סָמַר
𐤎𐤌𐤓
çâmar
H5568 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To stand upright (chiefly of hair); to bristle, especially under the effect of strong emotion such as fear or awe. The term describes the physical phenomenon of hair rising due to intense sensation or terror. The primary lexical usage is to depict the involuntary reaction of hair standing on end, usually in poetic or vividly descriptive contexts, often as a metaphor for chills or shuddering due to dread, reverence, or overwhelming experience.
Semantic Range
to bristle (as hair), hair standing on end from terror, shudder in fear, to become erect (of hair or fibers), figurative for intense emotional disturbance
Root / Etymology
From the root סמר, likely carrying the base idea of standing upright or being stiff, though applied almost exclusively to hair or fibers. The formation is typical for stative, intransitive verbs in Hebrew. No clear cognates in other Semitic languages have been firmly established.
Historical & Contextual Notes
סָמַר appears rarely and primarily in poetic usage within the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Job 4:15, Ezekiel 21:12 [MT 21:17]), where it describes a visceral reaction of terror or awe – often associated with divine encounter or profound fear. Unlike שָׂעַר (hair) or חָרֵד/רָעַד (to tremble, quake), סָמַר focuses on the physical effect produced on hair, marking an intense emotive state. Later translations sometimes render the sense as 'tremble,' but this misses the implicit image of hair bristling, an expressive marker of strong emotion. In post-biblical Hebrew, the direct usage largely fades in favor of more generalized terms for fear or trembling. Standard English translations often dilute the vividness of the original imagery by substituting generic emotional reactions, but the Hebrew invokes a concrete, visible response in the body to overwhelming sensation. No significant shift in meaning observed across biblical periods due to its rare occurrence.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to be erect, i.e. bristle as hair; stand up, tremble.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סמר (s-m-r) — to stand upright, to be stiff, to bristle
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4548 | מַסְמֵר | with projecting pegs |
| H4930 | מַשְׂמְרָה | and like pointed pegs |
| H5569 | סָמָר | bristling |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5568-01 |
סָמַ֣ר | samar | HVqp3ms |
trembles | bristling | 1 |
H5568-02 |
תְּ֝סַמֵּ֗ר | tesamer | HVpi3fs |
bristled up | she will bristle | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5568-01 |
Psalms 119:120 | סָמַ֣ר | samar | HVqp3ms |
trembles | bristling |
H5568-02 |
Job 4:15 | תְּ֝סַמֵּ֗ר | tesamer | HVpi3fs |
bristled up | she will bristle |