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).
98 verses where H559 appears in the Qal stem in the Book of Psalms. Filtered view — show all forms. 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.
Psalms
- Psalms 2:7 אָמַ֘ר Qal pf 3ms I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, "You are my son. Today I have become your father.
- Psalms 3:2 אֹמְרִ֪ים Qal ptcp.act mp Many there are who say of my soul, "There is no help for him in God." Selah.
- Psalms 4:4 אִמְר֣וּ Qal impv 2mp Stand in awe, and don't sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.
- Psalms 4:6 אֹמְרִים֮ Qal ptcp.act mp Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.
- Psalms 10:6 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms He says in his heart, "I shall not be shaken; For generations I shall have no trouble."
- Psalms 10:11 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms He says in his heart, "God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see it."
- Psalms 10:13 אָמַ֥ר Qal pf 3ms Why does the wicked person condemn God, And say in his heart, "God won't call me into account?"
- Psalms 11:1 תֹּאמְר֣וּ Qal impf 2mp In Yahweh, I take refuge. How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain!"
- Psalms 12:4 אָֽמְר֨וּ Qal pf 3cp Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?"
- Psalms 12:5 יֹאמַ֣ר Qal impf 3ms "Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says Yahweh; "I will set him in safety from those who malign him."
- Psalms 13:4 יֹאמַ֣ר Qal impf 3ms Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him;" Lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.
- Psalms 14:1 אָ֘מַ֤ר Qal pf 3ms The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good.
- Psalms 16:2 אָמַ֣רְתְּ Qal pf 2fs My soul, you have said to Yahweh, "You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing."
- Psalms 18:1 וַ/יֹּאמַ֡ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
- Psalms 27:8 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms When you said, "Seek my face," My heart said to you, "I will seek your face, Yahweh."
- Psalms 29:9 אֹמֵ֥ר Qal ptcp.act ms Yahweh's voice makes the deer calve, And strips the forests bare. In his temple everything says, "Glory!"
- Psalms 30:6 אָמַ֣רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."
- Psalms 31:14 אָ֝מַ֗רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs But I trust in you, Yahweh. I said, "You are my God."
- Psalms 31:22 אָ֘מַ֤רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs As for me, I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before your eyes." Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.
- Psalms 32:5 אָמַ֗רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, And you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
- Psalms 33:9 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.
- Psalms 35:3 אֱמֹ֥ר Qal impv 2ms Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, "I am your salvation."
- Psalms 35:10 תֹּאמַרְנָה֮ Qal impf 3fp All my bones shall say, "Yahweh, who is like you, Who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?"
- Psalms 35:21 אָ֭מְרוּ Qal pf 3cp Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, "Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!"
- Psalms 35:25 יֹאמְר֣וּ יֹ֝אמְר֗וּ Qal juss 3mp Qal juss 3mp Don't let them say in their heart, "Aha! That's the way we want it!" Don't let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"
- Psalms 35:27 וְ/יֹאמְר֣וּ conj + Qal impf 3mp Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause. Yes, let them say continually, "Yahweh be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!"
- Psalms 38:16 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs For I said, "Don't let them gloat over me, Or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips."
- Psalms 39:1 אָמַ֗רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I said, "I will watch my ways, so that I don't sin with my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me."
- Psalms 40:7 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Then I said, "Behold, I have come. It is written about me in the book in the scroll.
- Psalms 40:10 אָמָ֑רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart. I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly.
- Psalms 40:15 הָ/אֹמְרִ֥ים ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp Let them be desolate by reason of their shame that tell me, "Aha! Aha!"
- Psalms 40:16 יֹאמְר֣וּ Qal impf 3mp Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let such as love your salvation say continually, "Let Yahweh be exalted!"
- Psalms 41:4 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I said, "Yahweh, have mercy on me! Heal me, for I have sinned against you."
- Psalms 41:5 יֹאמְר֣וּ Qal impf 3mp My enemies speak evil against me: "When will he die, and his name perish?"
- Psalms 42:3 בֶּ/אֱמֹ֥ר prep + Qal inf.cs My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually ask me, "Where is your God?"
- Psalms 42:9 אוֹמְרָ֤ה Qal coh 1cs I will ask God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"
- Psalms 42:10 בְּ/אָמְרָ֥/ם prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3mp As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me, While they continually ask me, "Where is your God?"
- Psalms 45:1 אֹמֵ֣ר Qal ptcp.act ms My heart overflows with a noble theme. I recite my verses for the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.
- Psalms 50:12 אֹ֣מַר Qal impf 1cs If I were hungry, I would not tell you, For the world is mine, and all that is in it.
- Psalms 50:16 אָ֘מַ֤ר Qal pf 3ms But to the wicked God says, "What right do you have to declare my statutes, That you have taken my covenant on your lips,
- Psalms 52:1 וַ/יֹּ֥אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Why do you boast of mischief, mighty man? God's loving kindness endures continually.
- Psalms 53:1 אָ֘מַ֤ר Qal pf 3ms The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity. There is no one who does good.
- Psalms 54:1 וַ/יֹּאמְר֣וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp Save me, God, by your name. Vindicate me in your might.
- Psalms 55:6 וָ/אֹמַ֗ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs I said, "Oh that I had wings like a dove! Then I would fly away, and be at rest.
- Psalms 58:11 וְ/יֹאמַ֣ר conj + Qal impf 3ms So that men shall say, "Most assuredly there is a reward for the righteous. Most assuredly there is a God who judges the earth."
- Psalms 64:5 אָ֝מְר֗וּ Qal pf 3cp They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, "Who will see them?"
- Psalms 66:3 אִמְר֣וּ Qal impv 2mp Tell God, "How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.
- Psalms 68:22 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms The Lord said, "I will bring you again from Bashan, I will bring you again from the depths of the sea;
- Psalms 70:3 הָ֝/אֹמְרִ֗ים ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp Let them be turned because of their shame Who say, "Aha! Aha!"
- Psalms 70:4 וְ/יֹאמְר֣וּ conj + Qal impf 3mp Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation continually say, "Let God be exalted!"
- Psalms 71:10 אָמְר֣וּ Qal pf 3cp For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,
- Psalms 71:11 לֵ֭/אמֹר prep + Qal inf.cs Saying, "God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him."
- Psalms 73:11 וְֽ/אָמְר֗וּ conj + Qal pf 3cp They say, "How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
- Psalms 73:15 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs If I had said, "I will speak thus;" Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
- Psalms 74:8 אָמְר֣וּ Qal pf 3cp They said in their heart, "We will crush them completely." They have burned up all the places in the land where God was worshiped.
- Psalms 75:4 אָמַ֣רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I said to the arrogant, "Don't boast;" To the wicked, "Don't lift up the horn.
- Psalms 77:10 וָ֭/אֹמַר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Then I thought, "I will appeal to this: The years of the right hand of the Most High."
- Psalms 78:19 אָ֭מְרוּ Qal pf 3cp Yes, they spoke against God. They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
- Psalms 79:10 יֹאמְר֣וּ Qal impf 3mp Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes, That vengeance for your servants' blood is being poured out.
- Psalms 82:6 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I said, "You are gods, All of you are sons of the Most High.
- Psalms 83:4 אָמְר֗וּ Qal pf 3cp "Come," they say, "and let's destroy them as a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more."
- Psalms 83:12 אָ֭מְרוּ Qal pf 3cp Who said, "Let us take possession Of God's pasturelands."
- Psalms 89:2 אָמַ֗רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I indeed declare, "Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them."
- Psalms 89:19 וַ/תֹּ֗אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 2ms Then you spoke in vision to your saints, And said, "I have bestowed strength on the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.
- Psalms 90:3 וַ֝/תֹּ֗אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 2ms You turn man to destruction, saying, "Return, you children of men."
- Psalms 91:2 אֹמַ֗ר Qal impf 1cs I will say of Yahweh, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust."
- Psalms 94:7 וַ֭/יֹּ֣אמְרוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They say, "Yah will not see, Neither will Jacob's God consider."
- Psalms 94:18 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs When I said, "My foot is slipping!" Your loving kindness, Yahweh, held me up.
- Psalms 95:10 וָ/אֹמַ֗ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Forty long years I was grieved with that generation, And said, "It is a people that errs in their heart. They have not known my ways."
- Psalms 96:10 אִמְר֤וּ Qal impv 2mp Say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns." The world is also established. It can't be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.
- Psalms 102:24 אֹמַ֗ר Qal impf 1cs I said, "My God, don't take me away in the midst of my days. Your years are throughout all generations.
- Psalms 105:11 לֵ/אמֹ֗ר prep + Qal inf.cs Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, The lot of your inheritance;"
- Psalms 105:31 אָ֭מַר Qal pf 3ms He spoke, and swarms of flies came, And lice in all their borders.
- Psalms 105:34 אָ֭מַר Qal pf 3ms He spoke, and the locusts came, And the grasshoppers, without number,
- Psalms 106:23 וַ/יֹּ֗אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Therefore he said that he would destroy them, Had Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, To turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn't destroy them.
- Psalms 106:34 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms They didn't destroy the peoples, As Yahweh commanded them,
- Psalms 106:48 וְ/אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wpf 3ms Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting! Let all the people say, "Amen." Praise Yah!
- Psalms 107:2 יֹ֭אמְרוּ Qal impf 3mp Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so, Whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
- Psalms 107:25 וַ/יֹּ֗אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up its waves.
- Psalms 115:2 יֹאמְר֣וּ Qal impf 3mp Why should the nations say, "Where is their God, now?"
- Psalms 116:11 אָמַ֣רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I said in my haste, "All men are liars."
- Psalms 118:2 יֹֽאמַר Qal juss 3ms Let Israel now say That his loving kindness endures forever.
- Psalms 118:3 יֹֽאמְרוּ Qal juss 3mp Let the house of Aaron now say That his loving kindness endures forever.
- Psalms 118:4 יֹֽאמְרוּ Qal juss 3mp Now let those who fear Yahweh say That his loving kindness endures forever.
- Psalms 119:57 אָמַ֗רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Yahweh is my portion. I promised to obey your words.
- Psalms 119:82 לֵ֝/אמֹ֗ר prep + Qal inf.cs My eyes fail for your word. I say, "When will you comfort me?"
- Psalms 122:1 בְּ/אֹמְרִ֣ים prep + Qal ptcp.act mp I was glad when they said to me, "Let's go to Yahweh's house!"
- Psalms 124:1 יֹֽאמַר Qal juss 3ms If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, Let Israel now say,
- Psalms 126:2 יֹאמְר֣וּ Qal impf 3mp Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "Yahweh has done great things for them."
- Psalms 129:1 יֹֽאמַר Qal juss 3ms Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say,
- Psalms 129:8 אָֽמְר֨וּ Qal pf 3cp Neither do those who go by say, "The blessing of Yahweh be on you. We bless you in the name of Yahweh."
- Psalms 137:7 הָ֭/אֹ֣מְרִים ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp Remember, Yahweh, against the children of Edom, The day of Jerusalem; Who said, "Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!"
- Psalms 139:11 וָ֭/אֹמַר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; The light around me will be night;"
- Psalms 139:20 יֹ֭אמְרֻ/ךָ Qal impf 3mp + sfx pers 2ms For they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.
- Psalms 140:6 אָמַ֣רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I said to Yahweh, "You are my God." Listen to the cry of my petitions, Yahweh.
- Psalms 142:5 אָ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I cried to you, Yahweh. I said, "You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living."
- Psalms 145:6 יֹאמֵ֑רוּ Qal impf 3mp Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts. I will declare your greatness.
- Psalms 145:11 יֹאמֵ֑רוּ Qal impf 3mp They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, And talk about your power;
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.
