# Arabic-Hebrew لحم/לחם



## rushalaim

*Moderator note: Split from here.*

לחם means _"smth. edible"_ with greediness. מלחמה means _"eating greedily _[_with a knife_]_"_.
(Look at Genesis 22:10 where סכינא _"knife"_ Pentateuch names as המאכלת _"she who eats_ [_flesh_]_"_)


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## origumi

לחם does mean "meat" in biblical Hebrew, even if rarely.


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## rushalaim

origumi said:


> לחם does mean "meat" in biblical Hebrew, even if rarely.


_"Meat"_ is בשר


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## berndf

origumi said:


> לחם does mean "meat" in biblical Hebrew, even if rarely.


What passage do you have in mind? I am not aware of any occurrence in the Tanakh where it specifically means_ meat_ and not either mean _bread_ or_ food _in general.


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## Drink

I think it was in the thread that Elroy originally linked to (which a moderator for some reason removed), or it may have been somewhere else, but I read that the English word _meat_ also used to mean "food" in general (just like the Arabic word), and was used in the English translations of the Bible to translate לחם when it meant "food" in general. Maybe this is the source of confusion? I don't think Hebrew לחם ever referred specifically to "בשר".


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## bazq

Drink said:


> I think it was in the thread that Elroy originally linked to (which a moderator for some reason removed), or it may have been somewhere else, but I read that the English word _meat_ also used to mean "food" in general (just like the Arabic word), and was used in the English translations of the Bible to translate לחם when it meant "food" in general. Maybe this is the source of confusion? I don't think Hebrew לחם ever referred specifically to "בשר".



Yes, you are right, the English word "meat" did use to mean "food" in general, don't know if it's the source of the Biblical "לחם" confusion though. I too don't recall ever encountering an instance of "לחם" meaning "meat", hopefully origumi has specific passages in mind. Very interesting.


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## rushalaim

berndf said:


> What passage do you have in mind? I am not aware of any occurrence in the Tanakh where it specifically means_ meat_ and not either mean _bread_ or_ food _in general.


Exodus 29:2 לחם מצות _"edible unleavened"_. 
ולחם מצות וחלת מצת בלולת בשמן ורקיקי מצות משחים בשמן סלת חטים תעשה אתם


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## Drink

rushalaim said:


> Exodus 29:2 לחם מצות _"edible unleavened"_.
> ולחם מצות וחלת מצת בלולת בשמן ורקיקי מצות משחים בשמן סלת חטים תעשה אתם



Clearly doesn't mean meat there. Not sure why you bring that up.


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## origumi

berndf said:


> What passage do you have in mind?


Number 28:2 (possibly)
Zephaniah 1:17


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## Drink

origumi said:


> Number 28:2 (possibly)
> Zephaniah 1:17



The first one, like you probably recognized, could be referring to food in general. The second one, while clearly referring to flesh, is a different word לחום.


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## rushalaim

Drink said:


> Clearly doesn't mean meat there. Not sure why you bring that up.


Of course, not any _"meat"_! I mean it like Aramaic means לחמא _"smth. edible"_ in general.


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## rushalaim

I think, Aramaic לחמא is soft unleavened pancake (like Yemenite-Jews make it for Pesah). _"Pita"_, if you'll put any meat inside _"pita"_, it'll be meat-dinner. If you'll put vegetables inside _"pita"_, it'll be vegetable-dinner.
Daniel 5:1 _"great feast"_
בלשאצר מלכא עבד לחם רב לרברבנוהי אלף ולקבל אלפא חמרא שתה


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## berndf

*Moderator note: Discussion of two-letter roots move to here.*


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## rayloom

Drink said:


> The first one, like you probably recognized, could be referring to food in general. The second one, while clearly referring to flesh, is a different word לחום.



Still interesting though, using the same root to refer to flesh.


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## Drink

rayloom said:


> Still interesting though, using the same root to refer to flesh.



Yes, it's interesting to note that even Rashi (1040-1105) knew this and points this out, even though he did not know Arabic (he lived in Troyes, France, and studied in yeshiva in Worms and Mainz, Germany):
*ולחומם.* בשרם ול' ערבי בשר קורין אל לחם
*ūləḥūmām:* "[and] their flesh"; and in Arabic they call flesh _al laḥm_


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