אָמַר
to say
also: speak, utter fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”).
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘avow’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself).
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Page 2 of 2 — showing verses 201–280 of 280 distinct verses where H559 appears in the Book of Ezekiel. 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.
Ezekiel
- Ezekiel 32:11 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms For thus says the Lord Yahweh: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come on you.
- Ezekiel 32:17 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs It happened also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth [day] of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 33:1 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 33:2 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֣ conj + Qal wpf 2ms Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and tell them, When I bring the sword on a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman;
- Ezekiel 33:8 בְּ/אָמְרִ֣/י prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs When I tell the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you don't speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand.
- Ezekiel 33:10 אֱמֹר֙ אֲמַרְתֶּם֙ לֵ/אמֹ֔ר Qal impv 2ms Qal pf 2mp prep + Qal inf.cs You, son of man, tell the house of Israel: Thus you speak, saying, Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we pine away in them; how then can we live?
- Ezekiel 33:11 אֱמֹ֨ר Qal impv 2ms Tell them, As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn you, turn you from your evil ways; for why will you die, house of Israel?
- Ezekiel 33:12 אֱמֹ֤ר Qal impv 2ms You, son of man, tell the children of your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his disobedience; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither shall he who is righteous be able to live thereby in the day that he sins.
- Ezekiel 33:13 בְּ/אָמְרִ֤/י prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs When I tell the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his righteousness, and commit iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in his iniquity that he has committed, therein shall he die.
- Ezekiel 33:14 וּ/בְ/אָמְרִ֥/י conj + prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs Again, when I say to the wicked, You shall surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
- Ezekiel 33:17 וְ/אָמְרוּ֙ conj + Qal wpf 3cp Yet the children of your people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
- Ezekiel 33:20 וַ/אֲמַרְתֶּ֕ם conj + Qal wpf 2mp Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. House of Israel, I will judge you everyone after his ways.
- Ezekiel 33:21 לֵ/אמֹ֖ר prep + Qal inf.cs It happened in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth [month], in the fifth [day] of the month, that one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me, saying, The city has been struck.
- Ezekiel 33:23 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 33:24 אֹמְרִ֣ים לֵ/אמֹ֔ר Qal ptcp.act mp prep + Qal inf.cs Son of man, they who inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
- Ezekiel 33:25 אֱמֹ֨ר אָמַ֣ר Qal impv 2ms Qal pf 3ms Therefore tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: You eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood: and shall you possess the land?
- Ezekiel 33:27 תֹאמַ֨ר אָמַ֨ר Qal impf 2ms Qal pf 3ms Thus shall you tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him who is in the open field will I give to the animals to be devoured; and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.
- Ezekiel 33:30 לֵ/אמֹ֔ר prep + Qal inf.cs As for you, son of man, the children of your people talk of you by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Please come and hear what is the word that comes forth from Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 34:1 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 34:2 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֩ אָמַ֣ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and tell them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn't the shepherds feed the sheep?
- Ezekiel 34:10 אָמַ֞ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.
- Ezekiel 34:11 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms For thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.
- Ezekiel 34:17 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms As for you, O my flock, thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the male goats.
- Ezekiel 34:20 אָמַ֛ר Qal pf 3ms Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh to them: Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
- Ezekiel 35:1 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 35:3 וְ/אָמַ֣רְתָּ אָמַר֙ conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms and tell it, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you a desolation and an astonishment.
- Ezekiel 35:10 אֲ֠מָרְ/ךָ Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2ms Because you have said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas Yahweh was there:
- Ezekiel 35:12 אָמַ֛רְתָּ לֵ/אמֹ֣ר Qal pf 2ms prep + Qal inf.cs You shall know that I, Yahweh, have heard all your insults which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to devour.
- Ezekiel 35:14 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: When the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.
- Ezekiel 36:1 וְ/אָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ conj + Qal wpf 2ms You, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 36:2 אָמַר֙ אָמַ֧ר Qal pf 3ms Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because the enemy has said against you, Aha! and, The ancient high places are ours in possession;
- Ezekiel 36:3 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֔ אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;
- Ezekiel 36:4 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Yahweh: Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about;
- Ezekiel 36:5 אָמַר֮ Qal pf 3ms therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land to themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.
- Ezekiel 36:6 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֡ אָמַ֣ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and tell the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have borne the shame of the nations:
- Ezekiel 36:7 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: I have sworn, [saying], Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.
- Ezekiel 36:13 אָמַר֙ אֹמְרִ֣ים Qal pf 3ms Qal ptcp.act mp Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because they say to you, You [land] are a devourer of men, and have been a bereaver of your nation;
- Ezekiel 36:16 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 36:20 בֶּ/אֱמֹ֤ר prep + Qal inf.cs When they came to the nations, where they went, they profaned my holy name; in that men said of them, These are the people of Yahweh, and are gone forth out of his land.
- Ezekiel 36:22 אֱמֹ֣ר אָמַר֙ Qal impv 2ms Qal pf 3ms Therefore tell the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I don't do [this] for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, where you went.
- Ezekiel 36:33 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be built.
- Ezekiel 36:35 וְ/אָמְר֗וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp They shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.
- Ezekiel 36:37 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.
- Ezekiel 37:3 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר וָ/אֹמַ֕ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 1cs He said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? I answered, Lord Yahweh, you know.
- Ezekiel 37:4 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֣ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wpf 2ms Again he said to me, Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, you dry bones, hear the word of Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 37:5 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
- Ezekiel 37:9 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֨ אָמַ֣ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms Then said he to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and tell the wind, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.
- Ezekiel 37:11 וַ/יֹּאמֶר֮ אֹמְרִ֗ים conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal ptcp.act mp Then he said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.
- Ezekiel 37:12 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֜ אָמַר֮ conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms Therefore prophesy, and tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.
- Ezekiel 37:15 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh came again to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 37:18 יֹאמְר֣וּ לֵ/אמֹ֑ר Qal impf 3mp prep + Qal inf.cs When the children of your people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not show us what you mean by these?
- Ezekiel 37:19 אָמַר֮ Qal pf 3ms tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them with it, [even] with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand.
- Ezekiel 37:21 אָמַר֮ Qal pf 3ms Say to them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
- Ezekiel 38:1 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 38:3 וְ/אָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal:
- Ezekiel 38:10 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: It shall happen in that day, that things shall come into your mind, and you shall devise an evil device:
- Ezekiel 38:11 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֗ conj + Qal wpf 2ms and you shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to those who are at rest, who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates;
- Ezekiel 38:13 יֹאמְר֣וּ Qal impf 3mp Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions of it, shall tell you, Are you come to take the spoil? have you assembled your company to take the prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?
- Ezekiel 38:14 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֣ אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and tell Gog, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: In that day when my people Israel dwells securely, shall you not know it?
- Ezekiel 38:17 אָמַ֞ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Are you he of whom I spoke in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for [many] years that I would bring you against them?
- Ezekiel 39:1 וְ/אָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms You, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal:
- Ezekiel 39:17 אָמַ֣ר אֱמֹר֩ Qal pf 3ms Qal impv 2ms You, son of man, thus says the Lord Yahweh: Speak to the birds of every sort, and to every animal of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood.
- Ezekiel 39:25 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Now will I bring back the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name.
- Ezekiel 41:4 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He measured the length of it, twenty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said to me, This is the most holy place.
- Ezekiel 42:13 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then said he to me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they are the holy chambers, where the priests who are near to Yahweh shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; for the place is holy.
- Ezekiel 43:7 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He said to me, Son of man, [this is] the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. The house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their prostitution, and by the dead bodies of their kings [in] their high places;
- Ezekiel 43:18 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר אָמַר֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal pf 3ms He said to me, Son of man, thus says the Lord Yahweh: These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
- Ezekiel 44:2 וַ/יֹּ֨אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut.
- Ezekiel 44:5 וַ/יֹּ֨אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to me, Son of man, mark well, and see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I tell you concerning all the ordinances of the house of Yahweh, and all the laws of it; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every exit of the sanctuary.
- Ezekiel 44:6 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֤ אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms You shall tell the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: you house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
- Ezekiel 44:9 אָמַר֮ Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any foreigners who are among the children of Israel.
- Ezekiel 45:9 אָמַ֞ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Let it suffice you, princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute justice and righteousness; dispossessing my people, says the Lord Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 45:18 אָמַר֮ Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: In the first [month], in the first [day] of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish; and you shall cleanse the sanctuary.
- Ezekiel 46:1 אָמַר֮ Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
- Ezekiel 46:16 אָמַ֞ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: If the prince give a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance.
- Ezekiel 46:20 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He said to me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass-offering and the sin-offering, [and] where they shall bake the meal-offering; that they not bring them forth into the outer court, to sanctify the people.
- Ezekiel 46:24 וַ/יֹּ֖אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then said he to me, These are the boiling-houses, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
- Ezekiel 47:6 וַ/יֹּ֥אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He said to me, Son of man, have you seen [this]? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river.
- Ezekiel 47:8 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then said he to me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea [shall the waters go] which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed.
- Ezekiel 47:13 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Thus says the Lord Yahweh: This shall be the border, by which you shall divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph [shall have two] portions.
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.
The Hebrew verb אמר centers on the idea of “to say.” One archaism survives in the King James Version — “saith” — where modern Bibles read “said”; see the renderings breakdown. Spanning 4,336 verses in 39 books, it ranks among the most common words of the Hebrew Bible. Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 1:3. Different stems carry different senses — BDB groups them under 4 stems, among them Qal and Niphal. Dig into 4,336-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H559 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 →
- 4,336
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 4,336 distinct verses.
- 39 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 39 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #7
- by frequency
- Top 10 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 7 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 4,336 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 4,336 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 2,521 verses · 58%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1,175 verses · 27%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 640 verses · 15%
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: Said 1,837×, Saying 793×, Saith 467×
- American Standard Version: Said 1,687×, Saying 689×, He said 416×
- Berean Standard Bible: Said 1,107×, Says 559×, Saying 313×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Said 1,617×, And 929×, Saying 867×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H559 across 5,308 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 365 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H559 across 5,297 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 419 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 H559 across 4,549 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 401 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 754 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H559 across 6,405 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 130 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
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
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.
Qal
- Pf. א׳ Gn 3:1 +, etc.; Impf. יֹאמַר Gn 31:8 +; וַיֹּא֫מֶר Gn 1:3 +; וַיֹּאמַ֑ר Gn 14:19 +; in Jb always וַיֹּא֑מַר Jb 3:2 +; 3 fs. תֹּאמַר Gn 21:12 +; תֹּאמֵ֑ר Pr 1:21; 1 s. אֹמַר Gn 22:2 +; אוֹמְרָה ψ 42:10; וָאֹמַר Gn 20:13 +; וָאוֹמַר Ne 2:7, 17, 20; 3 m. pl. יֹאמְרוּ Ex 4:1 + etc.; sf. יֹמְרוּךָ ψ 139:20; 2 mpl. תֹּמְרוּ 2 S 19:14 (cf. Köi. p. 385); Imv. אֱמֹר (אֱמָר־) Gn 45:17 +, etc.; Inf. abs. אָמוֹר Ex 21:5 +; cstr. אֱמֹר Ez 25:8 +; (הַ)אֲמֹר Jb 34:18 but read הָאֹמֵר 𝔊 𝔙 Di, or better הֶאָמֹר Inf. abs. c. ה interrog. cf. Ew§ 328 d; sf. אָמְרִי Jos 6:10 +; אֲמָרְכֶם Je 23:38; אֱמָרְכֶם Mal 1:7 +; לֵאמֹר Gn 1:22 +, etc.; Pt; act. אֹמֵר Gn 32:10 +, etc.; pass. הֶאָמוּר Mi 2:7, but this grammatically indefensible, read הֶאָמוֹר, Inf. abs. c. ה interrog., v. DrExpositor, April, 1887, 263. e.g. Genesis 3:1
- 1. Say (subj. God Gn 3:1 + or man 32:5, serpent 3:1, ass Nu 22:28, horse יֹאמַר הֶאָח Jb 39:25 etc.; inanimate things, personif. Jb 28:14 cf. v 22 etc.; so in allegory or fable Ju 9:8 2 K 14:9 etc.; especially in narrat., וַיֹּאמֶר etc., Gn 4:6 + very often): mostly sq. thing said, either subst. Je 14:17 (c. cl. app.) Dt 27:16 f. Ju 12:6; pronoun Gn 44:16 2 K 20:14 +; or (usually) clause Gn 1:3; 3:1; 37:20 + often (orat. recta); with adv. thus, so Gn 32:5 Nu 20:14 1 K 20:3, 5 +; especially כֹּה אָמַר י׳ Ex 5:1; 7:17, 26; 8:16; 1 Ch 17:4 + often; the person addressed usually introduced by אֶל Gn 3:1; 15:7; 22:7; Lv 21:1; 2 S 3:7; 1 K 12:5, 23, or לְ Gn 3:13; 4:15; 1 S 20:2; 2 S 2:21; 1 K 14:2 + often; rarer combinations are, א׳ בְּאָזְנֵי Is 49:20 (cf. 5:9 & vid. דבר); א׳ לִפְנֵי Ez 28:9; א׳ לְעֵינֵי Dt 31:7; Jos 10:12; Je 28:11; א׳ בְּ Jo 2:17 ψ 126:2, where בְּ local; in all cases usually sq. dir. obj. of words said, Ex 19:25; Ju 17:2 being singular; Gn 4:8 the object-clause has probably fallen out, cf. Vrss Di; = mention, name, designate Gn 22:2, 3; 43:27, 29 Ex 32:13; Nu 14:40; 1 S 10:16; 16:3; 2 S 6:22 Ne 6:19; cf. ψ 139:20 יֹמְרוּךָ לִמְזִמָּה speak of thee for falsehood (but many, as Hup Pe Dy Che, read יַמְרוּךָ); = tell, declare, proclaim (sq. dir. obj. only) ψ 40:11; Ez 13:7; in reply to question = answer Ex 12:27; Jos 4:7; 1 K 9:9; Je 5:19; 22:9. The obj. spoken of may be referred to by אֶל 2 K 19:32; Je 22:18; 27:19, or לְ Gn 20:13 אִמְרִי לִי say of me, etc. Dt 33:9; Ju 9:54; Is 5:20 ψ 3:3; 71:10, very rarely by a simple accus. Is 3:10 (where read prob. for אִמְרוּ, אַשְׁרֵי), except after אֲשֶׁר where the words used follow (cf. אֲשֶׁר 4 d) Gn 3:17; Nu 10:29; 14:31 Dt 28:68; Ju 7:4; 1 S 9:17, 23b; 1 K 8:29; La 4:20; cf. Nu 21:16; 2 K 17:12; 21:4, & (two extreme cases) Is 8:12; La 2:15 (v. DrSm i. 25, 5); הֶֽאָמוּר Mi 2:7 read inf. abs. c. ה interrog. הֶאָמוֹר (v. supr.) shall one say? shall it be said? After another vb. of saying, introducing thing said: Dt 21:7; 25:9; 27:15; Ct 2:10 +, even after אמר Gn 22:7; Lv 21:1; Je 34:2; Est 7:5 +; especially inf. לֵאמֹר, after דבר Gn 8:15, צוה 2:16; 3:17, ענה 41:16, ברך 1:22, נשׁבע 24:7, נדר 28:20, etc.; after אמר 2 S 3:18; 1 K 12:23; 1 Ch 21:18 +; after שׁלח 2 Ch 35:21 שׁוּב Gn 32:7; cf. also Gn 28:6 Ex 5:13; 9:5; 13:8; 17:4; Nu 11:20; Dt 1:28; 13:7; Ju 8:15; 1 S 23:2; 1 K 13:3; Je 32:3; 37:9; Ru 4:4 +; when subj. of לֵאמֹר differs from that of preceding clause Gn 31:1; 38:13, 24 etc.; after שׁמע Is 37:9 = 2 K 19:9. e.g. Genesis 3:1
- 2. Say in the heart (= think) א׳ בלבב Dt 8:17 cf. 1 K 12:26 ψ 10:6, 11, 13; 14:1; 35:25; Is 14:13; 47:8, 10; 49:21; Ec 2:1, 15; 3:17, 18; א׳ לִלְבָבָם Ho 7:2; א׳ אֶל־לִבּוֹ Gn 8:21 said unto his heart (to himself), subj. י׳, cf. 1 S 27:1; אָֽמְרָה נַפְשִׁי La 3:24; thence א׳ alone Gn 20:11; 26:9 Nu 24:11; Ru 4:4; 1 S 20:26; 2 S 5:6; 12:22; 2 K 5:11; Mal 1:7; with כִּי Ju 15:2; in particular = desire מַה־תֹּאמַר נַפְשְׁךָ 1 S 20:4 cf. Est 2:13; sq. inf. = purpose, Ex 2:14 thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? Jos 22:33; 1 S 30:6; 1 K 5:19; 2 Ch 28:10, 13; expect 2 S 21:16 he expected to slay David 2 Ch 13:8; 32:1. e.g. Deuteronomy 8:17
- 3. Promise (sq. inf.) 1 Ch 27:23; 2 Ch 21:7; Est 4:7; (id. + ל of pers.) 2 K 8:19; Ne 9:15; (sq. acc. of dir. obj. + ל of pers. + inf. of purpose) Ne 9:23. e.g. 1 Chronicles 27:23
- 4. Command (especially late) sq. אֶל־ of person addressed, Nu 15:28; 1 Ch 21:18; sq. ל Jos 11:9; 2 S 16:11 2 K 4:24; Jb 9:7 ψ 106:24 (v. sub אֲשֶׁר 8 e); sq. inf. 1 S 24:11 1 Ch 21:17; 2 Ch 1:18; 29:27, 36; 31:11; 35:21 Est 1:17; 4:13, 15; 6:1; 9:14; inf. + ל of pers. 2 Ch 14:3; 29:21; 31:4; Ne 9:15; Est 1:10; sq. acc. dir. obj. 2 Ch 29:24 the king commanded the burnt-offering and the sin-offering, cf. 1 K 5:20; Est 2:15; sq. cl. with אשׁר = that Ne 13:19; id. + ל of pers. v 22; sq. cl. with כִּי Jb 36:10; abs. 1 S 16:16 (read however prob. יאמרו for יאמר, cf. Dr); also ψ 105:31, 34; 107:25; 1 Ch 14:12; 2 Ch 24:8; Ne 13:9, 19 (all sq. vb. consec.); command by leter א׳ עִם־הַסֵּפֶר Est 9:25 (sq. impf.); appoint, assign לֶחֶם א׳ לוֹ 1 K 11:18 = threaten sq. inf. Dt 9:25 ψ 106:23. e.g. Numbers 15:28
Niphal
- Pf. נֶאֱמַר Dn 8:26; Impf. יֵאָמֵר Gn 22:14 +; יֵאָ֫מֶר לוֹ Is 4:3; יֵאָמַ֑ר Gn 10:9 +; וַיֵּאָמַ֑ר Jos 2:2; be said, told Gn 10:9; 22:14 ψ 87:5; Je 4:11; 16:14 (all abs., indef. subj., of current saying); so said in a book Nu 21:14; be related, told, of vision Dn 8:26; said, told to (sq. ל ind. obj.) Jos 2:2; Ho 2:1(×2) Zp 3:16; either so, or told concerning Nu 23:23; Ez 13:12 (אֶל־); יֵאָמֵר לָכֶם = ye shall be called (it shall be said to you) Is 61:6 (‖ תִּקָּרֵ֔אוּ), cf. 4:3; 19:18; 32:5 (‖ יִקָּרֵא ל) 62:4(×2); hence be called, of Tophet לֹא־יֵאָמֵר עוֹד הַתֹּפֶת Je 7:32; subj. שֵׁם Gn 32:29; Jb 34:31 כִּי אֶל־אֵל חֶאָמַר, Rabb. (cf. AV) treat הֵאָמַר as Niph. Inf. for לְהֵאָמֵר, but against grammar; the form as it stands is Qal Pf., אֶל־אֵל being prefixed to the interrog. for emphasis (cf. Je 22:15; 23:26 Ne 13:27), v. Dr§ 9 Di al.; Hoffm., however, reads הֵאָמֵר inf. abs. = imv. ‘so must one speak (it be spoken) to God.’ e.g. Daniel 8:26
Hiphil
- Pf. avow, avouch Dt 26:17 אֶת־י׳ הֶאֱמַרְתָּ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹהִים; v 18 וי׳ הֶאֱמִירְךָ היום להיות לוֹ לְעַם (lit. cause to declare, i.e. through agency of Moses; on this & other interpr. vid. Di). e.g. Deuteronomy 26:17
Hithpael
- Impf. יִתְאַמְּרוּ ψ 94:4 subj. כָּל־פֹּעֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן act proudly, boast (‖ יַבִּיעוּ יְדַבְּרוּ עָתָק); prob. also 2 mpl. תִּתְיַמָּ֑רוּ Is 61:6 (in good sense, sq. בְּ of thing gloried in) 𝔖 𝔙 𝔗 & cf. 𝔊; GesComm. so De Che Köi. 457 f. (from [ימר] exchange Thes Hi Kn Ew Di; but vid. ימר). e.g. Psalms 94:4
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
vb. utter, say (MI Ph. אמר, Aramaic אֲמַר, Ethiopic አመረ I. 2 shew, declare, Arabic أَمَرَ command; perhaps √ אמר orig. = be or make prominent, hence Hithp. infr., אָמִיר; Sab. אמר lofty, epith. of king JHMordtmZMG 1876, 37; cf. DlPr 28 who thinks orig. meaning hell, sichtbar sein, whence Assyrian amâru, see & shew, declare, say)—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
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.
אָמַר I
- (a) to join, knot; to be knotted, thick; b) to heap up; c) transf. to join words, compose, cmp. דבר; d) to contract, bargain, exchange. [As to Assyr. to see, cmp. חמא.])
- 1. to speak, think, say, relate &c. … א׳ ר׳ … א׳ ר׳ Rabbi … related in the name of R. … Ber. 3ᵇ; a. v. fr.—Part. pass. אָמוּר expression. Yoma 70ᵇ, a. fr. הוא הא׳ וכ׳ it is the same expression (‘one ram’) used here and in the Book of Numbers. Sifré Deut. s. 334, a. fr. אֱמוֹר מעתה say from now, i.e. from this draw the conclusion. Gen. R. s. 39 תאמר שהבירה וכ׳ (usu. שמא תאמר) will you say (is it possible), this castle has no commander?—אֲמוּרִים דברים במה (abbr. בד׳'א) in what case are these words said? i.e. this applies only. Ḥull. 3ᵃ; a. fr.—זאת אוֹמֶרֶת this tells, i.e. this proves. Ber. 11ᵇ; a. fr.—אָמְרוּ it is said, told &c.; v. next w.—Inf. לוֹמַר = לֵאמֹר. Ḥag. 14ᵇ; a. fr.
- 2. to vow, devote. אָמוּר (לגבוה) devoted to the Lord. Succ. 55ᵇ; v. אֲמִירָה I, 3, a. אֵימוּרִים.
- (b. h.) to be said, to read … נא׳ כאן … ונ׳ להלן we read here … and we read there … (the same expression is used here and there in the Scriptural text). Ber. 9ᵃ; a. v. fr.—שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (abbr. שנ׳, שנא׳) for it is said in the Scriptures (as evidence in favor of an opinion). Snh. X, 1; a. v. fr.; also כמה שנ׳ (כמו) as it is said.—מִשּׁוּם שנ׳ because it is said in the Scriptures, i.e. you may possibly be misled by a certain expression to think …, therefore another term is used in its stead in an analogous case, or added to the ambiguous word; v. שׁוּם.
אֲמַר
- 1) as preced. 1). Targ. Gen. I, 3; a. v. fr.—א׳ מר above you quoted an authority, or, it has been stated. Ber. 2ᵃ; a. fr.—א׳ קרא the Scripture says. Ib. 13ᵃ; a. fr.—Y. Orl. III, end, 63ᵇ, a. fr. אמרונה בשם … (in Bab. heb. אֲמָרוּהָ) they said it in behalf of … i.e. as a tradition.—Y. Ber. I, 2ᵈ מילתיה אמרה his word (statement, opinion &c.) proves.—הדא אמרה = זאת אומרת; v. preced.—אַמְרֵי (h. אָמְרוּ) they say, it is said. Sabb. 19ᵃ אמרו עליו על … ואמרי לה וכ׳ it is told about R. …, and another relation refers this to R.—; a. fr.—קאמר, קאמרי &c. = קא אמר &c. Ḥull. 85ᵃ; a. fr.—מנא תימרא whence dost thou prove? Sabb. 23ᵃ; a. fr.—Inf. מֵימַר, מֵימְרָא. סבר מ׳, סבר למ׳ originally he was of the opinion. Y. Sabb. VI, 8ᶜ top; Keth. 87ᵇ; a. v. fr.—לְמֵימְרָא does this mean to say? Sabb. 15ᵇ; a. fr. לא אמרן אלא … אבל … this has been said, i.e. this applies only to a case … but if … Ber. 43ᵇ; a. fr.—כְּלוֹמַר as if saying, meaning to say, viz; v. כִּילּוּ.—Y. Kil. IV, 32ᶜ bot. אימורין לבני וכ׳ say ye to &c.—מאי איכא למימר, v. אִיכָּא; Answ. אֵימוּר say … Sabb. 6ᵃ; a. fr.—Hor. 13ᵃ א׳ כולה who orders every thing (as an etymol. of אֲמַרְכָּל).—2) to praise, proclaim. Targ. Is. VIII, 13; a. fr.—Part. pass. אָמִיר q. v.
- , contr. אִתְּמַר, אִיתְּ׳ it is said, taught. Targ. Job XXXIV, 31.—Y. Yoma V, end, 43ᵃ אתאמרת, contr. אִתַּמְרַת it has been said with refer. to the opinion of …—אִתְּ׳, אִיתְּ׳ it has been said (above);we have been taught. Succ. 15ᵃ; a. fr.
- same. Targ. Gen. XXII, 14; a. e.
אָמַר II
- , v. אָמַר I, a) to be thick, strong.
- 1. to thrive; to boast, vaunt, be oppressive (cmp. Ps. XCIV, 4). Sot. IX, 15 (49ᵇ) יוקר יַאֲמִיר the nobility shall be oppressive (Snh. 97ᵃ יְעַוֵּת; Der. Er. Zut. X יעוות; Cant. R. to II, 13 הווה).—*[ e.g. Psalms 94:4
- 2. (denom. of מריא to fatten. Sabb. XXIV, 3 (155ᵇ) Bab. מַאֲמִירִין, Ms. Oxf., Mish. a. Y. מַמְרִים, מַמְרִין, v. מרי.]
אֵמֶר
- , v. אֵימַר a. אִמְרָה.
אִמַּר
- lamb, v. אִימַּר.
מְרַר
- same, to be bitter; to grieve, mourn. Perf. מַר, imperf. יֵימַר, יֵמַר. Targ. Is. XXIV, 9. Targ. I Sam. XXX, 6; a. fr.—Targ. Zech. XII, 10 ויֵימְרוּן, v. infra.
- to embitter, aggrieve. Targ. Ruth I, 13 תְמָרְרוּן (ed. Amst. תִמְרְ׳). Targ. Y. I Deut. XXXII, 32 מְמַרְרִין (some ed. מְמַרְרַן; Y. II מַרְרַן).
- 1. same. Targ. Ruth I, 20 (not same. Targ. Ruth I, 20 (not אֲמַרִ׳). Targ. Ex. I, 14; a. e.
- 2. to arrange mourning. Targ. Zech. XII, 10 ויימרון … כמא דמַמְרִין וכ׳ they shall arrange mourning for him, as is arranged for &c. (v. infra).—[אָמְרָרוּ, v. Ithpa.]
- to aggrieve. Targ. Prov. XVII, 25. Targ. Y. I Gen. XLIX, 23 ממרירו, read: מַרְמִירוּ; (Y. II אֲמָרוּ, read: אַמָּ׳ Af.).
- 1. to be enraged, fight. Targ. O. Gen. l. c. (Var. אָמְרָרוּ, v. Berl. Targ. O. II, p. 18; oth. ed. אַמְרָרוּ Af.).
- 2. to mourn. Targ. Zech. l. c. Var. (v. Lag. Proph. I, p. XLII).
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 578 distinct written forms H559 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 518 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H559, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 9 — not the complete family. 4 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
Most of the 4,336 Hebrew verses this word occurs in also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), so the same passages can be read in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 1:3
- Exodus 1:9
- Leviticus 1:1
- Numbers 1:1
- Deuteronomy 1:5
- Joshua 1:1
- Judges 1:1
- Ruth 1:8
- 1 Samuel 1:8
- 2 Samuel 1:3
- 1 Kings 1:2
- 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.
