אָמַר
to say
also: speak, utter 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
- 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).
Every verse where H559 appears in the Book of Job — 94 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.
Job
- Job 1:5 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts." Thus did Job continually.
- Job 1:7 וַ/יֹּ֧אמֶר וַ/יֹּאמַ֔ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered Yahweh, and said, "From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."
- Job 1:8 וַ/יֹּ֤אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil."
- Job 1:9 וַ/יֹּאמַ֑ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Satan answered Yahweh, and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
- Job 1:12 וַ/יֹּ֨אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don't put forth your hand." So Satan went forth from the presence of Yahweh.
- Job 1:14 וַ/יֹּאמַ֑ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms that there came a messenger to Job, and said, "The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys feeding beside them,
- Job 1:16 וַ/יֹּאמַר֒ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms While he was still speaking, there also came another, and said, "The fire of God has fallen from the sky, and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
- Job 1:17 וַ/יֹּאמַר֒ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms While he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, "The Chaldeans made three bands, and swept down on the camels, and have taken them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you."
- Job 1:18 וַ/יֹּאמַ֑ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms While he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house,
- Job 1:21 וַ/יֹּאמֶר֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He said, "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be the name of Yahweh."
- Job 2:2 וַ/יֹּ֤אמֶר וַ/יֹּאמַ֔ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered Yahweh, and said, "From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."
- Job 2:3 וַ/יֹּ֨אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause."
- Job 2:4 וַ/יֹּאמַ֑ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Satan answered Yahweh, and said, "Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has will he give for his life.
- Job 2:6 וַ/יֹּ֧אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life."
- Job 2:9 וַ/תֹּ֤אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3fs Then his wife said to him, "Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die."
- Job 2:10 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job didn't sin with his lips.
- Job 3:2 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Job answered:
- Job 3:3 אָ֝מַ֗ר Qal pf 3ms "Let the day perish in which I was born, The night which said, 'There is a man-child conceived.'
- Job 4:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
- Job 6:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered,
- Job 6:22 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Did I say, 'Give to me?' Or, 'Offer a present for me from your substance?'
- Job 7:4 וְ/אָמַ֗רְתִּי conj + Qal wpf 1cs When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, and the night be gone?' I toss and turn until the dawning of the day.
- Job 7:13 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs When I say, 'My bed shall comfort me, My couch shall ease my complaint;'
- Job 8:1 וַ/יֹאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
- Job 8:10 יֹ֣אמְרוּ Qal impf 3mp Shall they not teach you, tell you, And utter words out of their heart?
- Job 9:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered,
- Job 9:7 הָ/אֹמֵ֣ר ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms Who commands the sun, and it doesn't rise, And seals up the stars;
- Job 9:12 יֹאמַ֥ר Qal impf 3ms Behold, he snatches away; who can hinder him? Who will ask him, 'What are you doing?'
- Job 9:22 אָמַ֑רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs "It is all the same. Therefore I say, He destroys the blameless and the wicked.
- Job 9:27 אָ֭מְרִ/י Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and cheer up;'
- Job 10:2 אֹמַ֣ר Qal impf 1cs I will tell God, 'Do not condemn me, Show me why you contend with me.
- Job 11:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Zophar, the Naamathite, answered,
- Job 11:4 וַ֭/תֹּאמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 2ms For you say, 'My doctrine is pure, I am clean in your eyes.'
- Job 12:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered,
- Job 15:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
- Job 16:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered,
- Job 18:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
- Job 19:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered,
- Job 19:28 תֹ֭אמְרוּ Qal impf 2mp If you say, 'How we will persecute him!' Because the root of the matter is found in me,
- Job 20:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,
- Job 20:7 יֹאמְר֥וּ Qal impf 3mp Yet he shall perish forever like his own dung, Those who have seen him shall say, 'Where is he?'
- Job 21:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered,
- Job 21:14 וַ/יֹּאמְר֣וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They tell God, 'Depart from us, For we don't want to know about your ways.
- Job 21:28 תֹֽאמְר֗וּ Qal impf 2mp For you say, 'Where is the house of the prince? Where is the tent in which the wicked lived?'
- Job 22:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
- Job 22:13 וְֽ֭/אָמַרְתָּ conj + Qal wpf 2ms You say, 'What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
- Job 22:17 הָ/אֹמְרִ֣ים ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp Who said to God, 'Depart from us;' And, 'What can the Almighty do for us?'
- Job 22:29 וַ/תֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 2ms When they cast down, you shall say, 'be lifted up.' He will save the humble person.
- Job 23:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered,
- Job 23:5 יֹּ֥אמַר Qal impf 3ms I would know the words which he would answer me, And understand what he would tell me.
- Job 24:15 לֵ֭/אמֹר prep + Qal inf.cs The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye shall see me.' He disguises his face.
- Job 25:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
- Job 26:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered,
- Job 27:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Job again took up his parable, and said,
- Job 28:14 אָ֭מַר אָ֝מַ֗ר Qal pf 3ms Qal pf 3ms The deep says, 'It isn't in me.' The sea says, 'It isn't with me.'
- Job 28:22 אָ֣מְר֑וּ Qal pf 3cp Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'
- Job 28:28 וַ/יֹּ֤אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'"
- Job 29:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Job again took up his parable, and said,
- Job 29:18 וָ֭/אֹמַר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Then I said, 'I shall die in my own house, I shall number my days as the sand.
- Job 31:24 אָמַ֥רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs "If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, 'You are my confidence;'
- Job 31:31 אָ֭מְרוּ Qal pf 3cp If the men of my tent have not said, 'Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?'
- Job 32:6 וַ/יֹּ֫אמַ֥ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered, "I am young, and you are very old; Therefore I held back, and didn't dare show you my opinion.
- Job 32:7 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I said, 'Days should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.'
- Job 32:10 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Therefore I said, 'Listen to me; I also will show my opinion.'
- Job 32:13 תֹּ֣֭אמְרוּ Qal impf 2mp Beware lest you say, 'We have found wisdom, God may refute him, not man:'
- Job 33:8 אָמַ֣רְתָּ Qal pf 2ms "Surely you have spoken in my hearing, I have heard the voice of your words, saying,
- Job 33:24 וַ/יֹּ֗אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then God is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.'
- Job 33:27 וַ/יֹּ֗אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He sings before men, and says, 'I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, And it didn't profit me.
- Job 34:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Moreover Elihu answered,
- Job 34:5 אָ֭מַר Qal pf 3ms For Job has said, 'I am righteous, God has taken away my right:
- Job 34:9 אָ֭מַר Qal pf 3ms For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing That he should delight himself with God.'
- Job 34:18 הַ/אֲמֹ֣ר ptcl inter + Qal inf.cs Who says to a king, 'Vile!' Or to nobles, 'Wicked!'
- Job 34:31 הֶ/אָמַ֥ר ptcl inter + Qal pf 3ms "For has any said to God, 'I am guilty, but I will not offend any more.
- Job 34:34 יֹ֣אמְרוּ Qal impf 3mp Men of understanding will tell me, Yes, every wise man who hears me:
- Job 35:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Moreover Elihu answered,
- Job 35:2 אָ֝מַ֗רְתָּ Qal pf 2ms "Do you think this to be your right, Or do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's,'
- Job 35:3 תֹ֭אמַר Qal impf 2ms That you ask, 'What advantage will it be to you? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?'
- Job 35:10 אָמַ֗ר Qal pf 3ms But none says, 'Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,
- Job 35:14 תֹ֭אמַר Qal impf 2ms How much less when you say you don't see him. The cause is before him, and you wait for him!
- Job 36:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Elihu also continued, and said,
- Job 36:10 וַ֝/יֹּ֗אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He also opens their ears to instruction, And commands that they return from iniquity.
- Job 36:23 אָ֝מַ֗ר Qal pf 3ms Who has prescribed his way for him? Or who can say, 'You have committed unrighteousness?'
- Job 37:6 יֹאמַ֗ר Qal impf 3ms For he says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth;' Likewise to the shower of rain, And to the showers of his mighty rain.
- Job 37:19 נֹּ֣אמַר Qal impf 1cp Teach us what we shall tell him; For we can't make our case by reason of darkness.
- Job 37:20 אָ֥מַר Qal pf 3ms Shall it be told him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?
- Job 38:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,
- Job 38:11 וָ/אֹמַ֗ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs And said, 'Here you may come, but no further; Here shall your proud waves be stayed?'
- Job 38:35 וְ/יֹאמְר֖וּ conj + Qal impf 3mp Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go? Do they report to you, 'Here we are?'
- Job 39:25 יֹ֘אמַ֤ר Qal impf 3ms As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, 'Aha!' He smells the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
- Job 40:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Moreover Yahweh answered Job,
- Job 40:3 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered Yahweh,
- Job 40:6 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,
- Job 42:1 וַ/יֹּאמַֽר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then Job answered Yahweh,
- Job 42:7 וַ/יֹּ֨אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has.
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.
