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עָמַד

𐤏𐤌𐤃

ʻâmad

H5975 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To stand; to be in a standing position, to take one's place, or to remain in position, both literally (standing upright) and figuratively (remaining firm, persisting, enduring, occupying an office or position). The verb can refer to the act of physically rising or standing still, of taking a stance in readiness or opposition, of serving in an official or cultic capacity, or of enduring/changing states. In its causative (hiphil) stem, it often means 'to set up,' 'to appoint,' 'to establish,' or 'to cause to stand.' Across its occurrences, עָמַד expresses a range of staying, enduring, or being present in a situation, alongside senses of regularly appointed activity or official status.

Semantic Range

to stand upright; to remain or continue; to endure; to take one’s place or position; to be present (often in a formal, legal, or cultic sense); to serve or minister (by standing before someone of authority); to appoint or install (in an office or function); to establish or set up; to be employed in a particular role; to confront or oppose; to cause to stand (hiphil); to hold firm; to persist or subsist

Root / Etymology

Root עמד, meaning 'to stand.' The core imagery is that of vertical stability, 'standing' as opposed to sitting, lying down, or moving about. Various binyanim (verbal patterns) extend the meaning from physical standing to the idea of making something/someone stand or establishing a person in a role (e.g. as priest), or causing something to remain established or endure.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, עָמַד is used in multiple registers: 1) physically standing (Genesis 18:8; Exodus 17:6), 2) taking a position or stance in readiness, especially in encounters or battle situations (1 Samuel 17:16), 3) enduring or lasting, often of God’s word or decree (Psalm 33:11; Isaiah 40:8), 4) being appointed or set in a role (Numbers 16:9; 2 Chronicles 29:11), and 5) performing a ritual or cultic service (Deuteronomy 10:8). The usage is multi-dimensional, going well beyond 'to remain' or 'to be present.' English translations such as 'stand,' 'endure,' or 'serve' each capture facets of the verb’s use, but rarely convey its full nuance, especially the sense of official appointment or ritual presence. In later Hebrew (post-biblical), the word retains similar core ideas but sometimes narrows to physical standing. Related terms such as יָשַׁב (to sit, dwell) or קָם (to arise, get up) sometimes overlap, but עָמַד emphasizes the completed or ongoing state of standing or establishment, rather than the process of getting up or the act of sitting. In legal or ceremonial texts, standing conveys a role of responsibility or testimony (e.g., standing before a ruler, or before YHWH). Some English versions translate the cultic usage as 'minister,' but this can obscure the basic underlying image of one 'standing' in service.

Translation Consistency

primary "stand" 494 occurrences

'Stand' is the most natural, common English verb that covers the primary literal and figurative senses of עָמַד — to be upright, to remain or endure, to take/place oneself, and to serve or be present. The majority of occurrences are rendered with forms of 'stand' (stood, stand, standing). Hiphil senses (‘cause to stand,’ ‘appoint/set up’) can be expressed consistently from this base (e.g. ‘set/appoint’ as periphrastic uses of ‘cause to stand’) while preserving a single, regular base verb across all forms.

Alternatives (32 occurrences):
"standing-one" (13x) "set up" (3x) "stopped" (2x) "ceased" (1x) "tarry" (1x) "dwells" (1x) "raised you up" (1x) "propped up" (1x) "oil stopped" (1x) "set" (1x) "remain" (1x) "endures" (1x) "standing-ones" (1x) "remains" (1x) "arise" (1x) "appointed" (1x) "propping up" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive); abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, [phrase] serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, make to be at a, with-) stand (by, fast, firm, still, up), (be at a) stay (up), tarry.

Bantu Hebrew

Language Bantu Word Transliteration Meaning
Bemba ima to stand, to be standing
Chichewa ima to stand, to be standing, to endure
Kikuyu kũimĩra to stand (up), to stand still
Kirundi -ima to stand up, be on one's feet
Kongo ima to stand, to stand up
Luganda -yimirira to stand, to remain standing, to persist
Shona -mira to stand, to stop, to remain standing
Swahili -simama to stand, to stand up, to remain standing, to endure
Tsonga yima to stand, to stop, to remain
Zulu -ma to stand, to persist, be firm

Root Family

עמד (ʿ-m-d) — to stand, remain, endure, be established, appoint

Root עמד to stand, remain, endure, be established, appoint
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4612 מַעֲמָד their standing-place
H4613 מׇעֳמָד standing place
H5976 עָמַד and you caused to stand
H5977 עֹמֶד their standing-place
H5979 עֶמְדָּה his standing-place

Word Forms

101 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5975-67 וַ/יַּֽעֲמֹ֖ד vayaamod HC/Vqw3ms and stood and he stood and he stood 54
H5975-39 עֹמֵ֧ד omed HVqrmsa standing the standing-one standing 50
H5975-97 יַעֲמֹ֑ד yaamod HVqi3ms can stand he will stand he will stand 30
H5975-61 וַ/יַּֽעַמְד֖וּ vayaamedu HC/Vqw3mp and stood and they stood and they stood 28
H5975-41 עֹמְדִֽים omedim HVqrmpa standing standing ones standing ones 27
H5975-01 עָ֥מַד amad HVqp3ms stood he stood he stood 23
H5975-44 תַּעֲמֹ֖ד taamod HVqj2ms stand may you stand stand 18
H5975-30 לַ/עֲמֹ֛ד laamod HR/Vqc to stand to stand to stand 17
H5975-19 הָ/עֹמְדִ֖ים haomedim HTd/Vqrmpa who stand the standing ones the standing ones 16
H5975-60 וַֽ/יַּעֲמֵ֥ד vayaamed HC/Vhw3ms and he appointed and he caused to stand and he caused to stand 16

Occurrences in Scripture

526 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5975-39 Genesis 18:8 עֹמֵ֧ד omed HVqrmsa was standing the standing-one was standing
H5975-39 Genesis 18:22 עֹמֵ֖ד omed HVqrmsa standing the standing-one standing
H5975-44 Genesis 19:17 תַּעֲמֹ֖ד taamod HVqj2ms stand may you stand stand
H5975-01 Genesis 19:27 עָ֥מַד amad HVqp3ms he had stood he stood he stood
H5975-39 Genesis 24:30 עֹמֵ֥ד omed HVqrmsa standing the standing-one the standing-one
H5975-44 Genesis 24:31 תַעֲמֹד֙ taamod HVqi2ms do you stand may you stand do you stand
H5975-58 Genesis 29:35 וַֽ/תַּעֲמֹ֖ד vataamod HC/Vqw3fs and she ceased she stood and she ceased
H5975-07 Genesis 30:9 עָמְדָ֖ה amedah HVqp3fs she had stopped she stood she had stopped
H5975-39 Genesis 41:1 עֹמֵ֥ד omed HVqrmsa he was standing the standing-one standing
H5975-59 Genesis 41:3 וַֽ/תַּעֲמֹ֛דְנָה vataamodenah HC/Vqw3fp and stood and they stood and they stood
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