אֵם
𐤀𐤌
ʼêm
H517 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A female parent; specifically, the biological mother of a child. The term may also denote an ancestress or matriarch within a kinship structure. In extended or figurative use, it refers to the foundational or originating element of a group, position, or object (e.g., 'mother city,' 'mother of all living'). In some contexts, 'ēm also signifies the source or primal part of something (e.g., the main channel or 'parting' of a stream).
Semantic Range
biological mother, female parent, ancestress, matriarch, source/fountainhead (of a people or thing), principal or chief part, origin (of a stream or city), nurturing figure, foundation
Root / Etymology
From the root א-מ (אֵם), meaning 'mother.' The term is a primary noun with no evident derivational prefix or suffix. Its root relates fundamentally to the notion of mother or source, but word formation beyond this simple root is uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אֵם occurs throughout the Hebrew Bible from early to late texts, typically as the standard term for 'mother'—the female biological parent. The word is used literally (as in genealogies or narratives: Gen 3:20, Exod 20:12) and figuratively (Ezek 21:26 for the base/crown of a diadem or Isa 50:1 for personified Jerusalem as 'mother'). It can represent both immediate parentage and wider, symbolic ideas of origin or nurturing. The term is also utilized in the idiom 'mother city' for principal towns. In a few instances, 'ēm is associated with the 'parting' or source of a stream (as in Josh 15:9), expressing the idea of an originating point. English translations rendering this term as 'dam' (Leviticus 12:7) reflect older English for 'mother,' but modern English retains only 'mother.' Later Hellenistic and Roman period texts begin to extend the figurative use of 'ēm to collective or institutional origins. In rabbinic sources, 'ēm is foundational for legal and social definitions of kinship and ancestry. Contrast is to be made with אב ('av, father), which functions similarly for male ancestors or origins.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive word; a mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively (like father)); dam, mother, [idiom] parting.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אם (ʾ-m) — to be a mother, bring forth, act as source, nourish
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H518 | אִם | whether? |
| H521 | אַמָּה | forearm-measure |
| H523 | אֻמַּה | the people-groups |
| H538 | אֲמָם | Amam |
| H5973 | עִם | and if |
Word Forms
31 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H517-10 |
אִמּ֑/וֹ | imo | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his mother | his mother | 79 |
H517-05 |
אִמֶּ֑/ךָ | imekha | HNcfsc/Sp2ms |
of your mother | your mother | 25 |
H517-01 |
אֵ֥ם | em | HNcfsc |
mother | mother of | 23 |
H517-09 |
אִמִּ֑/י | imi | HNcfsc/Sp1cs |
of my mother | my mother | 23 |
H517-31 |
וְ/אִמּ֖/וֹ | veimo | HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and his mother | and his mother | 14 |
H517-16 |
לְ/אִמּ֑/וֹ | leimo | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
to his mother | to his mother | 8 |
H517-22 |
וּ/לְ/אִמּ֖/וֹ | uleimo | HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and to his mother | and to his mother | 5 |
H517-03 |
אִמָּ֑/הּ | imah | HNcfsc/Sp3fs |
her mother | with her | 5 |
H517-30 |
וְ/אִמִּ/י֙ | veimi | HC/Ncfsc/Sp1cs |
and my mother | and my mother | 4 |
H517-26 |
וְ/אִמָּ֔/הּ | veimah | HC/Ncfsc/Sp3fs |
and her mother | her mother | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
220 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H517-10 |
Genesis 2:24 | אִמּ֑/וֹ | imo | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his mother | his mother |
H517-01 |
Genesis 3:20 | אֵ֥ם | em | HNcfsc |
mother | mother of |
H517-09 |
Genesis 20:12 | אִמִּ֑/י | imi | HNcfsc/Sp1cs |
of my mother | my mother |
H517-10 |
Genesis 21:21 | אִמּ֛/וֹ | imo | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his mother | his mother |
H517-03 |
Genesis 24:28 | אִמָּ֑/הּ | imah | HNcfsc/Sp3fs |
her mother | with her |
H517-20 |
Genesis 24:53 | וּ/לְ/אִמָּֽ/הּ | uleimah | HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3fs |
and to her mother | and to her mother |
H517-26 |
Genesis 24:55 | וְ/אִמָּ֔/הּ | veimah | HC/Ncfsc/Sp3fs |
and her mother | her mother |
H517-10 |
Genesis 24:67 | אִמּ֔/וֹ | imo | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his mother | his mother |
H517-10 |
Genesis 24:67 | אִמּֽ/וֹ | imo-2 | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his mother | his mother |
H517-10 |
Genesis 27:11 | אִמּ֑/וֹ | imo | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his mother | his mother |