Chokhmah
/ˈχɔx.mɑː/noun
A Hebrew word meaning wisdom, especially divine or profound wisdom in Jewish thought.
Did you know?In Kabbalah, Chokhmah is the second of the ten sefirot, associated with the first flash of creative insight and traditionally portrayed as masculine in contrast with Binah.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḥ-k-m
“A root associated with wisdom, judgment, skill, and discernment”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
חָכְמָה (ḥokhmāh)
“Wisdom, skill, intelligence, or practical expertise”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
חָכָם (ḥākhām)
“Wise; a wise person or sage, from the same root”
Late Antiquity
Jewish Aramaic
חָכְמְתָא (ḥokhmətā)
“Wisdom, corresponding to Hebrew ḥokhmāh”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
حِكْمَة (ḥikma)
“Wisdom, judgment, or philosophical insight; a related Semitic form”
19th–20th Century
English
Chokhmah
“A scholarly transliteration of Hebrew ḥokhmāh, especially in Jewish philosophy and Kabbalah”