TR: dâm → haîma (Blood)¶

The Chain¶

Hebrew OT              LXX (Greek OT)         Greek NT
──────────────────     ───────────────         ────────────────
דָּם (dâm)         →   αἷμα (haîma)        →   αἷμα (haîma)
H1818, 295x in OT       LXX co-occ: 269x        92x in NT
"blood"                  PMI score: 34.72        "blood"

The dâm → αἷμα bridge is one of the strongest Hebrew-to-Greek alignments in the entire lexicon (PMI 34.72, 269 co-occurrences). The concept moves from OT to NT with minimal semantic shift — blood remains blood in both testaments, while its theological significance deepens in light of Christ.

OT Usage (Hebrew)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
H1818	דָּם (dâm)	295	blood — literal and figurative bloodshed

Key OT passages: - Gen 4:10 — "the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground" — blood as witness of murder - Lev 17:11 — "the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls" — blood as atonement - Deut 12:23 — "the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh" — blood = nephesh - Exo 24:8 — "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you" — covenant-ratifying blood - Joel 2:30–31 — "blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke... the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD" — eschatological sign

→ H1818-dam.md

LXX Bridge¶

Hebrew	Greek Translation	LXX Co-occ	PMI	Notes
dâm (H1818)	αἷμα (G129)	269x	34.72	Dominant; near 1:1
shâphak (H8210)	ἐκχέω (G1632)	49x	19.73	"shed/pour blood" phrase translated as a unit
nâzâh (H5137)	αἷμα (G129)	13x	14.69	Sprinkling of blood → haîma

Semantic continuity: αἷμα in the LXX preserves all primary meanings of dâm — literal blood, blood as life-force, blood of sacrifice, bloodshed, and blood-guilt. The translation is essentially one-to-one, with Greek retaining the full Hebrew semantic range.

NT Usage (Greek)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
G129	αἷμα (haîma)	92	blood — literal and sacrificial/Christological

Key NT passages: - Mat 26:28 — "this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" — covenant blood (echoes Exo 24:8) - Heb 9:12 — "neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place" — OT blood rites as type; Christ's blood as antitype - Heb 9:22 — "without shedding of blood is no remission" — Levitical principle applied to Christ - Acts 2:19–20 — quoting Joel 2:30–31 — "blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke... the moon into blood" — eschatological blood sign carried directly - Rev 12:11 — "they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb" — vicarious/redemptive blood

→ G129-haima.md

Direct OT→NT Quotations¶

NT Verse	Quotes OT	Shared Word	Significance
Acts 2:19–20	Joel 2:30–31	dâm → αἷμα	Blood as eschatological sign; Peter applies it to Pentecost and the last days
Heb 9:20	Exo 24:8	dâm → αἷμα	"the blood of the covenant" — Moses' words quoted at the Last Supper
Mat 26:28	Exo 24:8	dâm → αἷμα	Jesus reframes Mosaic covenant blood as his own blood

Continuity and Shifts¶

What stays the same across testaments: - Blood as the life-force — the prohibition on eating blood and the equation blood = life carries into NT (Acts 15:20) - Blood as covenant-ratifying substance — Exo 24:8 echoed in Mat 26:28 and Heb 9:20 - Innocent blood crying out — martyrs' blood before God's throne (Rev 6:10; cf. Gen 4:10) - Eschatological blood signs — Joel's blood moon quoted verbatim in Acts 2 and alluded to in Revelation

What shifts: - The sacrificial system is fulfilled and typologically complete in Christ's blood (Heb 9–10); blood of animals gives way to blood of the Lamb - Multiplicity → singularity: OT has innumerable blood offerings; NT centers on one definitive sacrifice - Atonement scope expands: OT blood atones for specific sins within Israel; NT blood of Christ is for "many" and extends to all nations