Daniel’s companions exemplify a willingness to forgo self-preservation. Ministry that “does not spare” one’s own comfort mirrors the Savior who laid down His life.
Christological Implications
The root idea of “not sparing” culminates at the cross: “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32). Every Old Testament use of chamal that withholds sparing in judgment points to the day when judgment fell upon the sinless Substitute, while every compassionate sparing anticipates the mercy secured by His sacrifice.
See Also
Racham (Strong’s 7355) – compassion, tender mercy
Chus (Strong’s 2347) – to pity, look with sorrow
Selach (Strong’s 5545) – to forgive, pardon
Forms and Transliterations
אֶחְמ֑וֹל אֶחְמ֥וֹל אֶחְמ֧וֹל אֶחְמֹ֑ל אֶחְמֽוֹל׃ אחמול אחמול׃ אחמל וְחָמַלְתִּ֣י וַיַּחְמֹ֖ל וַיַּחְמֹ֗ל וַיַּחְמֹ֣ל וַיַּחְמֹל֩ וַתַּחְמֹ֣ל וָאֶחְמֹ֖ל ואחמל וחמלתי ויחמל ותחמל חֲמַלְתֶּ֖ם חָמַ֗ל חָמַ֛ל חָמַ֤ל חָמַ֥ל חָמָ֑ל חָמָֽלְתָּ׃ חָמָֽל׃ חמל חמל׃ חמלת׃ חמלתם יַ֝חְמ֗וֹל יַחְמ֑וֹל יַחְמ֖וֹל יַחְמֹ֑ל יַחְמֹ֖ל יַחְמֹ֣ל יַחְמֹ֤ל יַחְמֹֽלוּ׃ יַחְמֽוֹל׃ יחמול יחמול׃ יחמל יחמלו׃ לְחֻמְלָ֣ה לחמלה תַּחְמְל֖וּ תַּחְמְלוּ֙ תַּחְמֹֽלוּ׃ תַחְמֹ֖ל תַחְמֹ֥ל תחמל תחמלו תחמלו׃ ’eḥ·mō·wl ’eḥ·mōl ’eḥmōl ’eḥmōwl chaMal chaMalta chamalTem echMol ḥā·mā·lə·tā ḥā·mal ḥā·māl ḥă·mal·tem ḥāmal ḥāmāl ḥāmālətā ḥămaltem lə·ḥum·lāh lechumLah ləḥumlāh tachmeLu tachMol tachMolu taḥ·mə·lū taḥ·mō·lū ṯaḥ·mōl taḥməlū ṯaḥmōl taḥmōlū vaechMol vaiyachMol vattachMol vechamalTi wā’eḥmōl wā·’eḥ·mōl wat·taḥ·mōl wattaḥmōl way·yaḥ·mōl wayyaḥmōl wə·ḥā·mal·tî wəḥāmaltî yachMol yachMolu yaḥ·mō·lū yaḥ·mō·wl yaḥ·mōl yaḥmōl yaḥmōlū yaḥmōwl
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