battle
mil.cha.mah denotes armed conflict, from a particular engagement to war between opposing parties and preparations for fighting.
The noun most often names a concrete armed engagement in which forces advance, array themselves, fight, flee, or suffer casualties. It also occurs for military readiness and equipment oriented toward fighting, and for an ongoing condition of conflict between rulers or peoples.
Senses in use
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An armed engagement · dominant
The singular absolute form identifies a fighting encounter: in 1 Chronicles 19:14 the APB renders Joab's troops advancing to engage Aram, and in 1 Kings 20:29 it renders the opposing camps' encounter as joined. In 1 Chronicles 10:3 the conflict presses hard upon Saul, while 1 Kings 22:35 depicts it continuing through the day.
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Fighting as military purpose or readiness · common
The term marks people, forces, and equipment prepared for fighting. In 1 Chronicles 5:18 the APB renders men as trained for battle, and in 1 Chronicles 12:36 it renders men going out with the army to arrange for battle; 1 Samuel 8:12 places the construct form with weapons and chariot equipment.
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A state of war between parties · occasional
The singular absolute form can describe conflict existing between named sides rather than narrating a single clash. In 1 Kings 14:30 the APB renders war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam through their days, and in 1 Kings 22:1 it renders three years without battle between Aram and Israel.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly renders the surrounding clauses with “battle,” including a battle that is joined or continues, but also uses “war” for enduring conflict between parties. These English choices confirm the verse-level setting rather than establish separate definitions by themselves.