עַם
people
‘people’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Absolute-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
51 verses where H5971 appears in the Absolute state in the Book of Joshua. 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.
Joshua
- Joshua 1:2 הָ/עָ֣ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, to the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
- Joshua 1:6 הָ/עָ֣ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
- Joshua 1:10 הָ/עָ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
- Joshua 1:11 הָ/עָם֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare food; for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess it.
- Joshua 3:3 הָ/עָ֣ם ptcl def.art + n c ms and they commanded the people, saying, When you see the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then you shall remove from your place, and go after it.
- Joshua 3:5 הָ/עָ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you.
- Joshua 3:6 הָ/עָ֑ם הָ/עָֽם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
- Joshua 3:14 הָ/עָם֙ הָ/עָֽם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms It happened, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people;
- Joshua 3:16 וְ/הָ/עָ֥ם conj + ptcl def.art + n c ms that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
- Joshua 4:2 הָ/עָ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Take twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
- Joshua 4:10 הָ/עָ֔ם הָ/עָ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that Yahweh commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hurried and passed over.
- Joshua 4:11 הָ/עָ֖ם הָ/עָֽם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms It happened, when all the people had completely passed over, that the ark of Yahweh passed over, with the priests, in the presence of the people.
- Joshua 4:19 וְ/הָ/עָ֗ם conj + ptcl def.art + n c ms The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.
- Joshua 5:4 הָ/עָ֣ם ptcl def.art + n c ms This is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people who came forth out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt.
- Joshua 5:5 הָ/עָ֖ם הָ֠/עָם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, they had not circumcised.
- Joshua 6:5 הָ/עָ֖ם הָ/עָ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.
- Joshua 6:7 הָ/עָ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c ms They said to the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of Yahweh.
- Joshua 6:8 הָ/עָם֒ ptcl def.art + n c ms It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Yahweh passed on, and blew the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed them.
- Joshua 6:10 הָ/עָם֩ ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua commanded the people, saying, You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall you shout.
- Joshua 6:16 הָ/עָם֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms It happened at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout; for Yahweh has given you the city.
- Joshua 6:20 הָ/עָ֔ם הָ/עָ֜ם הָ/עָם֙ הָ/עָ֤ם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms So the people shouted, and [the priests] blew the trumpets; and it happened, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
- Joshua 7:3 הָ/עָם֒ הָ/עָ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms They returned to Joshua, and said to him, Don't let all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai; don't make all the people to toil there; for they are but few.
- Joshua 7:4 הָ/עָם֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms So there went up there of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
- Joshua 7:5 הָ/עָ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c ms The men of Ai struck of them about thirty-six men; and they chased them [from] before the gate even to Shebarim, and struck them at the descent; and the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
- Joshua 7:7 הָ/עָ֤ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua said, Alas, Lord Yahweh, why have you at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? would that we had been content and lived beyond the Jordan!
- Joshua 7:13 הָ/עָ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, Israel; you can not stand before your enemies, until you take away the devoted thing from among you.
- Joshua 8:5 הָ/עָם֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms and I, and all the people who are with me, will approach to the city. It shall happen, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them;
- Joshua 8:9 הָ/עָֽם ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua sent them forth; and they went to set up the ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
- Joshua 8:10 הָ/עָ֑ם הָ/עָ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua arose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
- Joshua 8:11 הָ/עָ֨ם ptcl def.art + n c ms All the people, [even] the [men of] war who were with him, went up, and drew near, and came before the city, and encamped on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between him and Ai.
- Joshua 8:13 הָ/עָ֜ם ptcl def.art + n c ms So they set the people, even all the host who was on the north of the city, and their liers-in-wait who were on the west of the city; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
- Joshua 8:16 הָ/עָם֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms All the people who were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
- Joshua 8:20 וְ/הָ/עָם֙ conj + ptcl def.art + n c ms When the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people who fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.
- Joshua 8:33 הָ/עָ֥ם ptcl def.art + n c ms All Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, as well the foreigner as the native; half of them in front of Mount Gerizim, and half of them in front of Mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of Yahweh had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.
- Joshua 10:21 הָ/עָ֨ם ptcl def.art + n c ms that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
- Joshua 11:4 עַם n c ms They went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
- Joshua 14:8 הָ/עָ֑ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Nevertheless my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed Yahweh my God.
- Joshua 17:14 עַם n c ms The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, Why have you given me but one lot and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, because hitherto Yahweh has blessed me?
- Joshua 17:15 עַם n c ms Joshua said to them, If you are a great people, go up to the forest, and cut down for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim; since the hill-country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.
- Joshua 17:17 עַם n c ms Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, You are a great people, and have great power; you shall not have one lot only:
- Joshua 24:2 הָ/עָ֗ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua said to all the people, Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, Your fathers lived of old time beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor: and they served other gods.
- Joshua 24:16 הָ/עָם֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms The people answered, Far be it from us that we should forsake Yahweh, to serve other gods;
- Joshua 24:17 הָֽ/עַמִּ֔ים ptcl def.art + n c mp for Yahweh our God, he it is who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way in which we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed;
- Joshua 24:18 הָ/עַמִּ֗ים ptcl def.art + n c mp and Yahweh drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land: therefore we also will serve Yahweh; for he is our God.
- Joshua 24:19 הָ/עָ֗ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua said to the people, You can't serve Yahweh; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your disobedience nor your sins.
- Joshua 24:21 הָ/עָ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c ms The people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve Yahweh.
- Joshua 24:22 הָ/עָ֗ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you Yahweh, to serve him. They said, We are witnesses.
- Joshua 24:24 הָ/עָ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c ms The people said to Joshua, Yahweh our God will we serve, and to his voice will we listen.
- Joshua 24:25 לָ/עָ֖ם prep det + n c ms So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
- Joshua 24:27 הָ/עָ֗ם ptcl def.art + n c ms Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which he spoke to us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.
- Joshua 24:28 הָ/עָ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c ms So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
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.
עם — transliterated ʻam — is a Hebrew noun carrying the sense “people.” Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 11:6. It appears 1,655 verses across 39 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its most common vocabulary. The lexicon spreads it across several senses; see its full sense range. It shares a root with עמם, עם and עמה. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H5971 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 →
- 1,655
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 1,655 distinct verses.
- 39 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 39 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #24
- by frequency
- Top 25 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 24 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 1,655 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 1,655 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 874 verses · 53%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 393 verses · 24%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 388 verses · 23%
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).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: People 1,181×, All the people 214×, Among the people 24×
- American Standard Version†: People 987×, All the people 192×, Peoples 95×
- Berean Standard Bible†: People 1,246×, Peoples 103×, Troops 83×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: People 1,394×, Peoples 144×, People of 83×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H5971 across 1,857† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 216 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 5 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H5971 across 1,857† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 273 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 H5971 across 1,748† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 86 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 116 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H5971 across 1,856† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 58 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
18 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 18 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.
עם I
- 1. a people, nation (sometimes ‖ גּוֹי), n. coll. (sg. Ex 21:8 Jos 17:14, 15, 17; 2 S 17:29 + often, or pl. Ex 20:15; 24:2; Je 5:31 + often, or both in same clause Ex 1:20; 2 S 13:24): עַם אֶחָד = all mankind Gn 11:6 (J); peoples in gen. 27:29 (J; ‖ לְאֻמִּים), Ex 19:5 (E), Dt 2:25; 4:6 + often Dt, Ne 13:24 + often; קְהַל עַמִּים Gn 28:3 (P) an assembly (multitude) of peoples, 48:4 (P), Ez 23:24; 32:3 (+ דַבִּים); one’s own people Je 46:16 ψ 45:11; Ru 1:10, 15, 16(×2) + (on עַמִּי נָדִיב Ct 6:12 v. especially Bu); particular peoples, Egypt Gn 41:40 (E), Ex 1:22 (E), Ne 9:10 +; עַם־אֲרָם Am 1:5; עַם־כְּמוֹשׁ (i.e. Moab) Nu 21:29 (JE), Je 48:46; but especially Isr. Ex 1:20 (E) + often; עַם־בְּנֵי יִשׂ׳ v 9 (J); called ע׳ יהוה Nu 11:29 (E), 1 S 2:24 +, and (by י׳) עַמִּי Ex 3:7; 5:1 (J) + often (all periods); קְהַל עַם־הָאֱלֹהִים Ju 20:2, עַם־הַקָּהָל Lv 16:33 (P), קְהַל עָם ψ 107:32; especially הָעָם הַזֶּה (often in contempt or disgust) Nu 11:1, 12, 13 +; fig. of ants Pr 30:25, the shaphan v 26, locusts Jo 2:2, cf. לְעַם לְצִיִּים ψ 74:14 (where read לְעַם צִיִּים Hup-Now).—On Ju 1:16 v. עֲמָלֵקִי. e.g. Exodus 21:8
- 2. = smaller units, e.g.
- a. inhab. of a city Gn 19:4 (J), 1 S 9:12, 13; Je 29:16, 25; 2 Ch 31:4 + (Je 8:5 del. יְרוּשׁ׳ 𝔊 Gie Co Rothst). e.g. Genesis 19:4
- b. inhab. of a locality Je 37:12 [appar. not = tribe, Dt 33:3 read עַמּוֹ 𝔊 Di Dr, Ho 10:14; Ju 5:8, 14 read בְּעָרֶיךָ We Now; v. sub d]. e.g. Jeremiah 37:12
- c. retainers, followers Gn 14:16; 32:8; 33:15; 35:6; Ju 3:18; 8:5; 2 S 15:17; Je 41:13, 14 +. e.g. Genesis 14:16
- d. people bearing arms 1 S 11:11; 1 K 20:10 +; ע׳ כָּבֵד Nu 20:20 (JE), i.e. a powerful force; עַם הַצָּבָא Nu 31:32 (P), ע׳ הַמִּלְחָמָה Jos 8:1, 3, 11; 10:7; 11:7 (all JE); so prob. Ju 5:8 a (fighting) band; perhaps also v 14 (read sg.? v. GFM Bu). e.g. 1 Samuel 11:11
- 3. = common people Je 21:7; 22:4, Lv 4:27 (opp. ruler v 22), Ne 5:1 (opp. יְהוּדִים), 7:5 (opp. rulers). e.g. Jeremiah 21:7
- 4. people in gen., persons Gn 50:20 (E), so appar. כָּל־הָעָם אֲשֵׁר וגו׳ Ex 33:16 (J), Nu 11:34 (J), Jos 5:5(×2) (D), Ju 9:36 (as sg.), v 37 (as pl.), Je 36:9; persons labouring 1 K 9:23; superior persons Jb 12:2 (iron.); עַם עוֹלָם Ez 26:20 people of long ago (now in Sheʾôl). e.g. Genesis 50:20
- 5. phrases are:
- a. (עַמָּהּ, עַמִּי, עַמְּךָ) כְּנֵי עַמּוֹ members of one’s people, compatriots, fellow-countrymen, etc. Nu 22:5 (E), Gn 23:11 (P) Lv 19:18 (H), Ju 14:16, 17; Ez 33:2, 12 +. e.g. Numbers 22:5
- b. בְּנֵי הָעָם = common people (v. 3) 2 K 23:6; Je 26:23 +; people in gen. שַׁעַר בְּנֵי הָעָם Je 17:19 i.e. public gate 2 Ch 35:5, 12. e.g. 2 Kings 23:6
- c. עַם הָאָרֶץ the people at large, as a body 2 K 11:14, 18, 19, 20; 15:5; 16:15; 21:24(×2) +, Je 37:2; 44:21 Lv 20:2 (H), Gn 23:7, 12, 13 (P); common people Je 34:19, cf. דַּלַּת ע׳ הא׳ 2 K 24:14; disting. from prince Ez 45:22; 46:3, 9, from priests Hg 2:4 Zc 7:5; = Canaanites Nu 14:9 (JE), cf. עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ 1 Ch 5:25; mixed post-exil. population Ezr 4:4. e.g. 2 Kings 11:14
- d. עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ usually peoples of the earth Jos 4:24 (D), 2 Ch 32:19 +; of heathen peoples about and in Pal. after exile Ezr 10:2, 11; traders Ne 10:31; עַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת 9:30; 10:29; 2 Ch 32:13. e.g. Joshua 4:24
- e. מִשְׁפְּחוֹת עַמִּים ψ 96:7 = 1 Ch 16:28 (cf. ψ 22:23). e.g. Psalms 96:7
- f. בַּת־עַמִּי = people personif. Is 22:4; Je 4:11 + 7 times Je + 6:14 (van d. H.; om. בַּת Baer Gi), La 2:11; 3:48; 4:3, 6, 10; בְּתוּלַת בַּת־עַמִּי Je 14:17. e.g. Isaiah 22:4
- g. designations of Isr. are: עַם־קָדוֹשׁ Dt 7:6 + 3 times, ע׳ קְדוֹשִׁים Dn 8:24, ע׳ (ה)קֹדֶשׁ Is 62:12; 63:18; Dn 12:7; ע׳ סְגֻלָּה Dt 7:6; 14:2; 26:18. e.g. Deuteronomy 7:6
- h. of foreign (non-Isr.) peoples: ע׳ נָכְרִי Ex 21:8 (E), ע׳ אַחֵר Dt 28:32, and especially from language, ע׳ עִמְקֵי שָׂפָה Ez 3:5 cf. v 6, כִּלְשׁוֹן עַם וָעָם Ne 13:24 cf. Est 1:22(×2); 3:12, ע׳ לֹעֵג ψ 114:1. e.g. Exodus 21:8
- i. עַם עֶבְרָתִי Is 10:6, ע׳ חֶרְמִי 34:11, ע׳־מִבְחָרָיו Dn 11:15, עַמֵּי תּוֹעֵבוֹת הָאֵלָּה Ezr 9:14; לֹא עַם בִּינוֹת Is 27:11.—For עַם־עוֹלָם Is 44:7 read (אֹתִיּוֹת) מֵעוֹלָם (מִי הִשְׁמִי)עַ Oort Du Kit CheHpt cf. PerlesAnal. 40, 64. e.g. Isaiah 10:6
עם II [m.] kinsman* kinsman, later development of i. עַם RSK 58
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
II. n.m. Gn 11:6 (v. infr.) people (NH id., plebeian, common man; 𝔗 עַמָּא people, pl. peoples, tribes, etc.; Syriac ܥܰܡܳܐ; Arabic عَمٌّ v. supr.; orig. meaning prob. those united, connected, related, cf. WeGGN 1893, 480);—abs. עַם Gn 11:6 +, עַם Ju 9:36 +, הָעָם Jos 8:11 +; cstr. עַם Nu 21:29 +; sf. עַמִּי Ex 3:7 +, עַמְּךָ 22:27 +, etc.; pl. עַמִּים Is 2:3 +, עֲמָמִים (cf. Biblical Aramaic) Ne 9:22; cstr. עַמֵּי 1 K 8:43 +, עַמְמֵי Ne 9:24; pl. c. sf. v. ii. עַם;—(Thes cites foll. as f. וְחָטָאת עַמֶּ֑ךָ Ex 5:16 [but corrupt and unintellig.; read perhaps וְחַטָאתָ לְע׳, so 𝔊 𝔖 Di]; Ju 18:7 [but ישֶׁבֶת must agree with lost word city, or the like, v. GFM]; Je 8:5 [but read שׁוֹבַב for שׁוֹבְבָה Gie]);—
III. n.[m.] kinsman* kinsman, later development of i. עַם RSK 58; 2nd ed. 72. (on father’s side) (Arabic عَمٌّ paternal uncle, etc. v. I. עמם; cf. perhaps TelAm. ammu, kinsmen (?); on Nab. עם ancestor cf. Lzb151, 499; v. also especially NesEg 187, ZAW xvi (1896), 322 f. Krenkelib. viii (1888), 280–84);—sf. עַמִּי in בֶּן־עַמִּי (q.v.), and n.pr. sqq.; elsewhere pl. sf. עַמֶּיךָ Nu 27:13; 31:2 (Lv 19:16 read עַמְּךָ 𝔊 Sam), + (poss.) עֲמָמֶיךָ Ju 5:14; עַמָּיו Gn 25:8 + 15 times, עַמֶּיהָ 17:14 + 3 times; read עַמַּי (for MT עַמִּי, 1עַם; cf. Krenkell.c. 281) Gn 49:29 and perhaps Ju 14:3 (cf. Lv 21:14); according to Buhl Kit also 2 K 4:13;—father’s kinsmen: וַיֵּאָסֵף אֶל־עַמָּיו Gn 25:8 (of joining kinsmen in Sheʾôl), so v 17; 35:29; 49:33; Nu 20:24; Dt 32:50, cf. Gn 49:29 (v. supr.), Nu 27:13; 31:2; Dt 32:50 (all P); וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ מֵעַמֶּיהָ Gn 17:14 (severed from living kinsmen), so Lv 7:20, 21, 25, 27; 19:8; 23:29; Nu 9:13, מִקֶּרֶב עַמֶּיהָ Ex 31:14, cf. 30:33, 38; Lv 17:9 (all PH); מֵעַמָּיו יִקַּח אִשָּׁה 21:14 (H), and perhaps Ju 14:3 (sim. 1עַם: [ם—ָ, הּ—ָ] מִקֶּרֶב עַמּוֹ Lv 17:4, 10; 18:29 +); other combin. Ju 5:14 (si vera l., read perhaps בְּעַמֶּ֑ךָ, v. 1.עַם 2 d), Lv 21:1, 4, 15 (H), Ez 18:18 and (perhaps) 2 K 4:13.—בֶּן־עַמִּי (v. p. 122 b) perhaps = son of my kinsman; on n.pr. c. עַם v. GrayProp. N. 41 ff..
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from עמם (ʻâmam) (H6004) — to darken.
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.
עִם
- v. עַם) junction; (prep.) with, near. Sabb. I, 8 עם השמש with the sun, i.e. as long as the sun shines, before sunset. Ib. II, 7 עם חשיכה, v. חֲשֵׁיכָה. Ber. 7ᵃ ותתנהג עם בניך וכ׳ and deal with thy children mercifully. Snh. 23ᵃ מי חותם עִמָּהֶן who is to sign as witness with them; a. fr.
עִם ²
- Targ. O. Gen. XXV, 11. Targ. Ps. LIV, 2 עִימָּנָא Ms. (ed. גַּבָּן). Targ. Job XXXII, 6 עִימְּכוֹן Ms. (ed. יַתְכוֹן); a. fr.
עַם
- עמם to press, crowd, join) gathering, crowd, people. Snh. 94ᵇ, v. עָיֵף. Men. 53ᵇ יבא זח … לעם זו let ‘this one’ (Moses) come and receive ‘this’ (the Law) … for ‘this people’ (Israel); a. fr.—עם הארץ, v. אֶרֶץ.—Pl. עַמִּים gentiles. Sabb. 14ᵇ, a. fr. על ארץ הע׳ concerning (importations from) heathen countries. Y. Shebi. VI, 36ᵇ bot.; a. fr.—V. עֲמָם.
עַם ²
- Targ. Gen. XII, 2. Targ. Ez. XLV, 16. Targ. Cant. VI, 5; a. v. fr.—Erub. 14ᵇ, a. e. מאי ע׳ דבר, v. דְּבַר. Y. Kil. V, 29ᵈ bot. כל ע׳; Y. Yeb. XIII, beg. 13ᵇ כל עַמָּה, a. fr., v. כּוֹל. Sot. IX, 15 ע׳ דארעא = עם הארץ, ignorant people; a. fr.—Pl., v. עֲמַם II.
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 348 distinct written forms H5971 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 288 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H5971, 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.
Derives from
Shares the same root
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.
- עמון ʻAmmôwn H5983 Ammon
- עמיאל ʻAmmîyʼêl H5988 Ammiel
- עמיהוד ʻAmmîyhûwd H5989 Ammihud
- עמיזבד ʻAmmîyzâbâd H5990 Ammizabad
- עמיחור ʻAmmîychûwr H5991 Ammihur
- עמינדב ʻAmmîynâdâb H5992 Amminadab
- עמי נדיב ʻAmmîy Nâdîyb H5993 Amminadib
- עמישדי ʻAmmîyshadday H5996 Ammishaddai
- עמעד ʻAmʻâd H6008 Amad
- עמרם ʻAmrâm H6019 Amram
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 15 — not the complete family. 10 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 1,549 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 1,655 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 11:6
- Exodus 1:9
- Leviticus 4:3
- Numbers 5:21
- Deuteronomy 1:28
- Joshua 1:2
- Judges 1:16
- Ruth 1:6
- 1 Samuel 2:13
- 2 Samuel 1:4
- 1 Kings 1:39
- 2 Kings 3:7
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.
