B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

The word חוֹמָה XOMAH, 'wall' we have just encountered in Lev. 25:29 is an apt remainder that Hebrew words are mostly linked "vertically" via a shared root, and not "horizontally" by related meaning. To wit: XOMAH has absolutely nothing in common with neither חוֹם XOM, 'warmth', nor with חם XAM, 'father-in-law'.

XOMAH is from the root חם of the family of roots
גם, הם, חם, כם, קם
of which we have:

From GM
גם GAM, 'also'; אגם AGAM, 'lake, pond', as in Ex.7:19; גֹמֶא GOME (and אגמוֹן AGMON), 'bulrushes'; גמא, גמע GAMA, 'gulp', as in Gen. 24:17; גוּמָה GUMAH (post biblical), 'dimple'; עגם AGAM, 'grieve', as in Job 30:25, and related to the post biblical עקם AQAM, 'bend'.

From HM
המה HAMAH, 'collect, pile', as in Jer. 5:22; המוֹן HAMON, 'multitude, crowd, jostling mass', as in Isaiah 5:14; המם HAMAM, 'pile'.

From XM
חָם XAM, 'father in law'; חוֹם XOM, 'heat'; חוּם XUM, 'brown?'; חוֹמָה XOMAH, 'wall'; חֶמאָה XEMAH, butter, solidified milk fat'.

From KM
כמוֹן KAMON, 'cumin'; כמה KAMAH, 'yearn, long'; כימה KIYMAH, 'accumulation of stars', as in Amos 5:8.

From QM
קוּם QUM, 'stand up, erect'; קמה QAMAH, 'grown corn'; עקם AQAM (post biblical), 'bend'.

Hence, חוֹמה XOMAH is קוֹמה QOMAH, 'a tall and thick structure of arranged blocks built to form a strong enclosing fence or barrier'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

So what is חוֹם XOM, 'heat'? It is the extraneous thing that קם QAM, 'rises, cumulates', and הוֹמֶה HOMEH, 'bustling', in the invigorated body.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Avichai,

How did you come to the conclusion that the Hebrew root חמי, חמה indicates "vision", by reasoning that a חומה is inescapably visible?

שוּר, related to טוּר, may mean 'series, chain, order, succession', as does the שוּרה $URAH of Job 24:11. שיר, 'song', is also a series, or string, of words. שוּרוּ, 'look!' (as in the song שוּרוּ הביטוּ וּראוּ), may just mean, as we say it today, הישירוּ מבט, 'look straight ahead'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University