שָׁמַר
to keep
also: guard, observe, give heed 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”). Here: ‘keep’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘be on one’s guard’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself).
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘pl.’
Form
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
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).
Person
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H8104 appears in the Book of Psalms — 67 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.
Psalms
- Psalms 12:7 תִּשְׁמְרֵ֑/ם Qal impf 2ms + sfx pers 3mp You will keep them, Yahweh, You will preserve them from this generation forever.
- Psalms 16:1 שָֽׁמְרֵ֥/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge.
- Psalms 17:4 שָׁ֝מַ֗רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs As for the works of men, by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.
- Psalms 17:8 שָׁ֭מְרֵ/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Keep me as the apple of your eye; Hide me under the shadow of your wings,
- Psalms 18:21 שָׁ֭מַרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs For I have kept the ways of Yahweh, And have not wickedly departed from my God.
- Psalms 18:23 וָ֝/אֶשְׁתַּמֵּ֗ר conj + Hithpael wimpf 1cs I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
- Psalms 19:11 בְּ֝/שָׁמְרָ֗/ם prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3mp Moreover by them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is great reward.
- Psalms 25:20 שָׁמְרָ֣/ה Qal impv 2ms + sfx h Oh keep my soul, and deliver me. Let me not be disappointed, for I take refuge in you.
- Psalms 31:6 הַ/שֹּׁמְרִ֥ים ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp I hate those who regard lying vanities, But I trust in Yahweh.
- Psalms 34:20 שֹׁמֵ֥ר Qal ptcp.act ms He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.
- Psalms 37:28 נִשְׁמָ֑רוּ Niphal pf 3cp For Yahweh loves justice, And doesn't forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, But the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
- Psalms 37:34 וּ/שְׁמֹ֬ר conj + Qal impv 2ms Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way, And he will exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
- Psalms 37:37 שְׁמָר Qal impv 2ms Mark the perfect man, and see the upright, For there is a future for the man of peace.
- Psalms 39:1 אֶֽשְׁמְרָ֣ה אֶשְׁמְרָ֥ה Qal coh 1cs Qal coh 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 41:2 יִשְׁמְרֵ֣/הוּ Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive, He shall be blessed on the earth, And he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.
- Psalms 56:6 יִשְׁמֹ֑רוּ Qal impf 3mp They conspire and lurk, Watching my steps, they are eager to take my life.
- Psalms 59:1 וַֽ/יִּשְׁמְר֥וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp Deliver me from my enemies, my God. Set me on high from those who rise up against me.
- Psalms 59:9 אֶשְׁמֹ֑רָה Qal coh 1cs Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, For God is my high tower.
- Psalms 71:10 וְ/שֹׁמְרֵ֥י conj + Qal ptcp.act mp cs For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,
- Psalms 78:10 שָׁ֭מְרוּ Qal pf 3cp They didn't keep God's covenant, And refused to walk in his law.
- Psalms 78:56 שָׁמָֽרוּ Qal pf 3cp Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And didn't keep his testimonies;
- Psalms 86:2 שָֽׁמְרָ֣/ה Qal impv 2ms + sfx h Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You, my God, save your servant who trusts in you.
- Psalms 89:28 אשמור אֶשְׁמָר Qal impf 1cs Qal impf 1cs I will keep my loving kindness for him forevermore. My covenant will stand firm with him.
- Psalms 89:31 יִשְׁמֹֽרוּ Qal impf 3mp If they break my statutes, And don't keep my commandments;
- Psalms 91:11 לִ֝/שְׁמָרְ/ךָ֗ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2ms For he will give his angels charge over you, To guard you in all your ways.
- Psalms 97:10 שֹׁ֭מֵר Qal ptcp.act ms You who love Yahweh, hate evil. He preserves the souls of his saints. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
- Psalms 99:7 שָׁמְר֥וּ Qal pf 3cp He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept his testimonies, The statute that he gave them.
- Psalms 103:18 לְ/שֹׁמְרֵ֥י prep + Qal ptcp.act mp cs To those who keep his covenant, To those who remember to obey his precepts.
- Psalms 105:45 יִשְׁמְר֣וּ Qal impf 3mp That they might keep his statutes, And observe his laws. Praise Yah!
- Psalms 106:3 שֹׁמְרֵ֣י Qal ptcp.act mp cs Blessed are those who keep justice. Blessed is one who does what is right at all times.
- Psalms 107:43 וְ/יִשְׁמָר conj + Qal impf 3ms Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh.
- Psalms 116:6 שֹׁמֵ֣ר Qal ptcp.act ms Yahweh preserves the simple. I was brought low, and he saved me.
- Psalms 119:4 לִ/שְׁמֹ֥ר prep + Qal inf.cs You have commanded your precepts, That we should fully obey them.
- Psalms 119:5 לִ/שְׁמֹ֥ר prep + Qal inf.cs Oh that my ways were steadfast To obey your statutes!
- Psalms 119:8 אֶשְׁמֹ֑ר Qal impf 1cs I will observe your statutes. Don't utterly forsake me.
- Psalms 119:9 לִ֝/שְׁמֹ֗ר prep + Qal inf.cs How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
- Psalms 119:17 וְ/אֶשְׁמְרָ֥ה conj + Qal coh 1cs Do good to your servant. I will live and I will obey your word.
- Psalms 119:34 וְ/אֶשְׁמְרֶ֥/נָּה conj + Qal impf 1cs + sfx pers 3fs Give me understanding, and I will keep your law. Yes, I will obey it with my whole heart.
- Psalms 119:44 וְ/אֶשְׁמְרָ֖ה conj + Qal coh 1cs So I will obey your law continually, Forever and ever.
- Psalms 119:55 וָֽ֝/אֶשְׁמְרָ֗/ה conj + Qal wimpf 1cs + sfx h I have remembered your name, Yahweh, in the night, And I obey your law.
- Psalms 119:57 לִ/שְׁמֹ֥ר prep + Qal inf.cs Yahweh is my portion. I promised to obey your words.
- Psalms 119:60 לִ֝/שְׁמֹ֗ר prep + Qal inf.cs I will hurry, and not delay, To obey your commandments.
- Psalms 119:63 וּ֝/לְ/שֹׁמְרֵ֗י conj + prep + Qal ptcp.act mp cs I am a friend of all those who fear you, Of those who observe your precepts.
- Psalms 119:67 שָׁמָֽרְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Before I was afflicted, I went astray; But now I observe your word.
- Psalms 119:88 וְ֝/אֶשְׁמְרָ֗ה conj + Qal coh 1cs Preserve my life according to your loving kindness, So I will obey the statutes of your mouth.
- Psalms 119:101 אֶשְׁמֹ֥ר Qal impf 1cs I have kept my feet from every evil way, That I might observe your word.
- Psalms 119:106 לִ֝/שְׁמֹ֗ר prep + Qal inf.cs I have sworn, and have confirmed it, That I will obey your righteous ordinances.
- Psalms 119:134 וְ֝/אֶשְׁמְרָ֗ה conj + Qal coh 1cs Redeem me from the oppression of man, So I will observe your precepts.
- Psalms 119:136 שָׁמְר֥וּ Qal pf 3cp Streams of tears run down my eyes, Because they don't observe your law.
- Psalms 119:146 וְ֝/אֶשְׁמְרָ֗ה conj + Qal coh 1cs I have called to you. Save me! I will obey your statutes.
- Psalms 119:158 שָׁמָֽרוּ Qal pf 3cp I look at the faithless with loathing, Because they don't observe your word.
- Psalms 119:167 שָֽׁמְרָ֣ה Qal pf 3fs My soul has observed your testimonies. I love them exceedingly.
- Psalms 119:168 שָׁמַ֣רְתִּי Qal pf 1cs I have obeyed your precepts and your testimonies, For all my ways are before you.
- Psalms 121:3 שֹֽׁמְרֶֽ/ךָ Qal ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 2ms He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber.
- Psalms 121:4 שׁ֝וֹמֵ֗ר Qal ptcp.act ms cs Behold, he who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.
- Psalms 121:5 שֹׁמְרֶ֑/ךָ Qal ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 2ms Yahweh is your keeper. Yahweh is your shade on your right hand.
- Psalms 121:7 יִשְׁמָרְ/ךָ֥ יִ֝שְׁמֹ֗ר Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 2ms Qal impf 3ms Yahweh will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul.
- Psalms 121:8 יִשְׁמָר Qal impf 3ms Yahweh will keep your going out and your coming in, From this time forth, and forevermore.
- Psalms 127:1 יִשְׁמָר שׁוֹמֵֽר Qal impf 3ms Qal ptcp.act ms Unless Yahweh builds the house, They labor in vain who build it. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, The watchman guards it in vain.
- Psalms 130:3 תִּשְׁמָר Qal impf 2ms If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
- Psalms 130:6 מִ/שֹּׁמְרִ֥ים שֹׁמְרִ֥ים prep + Qal ptcp.act mp Qal ptcp.act mp My soul longs for the Lord more than watchmen long for the morning; More than watchmen for the morning.
- Psalms 132:12 יִשְׁמְר֬וּ Qal impf 3mp If your children will keep my covenant, My testimony that I will teach them, Their children also will sit on your throne forevermore."
- Psalms 140:4 שָׁמְרֵ֤/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Yahweh, keep me from the hands of the wicked. Preserve me from the violent men who have determined to trip my feet.
- Psalms 141:9 שָׁמְרֵ֗/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, From the traps of the workers of iniquity.
- Psalms 145:20 שׁוֹמֵ֣ר Qal ptcp.act ms Yahweh preserves all those who love him, But all the wicked he will destroy.
- Psalms 146:6 הַ/שֹּׁמֵ֖ר ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever;
- Psalms 146:9 שֹׁ֘מֵ֤ר Qal ptcp.act ms Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, But the way of the wicked he turns upside down.
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.
שמר — transliterated shâmar — is a Hebrew verb carrying the sense “to keep.” As a verb its force shifts by stem, across 4 stems (Qal, Niphal, and more). With 440 verses in 31 books, it is a common word in the Hebrew Bible. Debuting at Genesis 2:15, it then recurs through the corpus. Sharing its root, it stands alongside אשמרה, משמר and שמיר. 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 H8104 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 →
- 440
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 440 distinct verses.
- 31 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 31 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #106
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 106 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 440 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Psalms 67 verses 15%
- Deuteronomy 65 verses 15%
- Proverbs 29 verses 7%
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 440 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 161 verses · 37%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 140 verses · 32%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 139 verses · 32%
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: Keep 94×, Kept 19×, Take heed 16×
- American Standard Version: Keep 74×, Observe 18×, Kept 17×
- Berean Standard Bible: Keep 76×, Be careful 26×, Kept 16×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Keep 96×, You shall keep 40×, Keeping 18×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H8104 across 468 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 136 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 H8104 across 468 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 135 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 1 further occurrence.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H8104 across 462 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 161 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 6 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H8104 across 528 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 151 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
21 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 21 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. 3 ms. שׁ׳ Gn 37:11 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִשְׁמֹר 1 S 2:9 +, יִשְׁמָר־ Je 5:24 +, sf. 3 ms. יִשְׁמְרֶנּוּ Ex 21:29, 36; 3 fs. sf. תִּשְׁמוּרֵ֑ם Pr 14:3 (read תִּשְׁמְרוּם, v. Ges§ 47 g Toy), etc.; Imv. ms. שְׁמֹר Jb 2:6 +, שָׁמְרָה 1 Ch 29:18 +; mpl. שִׁמְרוּ Jos 6:18 +, etc.; Inf. abs. שָׁמוֹר Dt 5:12 +; cstr. שְׁמֹר Gn 3:24 +, sf. שָׁמְרָהּ 2:15, etc.; Pt. act. שֹׁמֵר 1 S 1:12 +, etc.; pass. שָׁמוּר Ec 5:12 (1 S 9:24 v. infr.), etc.;—[Synon. I. נָצַר, נָטַר, q.v.]: e.g. Genesis 37:11
- 1.
- a. keep, have charge of, garden Gn 2:15 (J), ark 1 S 7:1, property in trust Ex 22:6, 9 (E), cf. 1 S 25:21; tend flock Gn 30:31 (E), cf. Zc 3:7 Nu 3:8 (P); so perhaps (obj. om.) Ho 12:13 (where שׁ׳ chosen for parallelism Now Marti al.); Pt. הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹ֑כִי Gn 4:9 (J), שׁ׳ of sheep 1 S 17:20, שׁ׳ הַכֵּלִים v 22, שׁ׳ הַבְּגָדִים 2 K 22:14 2 Ch 34:22, שׁ׳ הַנָּשִׁים Est 2:3, 8, 15, cf. v 14, etc. e.g. Genesis 2:15
- b. keep, guard, captives Jos 10:18 (J), 1 K 20:39, דֶּרֶךְ Gn 3:24 (J); keep watch and ward, אֶל pers. over whom 1 S 26:15 (ψ 59:10 v. 3 end), עַל pers. v 16 Pr 6:22; בַּנַּעַר 2 S 18:12 have a care of (read לִי for מִי 𝔊), cf. 2 K 9:14; in hostile sense, אֶל הָעִיר (in siege) 2 S 11:16, עַל חַטָּאתִי Jb 14:16 (but read תַּעֲבֹר c. 𝔊 Ew Di Du al. [not Hi Bu]); abs. c. מֵעַל Ec 5:7 watcheth above, etc. (v. p. 759 a d); keep one’s mouth, be prudent of speech †Pr 21:23, cf. Mi 7:5; keep = protect, save, one’s life, נֶפֶשׁ †Pr 13:3; 16:17; 19:16; 22:5, another’s Jb 2:6; in Pr, acc. pers., subj. wisdom, 4:6 she shall preserve thee, cf. (+ מִן of evil) 6:24; 7:5; especially Pt. watch, watchman, of city Is 21:11(×2), 12; 62:5 (fig.), Ct 3:3; 5:7(×2) ψ 127:1; שׁ׳ הַסַּף (in temple) Je 35:4 + (v. סַף), הַשּׁ׳ פֶּתַח בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ 1 K 14:27 = 2 Ch 12:10, שׁ׳ הַשְּׁעָרִים Ne 13:22, שֹׁמְרֵי הַבַּיִת (fig.) Ec 12:3; שׁ׳ הַבַּיִת keep the house (of David’s concubines) †2 S 15:16; 16:21; 20:3; שֹׁמֵר הַכֵּלִים 1 S 17:22, שׁ׳ הַבְּגָדִים 2 K 22:14, שׁ׳ הַפַּרְדֵּס Ne 2:8, שׁ׳ הַנָּשִׁים Est 2:3, 14, 15, שֹׁמְרִים abs. Ju 7:19 Je 51:12. e.g. Joshua 10:18
- c. hence watch for, wait for, acc. pers. 1 S 19:11 (to kill him), cf. ψ 59:1 (title; acc. הַבַּיִת); c. עֲקֵבַי ψ 56:7 = dog my steps, 71:10 Je 20:10; = watch (suspiciously) Jb 10:14; 13:27; 33:11; abs. הַשֹּׁמְרִים Ju 1:24; wait for, נֶשֶׁף Jb 24:15, לַבֹּקֶר ψ 130:6(×2). e.g. 1 Samuel 19:11
- d. watch, observe, acc. rei 1 S 1:12 Ec 11:4 Jb 39:1 Je 8:7 (of birds), with intelligence Is 42:20 ψ 107:43; acc. pers. 37:37 (‖ ראה), Zc 11:11; acc. of sin ψ 31:7; 130:3; acc. rei, for the purpose of avoiding, 17:4. e.g. 1 Samuel 1:12
- 2.
- a. keep, retain, of storing up (food) Gn 41:35 (E); abs. Ec 3:6 (opp. הִשְׁלִיךְ); treasure up (in memory) Gn 37:11 (E), cf. Mal 2:7 1 Ch 29:18 Pr 4:21 (בְּתוֹךְ לְבָבֶ֑ךָ), 22:18 (בְּבִטְנֶ֑ךָ); retain wrath Am 1:11 (read שָׁמַר לָנֶצַח We Now GASm Marti; v. also נָטַר 1) + (anger om.) Je 3:5 (‖ נטר). e.g. Genesis 41:35
- b. keep within bounds, restrain, obj. שׁוֹר Ex 21:29, 36 (E); c. acc. hand, מִן of evil Is 56:2; fig. keep thy foot, c. cl. temp. Ec. 4:17; אֶשׁ׳־לְפִי מַחְסוֹם ψ (39:2 𝔊 Du al. אָשִׂימָה); appar. reflex. (= Niph.), †Jos 6:18 (+ מִן־הַחֵרֶם), poss. sc. נַפְשְׁכֶם Di. e.g. Exodus 21:29
- 3.
- a. observe, celebrate, acc. of festival, etc., Ex 23:15 (E), 34:18 (J), 12:17, of day v 17 (P), of month Dt 16:1. e.g. Exodus 23:15
- b. keep sabbath †Dt 5:12 Lv 19:3, 30; 26:2 (all H), Ex 31:13, 14, 16 (P), Is 56:4, also (+ מֵחַלְּלוֹ) v 2, 6. e.g. Deuteronomy 5:12
- c. of other obligations: keep covenant Ez 17:14, especially covenant of י׳ Dt 29:8; 1 K 11:11 + 5 times, שְׁבֻעַת י׳ 1 K 2:43, perform vow Dt 23:24; keep commands Je 35:18; Ez 20:18; especially מִצְוֹת, חֻקִּים, עֲבֹדָה, etc., of י׳ (sometimes ‖ נצר), Ex 20:6 = Dt 5:10; Am 2:4; 1 K 2:3 ψ 119:8, 17, 34 + very often (c. 120 times); שׁ׳ דֶּרֶךְ י׳ Gn 18:19 (J) + 4 times, דַּרְכֵי י׳ 2 S 22:22 = ψ 18:22, ד׳ י׳ om. Ju 2:22b; שׁ׳ אָרְחוֹת צַדִּיקִים Pr 2:20 (‖ תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבִים), שׁ׳ דְּרָכַי (ways of wisdom) 8:32 (ψ 17:4 v. 1 d); keep, discharge an office, כְּהֻנָּה Nu 3:10; 18:7 (both P), abs. 2 Ch 5:11; a function or duty, especially שׁ׳ מִשְׁמֶרֶת Lv 8:35; Nu 1:53 + c. 32 times (v. מ׳ infr.); acc. of obligation often om., especially D (and RD) keep and do Dt 4:6; 7:12 + 8 times; to do 5:1, 29 + 16 times D + 3 times, etc. e.g. Ezekiel 17:14
- d. observe = follow dictates of (prudence, justice, kindness, wisdom) Ho 12:7 (חֶסֶד וּמִשְׁפָּט), Is 56:1; Pr 4:4; 5:2; 7:1, 2; bad sense, observe vanities ψ 31:7.—Doubtful are: לִשְׁמֹר abs. Ho 4:10, very strange (conj. in We Now Marti); שָׁמוּר 1 S 9:24, HPS אֵחַרְנוּ, cf. Now BuComm.; ψ 59:10 read עֻוִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֲוַמֵּ֑רָה (as v 18, 𝔖 Che Bae). e.g. Hosea 12:7
- 4. sometimes י׳ subj.:
- a. keep, preserve, protect, acc. pers., + ב of way, etc., Gn 28:15, 20 (J), Ex 23:20 (E; of מַלְאָךְ), ψ 91:11 (מ׳), Jos 24:17 (E); acc. pers. (or נפשׁ) only: 1 S 30:23; Je 31:9; Nu 6:24 (P), Jb 29:2 ψ 16:1 + 10 times ψψ; + מִן ψ 121:7 + 2 times; acc. רַגְלַי 1 S 2:9, cf. Pr 3:26 (מִן); Pt. שֹׁמְרֶ֑ךָ ψ 121:3, 5, cf. v 4, etc.; acc. of city 127:1. e.g. Genesis 28:15
- b. c. acc. בְּרִית, ל pers. Dt 7:12, + חֶסֶד v 7 + 5 times, הַשּׁ׳ אֱמֶת לְעוֹלָם ψ 146:6; הַשְּׁבֻעָה Dt 7:8, etc.; pass. of covenant (י׳ agent) עֲרוּכָה בַכֹּל וּשְׁמֻרָה 2 S 23:5 (legal terminology, Dr). e.g. Deuteronomy 7:12
- 5. keep, reserve, weeks of harvest Je 5:24 (ל pers.). e.g. Jeremiah 5:24
Niphal
- Pf. 3 ms. נִשְׁמַר 2 S 20:10, etc.; Impf. 3 fs. תִּשָּׁמֵר Ju 13:13; 2 mpl. תִּשָּׁמִ֑רוּ Ex 23:13; Imv. ms. הִשָּׁמֵר Is 7:4 (לְךָ) הִשָּׁ֫מֶר Gn 24:6 +; fs. הִשָּֽׁמְרִי Ju 13:4, etc.;— e.g. 2 Samuel 20:10
- 1. be on one’s guard, c. בַּחֶרֶב 2 S 20:10 by reason of the sword, i.e. against it; c. ב temp. 1 S 19:2, שָׁם 2 K 6:10; take heed Ex 23:13 (E) Dt 2:4; c. מִן pers. Ex 23:21 (E), Je 9:3; מִן rei Ju 13:13; Dt 23:10; מִן inf. take care not to, etc. Gn 31:29 (E), 2 K 6:9; inf. without מִן Ex 19:12 (J), but read prob. מֵעֲלוֹת; sq. פֶּן lest Gn 24:6 (J) + 11 times (especially Dt); c. (וְ)אַל juss. Ex 10:28 (J), Ju 13:4; Jb 36:21, c. Imv. coörd. Is 7:4.—Very often Imv. (24 times), especially in phr. הִשָּׁמֶר־לְךָ (12 times), הִשָּׁמְרוּ לִכֶם (3 times); + לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם Dt 4:15; Jos 23:11 (RD; + inf.); + בְּנַפ׳ Je 17:21 appar. ב pret. on peril of your life (cf. ב III. 3 a), so perhaps also בְּרוּחֲכֶם Mal 2:15, 16 (We Now). e.g. 2 Samuel 20:10
- 2. keep oneself, refrain, abstain, מֵאִשָּׁה 1 S 21:5. e.g. 1 Samuel 21:5
- 3. be kept, guarded, Ho 12:14 (cf. שׁ׳ of Jacob v 13); be preserved (by י׳) ψ 37:28 (לִעוֹלָם), but read prob. נִשְׁמָ֑דוּ (לְעוֹלָם) עַוָּלִים Hup-Ri (Now) Che Bae Du Dr. e.g. Hosea 12:14
Piel
- Pt. pl. מְשַׁמְּרִים הַבְלֵי־שָׁוְא Jon 2:9 those paying regard to false vanities (cf. Qal ψ 31:7). e.g. Jonah 2:9
Hithpael
- Impf. 1 s. וָאֶשְׁתַּמֵּר מֵעֲוֹנִי ψ 18:24 I kept myself from, etc. = 2 S 22:24 (vb. cohort.); 3 ms. וְיִשְׁתַּמֵּר חֻקּוֹת עָמְרִי Mi 6:16, but read וְתִשְׁמֹר thou keepest, observest, We Now GASm. e.g. Psalms 18:24
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. keep, watch, preserve (NH id.; Ph. שמר in n.pr. and (Pun.) = watchman; TelAm. šimiru is perhaps overseer (Canaanism), WklNo. 80, 1, 23; Mand. סמירא preserved NöM 46; cf. Arabic سَمَرَ converse by night, stay awake (v. LagBN 105); BaNB 175 f.; ES 43 infers from ܬܶܡܪܳܐ eyelid (cf. [שְׁמֻרָה] infr.), and Arabicثَمَلَ support, aid, protect (l = r), that two √ √ are combined in Heb.; but proof insuff.);—
— 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.
שָׁמַר
- (b. h.) [to be still,] to watch, guard, wait; to observe; to keep. Snh. 63ᵇ לא … שְׁמוֹר לי וכ׳ one should not say to his neighbor, wait for me at such and such an idolatrous statue (or temple). B. Mets. 58ᵃ השוכר … לִשְׁמוֹר את וכ׳ if one hires a workingman to guard a cow, a child &c. Sabb. 118ᵇ אלמלי שָׁמְרוּ ישראל וכ׳ if Israel had observed the first Sabbath &c.; a v. fr.—Part. pass. שָׁמוּר; f. שְׁמוּרָה &c. Ib. XXII, 4 נותנין … בשביל שיהא ש׳ you may put a dish into the well that it be kept (cool); a. e.
- 1. same. Ib. 118ᵇ אילמלי מְשַׁמְּרִין ישראל וכ׳ if Israel would observe two Sabbaths as they ought do, they would at once be redeemed. Keth. 62ᵇ ענייה זו לשוא שִׁימְּרָה the poor woman has in vain waited (for her husband). Ab. Zar. IV, 11 אין … יושב ומְשַׁמֵּר וכ׳ the watchman (guarding wine against idolatrous defilement) need not sit and watch &c. Y. Kidd. I, 58ᵈ top המקום משמר וכ׳ God has watched, and such a case has never occurred. Y. M. Kat. III, 82ᶜ שי׳ הקב"ה … שבעה the Lord observed the seven days of mourning for his world (before the flood, ref. to Gen. VII, 10); a. fr. e.g. Genesis 7:10
- 2. (denom. of שְׁמָרִים) to clear wine from lees, filter, strain (v. מְשַׁמֶּרֶת). Sabb. 138ᵃ שי׳ חייב וכ׳ if one filtered wine (on the Sabbath), he is bound to bring a sin-offering; Y. ib. XX, 17ᶜ; VII, 10ᵇ, a. e. המשמר חייב שום בורר he who filters is guilty &c., v. בָּרַר. Ib. המשמר יין למטן וכ׳ when one filters, the wine goes down, and the lees remain above (in the filter); a. fr.—Bab. ib. 146ᵇ מקום העשוי לְשַׁמֵּר a place in the keg where a hole has been made for the purpose of letting the wine off, clear of lees (and has been closed again; Ar. s. v. חזק; Rashi: where the hole has been closed in order to preserve the flavor).—Part. pass. מְשׁוּמָּר a) guarded. Pes. 109ᵇ (ref. to שמרים, Ex. XII, 42) ליל המש׳ ובא מן המזיקין a night which is for all time guarded against dangers (v. מַזִּיק); R. Hash. 11ᵇ.—b) kept, preserved, designated. Ib. ליל המש׳ ובא מששת וכ׳ a night which has been designated for redemption since the six days of creation. Snh. 99ᵃ; Ber. 34ᵇ יין המש׳ וכ׳, v. עֵנָב; a. e. e.g. Exodus 12:42
- 1. to be on one’s guard, be observant. Mekh. Bo, s. 14 (ref. to שמרים, v. supra) מגיד … צריכין להִשְׁתַּמֵּר בו this intimates that all Israelites must be careful in it (to observe its ceremonies); Yalk. Ex. 210; Tanḥ. Bo 9.
- 2. to be guarded. B. Mets. 11ᵃ המִשְׁתַּמֶּרֶת, v. חָצֵר. Erub. 54ᵇ אם ראשון … מִשְׁתַּמֵּר וכ׳ if the fowler breaks the wings of each bird as he catches it, it is kept (from flying off) &c. Men. 99ᵇ כל המשמר … נשמתוֹ משתמרת who guards the Law (takes care not to forget it), his soul is guarded; a. e.
- same, to be on one’s guard. Ib. כל מקום שנאמר הִשָּׁמֶר פן ואל וכ׳ wherever the Scripture has the words, ‘be on thy guard, lest’, or ‘be on thy guard that not’, it is a prohibitive law; ib. השמר ופן וכ׳ ‘be on thy guard’ and ‘lest’ make two prohibitions. Ib. 36ᵇ השמר דלאו לאו hishshamer followed by a negative is a prohibitory law; השמר דעשה עשה hishshamer connected with a positive order, is a positive command (v. עָשָׂה).—[Tanḥ. Vayḥi 13 ומשמירין, v. שָׁפַר.]
שְׁמַר
- Ithpa. אִשְׁתַּמַּר, v. סְמַר II. Targ. Is. VII, 4 some ed.
שֶׁמֶר
- (preced.) sediment, lees. Sabb. 146ᵇ שניקבה למטה מן הש׳ when the jug has a hole below the line of the lees. B. Bath. 96ᵇ שִׁמְרֵי יין wine lees. Ib. ש׳ … טעם יין lees which have a taste (or flavor) of wine. B. Mets. IV, 11 אין מערבין שמרי … שְׁמָרָיו you dare not mix wine lees (left of one jug) with wine, but you may give the purchaser the lees belonging to the wine sold; a. fr.
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 298 distinct written forms H8104 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; 238 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H8104, 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
- אשמרה ʼashmurâh H821 watch
- משמר mishmâr H4929 guard
- שמיר shâmîyr H8068 thorn
- שמר shemer H8105 dregs
- שמר shimmur H8107 night watch
- שמרה shomrâh H8108 watch
- שמרה shᵉmurâh H8109 eyelid
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- ישמרי Yishmᵉray H3461 Ishmerai
- שומר Shôwmêr H7763 Shomer
- שמרון Shômᵉrôwn H8111 Samaria
- שמריה Shᵉmaryâh H8114 Shemariah
- שמרת Shimrâth H8119 Shimrath
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 13 — not the complete family. 5 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 386 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 440 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 2:15
- Exodus 10:28
- Leviticus 8:35
- Numbers 1:53
- Deuteronomy 2:4
- Joshua 1:7
- Judges 1:24
- 1 Samuel 1:12
- 2 Samuel 11:16
- 1 Kings 2:3
- 2 Kings 6:9
- 1 Chronicles 9:19
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.
