אִם
if
‘if’ is one of 8 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Conjunction
- A joining word (e.g. “and,” “but”) linking words or clauses.
Every verse where H518 appears in the Book of Genesis — 67 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Genesis
- Genesis 4:7 אִם וְ/אִם֙ conj conj + conj If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it."
- Genesis 13:9 אִם וְ/אִם conj conj + conj Isn't the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left."
- Genesis 13:16 אִם conj I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then your seed may also be numbered.
- Genesis 14:23 אִם וְ/אִם conj conj + conj that I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.'
- Genesis 15:4 אִם֙ conj Behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir, but he who will come forth out of your own body will be your heir."
- Genesis 15:5 אִם conj Yahweh brought him outside, and said, "Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." He said to Abram, "So shall your seed be."
- Genesis 17:17 וְ/אִ֨ם conj + conj Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"
- Genesis 18:3 אִם conj and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don't go away from your servant.
- Genesis 18:21 וְ/אִם conj + conj I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me. If not, I will know."
- Genesis 18:26 אִם conj Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake."
- Genesis 18:28 אִם conj What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."
- Genesis 18:30 אִם conj He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?" He said, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."
- Genesis 20:7 וְ/אִם conj + conj Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don't restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours."
- Genesis 21:23 אִם conj Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. But according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land in which you have lived as a foreigner."
- Genesis 23:8 אִם conj He talked with them, saying, "If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
- Genesis 23:13 אִם conj He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, "But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there."
- Genesis 24:8 וְ/אִם conj + conj If the woman isn't willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this my oath. Only you shall not bring my son there again."
- Genesis 24:19 אִם conj When she had done giving him drink, she said, "I will also draw for your camels, until they have done drinking."
- Genesis 24:21 אִם conj The man looked steadfastly at her, holding his peace, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey prosperous or not.
- Genesis 24:33 אִם conj Food was set before him to eat. But he said, "I will not eat until I have told my message." He said, "Speak on."
- Genesis 24:38 אִם conj but you shall go to my father's house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.'
- Genesis 24:41 וְ/אִם conj + conj Then will you be clear from my oath, when you come to my relatives. If they don't give her to you, you shall be clear from my oath.'
- Genesis 24:42 אִם conj I came this day to the spring, and said, 'Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way which I go.
- Genesis 24:49 אִם וְ/אִם conj conj + conj Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. If not, tell me. That I may turn to the right hand, or to the left."
- Genesis 25:22 אִם conj The children struggled together within her. She said, "If it be so, why do I live?" She went to inquire of Yahweh.
- Genesis 26:29 אִם conj that you will do us no harm, as we have not touched you, and as we have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace.' You are now the blessed of Yahweh."
- Genesis 27:21 אִם conj Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."
- Genesis 27:46 אִם conj Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?"
- Genesis 28:15 אִם conj Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."
- Genesis 28:17 אִם conj He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."
- Genesis 28:20 אִם conj Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on,
- Genesis 30:1 וְ/אִם conj + conj When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I will die."
- Genesis 30:27 אִם conj Laban said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake."
- Genesis 30:31 אִם conj He said, "What shall I give you?" Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.
- Genesis 31:8 אִם וְ/אִם conj conj + conj If he said this, 'The speckled will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled. If he said this, 'The streaked will be your wages,' then all the flock bore streaked.
- Genesis 31:50 אִם וְ/אִם conj conj + conj If you will afflict my daughters, and if you will take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you."
- Genesis 31:52 אִם וְ/אִם conj conj + conj May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
- Genesis 32:8 אִם conj and he said, "If Esau comes to the one company, and strikes it, then the company which is left will escape."
- Genesis 32:26 אִם conj The man said, "Let me go, for the day breaks." Jacob said, "I won't let you go, unless you bless me."
- Genesis 32:28 אִם conj He said, "Your name will no longer be called 'Jacob,' but, 'Israel,' for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed."
- Genesis 33:10 אִם conj Jacob said, "Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
- Genesis 34:15 אִ֚ם conj Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised;
- Genesis 34:17 וְ/אִם conj + conj But if you will not listen to us, to be circumcised, then we will take our sister, and we will be gone."
- Genesis 35:10 אִם conj God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel." He named him Israel.
- Genesis 37:8 אִם conj His brothers said to him, "Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed have dominion over us?" They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words.
- Genesis 37:32 אִם conj They took the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, "We have found this. Examine it, now, whether it is your son's coat or not."
- Genesis 38:9 אִם conj Onan knew that the seed wouldn't be his; and it happened, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.
- Genesis 38:17 אִם conj He said, "I will send you a kid of the goats from the flock." She said, "Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?"
- Genesis 39:6 אִם conj He left all that he had in Joseph's hand. He didn't concern himself with anything, except for the food which he ate. Joseph was well-built and handsome.
- Genesis 39:9 אִם conj He isn't greater in this house than I, neither has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
- Genesis 40:14 אִם conj But remember me when it will be well with you, and show kindness, please, to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.
- Genesis 42:15 אִם אִם conj conj Hereby you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh you shall not go forth from here, unless your youngest brother come here.
- Genesis 42:16 וְ/אִם conj + conj Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies."
- Genesis 42:19 אִם conj If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison-house; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.
- Genesis 42:37 אִם conj Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons, if I don't bring him to you. Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to you again."
- Genesis 43:4 אִם conj If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food,
- Genesis 43:5 וְ/אִם conj + conj but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"
- Genesis 43:9 אִם conj I will be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don't bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever,
- Genesis 43:11 אִם conj Their father, Israel, said to them, "If it be so now, do this. Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;
- Genesis 44:23 אִם conj You said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.'
- Genesis 44:26 אִם conj We said, 'We can't go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, unless our youngest brother is with us.'
- Genesis 44:32 אִם conj For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I don't bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.'
- Genesis 47:6 וְ/אִם conj + conj The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any able men among them, then put them in charge of my cattle."
- Genesis 47:16 אִם conj Joseph said, "Give your cattle; and I will give you food for your cattle, if money fails."
- Genesis 47:18 אִם אִם conj conj When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord how our money is all spent, and the herds of cattle are my lord's. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands.
- Genesis 47:29 אִם conj The time drew near that Israel must die, and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, "If now I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please don't bury me in Egypt,
- Genesis 50:4 אִם conj When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
אם — transliterated ʼim — is a Hebrew word carrying the sense “if.” The lexicon spreads it across several senses; see its full sense range. Spanning 931 verses in 37 books, it ranks among the most common words of the Hebrew Bible. Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 4:7. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H518 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 931
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 931 distinct verses.
- 37 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 37 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #39
- by frequency
- Top 50 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 39 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 931 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 931 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 377 verses · 40%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 295 verses · 32%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 259 verses · 28%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: If 4×, But 2×, I will not 2×
- American Standard Version: If 4×, But 2×, Him 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: If 522×, Or 64×, When 25×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: If 701×, Or 65×, Except 36×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H518 across 43 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 29 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H518 across 43 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 29 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H518 across 867 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 56 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 202 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H518 across 1,048 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 36 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
8 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 8 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. hypoth. part. if.
- a. construction (v. more fully Dr§ 136–138, 143 Friedrich Die Hebr. Condit. sätze 1884): (1) with impf. (continued by pff. & waw consec.; apod. usually begins with pf. & waw consec. or bare impf.; or, if necess., with imper. or juss.) (a) of future time: Gn 18:26 אִם־אֶמְצָא if I shall find 50 righteous in Sodom, וְנָשָׂאתִי I will pardon, etc., 24:8; 32:9 Dt 19:8 f. 1 K 1:52 b; 6:12 ψ 89:31–33; Gn 42:37 Ju 13:16 1 K 1:52 a ψ 132:12. (b) of past time (rare, but classical): Gn 31:8 אִם יֹאמַר if ever he said … וְיָֽלְדוּ then they used to bear, etc., Ex 40:37; & in the protestations Jb 31:7, 13, 16, 25 etc. (alternating with pff., v. infr., & with jussives in apod.) (c) assuming a purely imaginary case (with impf. in both clauses, like the double opt. in Greek), if, though: Gn 13:16 so that אִם־יוּכַל if a man were able to number the stars, thy seed also יִמָּנֶה might be numbered, Nu 22:18 Is 1:18 אִם־יִהְיוּ ח׳ כַּשָּׁנִים יַלְבִּינוּ though your sins were as scarlet, they should become white as snow, Am 9:2–4 אִם־יַחְתְּרוּ though they were to dig into Sheôl, from thence תִּקָּחֵם would my hand fetch them, ψ 27:3; 139:8 +. (2) with pt. (expressing either a present process, or an approaching future: apod. as 1 a) Gn 24:42, 49 Ju 6:36 (+ ישׁ) 9:15; 11:9 אִם מְשִׁיבִים אַתֶּם if ye are going to bring me back וְנָתַן י׳ then י׳ will, etc.; similarly with יֵשׁ or אֵין Gn 44:26 Ex 22:2 1 S 20:8; 23:23; & with no explicit copula Dt 22:2; 25:2 Lv 1:3, 14, etc. (3) with perf. (a) of fut. or pres. time (continued by pff. & waw consec.: apod. as 1 a) Gn 43:9 אִם־לֹא הֲבִיאֹתִיו אֵלָיךָ וְהִצַּגְתִּיו לְפָנֶיךָ if I do not bring him back (si eum non reduxero) and set him before thee, I will be guilty for ever, 47:6 if thou knowest that there are men of worth among them וְשַׂמְתָּם then make them, etc., Ju 16:17 2 S 15:33 2 K 7:4 ψ 41:7; 94:18 Jb 7:4; 9:30 f. 10:14 אִם חָטָאתִי וּשְׁמַרְתָּ֑נִי if I sin, thou watchest me. On אִם־נָא Gn 18:3 al. v. נָא. (b) of past time, whether (α) in actual fact, or (β) in an assumed case (the pf. is here continued by the impf. and waw consec.; apod. begins as before). (4) (a) Ju 9:16–19 אִם … עֲשִׂיתֶם if ye have done honestly וַתַּמְלִיכוּ and have made Abimelech king …, 1 S 26:19; especially in protestations, as ψ 7:4 אִם עָשִׂיתִי זאת if I have done this …, let the enemy pursue my soul, etc. Je 33:25 f. Jb 31:5 f. 9, etc. (b) Nu 5:27 if she have defiled herself וַתִּמְעֹל and been faithless, וּבָאוּ then shall they come, etc., 15:24; 35:22–24. (c) with bare pf. in apod., in sense of If … had …, only Dt 32:30 אִם־לֹא כִּי were it not that …, ψ 73:15. (לוּ is more usual in such cases.) (5) with inf. once (si vera l.) Jb 9:27 אִם אָמְרִי = if I say (lit. if (there is) my saying).—Note that the vb. following אִם is often strengthened by the inf. abs., as Ex 15:26; 19:5; 21:5; 22:3, 12, 16, 22 Ju 11:30; 14:12; 16:11 etc.; cf. DrSm 1:20, 6. e.g. Genesis 18:26
- b. Special uses: (1) repeated אִם … אִם whether … or (sive … sive) Ex 19:13 Dt 18:3 2 S 15:21; similarly אִם … וְאִם Gn 31:52 Je 42:6 Ez 2:5 Ec 11:3; 12:14 (cf. ܐܶܢ … ܐܶܢ, ܘܶܐܢ … ܐܢ PS250; وَإِنْ … إِنْ & وَإِمَّا … إِمَّا); cf. Pr 2:3. (2) After an oath (expressed, or merely implied) אִם (the formula of imprecation being omitted) becomes an emph. negative, and אִם־לֹא an emph. affirmative: 2 S 11:11 by thy life אִם־אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה (may God bring all manner of evil upon me) if I do this thing! = surely I will not do this thing! (cf. the full phrases in 1 S 3:17 2 K 6:31) Gn 14:23; 42:15 Nu 14:23 1 S 3:14; 19:6 2 K 2:2; 3:14 & often; Is 22:14 ψ 89:36; 95:11 Jb 6:28; אִם־לֹא Nu 14:28 Jos 14:9 1 K 20:23 2 K 9:26 Is 5:9; 14:24 Je 15:11; 49:20 Jb 1:11 + especially Ez; after a neg. clause, emphasizing a contrasted idea, Gn 24:38 (where the expl. by Aramaic אֶלָּא is not supported by Heb. usage), cf. Je 22:6. Repeated, אִם … וְאִם 2 S 20:20 2 K 3:14 Is 62:8 Je 38:16; Ez 14:16. In adjurations (with 2nd or 3rd ps.) = that not Gn 21:23; 26:29; 31:50 1 S 24:22 1 K 1:51 Ct 2:7; 3:5 +. Of past or present time: 1 S 25:34 as י׳ liveth (I say) that, unless thou hadst hastened …, כִּי אִם נוֹתַר that surely there had not been left …! 17:55 as thy soul liveth אִם־יָדָֽעְתִּי if I know it! 1 K 17:12; 18:10—both אִם־יֵשׁ (כִּי in 1 K 17:12 introduces the fact sworn to, & need not be translated; so 2 S 3:35: v. כִּי); ψ 131:2 אִם־לֹא (after a neg. clause: cf. supr. Gn 24:38). Cf. Str§ 90. (3) Part. of wishing, if but …! oh that …! (rare) ψ 81:9 If thou wouldest hearken to me! 95:7; 139:19 Pr 24:11 1 Ch 4:10. Cf. Ex 32:32. With imv. (si vera l.) Jb 34:16 וְאִם־בִּֽינָה; and with an anacoluthon, Gu 23:13 (P) אִם־אַתָּה לוּ שְמָעֵנִי if thou!—oh that thou wouldst hear me! (4) Nearly = when—with the pf.: (a) of past, Gn 38:9 Nu 21:9 וְהָיָה אִם־נָשַׁךְ … וְהִבִּיט and it used to be, if or when a serpent had bitten a man, that he would look, etc., Ju 6:3 ψ 78:34 (v. Dr§ 136 δ Obs.); Am 7:2. (b) of pres. or fut., Is 4:4 אִם רָחַץ when the Lord shall have washed, 24:13; 28:25; cf. Nu 36:4 (with the impf.) e.g. Exodus 19:13
- c. Compounded with other particles:—(α) בִּלְתִּי אִם except if, except, †Gn 47:18 Ju 7:14 Am 3:3, 4. (β) הֲלוֹא אִם †2 K 20:19 (for which Is 39:8 has simply כִּי), perhaps Is it not (good), if …? (De Di). (γ) כִּי־אִם, q.v. (δ) עַד אִם †Gn 24:19, 33 Is 30:17 Ru 2:21, & עַד אֲשֶׁר אִם †Gn 28:15 Nu 32:17 Is 6:11, until, proposes until if or when. (ε) רַק אִם if only (v. sub רַק). אִם־לֹא in Ez 3:6b is very difficult. The Vrss render If I had sent, etc., implying לֻא for אִם־לֹא (for Ew’s אִם־לֻא = אִלּוּ, q.v., is precarious): Ges Hi Co ‘but (אִם־לֹא after a neg., cf. supr. Gn 24:38 ψ 131:2) unto them (Isr.) have I sent thee: they can understand thee’ (but understand is a dub. rendering of שָׁמַע אֶל). e.g. Genesis 47:18
- 2. Interrog.part.
- a. in direct qu.: (a) alone (not freq. and usually = Num? expecting the answer No, especially in a rhet. style): Gn 38:17 1 K 1:27; Ju 5:8 מָגֵן אִם־יֵרָאֶה וָרֹמַח was there a shield to be seen or a spear …? Is 29:16; and repeated Am 3:6 Je 48:27 Jb 6:12. (b) more freq. in disjunctive interrogation: (α) הֲ … אִם, expressing a real alternative Jos 5:13 הֲלָנוּ אַתָּה אִם־לְצָרֵינוּ art thou for us, or for our enemies? Ju 9:2 1 K 22:6, 15: more often expressing a merely formal alternative, especially in poetry (a rhetorical Num?) Gn 37:8 Nu 11:12, 22 Ju 11:25b 2 S 19:36 Is 10:15; 66:8 Je 3:5 Hb 3:8 ψ 77:10; 78:20 Jb 4:17; 6:5, 6; 10:4, 5; 11:7 etc. (β) הֲ … וְאִם (rarer than הֲ … אִם, but similar in use) 2 S 24:13 (a real alt.); Is 49:24; 50:2 Je 5:9 (v 29 אִם) 14:22 Jo 1:2; 4:4 Jb 8:3; 11:2; 21:4; 22:3; 34:17; 40:8f. (formal); Gn 17:17 P (with an anacol.) shall a child …? וְאִם־שָׂרָה הֲבַת־תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה תֵּלֵד or Sarah,—shall she that is 90 years old bear? Pr 27:24 (וְאִם after neg. clause). e.g. Genesis 38:17
- b. in oblique interrogation, if, whether: (a) alone, after verbs of seeing, inquiring, etc. 2 K 1:2 Je 5:1; 30:6 Mal 3:10 ψ 139:24 Ct 7:13 La 1:12 Ezr 2:59; once מִי יוֹדֵעַ אִם who knoweth if …? i. e. (like haud scio an) perhaps Est 4:14 (older syn. מִי יוֹדֵעַ alone: see 2 S 12:22 Jo 2:14 Jon 3:9). (b) disjunctively הֲ … אִם Gn 27:21 Nu 13:18–20; so אִם … וְאִם Jos 24:15. e.g. 2 Kings 1:2
- c. compounded with הֲ, הַאִם †Nu 17:28 הַאִם תַּמְנוּ לִגְוֹעַ prob. an emph. Num? Shall we ever have finished dying? Jb 6:13 difficult: perhaps Is it that my help is not in me? (a forcible means of expressing that that which might be thought impossible is nevertheless the case); Hi as an aposiop., If my help is not in me (am I still to wait)? (The view that הַאִם = הֲלֹא nonne? is inconsistent with the fact that אִם in a question has regularly the force of Num?) e.g. Numbers 17:28
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
conj. (= Aramaic ܐܶܢ if [and in ܐܶܠܴܐ, אֶלָּא = ܐܶܢ ܠܴܐ if not, except], Arabic إِنْ if [and in إِلَّا = إِنْ لَا if not, except], Ethiopic እመ if = מָה + אִם (إِنْ + مَا) [and in አላ if not, but], Assyrian šumma; SAr. hm; Arabic أَمْ (Lat. an?) = أَاِمْ, cf. הַאִם: v. NöM p. 208, ZMG 1886, p. 739; WAG i. § 367 e 𝔗Onk Jon. אִם, 𝔗Hag אין.)
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive particle
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
אִם
- 1. if, when. Mekh. Yithro, end כל א׳ שבתורה רשות every Im (If) in the Torah refers to voluntary actions (which you may or may not do) except three &c. Y. Gitt. VII, 48ᵈ בגין דאמר א׳ because he said, If (I die), i.e. conditional divorce. Succ. 53ᵃ א׳ אני כאן when I am here; a. fr.
- 2. whether. Yoma III, 1; a. fr.—א׳ … א׳ whether … or. Y. Pes. VI, beg. 33ᵃ א׳ פסח וכ׳ whether or not the Passover ceremonies supersede the Sabbath; a. fr. [Ib. אם יש תוחלת read יש וכ׳ אפשר, as before.]—אִם כֵּן (abbrev. א"כ) if this be so. Ber. I, 1; a. fr.—אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן (abbr. אא"כ) only when indeed, not until, unless. Keth. 76ᵃ; a. fr.
אֵם
- 1. mother, freq. = my mother. Sabb. 134ᵃ; a. fr.—Y. M. Kat. III, beg. 81ᶜ הניח חק אִמֹּו left his mother’s lap (Palestine).—Num. R. s. 10 (ref. to immo Prov. XXXI, 1) אמו זו … התורה וכ׳ ‘his mother’ that means the Law which trained Solomon and which is called a mother of those studying it, as you read (Prov. II, 3; text אִם is read אֵם ēm). e.g. Proverbs 31:1
- 2. womb, mouth of the womb. Ḥull. III, 2 (54ᵃ) ניטלה האם וכ׳ if the mouth of the womb is absent, cut out. Bekh. IV, 4 (28ᵇ).—Trnsf. legitimate existence, authority. Succ. 6ᵇ, a. fr. יש א׳ למסורת the traditional Scripture text (letters without vowels) is authoritative in Biblical interpretation, opp. יש א׳ למקרא the traditional reading (vowels) must guide us, e.g. בחלב (Ex. XXIII, 19) may be read בַּחֲלֵב as the traditional vocalization, or בְּחֵלֶב in the fat of.— Pl. אִמָּהוֹת, אִימָּהוֹת. Kidd. IV, 4 her genealogy must be traced back ארבע א׳ to the mothers of four generations (on each side) which is eight mothers. Y. Snh. II, 20ᵇ bot. they are not אֲמָהוֹת אלא אִימָּהוֹת maid-servants but mothers (of the nation).—Trnsf. א׳ של בצלים seed-onions. Peah III, 4. Erub. 29ᵃ; a. e.—Ch. אִימָּא. [Koh. R. to XII, 7 א׳ דבצלי׳, v. אַמָּה.] e.g. Exodus 23:19
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 30 distinct written forms H518 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| אִם | Conjunction | Amos 3:3 | 708 |
| וְ/אִם | Conjunction | Amos 9:3 | 214 |
| אִֽם | Conjunction | Amos 6:12 | 39 |
| וְ/אִ֣ם | Conjunction | Ecclesiastes 11:3 | 12 |
| וְ/אִ֨ם | Conjunction | Genesis 17:17 | 11 |
| וְ/אִם֙ | Conjunction | Genesis 4:7 | 11 |
| אִ֣ם | Conjunction | Esther 2:15 | 10 |
| אִ֚ם | Conjunction | Genesis 34:15 | 9 |
| אִ֥ם | Conjunction | Ezra 2:59 | 9 |
| וְ/אִֽם | Conjunction | Amos 9:2 | 7 |
| וְֽ/אִם | Conjunction | Deuteronomy 22:25 | 5 |
| אִ֤ם | Conjunction | Habakkuk 3:8 | 4 |
| וְ/אִ֡ם | Conjunction | Exodus 21:29 | 4 |
| וְ/אִ֥ם | Conjunction | Jeremiah 5:2 | 3 |
| אִ֖ם | Conjunction | Nehemiah 2:2 | 2 |
| אִ֡ם | Conjunction | Judges 6:37 | 2 |
| אם | Conjunction | Jeremiah 39:12 | 2 |
| וְ/אִ֖ם | Conjunction | Jeremiah 12:17 | 2 |
| וְ/אִ֤ם | Conjunction | 1 Samuel 2:25 | 2 |
| וְ/אִ֧ם | Conjunction | 1 Kings 20:18 | 2 |
| וְ/אִם֮ | Conjunction | Leviticus 13:53 | 2 |
| וְ֠/אִם | Conjunction | Leviticus 27:7 | 2 |
| אִ֗ם | Conjunction | 1 Kings 1:27 | 1 |
| אִ֛ם | Conjunction | Jeremiah 2:31 | 1 |
| אִ֨ם | Conjunction | Jeremiah 22:28 | 1 |
| אִם֙ | Conjunction | Genesis 15:4 | 1 |
| הַ/אִ֥ם | Conjunction | Numbers 17:13 | 1 |
| הַ/אִ֬ם | Conjunction | Job 6:13 | 1 |
| וְ/אִ֛ם | Conjunction | Leviticus 19:7 | 1 |
| וְ/אִם֩ | Conjunction | Joshua 24:15 | 1 |
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 899 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 931 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 4:7
- Exodus 1:16
- Leviticus 1:3
- Numbers 5:8
- Deuteronomy 1:35
- Joshua 2:14
- Judges 2:22
- Ruth 2:21
- 1 Samuel 1:11
- 2 Samuel 3:13
- 1 Kings 1:27
- 2 Kings 1:2
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.