Hebrew Lexicon

Some readers have asked about basic Hebrew words. Perhaps this short lexicon of Hebrew words will be helpful. The lexicon is ordered alphabetically by the first letter of the English translation of the Hebrew word.

אָדָם (adam) - man, mankind, human

אֲדָמָה (adamah) - ground, soil, earth

עָתִיק (atiq) - ancient, venerable, old

אָב (av) - father

עין (ayin) - eye

בָּמָה (bamah) - high place, fortress at a high elevation, mountain shrine or temple

בַּת (bath) - daughter

ברא (bara) - to give substance to, to fatten (1 Sam. 2:29)

ברך (barak) - to kneel down, blessing

בן (ben) - son

דעת (da’at) - knowledge

דם (dam) - blood

דֶּרֶךְ (derek) - way, road, journey

אם (em) - mother

ארץ (eretz) - land, earth, territory

עֵץ (ets) - tree

הַר (har) - mountain, hill

חכם (hhakham) - wisdom, skill, understanding, to make distinction/separate

חמה (hheymah) - cheese

כָּרָה (karah) -- to trade, get by trade

כהן (kohen) - priest

מים (mayim) - water

מֶלֶךְ (melek) - king, monarch, sovereign 

מִקדָשׁ (mikdash) - temple, sanctuary, shrine

נָהָר (nahar) - river, stream, current

נפש (nepeš) - life force

עולם (olam) - world (space) and age (time)

אושר (osher) - happiness

קרא (qara) - to call out

קרה (qarah) - to meet

קדם (qedem) - east (space), ancient (time)

קרבן (qorbān) - offering, gift, sacrifice

רשע (rasha) - to depart

ראשית (reshiyt) - beginning

ראש (rosh) - head, summit, top, as in Rosh Hashanah, “Head of the Year."

שמים (shamayim) - sky, heavens

שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) - sun

שִׁיל֔וֹ (Shiloh) - capital city in the time of the Judges, a Messianic reference in Genesis 49.

תבון (tavun) - understanding, discernment

תהלה (t’hil’lah) - beginning (Gen. 13:3)

צלם (tselem) - an outline of a shadow, a representation, or image of the original

ידע (yada) - to know intimately

יום (yam) - day

יצר (yatsar) - to form (as shape from clay)

זָבָה (zava) - to flow, as in "a land flowing (זָבַת) with milk and honey."

Hebrew is a relatively new language. Abraham did not speak Hebrew. Many of the Hebrew roots (radicals) can be traced to older languages such as Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Akkadian.

Related: Ancient Egyptian Lexicon; Ancient Akkadian Lexicon; Ancient Words for Priests; Hebrew Names and Titles