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 from A to Z, by the first English letter 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

בֵּית (beit/bet) - house/home

בֵּית סֵפֶר (beit sefer) - school

בן (ben) - son

דעת (da’at) - knowledge

דם (dam) - blood

דֶּרֶךְ (derek) - way, road, journey

אל (el/El) - mighty, powerful

אם (em) - mother

ארץ (eretz) - land, earth, territory

עֵץ (ets) - tree

גַּת (gat/gath) - wine press

גִּבּוֺר (gibor) - strong, mighty, powerful (also gebirah - powerful woman, queen mother)

גור (gur/gor) - to abide, gather, dwell. Also refers to lion cubs.

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

לֶחֶם (lehem/lékhem) - bread

מָגֵן (magen) - shield

מים (mayim) - water/waters

מֶלֶךְ (melek) - king, monarch, sovereign, royal rule

מִקדָשׁ (mikdash) - temple, sanctuary, shrine

נָהָר (nahar) - river, stream, current

נפש (nepeš) - life force

אהל ('ohel) - tent

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."

סֵפֶר (sefer) - book

שַׁלוָה (shalom) - peace, serenity, tranquility, harmony, safety, calmness

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

תְּאֵנָה  (te'enah) - fig

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

יָרֵחַ (yareach) - Moon (masculine noun). Another word for Moon is (לְבָנָה) Levana (a feminine noun).

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 Proto-Egyptian and Ancient Akkadian.

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