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 Zechariah — 74 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.
Zechariah
- Zechariah 1:1 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
- Zechariah 1:3 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֣ אָמַר֙ אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms Qal pf 3ms Qal pf 3ms Therefore tell them: Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: 'Return to me,' says Yahweh of Hosts, 'and I will return to you,' says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Zechariah 1:4 לֵ/אמֹ֗ר אָמַר֙ prep + Qal inf.cs Qal pf 3ms Don't you be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: Thus says Yahweh of hosts, 'Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings;' but they did not hear, nor listen to me, says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 1:6 וַ/יֹּאמְר֗וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, didn't they overtake your fathers? "Then they repented and said, 'Just as Yahweh of Hosts determined to do to us, according to our ways, and according to our practices, so he has dealt with us.'"
- Zechariah 1:7 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
- Zechariah 1:9 וָ/אֹמַ֖ר וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then I asked, 'My lord, what are these?'" The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
- Zechariah 1:10 וַ/יֹּאמַ֑ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, "They are the ones Yahweh has sent to go back and forth through the earth."
- Zechariah 1:11 וַ/יֹּאמְר֖וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They reported to the angel of Yahweh who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, "We have walked back and forth through the earth, and, behold, all the earth is at rest and in peace."
- Zechariah 1:12 וַ/יֹּאמַר֒ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then the angel of Yahweh replied, "O Yahweh of Hosts, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which you have had indignation these seventy years?"
- Zechariah 1:14 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר לֵ/אמֹ֔ר אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs Qal pf 3ms So the angel who talked with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
- Zechariah 1:16 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms Therefore thus says Yahweh: "I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built in it," says Yahweh of Hosts, "and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem."'
- Zechariah 1:17 לֵ/אמֹ֗ר אָמַר֙ prep + Qal inf.cs Qal pf 3ms "Proclaim further, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem."'"
- Zechariah 1:19 וָ/אֹמַ֗ר וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs conj + Qal wimpf 3ms I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."
- Zechariah 1:21 וָ/אֹמַ֕ר וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר לֵ/אמֹ֗ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs conj + Qal wimpf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs Then I asked, "What are these coming to do?" He said, "These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."
- Zechariah 2:2 וָ/אֹמַ֕ר וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then I asked, "Where are you going?" He said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length."
- Zechariah 2:4 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר לֵ/אמֹ֑ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs and said to him, "Run, speak to this young man, saying, 'Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle in it.
- Zechariah 2:8 אָמַר֮ Qal pf 3ms For thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'For honor he has sent me to the nations which plundered you; for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.
- Zechariah 3:2 וַ/יֹּ֨אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to Satan, "Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Yes, Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn't this a burning stick plucked out of the fire?"
- Zechariah 3:4 וַ/יֹּ֗אמֶר לֵ/אמֹ֔ר וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, "Take the filthy garments off of him." To him he said, "Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with rich clothing."
- Zechariah 3:5 וָ/אֹמַ֕ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs I said, "Let them set a clean turban on his head." So they set a clean turban on his head, and clothed him; and the angel of Yahweh was standing by.
- Zechariah 3:6 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The angel of Yahweh protested to Joshua, saying,
- Zechariah 3:7 אָמַ֞ר Qal pf 3ms "Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my charge, then you also shall judge my house, and shall also keep my courts, and I will give you a place of access among these who stand by.
- Zechariah 4:2 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר ו/יאמר וָ/אֹמַ֡ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 1cs He said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I have seen, and, behold, a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are on the top of it;
- Zechariah 4:4 וָֽ/אֹמַ֔ר לֵ/אמֹ֑ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs prep + Qal inf.cs I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"
- Zechariah 4:5 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר וָ/אֹמַ֖ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Don't you know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
- Zechariah 4:6 וַ/יֹּ֤אמֶר לֵ/אמֹ֔ר לֵ/אמֹ֑ר אָמַ֖ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs prep + Qal inf.cs Qal pf 3ms Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Zechariah 4:8 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Zechariah 4:11 וָ/אֹמַ֣ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Then I asked him, "What are these two olive trees on the right side of the lampstand and on the left side of it?"
- Zechariah 4:12 וָ/אֹמַ֖ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs I asked him the second time, "What are these two olive-branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that pour the golden oil out of themselves?"
- Zechariah 4:13 וַ/יֹּ֤אמֶר לֵ/אמֹ֔ר וָ/אֹמַ֖ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs conj + Qal wimpf 1cs He answered me, "Don't you know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
- Zechariah 4:14 וַ/יֹּ֕אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth."
- Zechariah 5:2 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר וָ/אֹמַ֗ר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 1cs He said to me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its breadth ten cubits."
- Zechariah 5:3 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the surface of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut off according to it on the one side; and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off according to it on the other side.
- Zechariah 5:5 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then the angel who talked with me came forward, and said to me, "Lift up now your eyes, and see what is this that is appearing."
- Zechariah 5:6 וָ/אֹמַ֖ר וַ/יֹּ֗אמֶר וַ/יֹּ֕אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs conj + Qal wimpf 3ms conj + Qal wimpf 3ms I said, "What is it?" He said, "This is the ephah basket that is appearing." He said moreover, "This is their appearance in all the land
- Zechariah 5:8 וַ/יֹּ֨אמֶר֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He said, "This is Wickedness;" and he threw her down into the midst of the ephah basket; and he threw the weight of lead on its mouth.
- Zechariah 5:10 וָ/אֹמַ֕ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Then said I to the angel who talked with me, "Where are these carrying the ephah basket?"
- Zechariah 5:11 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He said to me, "To build her a house in the land of Shinar. When it is prepared, she will be set there in her own place."
- Zechariah 6:4 וָֽ/אֹמַ֔ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Then I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
- Zechariah 6:5 וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of the sky, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
- Zechariah 6:7 וַ/יֹּ֕אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The strong went out, and sought to go that they might walk back and forth through the earth: and he said, "Go around and through the earth!" So they walked back and forth through the earth.
- Zechariah 6:8 לֵ/אמֹ֑ר prep + Qal inf.cs Then he called to me, and spoke to me, saying, "Behold, those who go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country."
- Zechariah 6:9 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
- Zechariah 6:12 וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֤ לֵ/אמֹ֔ר אָמַ֛ר לֵ/אמֹ֑ר conj + Qal wpf 2ms prep + Qal inf.cs Qal pf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs and speak to him, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the temple of Yahweh;
- Zechariah 7:3 לֵ/אמֹ֗ר לֵ/אמֹ֑ר prep + Qal inf.cs prep + Qal inf.cs and to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?"
- Zechariah 7:4 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs Then the word of Yahweh of Hosts came to me, saying,
- Zechariah 7:5 אֱמֹר֙ לֵ/אמֹ֑ר Qal impv 2ms prep + Qal inf.cs "Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, did you at all fast to me, really to me?
- Zechariah 7:8 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh came to Zechariah, saying,
- Zechariah 7:9 אָמַ֛ר לֵ/אמֹ֑ר Qal pf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs "Thus has Yahweh of Hosts spoken, saying, 'Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.
- Zechariah 7:13 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms It has come to pass that, as he called, and they refused to listen, so they will call, and I will not listen," said Yahweh of Hosts;
- Zechariah 8:1 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh of Hosts came to me.
- Zechariah 8:2 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath."
- Zechariah 8:3 אָמַ֣ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh: "I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called 'The City of Truth;' and the mountain of Yahweh of Hosts, 'The Holy Mountain.'"
- Zechariah 8:4 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "Old men and old women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
- Zechariah 8:6 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?" says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Zechariah 8:7 אָמַר֙ Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
- Zechariah 8:9 אָמַר֮ Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of Yahweh of Hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built.
- Zechariah 8:14 אָמַר֮ אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms Qal pf 3ms For thus says Yahweh of hosts: "As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath," says Yahweh of Hosts, "and I didn't repent;
- Zechariah 8:18 לֵ/אמֹֽר prep + Qal inf.cs The word of Yahweh of Hosts came to me.
- Zechariah 8:19 אָמַ֞ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "The fasts of the fourth fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace."
- Zechariah 8:20 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "Many peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come;
- Zechariah 8:21 לֵ/אמֹ֗ר prep + Qal inf.cs and the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Hosts. I will go also.'
- Zechariah 8:23 אָמַר֮ לֵ/אמֹ֗ר Qal pf 3ms prep + Qal inf.cs Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
- Zechariah 11:4 אָמַ֖ר Qal pf 3ms Thus says Yahweh my God: "Feed the flock of slaughter.
- Zechariah 11:5 יֹאמַ֔ר Qal impf 3ms Their buyers slaughter them, and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, 'Blessed be Yahweh, for I am rich;' and their own shepherds don't pity them.
- Zechariah 11:9 וָ/אֹמַ֕ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs Then I said, "I will not feed you. That which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let those who are left eat each other's flesh."
- Zechariah 11:12 וָ/אֹמַ֣ר conj + Qal wimpf 1cs I said to them, "If you think it best, give me my wages; and if not, keep them." So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
- Zechariah 11:13 וַ/יֹּ֨אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to me, "Throw it to the potter, the handsome price that I was valued at by them!" I took the thirty pieces of silver, and threw them to the potter, in the house of Yahweh.
- Zechariah 11:15 וַ/יֹּ֥אמֶר conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yahweh said to me, "Take for yourself yet again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
- Zechariah 12:5 וְ/אָֽמְר֛וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Hosts their God.'
- Zechariah 13:3 וְ/אָמְר֣וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp It will happen that, when anyone still prophesies, then his father and his mother who bore him will tell him, 'You must die, because you speak lies in the name of Yahweh;' and his father and his mother who bore him will stab him when he prophesies.
- Zechariah 13:5 וְ/אָמַ֕ר conj + Qal wpf 3ms but he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondservant from my youth.'
- Zechariah 13:6 וְ/אָמַ֣ר וְ/אָמַ֕ר conj + Qal wpf 3ms conj + Qal wpf 3ms One will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'
- Zechariah 13:9 אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙ יֹאמַ֖ר Qal pf 1cs Qal impf 3ms I will bring the third part into the fire, And will refine them as silver is refined, And will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will hear them. I will say, 'It is my people;' And they will say, 'Yahweh is my God.'"
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.
